The Nomadic Life

[SlowPokePete]

Yesterday was our maiden voyage with the Airstream...Tundra is right at it's limit payload-wise, but we did fine, pulled the trailer about 300 miles, mostly highway, averaged 10.6 mpg.

June 2, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[SlowPokePete]

So...we filled up once on the Garden State Parkway, so had an opportunity to check mileage fromonly highway driving with trailer in tow...averaged 12 mpg, so not too bad.

Basically kept it steady at 60 mph, no heavy footed driving, no hills.

June 3, 2022 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

SPP

[claritycycler]

^>

[Too Tall]

Pete!!!! That's great, way to go. Looking forward to meeting up.

Big Bill, I'm going to be honest. If that was a 350 I'd say sure you can tow on the ball. Lemme know, I do worry.

[bigbill]

Pete!!!! That's great, way to go. Looking forward to meeting up.

Big Bill, I'm going to be honest. If that was a 350 I'd say sure you can tow on the ball. Lemme know, I do worry.

It towed well. I had 25 mph starboard quarter tailwinds on the way to Payson and port quarter headwinds at 22 mph on the way home today. The wind blew the truck and trailer around, but the trailer straightened right up with no sway. I had to deal with several steep descents in both directions. I just used manual shifting and occasional braking to keep rpm under 3000. I averaged 13 mpg for the round trip.

[Too Tall]

It towed well. I had 25 mph starboard quarter tailwinds on the way to Payson and port quarter headwinds at 22 mph on the way home today. The wind blew the truck and trailer around, but the trailer straightened right up with no sway. I had to deal with several steep descents in both directions. I just used manual shifting and occasional braking to keep rpm under 3000. I averaged 13 mpg for the round trip.

You are living right. That's great.

[bigbill]

How do you guys handle turnouts? About half of my drive this past weekend involved steepish inclines and declines. All along the way were slow vehicle turnouts and I would use one if I saw multiple vehicles behind me, but only on the climbs. On the descents, there's nfw if I'm engine braking that I'll pull off. I just put my hazards on and did nice controlled descents on the winding mountain roads.

I guess the question, what is a slow vehicle? If I'm doing at least the speed limit, I don't think I'm a slow vehicle and have no obligation to pull off. I had 4-5 cars behind me on Lake Mary Road (Southeast of Flagstaff) yesterday while I was doing 58 in a 50. There were a bunch of clear sight passing zones but most of the cars just stayed on my tail. A few passed, usually passing a few cars before passing me. I realize the courtesy of getting out of the way, but if I'm doing the speed limit and there are passing zones, I'm not pulling off. What do you guys do?

[PaMtbRider]

Don't feel pressured to drive in anyway that you are not comfortable with. If I am doing the speed limit I don't care how many cars are backed up behind me. If I am below the limit and holding up traffic I will pull over if convenient.

[bigbill]

That's how I feel too. I let group of cars go on a climb heading into Pine, AZ and was 100' behind them by the top of the climb. Apparently I was not the holdup. After that, I only used a turnout on Lake Mary to get out and walk around for a few minutes after an hour of climbs and descents.

[j44ke]

I was following a tractor going about 10mph under the speed limit. Double line plus crosswinds were sending the tractor back and forth in the lane. Then double line and uphill. Then dashed line and oncoming traffic followed by double line again. Two cars behind me, one flashes its lights. This is a two lane road. Then he pulls out just as he is getting passed by the second car and instead of pulling back in they go two-wide in the oncoming lane on a double line with a blind corner coming up. Etc.

People are idiots. Stay safe.

[froze]

Tomorrow is the maiden voyage of the F250 and Jayco 33' travel trailer. I've been getting 20.6 mpg on my commute for a month now. Yesterday my wife pulled the trailer to town to a hitch place where we set up my truck to pull the trailer. I'm going without the load distribution hitch, my truck only sagged 2" with the tongue weight. It brakes well, the whole rig feels connected and smooth. I went up some hills to make sure I could engine brake then pulled it at 70 mph all the way home on Rt66 with no sway even though there were some crosswinds. I reset the mileage leaving the hitch shop and got 12 mpg on the way home which was about half highway. I think more highway, less stop and go, will improve that 1-2 mpg. I'm not going over 70 mph in any case.

