New ST270BH

[FRRVR]

Never had a travel trailer or a full size truck for that matter! Looking forward to ownership. Any info that is good to know?

 

[asquared]

Congrats on the new rig. First and foremost is safety and having enough truck for the trailer.Also making sure you have a good wdh and sway control. next is practicing driving and backing it in an empty parking lot. remember this will track narrower than your truck on turns but will have a wider back swing at times.Get Walkie talkies to communicate with your ground guide when backing in. Get a good water pressure regulator to protect your trailer. if you can afford it, get a surge protector for the same reason. Once you have the basic necessities like sewer, white fresh water hose etc. remember you have years to collect the rest of the nice things like oxygenics shower heads and patio mats etc. Lots more good ideas out there not sure what kind of gems you are looking for.

ps if you haven't picked it up yet, videotape your pdi. if it turns on/off, opens closes etc. you want it demonstrated and you return the demo. Have them show you the hot water heater and water pump and the winterization/de winterization process. Have them show you how to properly hitch and unhitch. Practice this a few times.

 

[FRRVR]

Thanks, yes I have been told about surge protectors and to video the PDI. Practice is going to be a big part for me.

 

[NorskeBob]

Enjoy you new rig.

Find some "easy" camp sites to get into first. Get a good set of tow mirrors for the truck - nice to be able to see down the side of the trailer.

 

[FRRVR]

Thanks, I have been looking for pull through sites for now. Once I am comfortable then I will graduate.

 

[ewbldavis-XRD]

Another good idea is to go to a LARGE parking lot. You may feel dumb, but practice backing up and set cones or something and practice general manueverability.

You will be glad you got even a little practice on where the trailer tracks and how the combination reacts when backing.

 

[jlongsta]

Congratulations on the new rig.

 

[FRRVR]

Thanks we cannot wait. There is a high school near me and that is exactly what I planned. I would rather feel dumb than crash into something!

 

[asquared]

remember take it slow. Have you ever towed any kind of trailer? if not something good to know is that if the trailer sways, the worst thing you can do is hit the brakes. What you want to do is either speed the truck up to snap the trailer straight or hit the trailer brake controller but not the truck brakes. This should help snap the trailer straight behind you. Remember to downshift for going up and down hills. Pay attention to your engine temp, a transmission temp gauge is a great thing to have. A good rule of thumb is to come down in the gear you went up in. Yes the engine will scream and the rpms will rise but that is ok with a gasser. if your TV has tow mode use it.Swing wide on turns. When making a left and there is 2 lanes turning left, I usually will take the right lane of those two as it gives me more room to swing wide. Remember it will take you longer to slow down and stop so leave extra distance. I drive defensively preparing for vehicles to do stupid things like pull out in front of me and cut me off because they will just to not follow you. I watch the vehicle in front of me and the vehicles several cars in front if me. You will also learn the point of no return at a light. Meaning you know once you hit that point you are going thru the light no matter what. if that puts you thru a light as it's turning red make sure you lay on the horn to warn someone you can't stop in time.

A trick I learned when hauling horses was to brake before the turn not during the turn. Braking during the turn actually increases the force of the turn and will cause more of your stuff to shift. Slow and steady wins the race with a TT, not speed. Always check your tires before every trip as well as at every stop and when you get there. You want to follow temp and tire pressure (inflate ST tires to mAx cold psi). Also a padlock through the holes on the coupler latch is helpful. This keeps it from accidentally flipping open and it keeps people from opening it on you. Also recheck your hookup at every stop before hitting the road because someone may have messed with your chains, pigtail, emergency breakaway cable etc. when you weren't looking (this crap really does happen).by the way get a good brake controller. You want either an integrated brake controller or a proportional brake controller like prodigy p2 or p3, not a time based controller.Edited by: anaro

 

[FRRVR]

Thanks, will do. I appreciate the good advice