Towing Question

[catskillsgrrl]

I see you are pulling a 16' Scamp with a CR-V, which is exactly what we want to do. Any problems? Ours is a 2007 with 4WD.

Best,
Gail

[honda03842]

Gail and others with interest in our Honda CRV,

I only answer Honda CRV questions offline via PM.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Gail and others with interest in our Honda CRV,

I only answer Honda CRV questions offline via PM.

Smart man.

[Camilla]

Originally Posted by honda03842

Gail and others with interest in our Honda CRV,

I only answer Honda CRV questions offline via PM.

Chicken.

[David Tilston]

Norm,

I don't frequently post in the same threads as you, but I feel that I have learned more about trailers from your posts then I could ever learn on my own. Your ideas and methods are second to none.

Thank you for your contributions.

[Camilla]

Oh Norm, I was kidding! I know that - didn't you see my smiley face? It was a joke!

[honda03842]

Thank you David.

We turned 70 at the end of last month. Camilla's 'Chicken' comment reminded me of something an older, great person once told me when she turned 70. "As you get older you'll tend to focus on the parts of life that give you the most pleasure".

For me it's, Ginny and our RV travels. Sharing is sometimes not worth the hassle.

[Suzanna]

Norm and Ginny,
I was reading the thread about towing, where you posted a detailed list of all the things you check for towing your trailer. Somehow I can't find it again, and I want to print it out -- super valuable! -- can you help me find it? I'm preparing at a distance for the right vehicle to tow a Casita 16 or something comparable. Thanks so much - Suzanna

[honda03842]

Suzanna, as requested. I hope I didn't miss anything.

Towing Check List


When you read the following realize we are on the road for long periods, now in our 302nd consecutive day. As well Ginny and I connect up together and do double checks. Everything listed is not done every day we drive.


Tires.
We check tire pressure on the trailer, and tow vehicle regularly, probably every other week. We have moved from hot Nevada to cool Montana . This morning our tire pressure was 5 pounds lower in Montana than it had been in Nevada due to colder temps.


We also have tire pressure sensor on our trailer and rear tow vehicle tires so we can monitor pressure and temperature continuously while driving. Something most don't do but considering our schedule we feel it's worthwhile.


Every day we make a mid-morning stop after a few hours driving I walk around and touch each tire and feel for heat in the bearing area. Sometimes when really paranoid I get down and look down the inside of the trailer at the tires for bubbles. I've never seen one but...


Ball coupler.
After connecting the tow vehicle to the trailer, I push the coupler lever down and insert a lock in the lever. I than try to jack the coupler off the ball to insure the ball is truly locked in the coupler.


This just requires a few turns of the jack handle, typically lifting the tow vehicle a little.


I than lower the jack.


Jack.
Our jack swings up and rest parallel to the trailer frame. I visually make sure the jack is locked in the horizontal position by looking to see that the pins are engaged. (I do the same when I put it in the vertical position.) After getting the jack to the horizontal position I wrap a bungee cord around the jack and the frame.


Trailer Plug.
I insert the trailer plug into the back of the tow vehicle and give it a little tug to insure it's locked. Occasionally I put dielectric grease on the contacts of this connector.


Break-away switch.
Connect the brake away switch. My switch has a light that comes on when the switch is activated. On occasion I pull the pin and see that the light comes on.


Propane Tank.
While in the area I shut off the Propane Tank.


Rock Shield.
I make sure the rock shield is locked down.


Lights.
I get into the tow vehicle and activate the turn signals and brake lights. Ginny watches to see that they activate on the trailer and tow vehicle. We do this everyday that we drive. Occasionally we check the head lights.


Brake Controller.
As soon as I get in the car I check to see that the brake controller shows we are connected to the trailer brakes. Once we start to pull out of the camp ground I activate the trailer brakes using the controller and feel the tug of the trailer on the tow vehicle as the trailer brakes activate.


