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Need Advice & Past Experiences w Trailer \ Traveling


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Hi All, I have learned much from this forum and appreciate all the info and insight this forum contributes. I have perplexing issue coming up and input from this forum will help me decide how to go. I have 42DSQ Camelot with 400 hp Cummins that we have had for 5 years and its ben renovated to our tastes. We presently have a Hydra Lift mounted on back end to haul motorcycle. It has worked out great and love it but the every travel creates need to detail again due to road and weather. I have just purchased a Can-Am Defender Max HD8 with a Triton deck trailer. Not a problem to haul and rather light and maneuverable. We will be traveling much more in the immediate future. Total I have 3 motorcycles plus Can-am Defender. The option is to purchase a 28-30 foot enclosed V nose to load minimal of 2 motorcycles and Can-am. Plus some necessities etc. Will need minimal 28 foot to load all. No reason to ever pull vehicle since we have motorcycle and always the number to Enterprise.

Question is: How much traveling, camping, driving etc is it with a 42foot coach plus a 30 foot V nose trailer. This has been the discussion between myself and better half. Although both points we have discussed are totally logical would like some input from those of you have done this! I realize that it may limit us with some campgrounds and some additional planning is required concerning roads and tight spots.

Would appreciate any and all input prior to making this change and investment. Plus hate to admit it that my better, smarter, more frugal common sense better half is correct once again!! 

thanks to all!! 

Stan

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,I had a 14 foot Haulmark , nice trailer to pull,put some toys inside, only pain was if I had to unhook and park in another spot.there is no moving anything by hand.If we were somewhere for extended periods not so bad, benefit of the trailer everything locked up out of site out of mind. Enjoy the new bike!

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So weird. I'm in the same boat, interested to hear other peoples experiences. I also rented a car but on the last trip it was close to $350 for a week. Now I just want to trailer our small cross over.. 

Great timing / post!

Ryan

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I considered the issue of unhooking trailer at times and believe that the Can-Am will be able to transfer trailer to park it!

Edited by STAN SZY
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This is a 2014 all aluminum trailer I had intech build for me.

We have pulled it many miles since 

 

It carries out ford f 150 and Harley 

Or

Our 4 door Sahar jeep and Harley 

Or four runners and tractor's 

20201108_130916.jpg

20191104_092616.jpg

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It's perfectly doable, but you will occasionally have to back a trailer.  With time you will get very good.  We use two walkie talkies with my wife performing lookout duties. 

Skip the V nose.  It's behind your motorhome.  (Sorry John).  Actually, the tailgate has almost as much drag as the nose.  

Look at aluminum trailers like Featherlite and Gold Rush.  Avoid the plywood trailers as they weigh almost double and will deteriorate quickly.  

Aluminum Enclosed Trailers | Featherlite Trailers (fthr.com)

Welcome to Gold Rush Inc.

 

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8 hours ago, vito.a said:

It's perfectly doable, but you will occasionally have to back a trailer.  With time you will get very good.  We use two walkie talkies with my wife performing lookout duties. 

Skip the V nose.  It's behind your motorhome.  (Sorry John).  Actually, the tailgate has almost as much drag as the nose.  

Look at aluminum trailers like Featherlite and Gold Rush.  Avoid the plywood trailers as they weigh almost double and will deteriorate quickly.  

Aluminum Enclosed Trailers | Featherlite Trailers (fthr.com)

Welcome to Gold Rush Inc.

 

The brand of Trailers is like choosing Chevy, Ford or Dodge.

We have had trailers made by 

ATC

EBY

Sundowner 

Intech

These have all been 100 percent Aluminum,  as my pictured V nose is. The V nose was built  With tv. Fold down couch and bed plus 1,500 heat and air. For the grandchildren or guests.

All good trailers 

We have several Gatormade trailers from Somerset Kentucky.  These are not all aluminum . But as Vito said, metal or Aluminum flooring 🤗 makes great trailers for hauling equipment and Hay also.

We have two all aluminum  box front trailers by ATC that pull ver nice behing a coach.

One of them, a 26 footer is for the snowmobiles. Pulled mostly  by pickups. 

