New Casita owner

[thunderworks]

Hello everybody . . . RS from Lawrence, KS.

Just bought a 20 year old Casita Deluxe (Spirit) and really excited to take our first trip to California to see our son and new granddaughter. My wife and I will take a few weekend shake down trips locally to get a feel for trailering.

I have a Honda Ridgeline truck which should handle the rig without much difficulty but I am an inexperienced driver with trailers.

All suggestions, tips, ideas etc. that will make the trip more fun, safer, etc welcome. Don't hold back.

R.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

Properly adjust your brake controller (instructions can probably be found online) and practice backing up in an empty parking lot. When backing, the rear of the trailer will move in the direction of the bottom of the steering wheel. Keep steering wheel movement and vehicle speed slow.

[thunderworks]

Thanks Lynn. Will do.

[rlsooby]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

Hello everybody . . . RS from Lawrence, KS.

Just bought a 20 year old Casita Deluxe (Spirit) …

R.

Hi RS from Lawrence; I'm RLS from Lawrence. Welcome to the fiberglass family and have fun.

[GatorCasita]

I wonder what year your Ridgeline is and what size your Casita is. We have a 17 FD Casita and a 2008 Ridgeline. Towing is no problem, just using an antisway bar.

However, if your Ridgeline is not one from about the last 5 years, be prepared for a major disappointment. Your gas milage will be about half of what you get without towing the trailer. Apparently, Honda did some changes and the towing milage does not fall of nearly as much.

Enjoy

[Civilguy]

Read and learn everything you can. There's a lot of information out there including many Youtube videos and tutorials for first-time trailer owners.

Backing up is sometimes difficult to learn. I suggest going to an empty parking lot where you can attempt to back the trailer without fear of running into anything; be sure keep your eyes out for light poles in all that seemingly "empty" space.

When backing up, I make an effort to keep my hands in my lap and to carefully move the bottom of the steering wheel in the direction I want the trailer to go. Try moving the wheel a bit, maybe about 4-inches or so, then just hold it steady for a bit. Back slowly and observe what happens. Stop and pull forward if you need to straighten up, then try again.

Keeping your hands at the bottom of the wheel means you don't have to steer in reverse. A nudge left will (eventually) result in the trailer moving left. A nudge right will make it turn right. Keep the motions minimal at first as there is a tendency to over-steer, generally followed by over-correcting in the opposite direction.

As you get some practice, work up to trying to drive down the aisle between marked spaces; this aisle is typically about 24 feet wide. Then, as you get more practice, work on backing the trailer into a target parking space.

[alan H]

Keep your speed down and enjoy the trip

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by thunderworks

All suggestions, tips, ideas etc. that will make the trip more fun, safer, etc welcome. Don't hold back.

R.

Your trailer tires are small. Keep your top end speed below 65 MPH or as determined by the specifications on the tires of your trailer. What size tires are on the trailer? Smaller tires equal even slower speeds. Be sure to ensure the tires are properly inflated. It is a good idea to check everything each time you make a stop.


Check the date code on the tires. Tires need to be less than 5 years old at a minimum.


When hooking up the trailer, be sure the safety chains are crossed.


Make sure the 7-pin cable connection to your tow vehicle (TV) is properly secured. Many years ago, I did not do that. The cable pulled loose and I just about burned out my TV breaks stopping on a steep downhill grade on a winding mountain road in Colorado. My TV breaks were seriously smoking by the time I was able to stop the vehicle and attached trailer. I never want to experience that again!


Finally and most important - - - Have a great adventure!

[thunderworks]

Originally Posted by GatorCasita

I wonder what year your Ridgeline is and what size your Casita is. We have a 17 FD Casita and a 2008 Ridgeline. Towing is no problem, just using an antisway bar.

However, if your Ridgeline is not one from about the last 5 years, be prepared for a major disappointment. Your gas milage will be about half of what you get without towing the trailer. Apparently, Honda did some changes and the towing milage does not fall of nearly as much.

Enjoy

My Ridgeline is a 2018 model. Should be OK.

Thank you everyone for all the input. We're both excited - yet somewhat apprehensive - about our upcoming trip.

We'll do a few weekend trips in our area to acquaint ourselves with all the systems and issues trailering a camper. We have a few state lakes near us with nice campsites.

