Help get new trailer home, my first tow

Total towing noob FYI, but have been reading the manual and watching videos to get up to speed.

I have a 2017 CrewMax 4wd with tow package, no load reductions based on yellow door stickers. No mods to speak of, stock OEM Michelin tires. So I see 9,200# TWR in my manual and to use a WDH over 5K.

I want to pick up a used 2017 Jayco 212QBW on a private party sale. Figure it would be close to published dry weight specs of Unloaded Vehicle 4,185# (GVWR 6k#) and Dry Hitch 460#. 25.6' overall length. I need to get her home about 80 miles, 50 of that on the Interstate. No WDH currently installed, and I don't see it being practical for me to try to set my first one up ever in someone else's driveway. I lean towards an Anderson WDH ultimately but that's still tbd...but hope to sort that out once she's home in my driveway.

SO.... can I likely get this trailer home safely on just a ball and driving 55 mph on the highway? Was going to take some measurements and initially just buy a basic hitch ball setup. If not I guess I have to arrange for someone else to move it for me. I would like to get the experience but don't want to do anything stupid, so looking for some input and suggestions from those with experience. Thank you!

 

You’ll be fine, have your brake controller already in.

having a simple ball hitch will be nice to keep around for moving the trailer around the driveway. Sometimes i wanna pull mine out to wash in the street, sliding a 10lb hitch is much easier than hauling out the wdh

my trailer is similar weight to that. A very basic husky wdh is all that i needed to stay perfectly smooth on the freeway

 

Just to add a bit to what's already been said, since you said you're new to towing (I'm thinking that means new to towing altogether not just w/a Tundra)...

While the WDH is not necessary, you will notice a very nice difference in stability and have less squat once that's been installed properly; consider one w/anti-sway attachments for even more lateral stability (trailer sway) under more adverse conditioning such as heavy cross winds in a canyon, semis blowing past you, and even more driving errors.

As stated make sure you trailer brake controller is installed (not sure if your year came w/one from the factory); without the trailer brake towing this rig will go from you'll be fine to potentially dangerous real quick!

Once the trailer is hooked up, make sure you adjust the 'gain' properly on the trailer brake control (usually a dial on the side, a slide bar or +/- of some sorts). An easy way to verify proper adjustment is to (prior to jumping onto a public road especially at fwy speeds) hook the trailer up; find a quiet straight road get it up to about 10-15mph; then apply the trailer brake only (no brake pedal) and adjust the gain 'up' until you get wheel lock up on the trailer tires and then adjust it back down slightly from there. Get it back up to about 15mph and verify setting by applying trailer brake only; if it locks up the tires the gain is too high if it feels like the trailer brakes are just starting to 'grab' but not lock up then you're adjusted about right. From there take it up to about 25 mph and do the same (don't have to completely stop, just make sure you're not lock up but that you are getting braking from the trailer)....

Now, do it again; but this time brake by apply your brake pedal and just verify that you have no lock up on the trailer and that your braking feels fairly smooth and not 'jolty'. If need be, adjust accordingly and repeat. If all seems fine, do the same at about 35-40mph. If you have no lock up and if your braking process is fairly smooth, then you should be good to go.

Now one last thing regarding brakes... prior to needing to do an emergency / 'panic' stop, you should know what that feels like in a non-emergent situation. So, I'd get the rig up to about 50-55mph, and (without standing completely on the brake pedal) come to a hard stop and just feel and watch what happens with the entire set up. This way if you do have to panic stop on a busy highway, you'll know what your safe approximate stopping distance is and how the set up feel to you and react to your input on the roadway.

Remember to double or even triple your normal following distances while towing.

Don't forget the Tundra's tow/haul button. By pressing this, you'll get a little better throttle response and have a slight re-mapping of the transmissions shift points to keep you from jumping up and down in gears especially when towing uphill.

S4 is your friend while towing up or downhill as well... S4 uphill will keep your truck from shifting into 5th (5th and 6th gears are OD in our trucks), and S4 and S3 downhill will also keep your truck out of OD when traveling downhill and help limit speed thus saving your brakes a bit. Ideally you want to be able to stay in S4/S3 downhill and just feather the brakes periodically to keep your speed comfortable for conditions instead of constantly riding the brakes or standing on the brake pedal when speeds start to get excessive.

