No rv experience! Excited to begin, but a little nervous.

[Ruby]

Just bought a Summerland 2670BHGS for our 40th anniversary! After 40 years tent camping, DH said he's had enough of the hard ground.
Very excited to get started, but a little nervous because neither of us have any towing experience.
Any words of wisdom or advice?
Our TV is a GMC heavy duty 1/2 ton 4x4.

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum :wlcm:

Congrats on your new purchase. After 40 years on the ground, sleeping inside will be wonderful! Best advise I can give a new RVer about towing is find a big empty parking lot and practice turning and backing. If you have the ability to use it in your driveway or yard, by all means spend a day or two "camping" at home.

YouTube is filled with generic videos on just about any question you would have. Enjoy your new mobile home :thumbsup:

[Pull Toy]

Congrat's and welcome from Connecticut!

You came to the right place to get your questions answered. There are a great bunch of knowledgeable and friendly people here. We all were beginners once, and there is a learning curve, but it will seem like second nature after some practice.

When you hook up check everything twice,and be sure to limit distractions. Once you're done, do a total walk around inspection. You are looking for open hatches, is antenna down, are steps put away, are chocks removed. Prior to doing this walk, I turn on my four-way flashers, and headlights. This way I also can check all of my lights in one trip. Also be sure to test your brake controller.

When driving forward, the trailer will follow you wherever you go. Be sure to remember though, that you are heavier, taller and longer, and adjust your driving and braking accordingly. Always remember to swing wide on turns, as the trailer will need the extra space on the inside of the turn to clear curbs, and objects.

When you back up, is when it can get real interesting. It will seem that your trailer has a mind of its own. My advice is to take an experienced friend to a big empty parking lot, and bring along some plastic milk jugs to set up a course, and practice... practice... practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. As strange as it sounds, when backing, steer the truck in the opposite direction from where you want the trailer to go. If you get crooked, it is always better to pull forward to straighten out. Then try again. If you watch the pro's, they may pull ahead a half dozen times if that's what it takes. This is probably the hardest part of trailering, but it is a skill every driver needs. More and more campgrounds now offer "drive thru" sites, and when on the road, you can park in the truck lot at rest areas, but there will come a time when the only way out is backwards.

There's a lot to learn, but it's worth it!


GOOD LUCK, & HAVE FUN

[sourdough]

:wlcm: to the forum and congrats on the new rig!

Yes, after 40 years of tenting the RV will seem like a luxury condo, and after you get to a certain age, the amenities of the RV are welcomed.

Towing. Get a good WDH first and foremost and get it set up correctly. With the weight of the your trailer you may want to look at some air bags to firm up the ride of your truck. If you have P rated passenger tires on the truck you will probably want to look at some LT tires. All of the above will help stabilize the pickup which is something usually required on a 1/2 ton.

Once you are good to go practice, practice as has been said. Remember that the trailer does not do what your truck does when in tight spots. At times it will seem like it has a mind of its own but keep in mind that at 28' behind you things take a while to happen, and sometimes they are opposite of what's happening up front. Watch your trailer closely when pulling in/out of gas pumps; the trailer will be going a different direction than the truck. I've seen trailers that scraped into the islands because the back of the trailer goes on a different track than the truck - I've had to watch mine closely a couple of times (2-3" from guard posts) when I've got into a tight spot at a 7-11 getting fuel.

As you get your feet on the ground post questions/concerns here and someone will be glad to help you. Good luck and have fun!

[14george]

Welcome to the fourm congrats

[theeyres]

Take all the advice, especially Pull Toys advice, and make a couple check off lists--one for you and for your wife for--and use them when pull out of a campground. It's really easy to forget something.

[notanlines]

Earl, I suspect Ruby is most likely a woman. She will probably confirm this shortly. At least Ruby has a DH. For some reason I almost always assume that a new poster is a man and have been wrong a number of times. Now with that behind me I like your idea of DH having a list and DW having a list. I become somewhat dismayed when I see a rig come in for the night and DW sits in the cab of the TV until the entire setup is finished. My wife would not be too happy if I started leveling the trailer or putting out chocks or getting the stabilizers in place. I have my responsibilities and she has hers.
Ruby? Don't most of the most memorable times in your life start out with a little apprehension? Adventure is the key word here and yours has just begun.

[66joej]

Congratulations on your new outfit. I'm sure you will find it a cut above the tent
Also welcome to the forum from Radium Hot Springs BC.

[Tbos]

Welcome to the forum and the world of camping in a Trailer. Have fun, take it slow and easy and be careful. It will all go well.

[the sodfather]

Best piece of advice I got was to always take my time. Never get in a hurry. That's when you will screw something up. Having a road map planed ahead is important. Especially if passing through major cities.

Good luck, you will do fine. (Oh, and build a great campfire every night!).

[Alpine]

Hey now that is a great wagon y'all have! "Steady as she goes" and you will do just fine!

[itat]

Congrats on your new TT. I can't really add anything to the towing advice already given but I definitely encourage you to get a good WDH like an Equal-i-zer (http://www.equalizerhitch.com) brand and set it up properly. Dealers rarely do a good job setting them up for an empty trailer but you'll need to re-do the setup anyway after you've loaded it up.

I can offer a few tips to a newbie to RVing (but not to camping).

As was noted earlier, do your first camp out either in the driveway or at a nearby campground. You'll inevitably forget something or realize you need something on your first trip, so if you can camp near a Walmart or a good RV supply store that would be helpful.

Get a good quality sewer hose. We use the Camco RhinoFLEX (https://www.amazon.com/Camco-39741-RhinoFLEX-Swivel-Fitting/dp/B00C5RBRA8) hose.

