I did it!!!!

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

I'll jump in and ask a question on this (not a hijack, relevant to the advice given). I infer from other post that you do or have driven professionally. What tire pressure do you recommend for towing? The max listed on the sidewall of the tire or the recommended pressure on the car door sticker? Pretty new to towing large stuff myself and there are all sorts of opinions out there.

 

 

I'm going to "jump in" and add my 2 cents since I've been towing/driving RV's for 40 yrs. The best thing to do is have the vehicle and TT/FW/MH weighed and adjust the tire pressure accordingly. The pressure on the side of the tire is the maxium pressure the tire will tolerate if fully loaded. As an example our MH tires (Michelins) are marked maximum pressure of 120, the sticker JAYCO put on the door says 95 and after having it weighed and using Michelin's tire pressure chart I am running 85 front and 90 on the the rear. It rides and handles extremely well..

As you said there are alot of opinions, but I put my money on the company that made the tires.

 

I agree, go with what the tire needs to haul the trailer. I run mine 2 lbs short of max air pressure of the tire.

[BigTom 76]

Thought I would get some response on my post, and yes you should feel a little nervous first few times, but not a thing to be afraid of and after a few times should be no problem to the average driver.

[Peanut 0]

I think it's awesome that you're staying busy during the deployment and I'd be totally intimidated pulling a TT by myself too! Don't worry about people thinking your crazy or trying to undermine what you want to do. I got the same response when I drove 14 hours alone with our 3 yr old, 6 week old and giant dog to meet my husband in Florida for his R&R. They don't get it. They don't have to. Have fun on your trips and I hope your husband comes home soon!

[Retired & Tired (Judy) 90]

I could never drive the RV or pull a TT.  And backing one of them up......no way.  I am so proud that you are going to learn to do it all.  Wish i had learned to do more things like that when I was younger but always had my dad and then my husband to handle those things.

You will be just fine.  And as everyone else mentioned, just let everyone on this site know when you will be pulling in and there will be

FF there to help you.  The folks at the fort are willing to help too.  Good luck and God Bless You.

 

We won't be at the Fort until the 9th of December.  Will you still be there?

[McMonsters..........Kelly 48]

I could never drive the RV or pull a TT.  And backing one of them up......no way.  I am so proud that you are going to learn to do it all.  Wish i had learned to do more things like that when I was younger but always had my dad and then my husband to handle those things.

You will be just fine.  And as everyone else mentioned, just let everyone on this site know when you will be pulling in and there will be

FF there to help you.  The folks at the fort are willing to help too.  Good luck and God Bless You.

 

We won't be at the Fort until the 9th of December.  Will you still be there?

We'll be there until the 12th,  looking forward to saying hi!

[Momoffive aka Loretta 34]

Good for you.  We had a super small pop up and I could never get that thing to back up the way I wanted.  Thankfully a neighbor saw me one day and helped me get it out of our other neighbors driveway and up mine where it belonged,    Do you have any large church parking lots near you?  Sunday will be busy but maybe a mall parking lot after they close early on Sunday.  Good Luck!!

[DinDavie 37]

Hi Kelly,  Your going to be just fine.  You got some good advice here but I will add my two cents.  First, you can pick up a spare tire already mounted on a wheel at many Walmarts.  Check to see how old the tires on your trailer are by looking for the manufactured date on the side of the tire.  If it is over 6-7 years old I would consider replacing them.  If you see little cracks on the sides of the tires, definitly replace them.  Your getting a AAA card and that is great.  In addition to the good discount you get on your stay at the fort you should get a trip tick for your trip.  Have them blow up the major intersections at Jacksonville and on I-4 approaching the fort so that you can plan ahead to be in the correct lane for your exits.  I've towed and traveled all over the country and the worst thing that happens is getting off the wrong exit.  Drivers don't seem to want to cooperate with you when you want to get in another lane at the last minute and trying to find a place to turn around and get back on the right path is not so easy.  Coming south on I-95 you want to be in the middle lane to continue through Jacksonville.  Don't bother with I-295.  Generally you want to stay in the right lane when on highways so faster traffic can get around you.  You will find driving 55-60 mph will be much less stressful but plan the time of your trip accordingly.  If you find yourself getting stressed out for whatever reason, stop at the next rest stop and take a little walk around with the kids.  We all need the exercise every couple of hours.  

[YENSIDCAMPER 66]

Sounds like you have a plan and the desire.  You can do it, don't get nervous and take your time.  We all had a learning curve and you will overcome it.  

 

Have a blast at the Fort!

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

You can do it!!  I dont let the fact that I suck at back up stop me from taking my kids and my little TT with me, I took it up on Monte Sano this weekend and was able to back it "up" into the spot, it took me a minute but we got it.  Just get out and practice as much as you can and if you can't dont worry, there is always someone around to help a lady in distress..