The other is a 33 foot  box front car hauler I had built the same height as my coach. The same height as the V nose intech, milage is the same. Its a matter of how you intend to use the trailer and what you want to haul.

Again, ( personal choise. )

As milage is virtually the same.

Do your research 

Eby,  in PA. makes most of our equipment and semi grain trailers and utility single axle trailers. , all 100 percent Aluminum.

All the above manufacturers will custom build you just what you want or need.  

 

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Race car haulers are 80 plus feet many times.

Drivers say

Mind your business 

Mind your speed.

 

We are 70 to 75 long depending on trailer choise at time.

no issues ever. How many payrol have time to stop you and measure 🤔???

better things to do they say 

I only know of one coach owner, sprint car owner that was stopped in Florida years ago. that was ever measured.

As long as your non comercial 

And dont cross the scales.

Pictured is one of my EBY 100 percent all aluminum trailers that I have pulled with the coach at time's. Great around the yard and farm also.

For certain events like livestock shows or fairs.

20200522_132226.jpg

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Hopefully Richard ( Dr4Film ) will jump in here. No one on this forum has more miles towing an enclosed trailer then he does with a coach.

As for myself we have a show trailer I haul to RV rally's. It is a 26 ft V nose custom built with an extended tongue and vendors window. I have towed a flat nose trailer and will never do that again. I nearly punched a hole in my rear cap making a tight turn once. My trailer typically weighs 8,000 # loaded with parts and products plus my Kubota 900 RVX. I have towed all over the US including out West with no problems with my Cummins 330.

You will be illegal ( over length ) but you will never have a problem with law enforcement as they always give RV'ers a pass. This is NOT true in CA. They will nail you in CA, ticket you and make you drop your trailer and arrange a tow for it. Know several people who have had it happen. I am 70 ft long and been towing this show trailer for several years now, been in and out of weigh stations and have never had a problem. I routinely go through weigh stations to get the trailer weighed as my weight changes for every trip. Not one weigh master has ever said a word about my length.

In regards to campgrounds you will have to drop your trailer at their storage area. I have done it numerous times without a problem. You can also drop it in the parking lot and have one of the campers with a pickup move it for you. I have had guys with pickups move my trailer around fairgrounds when attending rally's and I buy them beer for their troubles.

Having a trailer is pretty convenient with regards to having your own garage on wheels. I highly recommend you invest in a tire monitoring system. For people who tow trailers it is a matter of when not IF a tire will go flat. I have had it happen 3 times to me in the last couple years. I have customized my trailer since buying it by installing a Girard roof mount patio awning, solar/battery system, electric tongue jack, 30 amp power, etc. 🙂

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Two important items not mentioned so far.

I've been full-timing for 26 years. Towed cars and various size trailers with 40' motorhomes. Presently, 40' coach with a 25' V-nose trailer so 65' overall.

Your ability to get into and out of places, RV parks, etc., will be severely limited. Even though a park may tell you they can handle your length, maneuvering inside the park can bring a few unpleasant surprises. If you get stuck, it's not like having a car to disconnect and recover. No more stays in State parks, National Forest campgrounds, etc. for the most part. Of course, there are exceptions but very few. Changed my RV experience significantly when I began towing a long trailer. It's a trade off as are most things in life.

The second issue is insurance. Yes, there are many rigs on the road that exceed the legal length and get away with it. However, as an attorney has written about  numerous time on the The Escapees forum, one is risking serious potential problems. As I understand from these postings, when you purchase insurance, you agree to conform to the various laws that are applicable. Should you have an accident, even though it is not your fault, the other parties' attorney/insurance company will investigate all the circumstances involved looking for something you might have done that contributed to the accident. If you are in violation of any law, let's say the legal length for the locality, they can sue you. If they do, then your insurance company can refuse to defend you because you violated your policy by not complying with the law. In other words, you cannot expect an insurance company to defend you regardless of what you may have done.

