TurboNova Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Ok I found am looking at a camper for sale it is 28' length, The guy pulls it around with his 1/2ton no problem and said no sway and such. I dont have any worrys that my half ton wont pull it since it pulls my 1900 pound trailer and 3300 pound nova around. My question is this does anyone have experience pulling one and what is involved in adding some sort of sway bar/equalizing system. and is there a specific one to use or reccomend. 2. brake controllers, I know I should already have one towing around the car but I dont. Whats involved in setting one up and whats a good one to get that wont break the bank? plan on pulling it with my 2010 silverado 5.3 6 speed auto z71 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJ Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 whats the weight of the camper with water, fuel and gear? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Ok I found am looking at a camper for sale it is 28' length, The guy pulls it around with his 1/2ton no problem and said no sway and such. I dont have any worrys that my half ton wont pull it since it pulls my 1900 pound trailer and 3300 pound nova around. My question is this does anyone have experience pulling one and what is involved in adding some sort of sway bar/equalizing system. and is there a specific one to use or reccomend. 2. brake controllers, I know I should already have one towing around the car but I dont. Whats involved in setting one up and whats a good one to get that wont break the bank? plan on pulling it with my 2010 silverado 5.3 6 speed auto z71 1. A good weight distributing hitch would really help, if you aren't using one now. They can be expensive new, but cheap as hell on CL. I think most of them have some sort of sway control built in. Edit: This is the type I was thinking of http://www.etrailer.com/Weight-Distribution/Pro-Series/PS49903.html 2. Any work, but a proportional is really nice. The Tekonsha Prodigy has always been a hot item. All of them are easy as hell to hook up. http://www.etrailer.com/dept.aspx?furl=pg-Brake_Controller-pm-Tekonsha&gclid=CNurncG1ybECFUYCQAodiVwA7g Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboNova Posted August 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 awesome how difficult are those weight distribution deals to setup/install? I am not sure on weight. I am going to look at the trailer friday evening and hope to find a weight on it. Is there a special place to look for weight stickers on a travel trailer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twistedfocus1647545489 Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 awesome how difficult are those weight distribution deals to setup/install? I am not sure on weight. I am going to look at the trailer friday evening and hope to find a weight on it. Is there a special place to look for weight stickers on a travel trailer? I never owned one, but I helped a friend install the Reese version for towing a race car and it wasn't bad. You just set everything up the first time and torque it all down. From then on I think you just treat it like a normal hitch with some extra attaching points. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 The weight distribution hitches are pretty easy to set up. I've done 2 or 3 for my parents, and I've towed bumper-pull campers all over the US since getting my license. Honestly the only "setup" involved is setting the hitch ball height, because most hitches of this type are height adjustable. Then mounting the load leveling mounts to the tongue of the trailer. If you buy one new it will come with directions, but it's pretty obvious honestly. Load levelers are basically just steel bars that you apply tension to then pin in place at the tongue, basically maintaining a loaded or sprung effect between the truck and the trailer. This keeps the weight distributed more between the front and rear axles of your truck. The hitch will also have a mount for an anti-sway bar, which is effectively a steel bar inside a sleeve that you tighten a large bolt against. This bar goes between the hitch "head" and the tongue of the trailer, and the friction between the plates is such that turning corners is fine, but swaying on the freeway/downhill is minimized.... Go take a look at one of these setups and it will be obvious. If you're concerned at all buy a hitch from RCD or somebody and have them do the install/setup for you. Also, you could probably comfortably tow a 7000-8000 lb trailer with your truck, much over that would be pushing it. We towed a trailer around 9500ish lbs with a half ton suburban for years, but with the 5.3 and 4 speed auto, and it was absolutely all it could do. As you get closer to 10k you really should start considering a 3/4 ton truck. Also consider not only the weight of the trailer empty, but all the food/gear you add to it as well. Also don't make a habit of filling your water tank at home and hauling it with you - drive empty and fill up at your destination. Also air up the tires to max load psi on BOTH the trailer and your truck before pulling. A trailer that size also almost certainly has electric brakes, so you will need a brake controller on your truck, though a lot of newer trucks come with them from the factory. I'm actually going to go pick up my parents camper tonight, to stay at Mid-Ohio this weekend. It will be the first time towing with my new truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spankis Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 I also realized you asked about weight stickers. You'll probably see tags listing GVW and GVWR - I pulled this from the internet: GVW is the “Gross Vehicle Weight”, which is the actual weight of the vehicle. GVWR is the “Gross Vehicle Weight Rating”, and is the maximum allowable weight for the vehicle, which includes the weight of the trailer and the weight of the anticipated cargo. The axles must be able to support the GVWR, less the amount of weight carried by the tow vehicle (the “tongue weight” or the “hitch load”). This means that the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) may be less than the GVWR. It is generally accepted that this difference may be as high as 15% of the GVWR for bumper pull trailers, and 25% for gooseneck and 5th wheel trailers, although a more conservative approach would have them equal (since you don’t know how the consumer will load the trailer). You may find a sticker with this info on the outside, near the door, or on the inside face of a cabinet door inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hahn Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Thats not "real" camping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 Thats not "real" camping. your right. no diesel coach no care, sure do misss ours http://www.travelizmo.com/archives/holiday-rambler-scepter-class-a-motorhome-2009.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennyFKINPowerz Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 I have set up a few of them and they are very easy to do. On a side note, if your deal with this camper falls through, my mom has one that is practically brand new that she is looking to sell. They used it last year and it has been in storage at DSCC since last winter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowflake Posted August 2, 2012 Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 I pull a 25' 5th wheel that weighs 4200 dry with my 07 F150 with the 4.6 with no real problem and Ive pulled it thousands of miles around the country. Everyone I know that has a pull behind has the sway bars insyalled. It takes no time to set it up and take apart and it is worth every penny when pulling long disatnce on the highway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboNova Posted August 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2012 awesome information guys! I have no doubts that I can install the hitch, Was just curious as to setup and personal experiences as to what needs done and time involved. And if there were specific equipment brands or styles that were best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1647545494 Posted August 7, 2012 Report Share Posted August 7, 2012 if your 2010 has factory trailer tow you can buy a plug in harness for the brake controller if you get a chance stop in the store when I'm working and I can show you what to look for and give you a quote on the controller and the harness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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