New-Have truck & trailor,Whats next?

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Brenda J

Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2013
Posts
7
Location
Bowie Md 20715
Single lady in Maryland,mid 60s retired, not mechanical but ready for travel adventures! Confused by hitch hookup and where to go first. Just purchased Ford Diesel 250 truck and 26ft Rockport trailor.Any advice appreciated on how to get started!
 
Welcome.
I hope when you bought the truck you got a tow package?
When you picked up the trailer did not the dealer hook it up for you and give you a walk thru?  At minimum he should have done that much. 
 
thanks for reply, bought used truck and used trailer separate.
Very heavy hitch owner said cost 1000 new.
Is there an easy way to unhook and rehook or should I look for a new easy hitch?
 
I dont think there really is an easy way.  With practice i learned to back under the hitch by my self.  As for the rest of the equasion, i learned to lower the trailer onto the ball. Lock the hitch, and raise the trailer back up some.  Attach the spring bars and then drop the trailer off the tongue jack.  Less strain that way.  Finish the hookup procedure and head out. 
Guess i should have asked what brand of hitch first?
 
Wow, it sounds like you've jumped into this with no prior experience with trailers?  Maybe someone here is local and could help out, it'd probably be a lot easier to work with someone local rather than dealing with this over the net.  There's a whole lot of stuff you'll need to know and without experienced eyes on the ground it may be very difficult for you to get good answers.
 
Welcome to the RVing lifestyle, Brenda. The learning curve may be a bit steep for the first few months, but you will get the hang of things quickly. We were all newbies at one time...

Might that be a Rockwood trailer? I'm not familiar with a Rockport brand.


If the trailer does not have a powered jack on the tongue, you will probably want to purchase one of those. It makes hitching much easier.

What brand is the hitch? Common ones are names like Reese, Curt, and Equalizer. Reese has several sub-brands as well, with names like Pro Series, Strait-line, and Titan.

We have some article in the RV Forum Library that will be helpful to newcomers to RVing,
including one whole section on towing things. See http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=section&id=3&Itemid=45

You will also find our RV Glossary helpful in learning the meanings of the various terms and acronyms.
http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php?action=Glossary

Here is another online article that may be of some help in learning to hitch up.
http://www.hitchinfo.com/index.cfm?event=viewpage&contentpieceid=5151
 
Gary RV Roamer
Thanks so much!! Very Helpful artical on how to hook-up.
You are correct, It is a 2005 Rockwood 26ft trailor. 5000 weight
I bought a 2002 Ford F250 Diesel truck to tow her and hope the tow capacity is ok.
What is the easiest hitch tow product for a grandmother to buy and use?
Where do I buy an electric tongue for easy trailer hookup?
I dont know the brand I have. former owner said it cost $1000.
Has chains and weights, seems too heavy and complicated for me.
 
Welcome Brenda.  It sounds like we're getting there.  At first I wan't sure if you had a TT (Travel Trailer) or 5er (5th Wheel).  But it sounds for sure like a TT (you connect it to your hitch below the bumper).  It sounds like you have a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch), that may or may not include the anti-sway.  I'm surprised the previous owner did not go over everything with you.  That would have been the best thing.  Maybe if you get with him/her and have them give you a once over for hooking up, it would help you a lot.  Otherwise, the next best thing to do is start posting some pictures of what you have.  That  way we can see it and be in a better position to help you.

 
As far as the 'best hitch' for a grandmother to use.. My mom (a grandmother) has learned how to hookup with a weight distributing hitch, it's not hard you just have to work smart.  However, she had the advantage of my dad walking her through the process..several times..  Maybe we have a member in your general area that could help out...
 
Brenda J said:
Gary RV Roamer
Thanks so much!! Very Helpful artical on how to hook-up.
You are correct, It is a 2005 Rockwood 26ft trailor. 5000 weight
I bought a 2002 Ford F250 Diesel truck to tow her and hope the tow capacity is ok.
What is the easiest hitch tow product for a grandmother to buy and use?
Where do I buy an electric tongue for easy trailer hookup?
I dont know the brand I have. former owner said it cost $1000.
Has chains and weights, seems too heavy and complicated for me.