When I first read the attorney's explanation of such a situation, I had my motorhome registered in one State, I was licensed in another State and my home address was listed in a third State. I had even been stopped one time and the officer didn't object. However, if I had had an accident, then my insurance company could have refused to protect me. After reading that article, I immediately turned around, changed my summer travel plans, drove to Livingston, TX, joined The Escapees and made TX my legal domicile, got a TX driver's license and registered everything there as well.

To be clear, I am NOT giving legal advice. I am simply repeating what an attorney specializing is this field stated. It was clear enough for me to change everything to TX.

The reason my trailer is 25' and not longer is because 65' is pretty much the maximum legal length is most States but certainly not all.

I'm not looking to begin a back and forth amateur legal discussion here that results in a verbal brawl. Of course, anyone is free to say most anything here but I certainly hope this does not get ugly as it seems to do at times. 

I'm sure there are many members who can tell stories about all the things they have gotten away with over the years. I hope this posting does not generate such responses. 

My intent is simply to provide information as I understand it relative to this subject and the law. I am not a lawyer and might be wrong.

There are times I do not post a response to something because there is way too much disrespect that results when some one is simply trying to get some information or state their opinion. 

If there are any attorneys versed in the subject reading this, then their knowledge certainly would be helpful.

Gary K

 

 

 

 

Edited by a4epilot
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Hi Stan,

I have the hydralift for my Goldwing and love it. I tried the shelter like cover that hydralift sells to go over the bike, but my Goldwing is so wide it ended up rubbing the saddlebags and truck. I now use the SKNZ Stretch Fit Motorcycle Cover and have been pretty happy with it. It seems like when hauling a motorcycle on an RV there is always a compromise. While the SKNZ cover keeps it nice and clean, it sure soaks up the rain, and gets pretty heavy when wet. We just take it off and let it dry whenever it gets wet. I've also started putting a regular motorcycle cover over the SKNZ cover when it is going to rain and that seems to be a pretty good solution, as it keeps the bike clean AND dry.

Edited by Corkman
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6 hours ago, a4epilot said:

Two important items not mentioned so far.

I've been full-timing for 26 years. Towed cars and various size trailers with 40' motorhomes. Presently, 40' coach with a 25' V-nose trailer so 65' overall.

Your ability to get into and out of places, RV parks, etc., will be severely limited. Even though a park may tell you they can handle your length, maneuvering inside the park can bring a few unpleasant surprises. If you get stuck, it's not like having a car to disconnect and recover. No more stays in State parks, National Forest campgrounds, etc. for the most part. Of course, there are exceptions but very few. Changed my RV experience significantly when I began towing a long trailer. It's a trade off as are most things in life.

The second issue is insurance. Yes, there are many rigs on the road that exceed the legal length and get away with it. However, as an attorney has written about  numerous time on the The Escapees forum, one is risking serious potential problems. As I understand from these postings, when you purchase insurance, you agree to conform to the various laws that are applicable. Should you have an accident, even though it is not your fault, the other parties' attorney/insurance company will investigate all the circumstances involved looking for something you might have done that contributed to the accident. If you are in violation of any law, let's say the legal length for the locality, they can sue you. If they do, then your insurance company can refuse to defend you because you violated your policy by not complying with the law. In other words, you cannot expect an insurance company to defend you regardless of what you may have done.

When I first read the attorney's explanation of such a situation, I had my motorhome registered in one State, I was licensed in another State and my home address was listed in a third State. I had even been stopped one time and the officer didn't object. However, if I had had an accident, then my insurance company could have refused to protect me. After reading that article, I immediately turned around, changed my summer travel plans, drove to Livingston, TX, joined The Escapees and made TX my legal domicile, got a TX driver's license and registered everything there as well.

To be clear, I am NOT giving legal advice. I am simply repeating what an attorney specializing is this field stated. It was clear enough for me to change everything to TX.

The reason my trailer is 25' and not longer is because 65' is pretty much the maximum legal length is most States but certainly not all.

I'm not looking to begin a back and forth amateur legal discussion here that results in a verbal brawl. Of course, anyone is free to say most anything here but I certainly hope this does not get ugly as it seems to do at times. 

I'm sure there are many members who can tell stories about all the things they have gotten away with over the years. I hope this posting does not generate such responses. 

