Pre-Trip Checklist & Towing (1 Viewer)

[100d ua]

Hey Everyone! I have a trip coming up soon where a few of us rented RV's and are going to be doing some exploring through our state (Oregon) for a weeks long period.

I'm no novice to long trips but this one is going to be a little different as i'll be towing a single axle RV, approx. 3000-3500 lbs (empty) and it's my first time towing a bumper pull with the Land Cruiser.

I have (2) things that I would really like to get some feedback on from experienced folks:

A) What is a good checklist of things to check before embarking? I am thinking of the following off the top of my head; brakes, tires, oil change, check all fluids, check heater T's, belts, inspect coolant lines, inspect undercarriage/suspension for anything obvious, bring spare tools, get an alignment and so on.

Should I run a specific tire PSI towing such a trailer?

B) We have a lot of hills and mountains in Oregon, what buttons, switches, gears should I be in when towing up hill? We have quite a few up hill extended mountain passes along our planned trip route and I don't want to put too much stress on the drivetrain, especially when I have a ScanGauge and the proper tools to read transmission and coolant temps.

Thanks everyone!

 

[mitchjohnson000]

3500lbs won't be too bad. If it starts gear hunting in drive, manually select gears to keep the revs high. You'll probably be running with O.D off the entire time. I assume you have an aftermarket 7pin, I'd check that with a multimeter before you go to rent an RV. I know the stock 4 pin converter boxes like to die right before you pickup a rental trailer

 

[2020 Rocks]

If the camper does not have brakes, check and replace your pads if worn. My pop up camper is about 4000lbs fully loaded and the truck does fine. Pack heavier items towards tongue of trailer, lighter stuff aft of the trailer axle.

 

[100d ua]

Thanks for the response all.

I actually did test my 4 prong trailer connector and it was working well. I actually ended up cleaning the connections for extra security and installed a 7 way RV plug so that I could run e-brakes. I tested those as well, but only with a circuit tester.

By saying I’ll be driving with the OD button off you mean mostly during the up hill portions of the trip? I’m familiar with the button, but I have never used it in application. When I press the switch on the shifter, a light on my display will pop up showing “OD OFF”, right?

By the way, my LC is a 2000 with the 4 speed transmission.

 

[hoser]

Just confirming, you installed a brake controller, right?

I would pay close attention to the trailer tire manufacture date... including the spare. Trailer tires degrade from the inside out (due to the swaying left to right). I would say 6-7 years is the useful life of trailer tires.

Yes, you should run additional pressure in the rear tires to accommodate the additional tongue weight (350+ lbs) and reduce trailer sway.

OD off means you are running in 3rd gear (1:1), where the transmission is strongest and temperatures lowest. You "can" go to 4th gear on the flat highways, granted your transmission temperatures are good. Toggle back and forth and compare temperatures. I'd also leave the transmission on Power mode the entire time.

 

[100d ua]

Just confirming, you installed a brake controller, right?

I would pay close attention to the trailer tire manufacture date... including the spare. Trailer tires degrade from the inside out (due to the swaying left to right). I would say 6-7 years is the useful life of trailer tires.

Yes, you should run additional pressure in the rear tires to accommodate the additional tongue weight (350+ lbs) and reduce trailer sway.

OD off means you are running in 3rd gear (1:1), where the transmission is strongest and temperatures lowest. You "can" go to 4th gear on the flat highways, granted your transmission temperatures are good. Toggle back and forth and compare temperatures. I'd also leave the transmission on Power mode the entire time.

I’ll be using a Bluetooth brake controller.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

FWIW, I installed my 7-pin trailer connector, wiring, and Tekonsha brake controller Wednesday morning, then loaded my M101 trailer and started driving across the country to VA Wednesday afternoon.

Not sure what the fully loaded weight was, but the trailer is 1400# empty and we had it packed full, so maybe 2500# loaded. Plus my wife, me, both kids, and 3 hunting dogs in the 100.

I drove across the entirety of eastern CO and KS with OD off (because of wind), and I pulled every single uphill in MO and KY with the OD off. I also had ECT power on the entire trip. I did not turn the OD on unless I was going downhill or on a flat stretch. If I saw the A/T fluid temp starting to rise above 160*, I turned the OD off again on those flat sections. But I never attempted an uphill with OD on, and strongly advise not doing so if you’d like to keep your transmission.

 

[100d ua]

FWIW, I installed my 7-pin trailer connector, wiring, and Tekonsha brake controller Wednesday morning, then loaded my M101 trailer and started driving across the country to VA Wednesday afternoon.

View attachment 3067068

Not sure what the fully loaded weight was, but the trailer is 1400# empty and we had it packed full, so maybe 2500# loaded. Plus my wife, me, both kids, and 3 hunting dogs in the 100.

I drove across the entirety of eastern CO and KS with OD off (because of wind), and I pulled every single uphill in MO and KY with the OD off. I also had ECT power on the entire trip. I did not turn the OD on unless I was going downhill or on a flat stretch. If I saw the A/T fluid temp starting to rise above 160*, I turned the OD off again on those flat sections. But I never attempted an uphill with OD on, and strongly advise not doing so if you’d like to keep your transmission.

That's awesome and glad you got everything set up for your trip.

Appreciate the feedback and i'll definitely keep this in mind when I do my trip this next weekend. I'm glad i've had my scan gauge for sometime now so I've gotten familiar with what normal coolant and transmission temps should be.

 

[DTCsk8er]

7 PIN harness is a must IMO.. I wired myself, and everything worked great on my las trip towing an RV. As others mentioned, towing with OD off is the usual.. my rig with 33s tows pretty well in TX going around 65-68mph. Uphills suck, so make sure you set expectations accordingly.

In terms of other mods, I installed bags on the rear springs to level out the rig. The RVs I've towed (2 so far) were rented, and didn't have weight distribution hitches installed. With the bags, the rig handles much better.