I'll be honest. IF you are afraid to tow. DON'T. IMOP. You have to want to tow a trailer to be good at it. IF you are afraid, then you don't want to. You will be white knuckles every time you hook up. The stress just isn't worth it.. Plus your nervousness could cause you to make serious mistakes
However. If it's not you doing the driving. How does the actual driver feel about it? If their good with it. Just get in and hang on.
If you are set up properly there is nothing to worry about.You are getting your self upset for something that might happen.Yes there are a lot of idiots out there but just drive defensively and you will be ok. I drive a semi every day at work and it is amazing how many near misses I have in a week because of impatient drivers. I have pulled rv trailers over the last 28 years and no accident.I was on my way home a month ago in my car when some jerk decided to stop in the fast lane of a 50 mph street with no turn signal instead of the center median and I had no where to go and hit him and totaled out my car and he had no insurance and he is trying to sue me,so you don't know what will happen so the best you can do is try to be as safe as possible and you should be fine. good luck and happy camping.
Yes, your apprehension about towing SHOULD be there, but it should not paralyze you. Even "seasoned" RV'ers who have towed for years, should never feel so confident, or get so smug that they think they are invincible. But on the other hand, no one should ever be so casual about towing they're bumble-headed either. I think your "fears" are legitimate. But I also feel confident that once you've actually experience "towing" MUCH of your apprehension will go away. And every time you tow after that, it will get better and better.
The first time you sit behind the wheel and you're hitched-up and you have your camper in sight in your rear view mirrors, it's very normal to get this sudden rush of euphoria and paranoia at the same time. I think that first tow is the most apprehensive. So take the time to drive around the parking lot before hitting the road. Try turning left and right, even try backing up. And if necessary, have someone from the dealership ride with you to help give instructions.
It will take only a few minutes of tooling around the parking lot then 90% of your fears will be alleviated. The biggest thing to get use to is the brakes. If your brake controller is set to sensitive, the trailer will "grab", if not sensitive enough, the tow vehicle has to do all the braking and the trailer will do the pushing. Town driving (slow driving), the brakes feel like they react faster with a more 'grabbing' effect, and faster highway, they seem to be smoother. But as you experience towing more and more, you'll find that right balance, the "sweet spot" that works great for town and highway.
Practice turning in the parking lot so you will have a good "feel" where the trailer tires are actually tracking. Try cornering around parking spots that are painted in the middle of the lot and watch your trailer tries in the mirror and see how far, how wide, you need to accomplish the turn to make the trailer tires tract around the parking spot without going over. (If that line was an actual curb, the tires would have gone over the curb.)
EVERY towing trip is different too. There's no two ever alike. Wind, traffic, and location make each "event" unique. But with time, you get the experience. And yes, I hope you never relax so much, you get careless or think you're "arrived" at some kind of maturity or experience level. You're always learning ... always.
But there will come a time when you have confidence in your rig and you'll know it's limitations. When the "Ah-ha!" moment hits .... you'll know it.
Good luck, and let me give you confidence, you'll be fine! New experiences are just that "new"! Nothing to be afraid of. Just use your head and commons sense. You'll be fine!
DutchmenSport
2005 Chevy Silverado 3500 Dually Duramax 6.6L V8 Turbo
Century Truck Cap Commercial /Toolboxes
Northeast Outfitters Canoe
OLWalker wrote: We are still waiting to pick up our Roo 183L in Orlando- hopefully by mid April. However, every now and then I get this feeling that we are doing something unsafe for our family. And it makes me sick deep down in my stomach. I am so afraid we'll have an accident while pulling the camper!!! Am I just being ridiculous? Obviously we could die on the way to Wal Mart if it's our time to go. And we're just trying to spend quality time with our kids. But how terrible would it be if in trying to spend that quality time, we create a disaster? Ok, call me Debbie Downer, but I could use some words of advice and encouragement!
If you are that scared/apprehensive about towing the camper, maybe you should rethink your purchase.
The scariest drivers are the ones that are afraid of everything around them.
Good luck with your decision.
Jenn & Wayne (and kids)
2012 Keystone Outback 250rs
2006 Nissan Armada
popeyemth wrote: the Original Poster is TROLLING, in my opinion.
if you were a frequent poster in the Hybrid forum or read some of the OP's previous posts, you'd see that they are NOT trolling.