I'm pulling the trailer from my house in NW AZ to Payson, AZ. Rt66 to Seligman, then I-40 to Flagstaff to pick up Lake Mary road. I only have about an hour of interstate and the remainder will be US and state highways. We're going for an equestrian event (dressage, cross country, show jumping) so my wife is driving her truck with the horse trailer. No bike this weekend.

Why would an F250 sag 2 inches with the weight of a relatively light 33' Jayco trailer on the hitch? I also have a Jayco that is a 32' trailer, I hook it up to my Toyota Tundra 4x4, and that truck doesn't sag at all, or maybe 1/2 an inch at the most, no sway in cross winds either even without using the anti-sway bar on the hitch, which I found out this last winter that state laws in any state require those sway bars on any trailer you're towing, I hadn't been using mine since I bought the Toyota...oops. My gas mileage is identical to yours both with and without a trailer, my truck has the 5.7 engine, it tows the trailer without any trouble...except the gas mileage dips of course like does. Due to high gasoline prices, I'm not going far to camp this year in it, my wife and I will do a couple of short trips to some state parks that are both within 50 miles of home. Heck, I'll be camping further from home this year on my bike than in the truck/trailer!

[bigbill]

Why would an F250 sag 2 inches with the weight of a relatively light 33' Jayco trailer on the hitch? I also have a Jayco that is a 32' trailer, I hook it up to my Toyota Tundra 4x4, and that truck doesn't sag at all, or maybe 1/2 an inch at the most, no sway in cross winds either even without using the anti-sway bar on the hitch, which I found out this last winter that state laws in any state require those sway bars on any trailer you're towing, I hadn't been using mine since I bought the Toyota...oops. My gas mileage is identical to yours both with and without a trailer, my truck has the 5.7 engine, it tows the trailer without any trouble...except the gas mileage dips of course like does. Due to high gasoline prices, I'm not going far to camp this year in it, my wife and I will do a couple of short trips to some state parks that are both within 50 miles of home. Heck, I'll be camping further from home this year on my bike than in the truck/trailer!

I don't understand the point of your post, is a half ton truck better than a 3/4 ton at pulling a travel trailer? I guess that depends on where you will be towing. Otherwise, you're awesome, don't let anyone tell you different. AZ doesn't require sway bars, just trailer brakes over 3K pounds.

[Too Tall]

How do you guys handle turnouts? About half of my drive this past weekend involved steepish inclines and declines. All along the way were slow vehicle turnouts and I would use one if I saw multiple vehicles behind me, but only on the climbs. On the descents, there's nfw if I'm engine braking that I'll pull off. I just put my hazards on and did nice controlled descents on the winding mountain roads.

I guess the question, what is a slow vehicle? If I'm doing at least the speed limit, I don't think I'm a slow vehicle and have no obligation to pull off. I had 4-5 cars behind me on Lake Mary Road (Southeast of Flagstaff) yesterday while I was doing 58 in a 50. There were a bunch of clear sight passing zones but most of the cars just stayed on my tail. A few passed, usually passing a few cars before passing me. I realize the courtesy of getting out of the way, but if I'm doing the speed limit and there are passing zones, I'm not pulling off. What do you guys do?

If there are tractor trailers closing I'll pull over just to be a nice guy. They like to build momentum before hills. I travel I81 alot and there are loads of tractor trailers, you learn to play well or they'll give yah that stink eye ;)

Trailer hobby tip of the day. If you water pump won't prime go to each and every thing that uses water and purge it both hot and cold and don't forget the outside shower. Airlock, it's a thing. Groan.

[bigbill]

If there are tractor trailers closing I'll pull over just to be a nice guy. They like to build momentum before hills. I travel I81 alot and there are loads of tractor trailers, you learn to play well or they'll give yah that stink eye ;)

Trailer hobby tip of the day. If you water pump won't prime go to each and every thing that uses water and purge it both hot and cold and don't forget the outside shower. Airlock, it's a thing. Groan.

