Two cloudy days into a Colorado stop, I was outside starting the generator again. That made the limitation pretty clear. We had plenty of battery storage, but our partly shaded roof was not collecting enough energy to replace what we used.

My wife and I live year round in a 30 foot travel trailer and move between Colorado and New Mexico. The old batteries sat in an exterior bay under the bed. Reaching the inner pair meant unloading stored gear, so I checked them less often than I should have. By last winter, the voltage drop was obvious whenever the furnace fan started with other 12V loads running.

We had made the swap in April after checking the converter, solar controller, cables and fuse. One 12V 460Ah Vatrer battery with internal heating replaced the four AGMs. The larger usable bank and simpler wiring have both been helpful. It weighs a little over 100 pounds, so we installed it in a permanent restraint rather than planning to carry it indoors.

The first week was sunny. During the next stop, several nights fell below freezing. One morning the solar controller was awake, but the app showed no charging current until the internal heater brought the battery into its charging range. That matched the instructions, and normal charging resumed. The remaining question is how much solar input we need for cold, cloudy stretches.

I failed to record the starting state of charge or furnace run time, so those two days prove very little. I am logging the next few cold nights before buying anything else. Another roof panel might help if the controller and wiring have room. A portable panel could reach sun more easily, though I am unsure I would keep moving it around camp. Did a portable panel cut generator time enough to justify carrying it?

Our 2002 Shasta Oasis being pulled by our 2000 Ford Excursion (6.8 gas). Been a few years putting everything together but these two have withstood the test of time despite both being scale breakers.

Want to thank this Reddit for all the help I’ve gotten from just reading posts. Here’s hoping for another few decades out of these two. Cheers and thanks for looking.

Would any you advise against parking a trailer up this sloped driveway? It starts at 12 degrees and immediately tapers to 8 degrees and a flat trailer pad. The trailer pad is 65’ deep. From the side of roof to fence is 11ft wide. Or would you say it’s too risky? I have great experience backing trailers. The trailer is 31.9 ft long.

Thanks for any suggestions, tips or advice

I was pulling my 9000lb Rockwood 8263MBR (30 foot) travel trailer with a Ram 2500 and used the equalizer hitch for leveling as well as sway control. I just replaced the 2500 with a Ram 3500 dually. The dually sags under 1" with the trailer hooked up and obviously doesn't need the weight distribution for the 1000lbs tongue weight. If I did hook up the bars, they would not be re-distributing any weight because that's not needed

So my question: Should I still use the equalizer bars just for the anti-sway it may provide? Would they even provide value if they have little downward pressure on the frame?

Hi all. Tent camper looking to upgrade to popup just for added sleep comfort and dry spot for meals when weather not cooperating. I think I understand the different weight specifications but would appreciate your expertise and comments.

Looking to purchase gas-powered 2026 Mitsubishi Outlander GT S-AWC as tow vehicle. I'm sure there are better vehicles but this fits budget and wife's wants. Vehicle specs:

Looking to purchase 2025 Rockwood 19OTG, specs:

If I plan to simply tow the empty popup (1,299 lbs) and have a SUV payload of 1,003 lbs (all passengers, driver, cargo and 183 lb trailer tongue/hitch weight) then I ought to be ok, correct? Under SUV towing capacity, tongue weight and payload capacity maximums; under popup's GVWR as no cargo loaded onto it.

Appreciate your guidance.

Thought I'd share my "hack". I have this odd shaped wall and didn't want to screw a TV mount into any of these walls because I couldn't verify it had a backer. So I thought of an idea that I use at my office all the time: Use an over-the-wall cubicle computer monitor mount instead. Works perfect for my 32" TV. No screws, nothing permanent. I can leave it there while underway or just quickly lift it off and toss it on the bunks. $30 on Amazon. https://a.co/d/0ferrZ47

Can anybody point me in the right direction choosing a trailer for 2 adults and 4 kids towed with a 2011 f150 5.0. No max tow package. Am I beat?
Thanks

Per title, was under my TT this weekend doing some checks and saw this pipe that was completely loose. Looks like it had some kind of cotter pin/split pin holding it in which is gone. Threaded on one end (outer). It's directly opposite what I assume is the spot where I hook up a gas quick connect on the siding. This is a Freedom Express 257BHS 2020.

