Travel Trailer Questions

Smoke05 · 11-02-2005, 04:56 PM

I'm picking up our new 24ft Gulfstream Gulfbreeze TT (4,150lbs dry approx.)Sunday and I am curious to know what length hitch (12", 14" length into receiver) people are using and what drop you are running so I get things close when I get to the RV place. For now the hitch is to get the trailer home about 20 miles of backroads, no highway. My current hitch lacks the tongue weight rating I need. In the spring before I do any more towing I plan on buying a weight distribution hitch and friction sway brace. I am getting my brake control tomorrow, likely a Prodigy. How difficult was the harness to hook up? Thanks in advance for any help!!

Cptnmatt · 11-02-2005, 06:09 PM

We bought our 21' toy hauler in July and after we agreed on the price I asked if that included the hitch and brake controler and was told to my suprise YES. Included was a weight disttribution hitch and a Teknosha brake controller, not the prodigy but no problems so far with over 2000 miles of towing. They hooked up everything also for free, dont forget the brake interface cable that came with the truck, makes it easy to hook up.

Matt

Smoke05 · 11-02-2005, 06:20 PM

What are the specifics on your hitch?? The Teknosha is also on my list to check out. I wish I was getting that stuff for free. After the price we got I'm glad they still plan on prepping it.

Steamguy · 11-02-2005, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smoke05

I'm picking up our new 24ft Gulfstream Gulfbreeze TT (4,150lbs dry approx.)Sunday and I am curious to know what length hitch (12", 14" length into receiver) people are using and what drop you are running so I get things close when I get to the RV place. For now the hitch is to get the trailer home about 20 miles of backroads, no highway. My current hitch lacks the tongue weight rating I need. In the spring before I do any more towing I plan on buying a weight distribution hitch and friction sway brace. I am getting my brake control tomorrow, likely a Prodigy. How difficult was the harness to hook up? Thanks in advance for any help!!

Smoke,

To presume to tell you what to do, go get a Reese Twin Cam. You will never want to go back to that hitch brake thing. I've done that, I have the hat and t-shirt, and I'm not going back.

We tow with a Reese Twin Cam and the money is just a little more than a conventional hitch, plus you don't have to worry about the brake thingy getting messed up when you go around a tight corner in town.

Best advice on the hitch is to get an adjustable one. Park the trailer on level ground, level it front to back, then measure to where the top of the hitch ball should be. Then park the Titan on level ground and set the top of the hitch ball on it with the adjustable bracket. Now you're started.

Load the trailer, hook up, and set the spring bars so that the top of the hitch is approximately the same distance off the ground. You may need to tilt the hitch itself (there's an adjustment for that) so that you get the proper amount of flex in the spring bars.

Check yourself by driving to a weigh station and compare the weight on the front axle of the Titan with the weight on the rear. They should be pretty close, and if you have to compromise, have the rear axle a little heavier, but not by more than 75 pounds if you can manage it.

Then your trailer will tow and track well, and you will be amazed at how good a tow vehicle the Titan is!

Oh yeah, and tow in 4.

Hope this helps.

TitanTom · 11-03-2005, 05:58 AM

I installed my Prodigy myself. With the pigtails that come with the Titan & the Prodigy it was just a matter of getting the 4 wires matched up and the plugs into the connectors. Figuring out where to place the controller took more time.

bmowne · 11-03-2005, 07:29 AM

I also setup the brake controller and adjusted the hitch, its not to hard to do. I had an existing WD that I transferred from another vehicle and it took about 2 hours to do the work. As talked about in an earlier posting, having level ground is a must.

The Titan is an excellent tow vehicle, the dry weight on our trailer is 5,000 lbs (+,-) and I usually start out with my fresh water tank full. I am guessing my load including the wife and kids is around 7,000 lbs. I have had very little problems making it up the grapevine or the Cajon pass. However, the truck is in the shop today to have the rear end replaced, as it has “baked” to long and needs to be replaced according to the service writer. The truck has 10,250 miles to date, but that’s another subject with lots of comments on the site.

Smoke05 · 11-03-2005, 08:25 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone! I picked up the controller tonight on the way home from work. I wound up with the Primus. A step below the Prodigy. I was seriously considering the Reese Twin Cam and will likely end up bying it. I have seen good reviews here and on some RV sites. What length hitch are you running? 12" or 14"? (measured from center of tongue hole to center of pin hole)

NT2005 · 11-04-2005, 04:36 AM

I think you will want the shortest distance possible. I actually shortened mine and had the hitch drilled to keep it close to the truck. Just make sure you have room for the tailgate and turning without hitting the trailer. It will improve the ride of the truck while towing. My trailer is about the same as yours and it tows great.

I am really impressed with the prodigy controller, hope yours works out. As far as hitches i have used the Reese and the Equalizer. I like the simplicity and performance of the Equalizer since it has built in sway control. You can find them pretty cheap on the web.

Good luck