My lesson learned from the weekend was to carefully level the trailer. The "check propane" light was flashing on the fridge because we weren't level enough. I was running the generator in the afternoon until dark to cool the trailer down. If generator was not running, the fridge was off. I readjusted the levelers until the propane light went away. My wife is leaving Thursday with the horses (gooseneck trailer) for Wyoming. I've got some tough decisions concerning my job, it's hard to go to work each day when I could be riding my bike or fly fishing in central Wyoming. I could be researching the archives at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum and writing essays about Jim Bridger, Chief Joseph, Chief Plenty Coup, and other western historical topics. I don't know where else to put it, but I've been invited to present my Lost Cause thesis at the Northern Great Plains History Conference in Fargo this September. I want to go back next year with a paper on some topic in South Dakota or Wyoming.

[Clyde]

Love me some American history please post a link here. That museum in Cody is spectacular.

[Too Tall]

My lesson learned from the weekend was to carefully level the trailer. The "check propane" light was flashing on the fridge because we weren't level enough. I was running the generator in the afternoon until dark to cool the trailer down. If generator was not running, the fridge was off. I readjusted the levelers until the propane light went away. My wife is leaving Thursday with the horses (gooseneck trailer) for Wyoming. I've got some tough decisions concerning my job, it's hard to go to work each day when I could be riding my bike or fly fishing in central Wyoming. I could be researching the archives at the Buffalo Bill Cody Museum and writing essays about Jim Bridger, Chief Joseph, Chief Plenty Coup, and other western historical topics. I don't know where else to put it, but I've been invited to present my Lost Cause thesis at the Northern Great Plains History Conference in Fargo this September. I want to go back next year with a paper on some topic in South Dakota or Wyoming.

With plans like that I sure would love to see you pursue your dreams.

LOL Leveling can get political. For me, if the bathroom door does not swing wildly and my sleeping position is not heads down I'm good.

[bigbill]

With plans like that I sure would love to see you pursue your dreams.

LOL Leveling can get political. For me, if the bathroom door does not swing wildly and my sleeping position is not heads down I'm good.

As a retired submariner, I can tolerate a lot with my sleeping conditions. I used to sleep next to a 90 db fan. Between that fan and 27 years of steam turbines, I still have to have a fan to mask the tinnitus. The location last weekend was challenging. I had to figure out a sloping pasture when I didn't have many options for what direction I had to place the trailer. My wife and I are big human beings with me at 6'1" and her at 6'3", we're much more comfortable if one of us isn't uphill.

[claritycycler]

Not too early to start thinking about Burning Man even though it doesn't officially open until August 28, last time for us was pre-covid 2019. We arrive early and exit late because we're part of a build crew, 12-13 days total, some "regular" burners are there 8-9 days, most are 5-6 days. Logistics are a bit challenging since the only thing available for sale on the playa(in the Black Rock Desert, Nevada) is ice; no food, no water, no nothin', if you don't have your shit together you'll be sorry. Anyway, this is a pic of my truck/camper and rental trailer entering in 2019, we use every thing we bring.

[Too Tall]

As a retired submariner, I can tolerate a lot with my sleeping conditions. I used to sleep next to a 90 db fan. Between that fan and 27 years of steam turbines, I still have to have a fan to mask the tinnitus. The location last weekend was challenging. I had to figure out a sloping pasture when I didn't have many options for what direction I had to place the trailer. My wife and I are big human beings with me at 6'1" and her at 6'3", we're much more comfortable if one of us isn't uphill.

My best defense for slopes are a series of 2X10 hard pine boards that I store in bumper storage bin. If it gets really squirrely I use a "EZ lift" tire jack. Put that under one wheel and it can raise the trailer an additional 6 inches. But wait there is more. If you get a flat, use this to lift one axel. Pretty sweet setup https://www.loadstartrailertires.com...ock_p_561.html

I've had tinnitus since college. Probably caused by a Mahavishnu Orchestra concert at DAR hall and many yrs. shooting pew pews with no protection. You know the cure right? Don't care about it.

[bigbill]

My next project at home is to rebuild the fence on one side of the house so I can get the RV closer to the connections in the side yard. I used 50' of hose last night to dump the tanks into my septic system. I have water, power, and sewer connections, but backing the trailer in puts it all on the wrong side. If I can move part of the fence, I can pull straight in with the truck, use 10' of hose to dump tanks, then back out, do a three point, and back the trailer in. There isn't enough to angle in with the existing fence.

A friend at work recommended putting an ounce of the blue stuff along with about half a gallon of water in each hose and cap them for storage. I need a lower profile tub for the two hoses we'll take on the road.