In August though, we embark on a trip to northern California to visit our son and meet our new granddaughter. It's a LONG! drive. The trip will probably be about a month total in length with drive time.

[jimiller5]

If you forget to chock the wheels and the trailer starts to roll backward you can pull the break away cord to lock the brakes. You'll only need to do this one time, especially if your wife is in the trailer. Don't ask me how I know this.

[GlassCastle]

Congrats on your new to you trailer. I love my 1995 16' Casita. When you stop at parks along the way, you may find a few pull thru sites, no backing up required! I am always thrilled not to have to back up and expose my inexperience.
Every time I take my camper out I am editing what I take along, more like what I take out and leave at home. Less is better, a hard lesson to learn for this "be prepared" girl scout.
Make the bed before you leave home, makes stopping for the night much nicer. Keep your camper clutter free, I store a lot in my truck bed(I have a fiberglass camper shell on my pickup).
It is a joy to have your own rolling restroom. I use my camper potty on the road instead of public restrooms, especially now when we are supposed to be social distancing.
Enjoy your new grandbaby and camper.

[Terry G]

Enjoy your "new" Casita. But remember that an older trailer is going to need repairs from time to time so make sure you carry a tool kit. I say this because I own a 1996 17' Casita and it's been an awesome trailer for the last 10 years. But I've had to replace and repair stuff--all the light bulbs with LED's, the battery charger, the jack, the heater fan, the refrigerator, and many more things. Just last week, the axle finally gave up the ghost and it's now in the shop getting a new one. The one thing the trailer has never done is leak. Fiberglass trailers are solidly built and if you keep it up you'll be giving it to your kids someday.

So don't be afraid. Most of these things can be done by an amateur and there's plenty of information online. Make sure you check out the Casita Travel Trailer Forum, which is loaded with amazing amounts of information. But you've bought more than a trailer, you've bought a hobby.

[Lynn Eberhardt]

Two more thoughts:
Balance the trailer tires - it makes a big difference in keeping things in place while driving.
Secure the 7 pin connection latch with a small bungee cord.

[ReneeN]

Go practice backing up in a big empty parking lot. Daytime and nighttime.

[mindygee]

Great advice so far. We were newbies when we got our Casita 4 years ago. We love it. I'd suggest a good checklist. I used that every trip for the 1st year and it really helped.

Have fun, chill out, enjoy the ride!

[DonH]

Congratulations on your Casita acquisition. All the prior tips are excellent. What I have learned after several trips is how better to pack the cabinets, as it is not uncommon for a door or two to pop open during travel. And if you put items in the fridge, be sure to close the lid tight on the pickle jar. I live in Ohio and have a 1997 Casita 16' Spirit Deluxe and I will be staying in Lawrence a few nights over the July 4th weekend. Any fireworks there over the holidays? Don

[kolocar]

Do you have the history on the bearing service? When were they last replaced and when were they last repacked ? If you cannot find out, I would suggest replacing the bearings just to start out with a fresh set. They should be repacked every 12k miles, so you may wish to keep a mileage log when towing.
Don K.

[JaxDan]

Hi, my Casita is 21 now, when I bought it towing home I stopped at rest stops and felt the hub on both sides. The trailer had just returned from Alaska but I noticed the curb side ran hotter than the driver side. Now I do that constantly on every long trip.


What the problem was involved bearing seals that had failed and too much grease got in places it should not have been. The cure was a complete axle rebuild with new brakes, bearings etc. No problem since but be careful not to pump too much lubricant into the bearings.



Since we are old folks I have since modified my Spirit Deluxe to have a bunk in the rear and one over the side dinette using the side cushions to hold the rear bunk in place and a pop up table. This allows either of us access to the bathroom with out disturbing the other.

[Donald Watts]

I concur, check your wheel bearings. Have them repacked regularly. Have a grand trip to California. I live in Cal, Orange County has more rv service stations if you need an RV mechanic. I suspect you will be ok. I have a Good Sam road service but also have AAA service. While on the road particularly during the summertime holidays, these companies can be overwhelmed, particularly since towing a vehicle and trailer.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Donald Watts

I have a Good Sam road service but also have AAA service.

There is a good chance that the same tow truck would show up regardless which road service you call. They use a lot of contract drivers and pay them poorly ( which might be one reason it takes so long for them to show up ).