My intent is simply to provide information as I understand it relative to this subject and the law. I am not a lawyer and might be wrong.

There are times I do not post a response to something because there is way too much disrespect that results when some one is simply trying to get some information or state their opinion. 

If there are any attorneys versed in the subject reading this, then their knowledge certainly would be helpful.

Gary K

 

 

 

 

Pretty much what I was going to say. 🙂

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We have an 07 Monaco Signature with a Cummins 600.  I have a 24' V nose Cargo Mate trailer that I haul a Harley Davidson Road Glide, a Indian roadmaster and a CanAm Spyder.  The Trailer is a car hauler which makes a big difference when you have all three bikes in the trailer.  Prior to this trailer I had a 22' v nose trailer that was a standard trailer was OK but opted for the car hauler instead.  Also haul a show car on occasion. The coach handles it well.  We take up to Northern NM though some elevations over 7,200' not a problem.  obviously the coach slows down a bit on the hills but that is to be expected.  Have had no problems with turning radius etc.   The only issue I have run into is the coach and the Trailer are about 70' in legnth and some RV parks can't accommodate a rig that long.  Most can, just need to check in advance.

 

Ernest Cuaron

07 Signature, 21 Grand Cherokee summit

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Well done!

I have friends that think they are okay driving an Air brake unit in Canada (Canadian citizens) without an Air brake endorsement,  they say they only drive in the USA,but you have to get there, I had one friend that does not really talk to me anymore because I told him to call his insurance company and explain to them what your doing. Like you said it probably won't be you but if someone crashes into you and it is critical that's another story.

Wayne

1999 Signature Caesar 

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On 3/3/2021 at 6:22 PM, wayne.cerven@gmail.com said:

Well done!

I have friends that think they are okay driving an Air brake unit in Canada (Canadian citizens) without an Air brake endorsement,  they say they only drive in the USA,but you have to get there, I had one friend that does not really talk to me anymore because I told him to call his insurance company and explain to them what your doing. Like you said it probably won't be you but if someone crashes into you and it is critical that's another story.

Wayne

1999 Signature Caesar 

So true. 
Sadly, in this litigious society, another driver could be COMPLETELY at fault, but if they get an attorney, he can find ANYTHING that's not 100% legal with your setup, and suddenly YOU are liable for all the damage.  If someone is hurt or killed, it can quickly exceed the limits of your insurance.

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Guest Ray Davis

 Great post Gary,  AKA a4epilot 👍  We don't brawl here very often.  The Col. AKA Bill D taught us not to.   

 Full timing for 26 yrs, that's a long time.  Is that some kind of record?   

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10 hours ago, Ray Davis said:

 Great post Gary,  AKA a4epilot 👍  We don't brawl here very often.  The Col. AKA Bill D taught us not to.   

 Full timing for 26 yrs, that's a long time.  Is that some kind of record?   

Thank you, Ray. 🤭 Record? Don't know. 🤔 However, haven't met anyone whose been at it longer. My worst fear is that someday my body will go before my mind and I'll be forced to give up the lifestyle!

This forum has made all the difference in being able to keep my 06 Windsor operating in top shape! Without all of you, it would have been sold or parked long ago. Thanks, Bill D for making a huge difference in my life!! Being a former Navy fighter pilot, it's mandatory that I give all the other services as much crap as possible, especially Air Force pilots! 😜 However, don't get in-between us because the mutual respect is strong! After all, we're on the same team, USA. We take care of each other when the chips are down. Bill is still taking care of me.

So, great motivation for me to work hard at staying mentally and physically healthy so as to prolong that final day on the road as long as possible. 83 years old and so far it's all good. Winters in AZ, summers in northern ID living at airports flying my airplane with trips to Europe and Asia a few times each year as well. For me, doesn't get any better. 🙂

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Guest Ray Davis

Gary,  thanks for giving your age ( 83 ) I didn't want to ask, but being 80 myself 👨‍🦳 you give us hope.  We haven't full timed, couldn't seem to ever get untangled from things.       Actually we still can't, but we hope to get started traveling again. A few health problems and covid didn't help but things are looking up, so watch out.              I was Navy too, enlisted though.  Somebody has to swab the decks.  :classic_rolleyes:

We are blessed, you and I to still be able to do this.  I know people our age that can't drive their car, and probably couldn't even get in a motorhome.   In many ways          it's the luck of the draw ( genetics ) but other things too, life style etc.  We all dread the day when we have to quit,  but we'll carry on while we can.

