Community Forums

Montana170 · 09-29-2018, 02:19 PM

My 2010 F150 has a built in brake controller. I added a Tekonsha P3 to the 2006 Ford E450 motorhome. The P3 has all kinds of options, not so sure I need them all. The basic controller with the F150 seems to work ok. The total weight of the trailer and sports car is only about 3200lb.

WyCamper · 09-29-2018, 07:22 PM

Thanks Mark, that's the one that's in my cart on Amazon, along with the Ford wire harness.

ex Sgt E5 Mark

AKIQPilot · 09-30-2018, 01:11 PM

I have the Tekonsha Prodigy 2 (P2) in our Itasca. And a Tekonsha Protigy 3 (P3) in our Adventurer. Both work very good.

Both are very easy to use and both are very easy to adjust when pulling different trailers or different loads on any particular trailer.

I would recommend either as both work very good.

taylersuedav · 10-25-2018, 10:04 PM

How big of a trailer and what is the weight capacity of it? We have a smart and are thinking of buying a trailer vs 4 down.

Grand Tour · 10-25-2018, 10:34 PM

The trailer is the proper way to do it. Anything else is just a compromise.

DegoRed · 10-31-2018, 11:43 AM

Use the Tekonsha P3, have had it on all of my MH's now, great controller.

Have had 2 different haul trailers, an Aluma and a custom one now. The Aluma are great trailers, we hauled ours everywhere both costs and everywhere in between. The custom one I have now is nothing special, just had a buddy selling it and it was too nice to pass up, so sold our Aluma.

Just something to think about, if you look around for trailers, they have some that are Aluminum/Steel combo, these are the best of both worlds. I loved the weight of our Aluma but hated the Aluminum fenders, if you looked at them wrong they would get bent, and if you have a blow out, they are destroyed, trust me on this, happen twice, both times fenders destroyed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by FIRE UP

There's quite a bit of folks that use a trailer. But, the concern about where to store it at each and every campsite/RV parking spot IS more of a concern than you may think. Not all campgrounds and RV parks have the extra space needed for storage of the trailer.

We almost never ever, have to unhook our trailer, we leave it attached to our MH, I don't even unhook it to level up our rig. I would say its maybe 2 out of 100 times we stayed somewhere that we were too long for our slot and they asked us to unhook our trailer, and every single time we have had to, they had a spot for us to park it at. FIRE UP is a savvy RVer who has been around, but saying storing/parking is a concern is straight up fake news.

winniman · 10-31-2018, 12:46 PM

You do have the option of getting a trailer with hydraulic surge brakes. We have several we use for our construction company. They work well for us, and you dont need a controller for them. Every time you apply the brakes, the surge applies the trailer brakes. Just another option if you werent aware of them.

ElCaminoManT · 11-03-2018, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyCamper

I'm bumping this to ask another question of those who tow a trailer:

What electric brake controller do you use? Is there a favorite? Mine is baked into my Ram pickup, so I've never really shopped for one before now.

i think most will recommend the Prodigy and Prodigy P3 from Tekonsha. I've been very happy and pleased with the original Prodigy for 15 years now

Dennis_K · 11-03-2018, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DegoRed

...We almost never ever, have to unhook our trailer, we leave it attached to our MH, I don't even unhook it to level up our rig. I would say its maybe 2 out of 100 times we stayed somewhere that we were too long for our slot and they asked us to unhook our trailer, and every single time we have had to, they had a spot for us to park it at. FIRE UP is a savvy RVer who has been around, but saying storing/parking is a concern is straight up fake news.

X2

After 9 years with a trailer exclusively and another 5 of intermittent use I have the same conclusion. Call ahead and get a site long enough for the entire rig. Mine is the same overall length 4 down with the GC or using the 16' flatbed so I ask for the same site either way.

DirtRider · 11-05-2018, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyCamper

Thanks all, this is the feedback I was hoping for. I might need to look at longer than 14' just to have some extra room.

I bought a car on Craigslist last spring, and rented a U-Haul dolly to go pick it up. When I got home I tried to back it up in my driveway and found that it was pretty much impossible. After 10 minutes of frustration I just unloaded the car, dropped the dolly, moved my truck, re-hitched the dolly and took it back to U-Haul. So I'm aware of that limitation and it's one reason to look at trailers.

Hey WyCamper--I hope I'm not too late to warn you about a potential problem here. I am brand new to having a motorhome, but not new to towing a car hauler. I have a 22'x102" PJ trailer, often called a "buggy hauler" or a superwide. As in, the front is a full 102", where many car haulers are only that width at the fenders. Your Vista will probably have a similar problem to my Minnie Winnie--it's possible to jackknife the trailer while moving forward. If I were to order a nice new Aluma trailer, I would be sure to get a longer tongue than stock. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to try not to make contact with the trailer while negotiating a sharp turn in drive. I mean, I always knew to watch my business closely in reverse, but watching it while moving forward requires some chameleon eyes. I THINK this is specific to my very wide trailer--or at least, aggravated by it. Of course, if there was such a thing as an RV manufacturer that put the rear axle as far back as it should be, this would be a non-issue, as it's also aggravated by the swing that the hitch ball goes through while negotiating a corner.

