Towing newbie, need some tips.

[kev1n]

Hi all,

I'll be moving in a month and I was considering getting a uhaul enclosed trailer (6' x 12') to help with the job. Similar to this

http://www.uhaul.com/Reservations/Equip ... x?model=RV


I wanted to know what I need for my truck to attach an enclosed trailer like that. I've never done this before so any tips would be greatly appreciated. Apparently a hitch is required? How do the hydraluic brakes on a trailer work? And how do I hook up the lights to my brake lights? I have so many questions yet I can't think of them at the moment. The stress of packing and moving is already enough lol.

thanks

Kev

[amr40509]

First - relax, I've pulled that size enclosed trailer, your Pathfinder will be a good fit for it.

Hitch - you will need a trailer hitch with a 2" ball. You want the trailer to be level (roughly) when hooked to the truck.

You'll notice then when you buy a hitch ball attached to a hitch insert it will be set up to lower or raise the ball in relationship to the truck. Our hitches are mounted pretty high, so something in the ballpark of a 4.5" drop is probably about right. If the truck and trailer are both loaded down, the truck is going to sit a little lower in the back then normal, keep that in mind when you look at the setup at the rental place with empty truck and trailer.
The more "full service" trailer rental places will also have a good selection of hitch balls, the ones that rent out of a gas station probably won't.

The guy at the rental place will help you hook up the trailer, ask him to talk you through it incase you have to unhook/reattach it at some point.

The Pathfinder is Pre-wired, so don't worry about light hookups, the rental guy will show you this, but it's a non-issue.

Trailers this size have "surge brakes." When you hit your brakes in the truck, the trailer will push against the hitch (meaning you are slowing down, but it is trying to be an object in motion staying in motion). This pressure forward on the hitch activates the brakes on the trailer. No other connections required to make them work. That said, ALLOW LONGER STOPPING DISTANCES, you will need them. The more weight you load up, the longer you'll need.

How far is the move?

[jrjohn77]

Yep, what he said. I've pulled that exact trailer as well as the open top utility trailers. Piece of cake.

[eieio]

The guy at the rental place will help you hook up the trailer, ask him to talk you through it incase you have to unhook/reattach it at some point.

the people at U-Haul were very helpful when i rented a trailer (my first time towing, and a long distance)
they explained everything and answered all of my questions
they had all of the equipment on hand
the manager even gave me his cell phone number in case i had a question while out on the road
they wanted it to be a safe experience for everyone
i was very happy with their service

[skinny2]

I've pulled that same trailer as well and it feel pretty good. Just make sure you load the weight about 15% on the tongue and it will pull fine. If you put too much weight on either end of the trailer, it will sway.

[AZ_Path]

I used the same trailer for one of my moves and the Pathfinder will handle it well. I think amr40509 covered your questions, but I'll just echo his statement to allow more stopping distance. If you've never towed before, it's going to be a significant difference in stopping distance and brake feel that you need to get used to. You'll especially notice it if you have the trailer fully loaded. Sometimes it's easy to forget your towing and not leave enough distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.

You may also notice the rear end sag due to the weight of the trailer. The air bags help out greatly, but if you don't plan on towing much then you probably don't need to worry about it.

[kev1n]

thanks guys, I'm feeling more comfortable about the idea.

Is it better to rent out the hitch from u-haul or just buy one and keep it ? I dont really plan on towing much so I guess rent might be better.

also when you say keep 15% on the tongue, does that mean keep the weight distribution 15% forward to the front?

[eieio]

thanks guys, I'm feeling more comfortable about the idea.

Is it better to rent out the hitch from u-haul or just buy one and keep it ? I dont really plan on towing much so I guess rent might be better.

don't think U-Haul rents hitches, seem to remember they only sell them
ask them about it

[kev1n]

What size is the receiver on the Pathfinder 2" ? and I would need a 2" ball ?

[amr40509]

What size is the receiver on the Pathfinder 2" ? and I would need a 2" ball ?

The receiver on the Pathfinder (square opening) is a class III/IV so it is a 2"X2" opening. The rental trailers are often set up to be adjustable for a couple of ball sizes, but go ahead and get a 2" ball.

Hitches/balls are weight rated, most in this size range will be 5,000lbs. Realistically that is more capacity then you NEED for this job, but go ahead and get one rated for at least 5,000 just to error on the safe side.

Buy the hitch bar and ball, it's going to be like $20-50, I've never heard of them being rented.

[skinny2]

thanks guys, I'm feeling more comfortable about the idea.

Is it better to rent out the hitch from u-haul or just buy one and keep it ? I dont really plan on towing much so I guess rent might be better.

also when you say keep 15% on the tongue, does that mean keep the weight distribution 15% forward to the front?

Basically if you were to put a scale on the tongue of the trailer, you'd want about 15% of the weight you add to end up there. The U-hual trailers are almost neutral on the tongue (empty, the tongue is very light). Basically keep the weight toward the front and over the axles. It's not an exact science but you don't want to load the pillows in the front and a refrigerator on the rear. Having a lot of weight at the end of the trailer can scare the crap out of you at about 50mph.

[kev1n]

thanks guys,

Would a this be a good to get? It has the 4" drop and it was mentioned that I'd need to lower by 4.5 inches


http://www.harborfreight.com/ball-mount ... 94901.html


Also do I need to get special pins/bolts to mount this to the car?

[disallow]

Yes that should get you close to level.

You'll also need the following:

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-ste ... 31220.html

http://www.harborfreight.com/2-inch-hit ... 95355.html

[kev1n]

In terms of driving, would this be difficult if I had to reverse it up into a driveway? Am I better off just keeping it in the street? My driveway is not very steep, but definitely not level. My move is within a 20mile radius, there are relative who are helping me with storing my stuff. so I will be probably maneuvering around many driveways etc.

[disallow]

Reversing with the trailer attached is a bit of an art, one I can say I've mastered... It takes some time to get used to it, just take it slow. The only real dangers are running over something you can't see, or jackknifing the trailer which could cause damage to the trailer and/or your truck.

t