Girl Taco owner - new to towing! Need advice and experience, please!

Hi everyone, I found my camper shell (used Leer 180), got my brake lights, dome light and brake controller installed and then found and bought my trailer! It's a 2021 RPod 192 - here is the CL listing if you are interested:

https://sacramento.craigslist.org/rvd/d/cedar-ridge-forest-river-2021-pod-192/7820968835.html

Okay - so now it's time to buck up and tow my home-away-from-home 400 miles from Grass Valley CA to Tehachapi CA.

I have ZERO experience towing a trailer like this but I have been dreaming about traveling around the West Coast and "following the weather" for years.

I lived in a 36-foot trailer for a year and a half but never towed it anywhere so I have some experience with RV trailer living.

I was a landscaper in my youth and did drive work trucks with no rearview mirror and smaller, utility trailers so I naturally use both side mirrors. Luckily, I love to drive and love doing road trips. I have crossed the country (CA to Philly) 6x times by myself and I drive for a living doing delivery and DoorDash.

Here are my questions:
1. The FIRST time you towed, what do you wish someone would have told you?

2. Best practices for feeling comfortable towing. I will be doing 2 long-ish trips for my baptism by fire. I am splitting up the trip by stopping in Modesto for the night so basically 2-200 mile trips.

3. I live on top of a mountain in Tehachapi. The last 3 miles of my trip include a 2000-foot elevation gain and multiple steep S-turns. What can I expect going up? What can I expect going DOWN??

4. Some folks have said I should modify my Taco - suspension/tires/transmission...I think those are the big three. My truck is a 2017 SR5 4x4. I'd love to understand why these modifications are necessary or wanted and also how much money each could cost me. I have a budget and likely won't be able to afford everything I WANT to do so I need to prioritize.

For this question, I am likely to tow my RV trailer 7- 9 months out of the year, likely every 2 weeks, from the CA deserts in Winter to the PNW in summer. I'll try to keep daily miles to 200/day /3-4 hours of towing.

5. I'd appreciate any any all dad/mom/older brother advice - what would you tell your daughter/wife/sister about towing a 3500 lb trailer?

Thanks in advance!

 

Take your time driving,don’t tailgate. Put a little more air in your rear tires,no reason to go over 40 lbs less might be better. Stay out of overdrive. A cheap upgrade for the rear if you don’t want to put upgraded leaf springs is to put in air bags. That’s a big sail you will be pulling so slow down in high winds. Don’t load your trailer with water till you get to where you are going,if you can .

 

starting my research - uhhhhhh - what does this mean in everyday language?

"a transmission cooler, and of course you will need a frame mounted receiver hitch as you should NEVER tow from the bumper.

The first parts alludes to towing more than 200 miles in a year so obviously, this person says I will NEED a transmission cooler (no, I can not figure out if my truck actually has the "towing package" or not)

the second part - what does that mean??

 

I don’t think that’s a particularly heavy trailer at 3500 pounds dry and empty, but if you plan on doing a lot of rambling through mountains and hills, you probably don’t have the right tow vehicle. Going uphill sucks, coming downhill sucks more.

 

Your truck has a frame mounted hitch, so don’t worry about the ‘towing from the bumper’ comment.

 

Get some mirror extensions, that's going to help a ton.

Your canopy/shell should help a bit on the wind resistance on the front of the trailer, so that's a good thing on your rig already.

You'll want a weight distribution hitch at minimum. If towing regularly, you might think to have beefier leaf springs installed, but you could get by with airbags. I prefer HD leaf springs as they can't leak air, but the adjustability with bags could be nice.

Shift your truck into 4th so you aren't using your 5th and 6th Overdrive gears while towing, this will save wear and tear on your transmission. I think people say to use the S mode as well. I'm in a 2nd gen, so I don't have that S mode to help with shifting.

Don't forget you can also shift down your transmission when driving down long hills to let the engine slow you down a bit, not just your brakes.

Keep it in the right lane and do the truck speed limit. I used to tow heavy all over the place at 85mph getting 6.4 mpg... Slowing down to 60-65 has me up to around 9 mpg. 10-11 is probably more what you will see, my truck is HEAVY.

And don't forget, that trailer will be nowhere near 3500 pounds once loaded. Stuff adds up FAST!!! You'll be past 4000 pounds before you know it, possibly before even filling the tank with water.

 

Thank you!

I was thinking about the mirror extensions but the trailer does come with a rear view camera and 2 side view cameras. I know they will be helpful when backing up into spots for parking so are the extension mirrors helpful while towing as well?

Also comes with a WD hitch and sway bars

I am fully prepared to go slow. After decades of speeding (and multiple speeding tix) I am now a reformed speeder who literally goes the speed limit or up to 4 mph above it so I am used to 55-65 mph. Thanks for the heads up on has mileage tho - that's a big difference when calculating my gas budget!!

