tsenior

Thanks Louis!

You are so helpful! I feel like you are providing me with the factual information I need to make an informed decision about my upcoming trip. The service that you're providing by monitoring these forums is SOOO incredibly valuble.

Thanks again!
tsenior

SWHouston

tsenior,

Sorry about that, I was referring to your Burb having Automatic Leveling, not the Camper. If it does, that'll pick the nose of the Trailer up "some".
Just to be sure, get everyting set up and loaded, then measure the height of your hitch to ground.

Then, crank the engine up, and put it in tow, and see if the rear of the vehicle lifts on it's own.

In any case, the tube/ball mount looks like it has a (3-4") downward "swage" in it. What you can do is, remove the Ball, flip the Tube over, and have the swage/offset in the upward direction. That'll lift the nose of the Trailer up, where it should be more level. (see picture)

However, it's better to err in the downward direction, rather than have the nose/front of the Trailer higher than level.
.

.
PS: Reversing the Position, will not effect the Load Carrying ability of the Mount.

SWHouston

I just noticed something...
Usually, the Automatic Leveling will work without pressing the "Tow" button, but, given that there was some "aftermarket" installation mentioned, I thought it would be better to get all the ducks in line first

hicksvilleshick

ninja edit: (I posted, then went back and found it mentioned it is a 5.3)

if that is the case I'm going to to bet the 5.3 or 6.0. I hope you have the larger. also it appears yours should have the aux tranny cooler, so you've got a good thing going there. BUT... I would be cautious with that setup, and like you've already been advised, I'd flip the ball if you can, get the nose of that trailer up a bit if you can. Best thing I could tell you to do is drive it like a big truck, increase your stopping distance by at least 1.5x, make sure you level the load as much as possible, both truck and trailer, and be watching the road as far ahead as you can see for the idiots.

regardless of what gm rates the truck, thats a pretty tall order for a 1/2 ton, but with the correct attention, it can be safely done. I wouldn't push the little 5.3 too hard over the mountains, and you'd prolly be best just staying in 3rd for those. EASY on the brakes going down... If your trailer doesn't have brakes, get them.

oh, and constantly check all your tires.... trust a truck driver, you do NOT want any of those going out at hiway speeds, you'll poop alittle every single time.


:chug:

jeffsw6

That trailer most definitely has its own brakes. Many states require brakes on one or more trailer axles for any trailer over 3000# now, AND a properly functioning break-away system capable of stopping the trailer or holding it in place for 15 minutes before running down the trailer battery.

Without trailer brakes, stopping a Suburban towing a 6000# trailer from 70 MPH is about like stopping that Suburban by itself from 95 MPH. It's a good way to find out how much new rotors cost.

SWHouston

That's GOOD advice on the tire pressures !

I'd air everthing (truck/trailer/spares) at 5% below maximum cold rating !
As stated, keep in mind your Burb weighs about 5000 and you're hauling 8000.

Be careful that the tail doesn't wag the Dog !

tsenior

I appreciate all y'alls advice. The trailer has brakes. I'm going to try a 1 night trail run at a local park to see how highway towing feels. I will check out the tube and ball to see what kind of adjustments I can make to the leveling. The hitch that I'm borrowing from the owner has leveling bars and I beleive is adjustable.

Good advice on checking tires and stopping distance. In the next few days I'm going to decide on whether or not I want to replace the existing camper tires with heavier duty tires. I really don't want a blowout! I will also check to see if the truck levels when I shift it into gear in tow mode.

73shark

If you have the Autoride option, it should level as soon as it starts up. Don't believe the Tow/Haul mode has anything to do w/ it.

jeffsw6

If you are concerned about the tires on your trailer, look and see if they are radial tires or "bias ply," which is basically a super cheap kind of tire that a lot of trailer-makers install on new trailers to lower the bill of materials a bit. Bias ply tires do not last as long as radials.

Carrying a spare tire (or two) is not a bad precaution when towing a trailer. Many tire shops do not stock trailer tires and you might have to wait around for a while to get a replacement. Worse than that, tire shops almost never stock trailer WHEELS, so if you get a flat and bend the wheel before you notice it (easy to do) you may have to wait several DAYS to get a replacement wheel.

Also, if you ever do get a flat on your trailer, do not try to tow it on the flat any further than necessary to get off the road and to a safe stopping place. Just like on a car, a flat tire on a trailer can get wrapped around the hub and start a fire, or it can do a lot of damage to your trailer. I learned this lesson the hard way, going 1 mile at 5 - 10 MPH cost me hundreds of dollars in repairs and I am lucky I didn't burn up my trailer!

Be sure to maintain the battery on your break-away system as well. Test it before you take the trailer out, because you don't know if the previous owner of the trailer kept it in good condition or not. If in doubt, replace the battery, they are cheap. If you don't use the trailer at least once a month, buy an electronic charger that can maintain the battery's charge and plug it in when the trailer will sit for a while. If the trailer has batteries for accessories, starting its on-board generator, etc. make sure you keep them in good condition also. Letting a battery sit for a few months without any use or float charge will destroy it.

Hope this helps. I'll say it again, that sure is a nice trailer!

SWHouston

That's some very good advice from jeffsw6 on all points !
But in addition, when/if you put new Tires on it, even if you have a good spare or not, keep one or two of the (best) old tires on hand. You never know when you'll be caught somewhere, where just about anyting is better than nothing ! I know a guy who mounted two old/good tires up under the Trailer, using a couple 2x4's. As far as I know, he never had to use them.

Probably because they were there