Hitch.
Occasionally I get under the trailer to be sure the hitch is tight to the tow vehicle and attempt to re-tighten the screws.


Tire Bolts.
Depending on the type of roads or when the tires were last mounted, I go around and re-tighten the tires bolts/wheel nuts. I do this if the tires were recently put on or if we've been driving on long dirt roads like the Labrador highway.


Anti-sway bar.
We have an anti-sway bar and I check that the pins are in place and the tension is correct.


Chocks
After we do all the normal items to connect up we then remove the chocks.


Lock the door.
Sounds simple but I've seen more than one door open because it wasn't locked. As well we've had a locked door open on us. We now put a small bungee cord on the door handle.


Walk around.
Before we leave we each take a walk around the trailer and tow vehicle.

[Borden]

You can not check to often

Originally Posted by honda03842

Suzanna, as requested. I hope I didn't miss anything.

Towing Check List


When you read the following realize we are on the road for long periods, now in our 302nd consecutive day. As well Ginny and I connect up together and do double checks. Everything listed is not done every day we drive.


Tires.
We check tire pressure on the trailer, and tow vehicle regularly, probably every other week. We have moved from hot Nevada to cool Montana . This morning our tire pressure was 5 pounds lower in Montana than it had been in Nevada due to colder temps.


We also have tire pressure sensor on our trailer and rear tow vehicle tires so we can monitor pressure and temperature continuously while driving. Something most don't do but considering our schedule we feel it's worthwhile.


Every day we make a mid-morning stop after a few hours driving I walk around and touch each tire and feel for heat in the bearing area. Sometimes when really paranoid I get down and look down the inside of the trailer at the tires for bubbles. I've never seen one but...


Ball coupler.
After connecting the tow vehicle to the trailer, I push the coupler lever down and insert a lock in the lever. I than try to jack the coupler off the ball to insure the ball is truly locked in the coupler.


This just requires a few turns of the jack handle, typically lifting the tow vehicle a little.


I than lower the jack.


Jack.
Our jack swings up and rest parallel to the trailer frame. I visually make sure the jack is locked in the horizontal position by looking to see that the pins are engaged. (I do the same when I put it in the vertical position.) After getting the jack to the horizontal position I wrap a bungee cord around the jack and the frame.


Trailer Plug.
I insert the trailer plug into the back of the tow vehicle and give it a little tug to insure it's locked. Occasionally I put dielectric grease on the contacts of this connector.


Break-away switch.
Connect the brake away switch. My switch has a light that comes on when the switch is activated. On occasion I pull the pin and see that the light comes on.


Propane Tank.
While in the area I shut off the Propane Tank.


Rock Shield.
I make sure the rock shield is locked down.


Lights.
I get into the tow vehicle and activate the turn signals and brake lights. Ginny watches to see that they activate on the trailer and tow vehicle. We do this everyday that we drive. Occasionally we check the head lights.


Brake Controller.
As soon as I get in the car I check to see that the brake controller shows we are connected to the trailer brakes. Once we start to pull out of the camp ground I activate the trailer brakes using the controller and feel the tug of the trailer on the tow vehicle as the trailer brakes activate.


Hitch.
Occasionally I get under the trailer to be sure the hitch is tight to the tow vehicle and attempt to re-tighten the screws.


Tire Bolts.
Depending on the type of roads or when the tires were last mounted, I go around and re-tighten the tires bolts/wheel nuts. I do this if the tires were recently put on or if we've been driving on long dirt roads like the Labrador highway.


Anti-sway bar.
We have an anti-sway bar and I check that the pins are in place and the tension is correct.


Chocks
After we do all the normal items to connect up we then remove the chocks.


Lock the door.
Sounds simple but I've seen more than one door open because it wasn't locked. As well we've had a locked door open on us. We now put a small bungee cord on the door handle.


Walk around.
Before we leave we each take a walk around the trailer and tow vehicle.