TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

MiniMe · 07-12-2022, 01:26 PM

If you've never towed trailers before and you plan on towing your TM up to the mountains of Colorado, I'd recommend the following:

1. In addition to adding up the weights of your trailer, payload, etc. etc., account for elevation changes and pulling uphill. You don't want to max out your weights and THEN try to pull it upwards at elevation. The air gets thinner the higher you go and your vehicle will have a slight decrease in power. Depending on where you're headed, you don't want to be holding up all the traffic because your vehicle is starting to struggle/strain.

2. What goes up, must come down. So make sure your vehicle and trailer have good brakes for driving back down out of the mountains.

3. Opt for a vehicle with factory installed tow package including the hitch, wiring for 4 and 7 pin harnesses, trailer sway control, bigger alternator, etc. In my neck of the woods, you will be hard pressed to find a foreign make vehicle with this unless you order it from the factory, assuming they even offer it.

4. Get a vehicle with RWD, 4WD, or AWD. Stay away from FWD for your scenario.

5. After you get your trailer, or even if you could borrow one beforehand, practice practice practice backing up into spaces/driveways with obstacles and around corners. This is a LOT trickier than you think and is often overlooked by new trailer owners. However, some people get it down fairly quickly while some will just never get it.

6. Do some research on how to load a trailer/RV so weight is equally distributed to avoid the tail wagging the dog, etc.

I always opt for a domestic brand (namely, Jeep/Dodge) mid-size SUV with a V8 and the factory installed tow package which also includes auto rear self-leveling. Now, I only have a TrailMini 18L and we've taken it to near 7000 ft on curvy mountain roads, but I could not tell at all that I was towing a loaded trailer. You could get the V6 versions of these which have about 6000 lb tow capacities and should do just fine for you, although you'll probably feel the trailer a bit. Hope that's helpful!

07-12-2022, 01:26 PM	#11
MiniMe Member Join Date: Jun 2019 Posts: 14	If you've never towed trailers before and you plan on towing your TM up to the mountains of Colorado, I'd recommend the following: 1. In addition to adding up the weights of your trailer, payload, etc. etc., account for elevation changes and pulling uphill. You don't want to max out your weights and THEN try to pull it upwards at elevation. The air gets thinner the higher you go and your vehicle will have a slight decrease in power. Depending on where you're headed, you don't want to be holding up all the traffic because your vehicle is starting to struggle/strain. 2. What goes up, must come down. So make sure your vehicle and trailer have good brakes for driving back down out of the mountains. 3. Opt for a vehicle with factory installed tow package including the hitch, wiring for 4 and 7 pin harnesses, trailer sway control, bigger alternator, etc. In my neck of the woods, you will be hard pressed to find a foreign make vehicle with this unless you order it from the factory, assuming they even offer it. 4. Get a vehicle with RWD, 4WD, or AWD. Stay away from FWD for your scenario. 5. After you get your trailer, or even if you could borrow one beforehand, practice practice practice backing up into spaces/driveways with obstacles and around corners. This is a LOT trickier than you think and is often overlooked by new trailer owners. However, some people get it down fairly quickly while some will just never get it. 6. Do some research on how to load a trailer/RV so weight is equally distributed to avoid the tail wagging the dog, etc. I always opt for a domestic brand (namely, Jeep/Dodge) mid-size SUV with a V8 and the factory installed tow package which also includes auto rear self-leveling. Now, I only have a TrailMini 18L and we've taken it to near 7000 ft on curvy mountain roads, but I could not tell at all that I was towing a loaded trailer. You could get the V6 versions of these which have about 6000 lb tow capacities and should do just fine for you, although you'll probably feel the trailer a bit. Hope that's helpful!