OLWalker, i don't remember why you decided on the L version but it's going to be a long but lightweight trailer. you'll definitely need to get comfortable with the length.
but with the Equalizer and the Prodigy brake controller, i would feel very secure.
in Nov. 2006, when we drove back from Chicago with our new Roo 23SS, we encountered crosswinds of 60+mph, heavy rain, snow and ice.
i can say that the Equalizer and Prodigy were lifesavers many times over.
i had never towed a full height trailer and experienced about every kind of condition, short of a tornado, i would ever expect to, on that return trip.
having been through all that, i have a huge amount of confidence in my equipment now.
Dan- Firefighter, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
If you have even AVERAGE driving skills you will not be any more likely to have an accident while towing a 25 foot trailer than driving without one. I'm guessing you will loose that feeling after about the first ten or twenty miles of towing as long as you have a suitable tow vehicle. If you DON'T loose the feeling then towing a travel trailer may not be for you and you'll have a decision to make. Good luck and try to relax and enjoy the new toy.
2011 F-150 HD Ecoboost 3.5 V6. 2550 payload, 17,100 GCVWR - 2004 F-150 HD (Traded after 80,000 towing miles) 2007 Rockwood 8314SS 34' travel trailer
US Govt survey shows three out of four people make up 75% of the total population
OLWalker wrote: We are still waiting to pick up our Roo 183L in Orlando- hopefully by mid April. However, every now and then I get this feeling that we are doing something unsafe for our family. And it makes me sick deep down in my stomach. I am so afraid we'll have an accident while pulling the camper!!! Am I just being ridiculous? Obviously we could die on the way to Wal Mart if it's our time to go. And we're just trying to spend quality time with our kids. But how terrible would it be if in trying to spend that quality time, we create a disaster? Ok, call me Debbie Downer, but I could use some words of advice and encouragement!
If you are that scared/apprehensive about towing the camper, maybe you should rethink your purchase.
The scariest drivers are the ones that are afraid of everything around them.
Good luck with your decision.
Agree. Folks driving scared, are more likely to jerk the wheel, causing sway. They are more likely to panic, and just slam on brakes. In other words. Scared drivers are more likely to lose control.
I have a friend that is scared to tow in the mountains. He tows on the flats with no problem. But will not in the mountains. I believe it is a smart move for him. Wouldn't want to see him burn out his brakes, and go off the side, from fear. So I don't try to tell him, It will be OK. Cause it prolly won't. You got to know your limitations.
You've run the numbers and you are comfortable that you are within those guidelines and have room to spare, right? Do tell us about the TV and if there are any issues, you'll hear about it for sure. But.....there is nothing to replace common sense. You, or whoever is the driver, need to remember that there is a big thing behind you and allow time between you and the guy in front for stopping. Be aware of semis and anticipate that thereMAY be some sway if they pass. Don't be terrified, just aware and prepared. Speed, IMHO, is a cause of many accidents - RV or not. If you're on the interstate, somewhere around 60 is a sensible speed - depending on the conditions. If it's windy or rainy, slow down a bit. DH does better than 99% of the driving when we're towing the 23SS, but I have done some and could in a crunch. You both need to be able to feel comfortable towing and the parking lot is perfect. I do understand your apprehension - been there and done that. Sometimes, still do. Take some time to learn in a controlled area and on some less traveled roads and just work up from there.
You'll get more comfortable as you get familiar with your new 183. Suggest for the first few trips, you make them close to home and on decent roads.
2007 ROO 23SS
2003 Ford F-150 with Equalizer and Prodigy
5 doggies - We support Adopt/Rescue
Sam, you were the best!
Foxy is our new camping buddy
I'm a stupid accountant who never towed a thing in my life. I was scared at first too but like everyone says you get used to it. My nervousness ended on my 3rd or 4th trip when my son broke his arm at the campground and we had to drive 300 miles home for emergency surgery at our local Children's hospital (long story.) Anyway, I had more on my mind than towing my trailer and got over it after that point. Just take a few short, easy trips to start and you'll be fine.
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Am I just being ridiculous? Obviously we could die on the way to Wal Mart if it's our time to go. And we're just trying to spend quality time with our kids. But how terrible would it be if in trying to spend that quality time, we create a disaster? Ok, call me Debbie Downer, but I could use some words of advice and encouragement! 
, Shawn- Musician/Entrepreneur
, Zoe- Faithful Golden Retriever
, 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche LS, 2007 Rockwood Roo 23SS w/Equalizer and Prodigy, and 5 Mtn. bikes and 2 Road bikes