Checklists will be your best friend. I use an app called RV Checklist. It's great right away but you can customize it to add, delete and sort items as you gain experience.

Spend a lot of time searching this and other forums for advice on use of your new toy and how to maintain it. I also subscribe to several YouTube channels that always offer helpful advice and product reviews.
- RVGeeks
- Love Your RV
- RV Project
- RVwithTito

Good luck!

[bsmith0404]

congrats! Great advice so far. One thing you need to learn when towing is how far your trailer will track inside of the truck path when turning AND how far the back of the trailer will swing outside of the path. I've seen people hit items on the inside when they don't account for the tighter inside path, but I've also seen the backend of a trailer ripped off when someone didn't account for the outside swing of the rear. If both of you have a cell phone, take advantage of your trucks Bluetooth when backing. My DW goes to the back of the RV and calls me, she talks to me over the trucks Bluetooth while I'm backing in. We always walk the site together first and I explain where I want everything to be, taking into consideration all of the hookups and slides. I then track the RV tires on the driver's side where I want them while she watches everything for clearance and stops me when I get to the point we want the RV to be.

Take your time, double check everything, checklists are good, do a walk around and then step way back so you can see the roof and take in the entire setup before hitting the road. When opening slides, make sure nothing has shifted and fallen down behind a slide wall before you put things in motion. Can't tell you how many times I've had to dig the TV remote out from under the slide floor.

Finally, every time you camp, take a nice walk around the campground and check out what other people have. You will see/get some great ideas from people who have been doing this for a while. No need to reinvent the wheel.

[Catbones]

Congrats on getting a trailer, it'll sure be different sleeping on a much softer setup then something hard, that's for sure. This place is really great for you to ask questions if there's something you can't figure out on your own. As everyone above my post noted, take your time, remember that different trailers turn differently, longer or shorter, it's just something you'll get a feel for with your trailer with the number of times you practice.

One thing I can tell and know from my first experiences few years back, if you worry that people are staring when you are parking it the first time, forget about stage fright and park as you please. We all have been there and had issues. Lots are all different and each tow in will be different. In terms of overall towing, have a toolbox with you with the basic tools. Not sure if that's been mentioned. You never know when even the smallest issue with your towing equipment might need a hammer or bang here or there or something else will require a little more then just your hands. So toolbox for those quick fixes, useful at campgrounds too. A weight distribution system and practice. Everything else will come with experience the more you do it. Best of it all, I yet to find people that aren't ready to help out if you get stuck or have a problem. Just ask here and you can find great tips with fellow campers in conversations about your experience. Happy and safe travels.

Current: 2011 F150 Eco STX 3.5L 4x4 6'
Current Toy: 2016 Keystone Springdale Summerland 2980BHGS
Previous: 2003 F150 FX4 4x4 5.5'
Ecoboost Guides & Info:
- http://f150ecoboost.com
RV Keystone Springdale Summerland Facebook Group:
- https://www.facebook.com/groups/1835462223334539

[ctbruce]

Every one of us on this forum have a "first time" story. Welcome to the forum from Kansas City, MO! Welcome to the club, you're honored and respected here.

Chip Bruce, RPh
Kansas City, MO
2016 Fuzion Impact 312
2015 Chevrolet Silverado LTZ
WELL....THAT WAS FUN!

[JimQ]

Ruby: Welcome to the forum and Congrats on your awesome upgrade. As you can see, you have already received valuable information from the great people on this site. Good to have you onboard and enjoy your camping adventures!!

[DAN d]

welcome to the forum from carver ma enjoy rving just take your time have fun:camping:

[canesfan]

congrats! Great advice so far. One thing you need to learn when towing is how far your trailer will track inside of the truck path when turning AND how far the back of the trailer will swing outside of the path. I've seen people hit items on the inside when they don't account for the tighter inside path, but I've also seen the backend of a trailer ripped off when someone didn't account for the outside swing of the rear. If both of you have a cell phone, take advantage of your trucks Bluetooth when backing. My DW goes to the back of the RV and calls me, she talks to me over the trucks Bluetooth while I'm backing in. We always walk the site together first and I explain where I want everything to be, taking into consideration all of the hookups and slides. I then track the RV tires on the driver's side where I want them while she watches everything for clearance and stops me when I get to the point we want the RV to be.

Take your time, double check everything, checklists are good, do a walk around and then step way back so you can see the roof and take in the entire setup before hitting the road. When opening slides, make sure nothing has shifted and fallen down behind a slide wall before you put things in motion. Can't tell you how many times I've had to dig the TV remote out from under the slide floor.

Finally, every time you camp, take a nice walk around the campground and check out what other people have. You will see/get some great ideas from people who have been doing this for a while. No need to reinvent the wheel.

Also look OUTSIDE the slide to make sure there isn't anything there that it might hit, like a tree, a post, water spigot, electrical box, etc.

Welcome and enjoy getting off the cold ground.

[cardinal96ss]

Congratulations. Many camping adventures are ahead. My advice is simple.
As you can already see lots of folks are willing to help. This will occur when on the road also, so don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it, like backing into a tight spot or with low branches, etc.
Backing up may be one of the biggest challenges. If so, try this trick. Place your hands on the bottom of the steering wheel instead of the top. Then move your hands in the direction you want to trailer to go.
Also, I can rarely do anything without a list so I have one for the "hookup" and "unhook" processes. Still, after years of towing.
Have fun.

[geobet]

Lots of good advice already given. Man, after 40 years of sleeping on the dirt, you and your DW absolutely deserve an upgrade. Good luck and happing camping.