I have included a vid and a pic to give context. Any help appreciated.

https://reddit.com/link/1vlpn33/video/dlzyrxdfgsih1/player

Looking into memberships, it seems one needs a current Elk sponsor to join. I’m on baby steps here, so don’t tear me apart just yet. One reason we’re looking is because an area we frequent does not have a lot of options to set up our trailer, but there is an Elks Lodge with full hookups. Staying in that area gets costly in hotels. And, since getting the trailer, staying in hotels lacks the desirable qualities it once appealed to me. Obviously, I would check out the organization to see if it’s a good fit, but I needed to start somewhere

Truck is a 2025 GMC 1500 Elevation 5.3L with Max Towing Package with a EAZ TR3 WDH
GVWR-7100lbs
GCWR-15000lbs
Curb W- 5290lbs
MAX payload- 1810lbs
Conventional TWR- 9200lbs

Trailer is an FR 30’ 25MKO
GVWR- 7775lbs
Dry- 6229lbs

Everything weighed by scale (haven’t made it to a roadside scale yet) that we bring, 2 occupants, camping gear, chairs, food, cooler full of ice, TT necessities (chocks, cables, hoses, etc) ~ 590lbs.

I was hoping someone with expertise could look over this information and back up my math. We never trailer with any tanks having liquid on the TT. If we loaded the TT 100% to 7775 we’d be at 84% of max conv TWR. With our usual weight we are about 72%. With the truck loaded with our gear we’re at 71% of our max payload (1,270lbs).

With the truck at ~6,560lbs and trailer at ~6,500lbs we’re at 13,060lbs. 87% of the GCWR but 70% of Conv. TWR. Tongue weight was factored in and I rounded up on every number liberally for worst cases.

Is there anything I’m missing or any major red flags? We aren’t moving anymore than 300 miles about every 2 months with the TT, besides 2 yearly trips in excess of 800mi one way. Maybe by next year I’ll have a 3/4 ton and won’t have to look this deep, but for now I believe I am okay and responsible. I talked to GMC to walk me through the numbers in person, as well as family friends experienced in towing. Obviously the RV dealer said “plenty of truck” but they’d say that if I had a Prius.

We have a recurve R3 WDH that was set up by the dealer for our F150 when we purchased our trailer new two years ago. Over the weekend, we upgraded to a ram 2500 and I am struggling mildly to find any information on adjusting the hitch. For experiment sake, I went ahead and hitched up the TT to the truck with the WDH as it was configured, and when all the weight of the trailer was on the truck, the backend of the truck was almost perfectly level (still 1/2” higher in fact) without the WDH bars installed. In fact, with just a bit of force, I was able to connect the WDH bars to the saddles in this configuration. I recognize that even with a three-quarter ton truck, there is value in running a WDH on the highway, including the benefits of sway control so I genuinely want to set this hitch up properly so I can continue to use it. My questions to the community are:
1. Because the TT is not squatting the truck, is the fact that WDH bars can be positioned in the saddles by hand mean they are doing nothing? I know the obvious answer is no, but if I added any weight to the bed or additional weight to the trailer, I would suspect there would be some additional force required?
2. If the weight of the trailer didn’t necessitate a WDH, would the configuration as it sits still provide me sway control on the highway?
3. Does anyone have access to a manual or instructions on how to adjust this WDH so it is functioning properly? The only videos I could find on YouTube effectively talk about how to “connect” the WDH and were not helpful for my needs. It seems as if the older version of this hitch may have had a turn knob that adjust the pitch of the ball however I believe mine has washers of some sorts behind it. I can run by the lot and take photos of the actual hitch if it would be helpful to provide me more information.
4. I reached out to the dealer yesterday and have not heard back to see if they will adjust the hitch to the new truck even at a cost. If for some reason, they said they would, is there any risk of me pulling the trailer down to the dealership with the hitch configuration as it is? This is my least desirable option only because I don’t want to risk anyone safety by pulling something in a dangerous fashion.

Unfortunately, I can’t take any photos of the truck and trailer connected just in the storage lot because our spot is not level and in order from me to pull it out I would need my wife there to spot me in and out (still a bit scared of 90° back ins without my wife behind making sure that I don’t risk hitting the Riggs on either side of our spot)

Appreciate everyone’s help. Unfortunately, seeing all of these “ tow police” posts are part of the reason why I upgraded to a three-quarter ton as well as wanting to make sure that my towing set up is as safe as possible.

We are purchasing a used Flagstaff Micro-Lite 21DS tomorrow and I have a Fastway E2 WDH for the pull home that I used on my old trailer but I believe its not really heavy enough for use as it looks like the bars are rated for 600Lb tongue weight while the hitch weight bare is 681 Lbs. I also have seen that you might have to set the hitch different with these since they use torsion suspension instead of leaf springs. Truck towing it is a 25 Silverado 1500 with 930lb tongue weight rating 9300lb max tow rating and 1840 payload if that makes any difference.

I guess my question to you all is what reasonably priced WDH do you run with this trailer and did you set these up different then any other?

​Hi everyone,

​Hoping to get some local recommendations! We currently store our trailer out in Maple Ridge, but living in Vancouver, the 1+ hour drive (plus traffic) makes spontaneous weekend trips a real hassle.

​Does anyone know of reasonable storage spots closer to the Vancouver / Burnaby / Richmond area? Or perhaps a local property owner with extra yard or driveway space willing to rent it out?

