Towing

[speeder]

Not a chance.

[5axis]

Originally posted by legion
My questions are:

What equipment do I need? All I can think of is a hitch ball, a ball mount, and chains.

How do I determine what size drop I need on the ball mount?

Any hints, tips, recommendations?

Dennis had great advice. Take your time. My little brother rode his jeep through a ditch and into a field with his ski boat doing the steering.


If you thought you would tow different trailers more often, one of these is handy. http://www.trailerandtruckparts.com/rapid_hitch.html

Strange but some trailers pull better nose up and some down.
If you feel it doing something wrong, then do something about it. Get to the next stop and adjust the load. Maybe it will need more weight up front. Maybe it needs less. Taking a few extra moments to dial it in will make the trip much less stressfull.

[legion]

My wife wants me to get the truck checked out by a mechanic before I do the towing. (No arguments from me.)

I've had the oil changed (Mobil 1), differential fluid changed, coolant changed, transmission fluid changed, an alignment, new tie rod ends, and four new tires in the last two months. The brakes were redone up to specs a year ago (including a brake bleed).

What are the potential points of failure due to towing I should have scrutinized?

[5axis]

Originally posted by legion
My wife wants me to get the truck checked out by a mechanic before I do the towing. (No arguments from me.)

I've had the oil changed (Mobil 1), differential fluid changed, coolant changed, transmission fluid changed, an alignment, new tie rod ends, and four new tires in the last two months. The brakes were redone up to specs a year ago (including a brake bleed).

What are the potential points of failure due to towing I should have scrutinized?

That is a pretty good list and it hits the usual cooling, transmision, and tire suspects.
You are not going that heavy but it may make you feel better to check out the drive line AKA U joints and give the wheel bearings a look. Do a pre flight and set your tire pressures and you will be way ahead of most folks pulling trailers.

I make it a practice to stop about 10-15 min into the trip and do a walk around. I look for loose thing, feel the tires and hubs for excessive heat or other strange things. I repeat that at fuel stops and check oil and coolant too.

[legion]

Driving home today, I'm at a stop light on the main drag in town. I look down at my oil pressure guage (in the F150) and I see it flicker back and forth. (It's normally solidy pinned at one single position. In fact, I've never seen that gauge so much as move with the engine running before. The temperature gauge did not move.) Then it slowly (in about 3 seconds) fades from full pressure to zero. The engine itself does not make a sound. I turn off the ignition, open the door, and look under the truck for a large pool of oi...not so much as a drip. I start it back up (and it behaves perfectly normally). I drive home. The oil pressure gauge does not move again. I drive it again later. No movement on the gauge. I've purchase a new oil pressure sensor and plan on changing it tomorrow. I'm going to watch the situation, but I suspect that that sensor has shown its first sign of going bad and it's not a serious problem. Second opinions?

[5axis]

A valuable tip handed down to me by a old time driver. ( I worked for a Truck leasing co. and got to shuffle trailers to pay for school)

When backing
1: set it up so you turn as little as possible
2: A) Place your hand at the bottom of the steering wheel.
2: B) push your hand in the direction you want the trailer to go.
3: If in doubt, get out and look or have a spotter help you.
I have seen being too lazy to look become very expensive.

Last a bump for your mechanical / oil pressure issues.

safe trucking