I have to go up/down 2K in elevation every day so I use the S mode daily.

I want to load up as conservatively as possible - I am wondering where I can test weigh my trailer vs adding stuff up on a spread sheet lol I think my local dump (transfer station) may be able to help out. I should call them!

Last question - leaf springs vs airbags. That's for the suspension - right? Can you explain what they are and what the difference is?

Thanks for the helpful advice and tips!

 

under this cover do you have just the flat 4 pin or round 7 pin trailer connector
4 pin, you do not have the tow package
7 pin you have the tow package

 

So I have 2 flaps - one is round with 6 silver things and a circle in the middle and the other is rectangular with 3 circles in it....

I can take a pic

But if I DO have the "tow package" does that mean I have leaf springs and a transmission cooler thing??

Sorry I am clueless about car stuff! BUT I am very willing to learn.

 

Scrap metal yards have drive on scales too.

Learn to set your trailer brakes. You might have to adjust them to brake more highway and less in towns. Adjust them until you feel the trailer lightly pull and help slow the truck down. When its wet watch in your mirrors to make sure you aren't locking up a trailer brake. It takes seconds of the tire being locked up to ruin it.

I would buy a small 1.5 ton floor jack and a 4way lug wrench with how many miles you plan to pull that trailer. It sucks trying to change a flat with the factory bottle jack. Not to mention unsafe unless you are on flat ground. You can use the factory jack as a safety stand if you want. If you get a small jack like a 1.5ton and make sure it is aluminum they are only 35lbs.

 

The two covers means you have the 4 pin and 7 pin connectors, which means you have the towing package. The towing package is basically the added electrics and a transmission cooler (which is better than nothing, but still rather small).

Extended mirrors are for when towing, more than backing, they improve vision behind you.

Leaf springs:


Air bags:


Personally, the air bags would be the minimum, as the stock Tacoma springs are too damned soft for any kind of extra weight. The nice thing about air bags is that they are adjustable and can be deflated when not pulling the trailer. The bad thing is they can leak. Aftermarket leaf springs are good when you're towing, but may be rather firm when not.

When towing in hills, be mindful of how much you are using your brakes. Overheating is a real possibility and not fun at all. If your brakes get too hot, they will become less effective, and can get to the point of being practically useless. My assumption is the trailer, being that big has trailer brakes. IIRC, the trailer package also has pre-wired brake controller connection under the dash - I may be wrong about that.

Speaking of brakes, when trailering, give yourself a lot of extra room. Even with trailer brakes, it could take 1 1/2 to 2 times as much distance to stop. The faster you're going, the longer your stop distance. Getting good at anticipating people doing stupid things helps, more often than not, they telegraph their stupid before they do it.

 

Could write a book providing you with information. But I’ll keep it simple and just a couple basics. First the the 3500lb weight of your trailer is not the important weight, the loaded weight is what counts. In your case you are probably looking at 4200 to 4500lbs. The more the weight the harder it is on the truck and the driver. The more weight the more stressful and exhausting towing is on you. So 4500lbs is a lot for a Taco and will not be what I’d call fun driving. It’s well within your tow capacity but is a lot to deal with while towing. Not really a major problem but just something to be aware of.
The first thing you need to do is learn to back that boy up. Go to a large parking lot during non business hours and practice backing and maneuvering it into all different positions. Just practice practice practice. Lots of people can’t back up worth a crap and it causes them major headaches somewhere along the line.
Next slow is your friend. You are in California and 55mph is the max speed throughout the state. Don’t exceed it. Speed kills when towing. Leave extra room in front of you for stopping. Speed isn’t so much the problem but stopping is. Even with the trailer brakes it takes much longer to stop at highway speed with 4500lbs behind you pushing you. Always leave extra room I; fron for stopping. Stopping while going down hill really takes extra distance. Keep that in mind when going down long grades or mountain roads. Use your transmission when going down hill to slow and hold you back.
Winds and especially cross winds are not your friend. Your camper shell and trailer sides will act as sails and high winds will blow you all over the road, dangerous driving conditions. When you get blown half way into the next lane the thing is not to over correct your steering wheel. Over correcting will cause your trailer to sway back and forth and can ultimately cause you to jack knife. So when towing leave extra distance in front of you, drive a little slower and stay focused.
Read your owners manual re towing. You don’t want to tow with your transmission in D. The OM will tell you what setting to tow in.
I am assuming your truck has the tow package. If it doesn't then you cannot legally tow your trailer as you will be exceeding the legal weight limit by about 1000lbs. There is nothing you can do to a truck to exceed the manufacturer tow capacity. It’s determined at the factory and no one can change it.
I have a lot more to say but I have an appointment and have to leave. I’ll try to provide more info later.