Sequential shift (S1-S4) in our trucks is not like paddle shifting or manually shifting, it simply sets the highest gear the truck can 'automatically' shift into. I hope that makes sense.

Trailer tires are meant to be run at full PSI, so check the tires before hitting the road for condition and air pressure (fill to the max); most trailer tires are labeled 'ST' and will hold up to 80psi. An under-inflated or worn out trailer tire is the easiest way to a trailer tire blow out and an even quicker way to ruin your day real quick.

Also, if you normally run your truck's tires at recommended PSI, you can bump up air pressure on your truck's tires a bit to help w/the increased load and to reduce some of the sidewall flex (depending if you're running OE tires, P-rated or LT-rated C,D, or E load range tires).

Last, but not least, if you find that at some point your trailer is starting to get out of control on you (for whatever reason) try to avoid adding steering input to a swaying trailer (steering input will only make it worse). The fastest way to get a trailer back under control is to reduce speed (like most situations, smooth is fast here). Usually, just removing your foot from the gas pedal will bring the trailer back under control in just a couple of seconds if not immediately, but if you must brake, use the minimal amount of braking pressure necessary to get the job done.

Have fun w/your new trailer....

 

The only thing I can add is that when I towed my trailer home just on the stock ball mount that came with my truck, I ended up flipping the ball mount upside down so the trailer didn't set nose down while I was towing. But my trailer is a bit bigger and heavier than yours.

 

Wow, tons of great info there I need to read that a few times, thank you!

I do know that I have the factory brake controller installed....as long as I don't have any of the glitches with it I have read about requiring a dealer reprogram (I think).

 

Dont bump up your front truck tires psi. The trailer is gonna take weight off the front axle and make steering lighter. Extra psi up front will further make steering too light

 

That's the good stuff right there. I think the only thing I'd add is "don't use cruise control while towing". It says so in the manual, and cruise tends to shut itself off going up inclines of any kind, and kinda freaked me out first time it happened when I was towing. Engine revs up, but vehicle slows way down, takes a few seconds to normalize, not great.

 

I never pulled a trailer before but after this post I am going to buy one and pull it around LOL. Great write up partner.

 

All of this is so helpful. When I got there today to see the unit and close the deal it turned out that there is indeed an existing WDH and they are going to let us have it and show me how it's all set up. We'll be going back in a week or 2 for pickup. Appreciate all taking time to chime in, I'm feeling better about being ready.

 

Nice! Post up some pics when you get it!

Since you said you're a total noob (everyone is at some point) when you get it you might consider going to find a big open area, parking lot, something and just maneuver it around for a few minutes.

When you're hitched up, swing wider on your turns, ESPECIALLY right turns. Watch for poles, curbs, signs, the trailer tracks a little tighter than just the truck.

Leave more space in front of you, leave more room to stop, look further ahead, and always think about where your "out" is if someone does something stupid... They will.

When towing I go into a kind of hyper vigilant state of awareness, watching for everyone's next stupid move. They rarely disappoint. It's actually kinda' fun in a weird way, much more involved with my driving instead of the autopilot I sometimes switch on.

Most importantly, congrats on the new rig and have fun on your new adventures! Our trailer is a total happy place.

 

Great setup you have, love the Lance. Thanks for the pics! We've had some prior experience with Class C rentals, but none with a bumper pull/pivot point. It looks like there is a local Big Walmart less than a mile from our pickup point so I'll probably head there first. It's a small town rural area and not super crowded.

I'm retired, but spent 34 years with a 120 mile round trip daily interstate commute to work.....talk about seeing it all lol.

 

Great way to enjoy your retirement! I swear I sleep better in my trailer, coffee tastes a little better...

The Lance has been really good to us. 7 years and counting of trouble free fun and memories.

When you get it, familiarize yourself with location of the trailer brake controller, and finding it to manually activate trailer brakes only. Practice this till it becomes instinctive muscle memory.

