TT towing advice

Riverdog · 08-02-2006, 03:01 PM

We are considering moving up from our truck camper to a travel trailer. In addition to the trailer itself what extra's does one have to purchase for towing.

I've heard that equalizers or anti-sway devices are often used/recommended. What about electric brakes/etc?? Do TT's normally come with electric brakes or do they have some type of hydraulic system? If it is electric is their a controller required inside the truck & does this usually come with the TT or do you have to purchase it seperate.

I should say we are looking at a 28-30' in size.

Thanks in advance for any info.

Riverdog · 08-02-2006, 03:01 PM

We are considering moving up from our truck camper to a travel trailer. In addition to the trailer itself what extra's does one have to purchase for towing.

I've heard that equalizers or anti-sway devices are often used/recommended. What about electric brakes/etc?? Do TT's normally come with electric brakes or do they have some type of hydraulic system? If it is electric is their a controller required inside the truck & does this usually come with the TT or do you have to purchase it seperate.

I should say we are looking at a 28-30' in size.

Thanks in advance for any info.

George Eh · 08-02-2006, 03:26 PM

Riverdog you have pretty much covered the extras you will need. With a 28' TT you will need and want a weight distributing hitch with sway control, either the Reese Strait line hitch with dual cam sway control or the Equalizer will do a good job. Electric brakes are standard on most TT's and you will need a controller for the truck. Prodigy is one of the most popular but I like the Jordan, again its personal preference. The hitch and controller don't come with the trailer but most dealers may give you a better price on them when buying the TT. Having a camper you probably have extra extension cords and wheel chocks plus the other goodies needed while camping. Enjoy the search and happy camping.

TXiceman · 08-02-2006, 07:16 PM

I would pretty much echo George's comments. I too like the Jordan Ultima 2020 for the money. Most dealers will trry to push you offf to a standard equalizer type hitch and maybe a friction type sway control. Hold out for the Reese dual Cam. Same for the brake controller. You will have to order the Jordan off the internet, but it is worth the wait.

Make sure the dealer sets the hitch up correctly. Trailer level and the truck sqats the same front and rear when hitched. The weight sdistributing bars should be nealy parallel to the ground. If it is not leevel and straight, it is not seet up correctly. Make sure they give you all of the papers and manuals on the hitch and controller.

Make sure your mirrors are extended enough to see down the sides of the trailer on both sides.

Good luck towing,
Ken

Randy the sly old fox · 08-10-2006, 10:58 PM

I would have the brake controller (of your choice) bought and even installed before picking up your rig. I would not tow any TT even a few blocks without them. Most dealers carry either the Voyager or Prodgy controlers. Both seem to have lots of fans. I have an older (1989)Kelsey Hayes that is going to be replaced in a week or so Someting broke in it during my last trip - it now pulses the brakes and has no manual control. Besides my local RV shop is having a special on them right now. I also agree that a WD hitch and sway control are necessary for a TT of that size. I use the EAZ Lift WD system without any sway control. I think most all of the WD systems are similar - that said there is also the Hensley system and Pull-rite which are $$$ and very different. Most people with Hensleys love them so they can't be all bad. I also believe that the equalizer system is different as well. What ever you get for a WD hitch make sure that it is set up right and has the correct spring bars for the LOADED tounge wt of your TT (at a minimum you need to take the dry wt and add the propane tanks and battery wts to it - just those two items alone can add 100 lbs or more. Also look to see where the fresh water tank is located. If it is in the underbelly over the axles it will not add much to the tounge, but if it is under a bed or couch that is in the front of the TT then it will add directly to the tounge wt. Water is 8.33 lbs/gal so even 10 gals is 83 lbs. As someone else said, make sure you are hitched correctly, TT level, TV level, and spring bars level. This is all accomplished with ball height and spring bar tilt adjustments and may require some trial and error to get it right.

Happy trailering

Ivory Snatcher · 08-14-2006, 12:32 PM

We just returned from a 4000+ mile trip with a 29' TT using the Reese Dual Cam set up. There were no problems towing and only an occasional slight twitch when a large truck went by us. We have used this for about 4 years and I really like it. Using the old friction bar anti-sway was a real white knuckle experience in comparison.

I installed it myself and it took about two hours. I replaced our old brake controller with a Prodigy at the same time.

Good luck.

Frank

Ray,IN · 08-14-2006, 06:02 PM

Tekonsha makes the prodigy and Primus brake controllers, both have the same internal parts. The only difference is the Primus does not have as many bells and whistles, and costs less. Both are inertia activated, proportional systems. I recommend either unit.
I wish Kelsey-Hayes still made the hydraulic over electric controllers, they were better than anything made today.

RustyJC · 08-15-2006, 04:30 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Ray,IN:
I wish Kelsey-Hayes still made the hydraulic over electric controllers, they were better than anything made today. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Have you investigated the Brakesmart? It sends a trailer braking output proportional to the truck's brake system hydraulic pressure which it measures with a pressure transducer. Pricey, but probably the best controller out there today.

If I couldn't swing the Brakesmart, I'd go with the Jordan Ultima 2020. Both are head and shoulders above any inertial controller - been there, done that, got the t-shirt!

Rusty