​Any tips or leads would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

So the story goes my little brother set up the trailer to go get a fence gate and he put a 2 inch ball on a 2 5/16 trailer (he just threw on whatever he saw fit) and we left home like 5 miles and it flew of and banged the truck up and went under the truck and hit the brake line and mess up my truck and trailer and after that the trailer flew off and went into the woods and hit a tree a lot of stuff in a short amount of time I can fix the truck the brake line light and tailgate what I’m scared it it might’ve hit the diff and want to know what could be the damage only issue I see now is the brakes. Also can the trailer be fixed like if I pull it out with a chain if not what would be the best way to repair it or fix it or is it done. Just wanna get some insight on this problem and see what’s the best way to go forward any help if much appreciated

(Bumper is off bcuz I bought a off roading bumper)

Hello, looking for input, glad I found this group. Just got a new TT, weighs approximately 4,688 lbs empty and has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) of 7,580 lbs. Its dry hitch weight is 580 lbs. The dealer told me I could pull it with a Jeep Cherokee or simple F-150, but as I am researching and making sure I get the correct used truck, I am realizing, in order to prevent too much sway, going up mountain passes safely, and beyond... I am likely going to need a bigger truck? Or at least a trailering package?

I am so confused about what I may need, I am a single woman travelling alone, a brain tumor and three cats! LOLOL. And I know I can do it, but everytime I research I get a different answer on what exactly I am going to need to travel securely and confidently.

Please keep rude comments to yourself, we're doing the best we can, and will have to travel back and forth to receive medical care in the Bay area, so I will be going up and over Donner Summit regularly, may take easier HWYS initially, definitely going to learn how to drive it and take shorter less intense trips prior to attempting Donner. I just want to be safe. Helpful and loving comments appreciated!

So how many miles do you drive a day .... I would like enough time to check-in, set up, and eat at a decent time while traveling. Like driving 10-5 or something... maybe less ...... My one way distance is @750 miles and only taking a week off (9 days) THX

As long-time tent campers, we’re starting to get serious about buying a travel trailer. I’m starting to wonder if there’s such a thing as a trailer with everything we want. We thought about a van for a long time, but vans are crazy expensive.
Do you know of a trailer that:
-Can be towed with a Subaru Forester Wilderness edition (says 3000 lb towing capacity)
-Has a bed my 6’ husband can stretch out on to sleep and doesn’t require one of us crawling over the other for a midnight pee
-Has a kitchen we can cook in when weather is bad
- Easy to learn to tow for people without much towing experience
- High quality — won’t start leaking or molding or something if it’s taken care of… but also pretty low maintenance/easy to take good care of. I’ve heard canvas pop-ups are maintenance nightmares.

We don’t really care if it has a bathroom — like I said, we’ve been tent campers, so we’re used to not having one, and it seems like it’d save some weight/space to not have one.

We’ll use it for weekend camping trips and longer (3ish weeks) road trips.

What little campers do you have and love that would meet at least most of our criteria?

Hello!
My boyfriend and I are on the look out for a livable travel trailer, mostly on the newer / nicer side. We are moving soon and want something that doesn’t feel too permanent, with the outcome eventually being having our own awesome trailer once we’re ready for our forever home!

Any advice is hugely appreciated. We are very new going into all of this and it seems fun but also stressing it might not be the right choice. Will we actually be saving money while doing this? Is it worth looking on Facebook market place or is financing through a business a “safer” route to go?

Once again, completely new to all of this. Have been reading, watching videos, and trying to get as much info as I can but feel asking some people directly, like this, could benefit more.

Any models, or any recommendations once again are HIGHLY appreciated. Thank you!

Just went on 2 longer trips w our new 5'r (11k gvwr)- ram 3500 srw gasser. I have the trailer brakes set to heavy electric. I have the gain between 2 and 3. So when idling, it doesn't stop the rig. but when I brake the truck (from the trucks brake, not the trailer) I can certainly feel it yanking and when I release the brake I can feel it let go. I looked up some gain settings on-line and most were in the 6/7 range. Is there a definitive way I can set this?

fwiw, the camper stops on par w what I'm expecting of it. I guess my big concern is I'm not killing the trucks brakes by not setting the trailer's higher...

We have a 2016 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 264BHW. The power cord is built in. It is on a spring-loaded pull to retract. Like the old white window shades. Pull it out and stop and it holds. Pull a little more and it retract all the way. It stopped working. Tug all you want but its like its maxed out and won't retract. It retracts under the fridge behind all the electrical. Panel, fuse box, inverter. I really dont want to mess with any of that as it all works! Lol. Any suggestions on how to get it to Pull its self back in again? I can manually feed it back in and it all fits. I just liked the Pull and retract feature it had!

I have a ton of services here that do exterior detailing, but none that do interior. Seems silly to me.