The trips to Europe and Asia,  do you fly your plane on those trips?   

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2 minutes ago, Ray Davis said:

Gary,  thanks for giving your age ( 83 ) I didn't want to ask, but being 80 myself 👨‍🦳 you give us hope.  We haven't full timed, couldn't seem to ever get untangled from things.       Actually we still can't, but we hope to get started traveling again. A few health problems and covid didn't help but things are looking up, so watch out.              I was Navy too, enlisted though.  Somebody has to swab the decks.  :classic_rolleyes:

We are blessed, you and I to still be able to do this.  I know people our age that can't drive their car, and probably couldn't even get in a motorhome.   In many ways          it's the luck of the draw ( genetics ) but other things too, life style etc.  We all dread the day when we have to quit,  but we'll carry on while we can.

The trips to Europe and Asia,  do you fly your plane on those trips?   

I started out enlisted (Boot Camp in San Diego, 1958) then qualified for the NAVCAD (Naval Aviation Cadet) Program. Went through flight training as a cadet. Received my commission and wings at the same time upon completion. Being ex-enlisted helped to make me a much better officer. 

Fly commercially when going places. My aircraft is just for fun and sightseeing. 🙂

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5 minutes ago, Ray Davis said:

Gary,  thanks for giving your age ( 83 ) I didn't want to ask, but being 80 myself 👨‍🦳 you give us hope.  We haven't full timed, couldn't seem to ever get untangled from things.       Actually we still can't, but we hope to get started traveling again. A few health problems and covid didn't help but things are looking up, so watch out.              I was Navy too, enlisted though.  Somebody has to swab the decks.  :classic_rolleyes:

We are blessed, you and I to still be able to do this.  I know people our age that can't drive their car, and probably couldn't even get in a motorhome.   In many ways          it's the luck of the draw ( genetics ) but other things too, life style etc.  We all dread the day when we have to quit,  but we'll carry on while we can.

The trips to Europe and Asia,  do you fly your plane on those trips?   

Thank you for Serving Gary and Ray 

Im 70 now and prayerfully Ill be going past 80. Plus.

We sold our home in 2000 and have been living on a boat and rv ever since. 

About 50 - 50 time wise.

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1 minute ago, John Haggard said:

Thank you for Serving Gary and Ray 

Im 70 now and prayerfully Ill be going past 80. Plus.

We sold our home in 2000 and have been living on a boat and rv ever since. 

About 50 - 50 time wise.

John, you're welcome. Thanks!

Awesome life for you!

Raised my family, daughters were 3 & 5 at the time, on a 50' sailboat (Kettenburg) on the west coast. Was home for 10 years. Best days of our lives sailing San Diego to Glacier Bay, Alaska and off shore to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Moving into a motorhome was the natural thing to do and so much easier. 🙂

G

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4 minutes ago, a4epilot said:

John, you're welcome. Thanks!

Awesome life for you!

Raised my family, daughters were 3 & 5 at the time, on a 50' sailboat (Kettenburg) on the west coast. Was home for 10 years. Best days of our lives sailing San Diego to Glacier Bay, Alaska and off shore to the Queen Charlotte Islands. Moving into a motorhome was the natural thing to do and so much easier. 🙂

G

Awsome life for you daughters also.

Educational experience 

Thanks for sharing.

We did raise 4 children and now have 11 beautiful 😍  grandchildren. 

All boaters and campers, homeowners. 

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I have enjoyed reading all of the posts on this thread. Each one has some worthy information to add to your arsenal.