[Specularius 102]

I'll jump in and ask a question on this (not a hijack, relevant to the advice given). I infer from other post that you do or have driven professionally. What tire pressure do you recommend for towing? The max listed on the sidewall of the tire or the recommended pressure on the car door sticker? Pretty new to towing large stuff myself and there are all sorts of opinions out there.

  

I'm going to "jump in" and add my 2 cents since I've been towing/driving RV's for 40 yrs. The best thing to do is have the vehicle and TT/FW/MH weighed and adjust the tire pressure accordingly. The pressure on the side of the tire is the maxium pressure the tire will tolerate if fully loaded. As an example our MH tires (Michelins) are marked maximum pressure of 120, the sticker JAYCO put on the door says 95 and after having it weighed and using Michelin's tire pressure chart I am running 85 front and 90 on the the rear. It rides and handles extremely well..

As you said there are alot of opinions, but I put my money on the company that made the tires.

Grumpy is correct. Match the tire pressure to the weight it is carrying. It can be found at the tire manufacturer called a load chart.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

DinDavie you are so right about Jacksonville the 1st time I took the camper thru there I was shocked how you have to go from the right to the left, but I was lucky and a very nice man blocked traffic for me to get all the way over, only bad thing was he went the other way and I never got to thank him.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

DinDavie you are so right about Jacksonville the 1st time I took the camper thru there I was shocked how you have to go from the right to the left, but I was lucky and a very nice man blocked traffic for me to get all the way over, only bad thing was he went the other way and I never got to thank him.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

There is a situation like that on the loop in Atlanta. As an RVer, it's a good idea to hang close to the right lane. However, traveling south on the Atlanta "loop" unless you want to actually get off on I-85 you have to be far to the left cause about 3 lanes dump on to I-85 and there is not much indication that you have to be over to the left.

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

You can do it!! I dont let the fact that I suck at back up stop me from taking my kids and my little TT with me, I took it up on Monte Sano this weekend and was able to back it "up" into the spot, it took me a minute but we got it. Just get out and practice as much as you can and if you can't dont worry, there is always someone around to help a lady in distress..

How did you like Monte Sano?

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I think we need a late October weekend at Monte Sano or Guntersville to watch the lake or watch the leaves change and run our mouths

[MicknMin...Holly 54]

Great job, Kelly! We've had our MH for several years now and I still haven't gotten the guts to try to drive it yet...not sure I ever will. I think it's awesome that you are pulling the TT!

[Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150]

Yes a big congratulations! That's awesome!

[pixiesteno 2]

You can do this! I learned to drive our 29 ft TT after learning with our 14 ft v nose cargo trailer. Couple of things might help if you are close to the dealership they may be of assistance if you have questions about the different systems of your TT. One thing that we try to be mindful of when in tow is look around as you are going into fuel and try to pull where you can pull out with ease. Also I try to note which side of the highway your entrances are. Have a wonderful vacation

[iluv2cook 1]

Kelly, first, I want to thank you for your service to our country. Congratulations on your efforts. You will do well without a doubt. Since I'm a newbie, I am so encouraged by the fellowship and camaraderie of this group. It is so neat that they are willing to help with you when you get there. We only have a pop up, but have had our fair share of blow outs. Not only dangerous, but expensive. We actually travel with 2 spares since we had 2 blow outs in one trip. We are very careful about our tire pressures, but we have recently determined that the camper was over loaded for the tires. We have since redistributed the weight of what we carry. One thing that helped is that we did weight our camper, fully loaded. We also bought these tire sensors that wirelessly give the air pressure and temperature of the trailer tires. It is interesting to see the fluctuation of the pressures and temperatures as you travel along. We've only had these sensors for the last three trips, but since we redistributed the weight, we have really seen a drop in the pressures and the temperatures. Of course, we don't know what temp or pressure would cause a blow out (hope not to find out the hard way:) Anyway, the previous advice has been great--we never drive over 65 pulling our trailer, and sometimes even slower depending on the pavement conditions. Always check your tire pressures before you pull out and be sure to check your spare pressures. Finally, I know this sounds weird, but try not to run over the tire treads littering the freeways from previous blowouts. The last 3 blow outs that we had, happened just after passing the "blowout treads" from other vehicles. Maybe it's the steel belts that split out, I don't know. But it has happened too often to be a coincidence. I have learned now to look for them, and to change lanes or try to navigate around them.

I know that you will do well, good luck in you backing up practice, don't get discouraged and stay safe.

[McMonsters..........Kelly 48]

Thanks for all the great advice!!! I decided to take the trailer by the horns and head to the beach today for the weekend!! Staying at Wildwood in Longs SC until Sunday!!!  

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Have a great time!

[iluv2cook 1]

Wonderful. Have fun.

[McMonsters..........Kelly 48]

We're here! Nice place, I'll get some pictures!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Awesome!

Any problems backing in or did you get a pull thru?

Please post pix as soon as possible as I live vicariously thru others TRs. Lol

Have a great trip with the kids and God Bless you and your family and tell DH thanks and return home soon.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Way to go, Kelly!  Have a terrific time.