It very well may have saved my ass when we got hit by a very sudden and violent microburst of wind from the side that wiggled me pretty bad. Without having to think about it my hand went to the brake controller and grabbed some trailer brake, straightened us right out.
When coasting to a stoplight sometimes I'll reach down to find & activate it just to keep it ingrained in my muscle memory. Also helps to see if I need to adjust the gain up/down.

I don't say any of this to scare or dissuade you from the trailer, you saw it all on that 120 mile commute and obviously survived since you're here typing, so you know.

There's just a little bit more going on when you have a few tons on a pivot point hooked to your bumper. Tow cautiously but with confidence.

 

This is some amazing info., thanks for taking the time to post it. Bookmarked!

 

You may still have to set up the WDH for your specific truck but that can probably wait until you get the trailer home.

 

lots of good points here, a couple other things I thought of.
The stock brake controller works ok and will get you home fine. I believe most people are content with it. Many of us have upgraded to an aftermarket one, and you may discover its limitations once you’ve been towing for a while. Be aware you can improve that if you need to.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but if your truck doesn’t have towing mirrors, it’s going to be harder to see down the side of your rig. At some point you may want to change your mirrors or at the very least get some of those mirror extensions for towing. There are often some used ones on marketplace cheap.
Finally while you’re at an empty parking lot, it’s a good time to practice backing up, both to the right and the left. It takes a while to get the hang of it. Use the islands or some cones to simulate backing around something. It goes without saying, until you get good at maneuvering in tighter places, if you need to fuel up with the trailer attached, be very selective about where you pull in to fuel up, you can end up in a spot you can’t easily get out of. There are plenty of expansive fuel stops where it’s easy in and out.
One accessory I have that is not necessary, but helpful is a camera on the back of the trailer that sends a wireless video signal to a screen in the truck. I like to know what’s behind me on the highway and it’s obviously very useful backing up.
Good luck and enjoy your trailer!

 

Good advice above. Looks like your trailer is dual axle which should help it track a little better. At least in my experience they track better than single axles. Definitely go practice in the Walmart parking lot for a little bit, just to get a sense of how the truck and trailer interact. My very first towing experience involved a few minutes practice at an empty Walmart parking lot before towing two horses from WY to PA and we made it just fine.

For backing up, put your hand at the 6 o'clock position on the steering wheel and if you want the trailer to go left/driver side, turn the wheel left. If you want it to go right, turn the wheel right.

 

TL;DR

 

excellent post

 

Home in one piece. No sway, no issues. Went about 65 mph all the way home.

Got the OEM tow mirrors ahead of time. Had the brake gain set on max 10 didn’t seem too strong really so I need to spend some more time better understanding setup on that or possibly I need the reflash IDK.
Anyway, thanks again to all that helped with advice, I felt prepared for the day today.

 

Good possibility the brakes on the trailer need adjusting... Have them serviced and checked to make sure they are working... Might as well do wheel bearings while the hub is off just so you know the last time they were done

 

Thank you for the suggestions. I went to a Walmart right after pickup. Got going maybe 10 mph and squeezed the brake controller slides without touching the truck brakes. It definitely slowed everything down and so I felt that I was getting braking, guess in my head I was just expecting more. May get a buddy with some experience to see what they think… however I’m trying to muddle through on my own and learn.

 

I use 3.5 for my 8k# trailer. It has dual axle brakes.

 

Does your truck TBC have a setting for <5000 and >5000#? My 3 ton GVWR trailer seems to fit well at the over 5,000 pound and 5.5 on the gain.

 

Pulled my buddies 6k# camper a few miles for him this weekend to camp. Had to go up to 4.5 for similar performance as 3.5 on my 8k# camper. It’s probably camper brake system related more than truck related. And I have mine setup for 5000#+ trailer on the trucks brake setting menu.

 

My trailer brakes are set in the 5.5 range for our travel trailer. A bit over 7,000# loaded, with brakes on both axles. Stops great.

 

Just remember when your taking those wide right turns the ass end of the trailer is gonna swing out and cross into left lane or oncoming traffic, trailers have big butts!

 

The trailer comes inside on corners.

 

But the overhang in the rear swings wide. If excessive. Mines not and I don't worry about the rear as much as I do the axles.

 

I guess it depends how far forward the axles are.