Back in my working life I had never intended on staying in CA after TOTALLY retiring. My goal I had set as a teenager was to travel the country by road a gypsy wanderer so to speak. So before I actually took the plunge I purchased my 2002 Windsor coach in 2003 and fully retired in January 2009. I then purchased a secondhand 30 foot Pace flat nose cargo trailer which had a 26 foot box and 4 foot tongue, a longer tongue would have been preferred. I spent time researching and looking at trailers plus measuring as best as possible to see how I could fit everything we owned in both the coach and trailer as it was time to leave CA. Anything shorter than a 26 foot box would not work but I was also concerned about the total length. I setup the inside such that the motorcycle would go in first and then the 06 Saturn Vue would be backed in last putting the engine at the rear to somewhat offset the weight of my motorcycle up front. Luckily the trailer I had purchased had a driver's side escape door which I used to get in and out of the car easily as I had "stuff" along each side of the trailer lashed to the E-Track on the walls. Needless to say the trailer was jammed packed!

So from 2010 to 2018 that I owned the trailer before purchasing our winter home in FL we carried everything we owed around the country. What I learned very quickly was to anticipate your ingress and egress whenever planning to leave the open road. Plus sometimes you will have to drive a bit before finding a place to turn around if you make a mistake. Don't try to use "normal" fueling stations unless they are large enough for the rig to get in and out without damaging something. I never had any problems with RV Parks or campgrounds but I didn't use them everyday when traveling. Most of the time we were traveling from one major destination to another. We had made three trips to Alaska and back with the trailer during that time, 6 trips across the country and many smaller trips in-between. When dealing with campgrounds and RV Parks I always made sure they understood what I was towing and could accommodate me.

Here are a few of the problems I had to deal with along the way. In KY we were on an Interstate and needed to dump our holding tanks so I searched the Garmin 760 GPS and found a Camping World on our way south so I plugged it in. Well the coordinates were incorrect and we ended up turning into a cul-de-sac. Luckily I was able to pull into one driveway and with outside help back into an opposing driveway enough to turn around otherwise I would have had to call for a tow. Lesson learned, do NOT trust your GPS! Plus make sure you are completely comfortable with backing up the trailer for long distances. I also had installed cameras on each side of the trailer, the rear and one inside to watch the cargo. So between the side view mirrors on the coach and the cameras on the trailer I was able to monitor the entire coach and trailer for vehicles. One other mishap that was self inflicted was that after walking a road inside a RV Park to possibly use for ingress once I got into it I realized that what I thought would work would not work at all. Bad judge of distances. SO another lesson learned was when your trailer has a fight with a tree the tree will ALWAYS win. Plus just before the tree mishap my curbside mirror got tweaked just enough that I had lost my view of that side of the coach and trailer which exacerbated the situation. If you lose your view, fix it immediately. Don't drive another inch until it has been corrected.

Plus make sure you take the time to weigh your coach and trailer plus your tongue weight. The trailer I pulled had two 6000 lb axles so it was rated for 12000 lbs. The dry weight was just under 5000 lbs. The total weight was a little over 11000 lbs and my loaded tongue weight was more than I wanted but didn't have a choice other than to purchase a longer trailer where the contents could be re-positioned better and that wasn't going to happen. I also ran the rear axle tires on the coach at a higher psi to compensate for the additional weight of the trailer.

It goes without saying that you need to have a reliable TPMS and use it on the trailer tires also. The tires that came on the trailer were ST truck tires and I had a lot of trailer tire problems and failures. On one of my last trips I finally switched over to a set of Goodyear Unisteel G614 RST Radial Tire - 235/85R16 126R, well worth the extra expense.

Lastly, I have been a Coach-Net customer since leaving CA back in 2010 and I wouldn't leave home without it. If you have to be towed remember that they will need two tow trucks, one for the coach and one for the trailer. Without ERS it can get rather expensive quickly. One tow I had was in northern British Columbia which was over 200 miles one way while on our return trip to the lower 48. That tow would have cost me close to $7000 without ERS. Needles to say I have been towed three times while owning the trailer and haven't paid one penny for any of the roadside emergencies that I have had over the years.

Safe travels!

Alaska 2010 545.jpg

Edited by Dr4Film
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