Anyway, keep that in mind. And please spend the $123 to get a tongue scale. With my trailer, a Rzr, and 2 quads, I can't get the load far enough rearward to completely meet the tongue weight rating (I'm at 650 lbs on a 500 lb hitch rating). This equates to an additional ~1200 lbs at the rear axle, and a ~300 lb drop on the steer axle. In other words, it negates some of the advantage I had created by adjusting caster.

Sorry for the rant. But prior to buying a trailer, I would want to hook up your rv to it to make sure you could turn as tightly as you wanted--that the odd geometries involved didn't create a jackknife situation.

yeloduster · 11-05-2018, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WyCamper

I've got cars that can be towed with a dolly but not flat, and a CR-V that can be flat towed but not dollied. I also plan on buying a Rzr or similar SxS 4 wheeler that would need to be trailered.

So I'm looking at aluminum car trailers that would be a single solution for all three.

Does anyone else tow with a trailer? And what are the pluses and minuses you've encountered. I know stowing it at a campground would be an issue, but not too worried about that. Advantages would be not worrying about brakes, battery, transmission, etc. Drive it on, tie it down and go.

I've towed with a dolly, 4 down on a tow bar and with a trailer. They all have their place but the trailer is the most flexible. You can haul anything (almost) and you can back it!

I like that.

ElCaminoManT · 11-06-2018, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DirtRider

Hey WyCamper--I hope I'm not too late to warn you about a potential problem here. I am brand new to having a motorhome, but not new to towing a car hauler. I have a 22'x102" PJ trailer, often called a "buggy hauler" or a superwide. As in, the front is a full 102", where many car haulers are only that width at the fenders. Your Vista will probably have a similar problem to my Minnie Winnie--it's possible to jackknife the trailer while moving forward. If I were to order a nice new Aluma trailer, I would be sure to get a longer tongue than stock. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to try not to make contact with the trailer while negotiating a sharp turn in drive. I mean, I always knew to watch my business closely in reverse, but watching it while moving forward requires some chameleon eyes. I THINK this is specific to my very wide trailer--or at least, aggravated by it. Of course, if there was such a thing as an RV manufacturer that put the rear axle as far back as it should be, this would be a non-issue, as it's also aggravated by the swing that the hitch ball goes through while negotiating a corner.

Anyway, keep that in mind. And please spend the $123 to get a tongue scale. With my trailer, a Rzr, and 2 quads, I can't get the load far enough rearward to completely meet the tongue weight rating (I'm at 650 lbs on a 500 lb hitch rating). This equates to an additional ~1200 lbs at the rear axle, and a ~300 lb drop on the steer axle. In other words, it negates some of the advantage I had created by adjusting caster.

Sorry for the rant. But prior to buying a trailer, I would want to hook up your rv to it to make sure you could turn as tightly as you wanted--that the odd geometries involved didn't create a jackknife situation.

THIS!! no one ever seems to think about it but it is KEY! i had a wide deck Carson flatbed before my current Mirage and it had a standard length tongue. wow did the deck and back of the motorhome get nearly intimately friendly in a jiffy with that setup! i specifically searched out the Mirage because it has a much longer tongue on it and gives me plenty of room to turn my setup quite sharp. i think it is 48" if i recall

WyCamper · 11-06-2018, 08:50 PM

Not too late, and very good info to keep in mind. Something I hadn't really thought about, but given the extra width of the MH I can see where a short tongue would be an issue.

WyCamper · 02-20-2019, 07:12 PM

I bought a 78" x 16' Aluma trailer, which I'll pick up in a week or two. It has a 4' tongue, and while I haven't hitched it to my MH yet I did hook it to my truck and it seems like I should have plenty of room. While it was hooked up we pulled a Nissan Rogue onto it, which is roughly the same size as our CR-V. It fit perfect, with a foot or so of room in the front.

I have my trailer brake hooked up and mounted, and I have a 6" drop ball carrier, which should put me about dead level based on tape measurements. And I have four extra EezTire sensors on the way. I also have tie down straps for the CR-V tires.

What am I missing or need that I haven't thought of yet? There has to be something I'm forgetting.

Our plan is to drive the MH and CR-V to pick it up, then load the CR-V and drive home (100 miles) just to make sure everything works as intended. We have a longer trip planned for early April, so this is kind of a shake-down cruise for the trailer.