$1000 for an electric jack?!!  ::) 

Like this one maybe:  http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/3500-lb-tongue-jack/27292#readreviews ?  Installation should run about an hour and requires little skill... no master mechanics required. 

All that said, do get one, they are the greatest thing since sliced bread.  They really speed up a hitching process and reduce the grunt and groan part of it.
 
braindead said:
I think the OP was referring to the hitch.. when asked what brand it was.

She said, "Where do I buy an electric tongue for easy trailer hookup?"  She did follow that with,  "I dont know the brand I have. former owner said it cost $1000.
Has chains and weights, seems too heavy and complicated for me."  But you are right, the $1000 was for the WD hitch setup.

However, the electric jack is the clue to easy hitching up with any brand of WD hitch.  She should have an electric hitch jack installed on her trailer.  That wiil ease her problem in hitching up.
 
Thanks for all your help and for explaining the hitch hookup. You are correct, it is a WDH (Weight Distributing Hitch)
I will order the electric jack, Previous owner went over procedure fast but I don't remember everything she said 6 months ago. I store the TT for winter and am ready to get on the road now. Planning a trip to Fla driving alone, leaving in 1 week.
My Favorite Quote is:
"There is nothing to fear except Fear itself".
www.Hitchinfo.com article was great, loved and printed out the 'how to hitch"checklist.
Don't want to unhitch on entire trip. Anyone know an easy way to find truckstops for DIESEL fuel and easy in-out GAS-up procedure. All tips appreciated!
 
All the major truck stops list their locations on their web site. Many RVers use Pilot/Flying J because they are a bit more RV friendly and even offer a discount card, but they still tend to cost more than local stations (if you have time to shop around and locate a local). Some others are Loves, Travel Centers of America, and Hess.

http://www.pilotflyingj.com/?ASP.default_aspx
 
You will just have to get practice with the bars and chains on a WD hitch. It's simple enough once you've done it a few times. With the addition of an electric jack the procedure is less strenuous, but you still have to put the bars in their slots and connect them up.
 
Brenda, I just wanted to salute you. You are tackling a tough chore without hesitation...that takes courage. Good luck on your travels, and with your new RV setup, you're on your way to some great adventures...don't forget the roadside assistance plans that are available for those pesky roadside breakdowns, flat tires, and so forth.
 
Indeed.  And in general don't be afraid to ask other RV'ers for help.. most are the friendly sort ;-)
 
Hi Brenda - welcome to The RV Forum!

If you're free this summer, the Escapees Club has an excellent RVers Boot Camp they will be presenting as part of their annual Escapade national rally.  This year it's in Gillette, WY the week of the July 4th holiday.  You don't have to be an Escapees member to attend.

Anyone know an easy way to find truckstops for DIESEL fuel and easy in-out GAS-up procedure. All tips appreciated!

Pilot / Flying J, Loves, Petro and T/A (Truckstops of America) are four of the largest truckstop chains.  Each has a website with a listing of all of their locations.

Or when you get to your first truckstop, look for a copy of The Truckers Friend (or it's companion The RVers Friend).  It has state by state maps and listings of all truckstops.

Most truckstops are along the Interstates - that's where the truckers travel for the most part.

When you get to a truckstop, use the Auto or RV fuel islands.  Do NOT fuel with the big rigs.  Their pumps have a larger nozzle and dispense fuel faster than your F250 can accept it.

When you pull into a fuel stop, stop before you commit and visually plot your path in and out.  Remember you'll need room to maneuver the truck and trailer after you're done fueling.

If the truckstop doesn't have separate RV pumps, the outer lanes of the automobile fuel island are usually easier to maneuver through than the inner ones.

Make sure the pump you're going to use has a separate diesel hose and nozzle.  Traditionally green handles have been used to denote diesel fuel, but there are exceptions.  One company, Mobil I think, decided to use green handles on their gas pumps in an attempt to make their gas seem more environmentally friendly.  Go figure.
 
There are many on this site that are very knowledgeable about WDH but are limited by lack of specifics on exactly what you have. If you drive through any camp ground and ask a camper with a TT how to hook yours up I bet you'll get the hands on help. Be sure to take your hitch bars and head to compare with what they have. Most revers are helpful that way.
 

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