 

One important thing to add, when packing the trailer with all your stuff keep most of the weight to the front of the trailer.

 

You can see "CAT" scale which can be found at the truck stops, or scrap yards. They are all over America. You can call before show up so they can expect you. Don't use the weight stations you see besides the highway, they are used for commercial semi trucks only. They won't let you use their scale there.

 

Thank you so much. A lot of this info is "actionable."

Can I get your advice? My preference would be to start towing very short distances and practice vs driving 400 miles to get it home. I can also maybe try to take 2-3 days but still it feels like baptism by fire. On the other hand, if I pay someone to tow it for me, that 1K will not be avaialble for things I need and want. I will not be taking it on the road full-time til mid-June.

I am supposed to pick it up Feb 21st

 

I loved Grass Valley was up there no to long ago. Definitely much different than this concrete jungle where I am. I miss it soo!

You seems to have good help here^
Air bags for towing since you are towing every day. Good set of tires probably all terrain since you will be in multiple scenarios and you also make your money by driving around.
I'm sure many opinions are going to be discussed because I've always taught myself buy and cry once with lots of investigation on the items.
Good luck with your build and your journeys I would love to go back up to Grass Valley and visit my friend again I miss them both

 

You can do it, a zillion newbs every year tow who have never towed before and most of them aren’t bright enough to ask questions like you. You will do just fine. Spend a several days driving/towing here and there a couple hours a day. Drive highway, up hills, down hills. Stay out of large crowded cities but drive a little in residential and business areas. You will be fine. Yes practice before your big trip.
Another thing to be aware of and remember is when you go around corners you need to make wide turns otherwise you’ll drag the trailer up over the corner or sidewalk.
When you practice backing in a large open area or empty parking lot also practice Turing like you are going around a corner to see how the trailer cuts corners. What ever else you want to know just ask. If you want send me a private message.
I live south west of you around Elk Grove. If I was closer I’d give you a hand when you pick it up. I’m retired and have lots of time but you are a bit far away. I think you are going to miss Grass Valley, nice area. Only been through Tahachapi a couple times. It’ll be a big difference from Grass Valley. Good luck to you. Keep asking questions.

 

I'm not Sprig, but...


Is there an option to pick it up and tow it back during a low traffic hour of the day? My first time towing with a Tacoma was a tad rough, partly due to bad setup and an overloaded trailer, but also due to unfamiliarity with towing in traffic. Towing steady state down the interstate without traffic though is frankly easy mode, especially if you keep your speeds reasonable.

I haven't seen it mentioned here yet, but there's two ways to keep the truck level and loaded correctly to maintain/enhance control. The aforementioned air bags will keep your back end up, but they're a real $sink, and don't restore weight back to the front tires to aid braking/turning, and they can't really aid stability.

The other option available is a weight distribution hitch. You (appear to) have the towing package, which means you should have a class IV hitch capable of utilizing a weight distribution hitch system. This will redistribute load from the rear axle of the truck back to the front axle of the truck, and also onto the trailer axle, which indirectly aids stability and directly aids braking performance and keeps your headlights pointed forward rather than up to the sky/other driver's eyes. These weight distribution hitches are also often available with sway control mechanisms that directly help stabilize the truck against side loads like wind, drastically reducing the amount of control you must make up with practiced skills. They're more expensive than non-weight distribution hitches and require setup with the trailer, but they will level the vehicle in a way that's restorative to your ability to control it. Given your plans to tow with great regularity I would recommend this path.

 

You don't want too much weight behind the trailer axle, but you don't want too much on the tongue either. Learning to balance the weight is key. You want 10-15% of your trailer weight to be on the tongue. Too much tongue weight can impair driver control over the vehicle, and too little can lead to sway in the trailer that can become very difficult to control.

If you don't have a scale to find that 10-15% then you can watch your trucks suspension. Ideally you want the truck to stay as level as you can with minimal sag the rear suspension. An easy way to check your load balance is measure the height of the ball before you hook up the trailer, and measure it again when you hook up to your empty, unloaded trailer. Then as you load your trailer with gear try to keep that ball height somewhere between the two measurements. Move things forward or rearward in the trailer to control that tongue weight. It's not an perfect accurate way, but it's a way, and once you get it figured out it's easy to do each time you pack up and move because you already have an idea of where things should go. Most campers are fairly well balanced from the start, so as long as you aren't putting crazy amounts of weight in one spot you should be ok. Keep in mind loading gear into the back of the truck is also going to affect sag, so take that into consideration as well.

A couple great video demonstrating balancing trailer weight can be found here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7W293FrzXo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9Dgxe584Ss

 

I want to thank you so much for the pictures! Now I truly understand the terms leaf springs and air bags!