Just bought 1 st trailer

[Molon labe]

I just bought a 2005 rockwood 2605s to pull with my 03 tundra SR5 4x4. I have learned alot from all of you and have decided on this one as my 1 st trailer. I bought a P3 brake controller and the guy i bought the trailer from says he will throw in the weight distribution hitch. it however has no sway controller. he says he did not even need one. Should i be looking to put one on or is it ok without? I am looking for mirrors as well and it looks like the makesh is it. I like the looks of the CIPA mirrors better though, so i am not sure. Any last minute advice for a newbie? I pick it up in a week.

[Blaque]

What is the weight and length of the trailer?

[funfinder4]

Just looked up the trailer and it's specs...
27' long (probably a 24' box)
4,050lbs empty
6,300lbs GVWR
**301lbs Hitch weight!!! Yikes!

Hitch weight is really low. Must be because the slide is so far back and the kitchen and refrigerator is in the rear. Your going to have to watch how you load everything very carefully. I'd load everything you can of any weight under the queen bed. Hopefully the fresh water tank is very far forward under the camper and you can keep it full while towing to help give you some more hitch weight. I'm even surprised the guy before you used a WDH with such a low hitch weight.

Regarding the sway bar... I'd go ahead and order one on-line now (~$30-$40). If your experienced in RV towing then you could get by without one for a while. I say a while, because you WILL reach a point where you'll get tired of fighting the wind (if there's a side wind) and you'll break down and buy one anyways. If you tow short distances, you'll make it longer in life before this happens. For me, I made it three trips out with my 30ft long 6,000lbs camper before I said enough was enough. It didn't help that on that third trip I was fighting 20-30mph side winds!

If your not very experienced in towing in general....be very careful without one! A sway bar doesn't prevent sway (proper loading does) it just helps reduce it so it doesn't get out of hand.

[Molon labe]

Fun finder 4 thanks for the info. I did not think the low tongue weight was an issue. I just kept thinking get everything as light as possible. I am soo glad i can get advice from you all. The trailer has the two propane tanks moved forward on the tongue (Previous owner did this) and a battery tray with two batteries is now on the hitch part where the tanks used to be. Im thinking maybe this adds some weight to the tongue? The only real storage places are in the front pass thru and under the queen bed. So i guess i will load those areas up as much as possible. Any other thoughts on what this rookie needs to know? Any advise on which mirrors to get. I hate the look of the Mckesh.

[droolingmess]

You can get a sway control for under a hundred dollars and it makes all the difference in the world. Have no idea what your towing conditions will be but if you get out on the highway and have a truck or class a pass you at high speed you will understand why a sway control is important.

[Buck62]

Congrats on your first trailer!

You definitely will need a sway bar, so get one right away. As far as hitch-weight goes... yes, you have a relatively light hitch weight. But your trailer also has two side-storage compartments up front and more storage under the queen bed. Most people utilize these spaces and it will add a significant amount of pounds to your hitch weight, so I wouldn't worry too much if you use these spaces. Just don't over-do it and you'll be fine.

[Molon labe]

Thanks for all the help guys. Is their a certain brand of sway control i need? Are they all compatible with the WDH system i am getting with the trailer? How are easy are they to put on? What type of tools do I need? Is it a simple install or do i need to make adjustments to anything?

[droolingmess]

I have a Husky sway control that required a tape measure, ratchet, 2 sockets, and a drill to install and took all of 5 minutes. I just finished a 8500 mile loop around the country and could not imagine doing it without sway control.

[FLTundra06]

I vote for the sway bar as well. There is no good reason not to use one that I know of. And plenty of reason to use one.

[Buck62]

Just remember to remove the sway bar if you need to back the trailer into a spot.

Never back up with the sway bar attached.


.

[Molon labe]

Thanks for that info Buck62. So does the sway bar just come off real easy so i can back my trailer? This is all news to me and i had no idea to remove it before backing. Your help probably saved me some $ because i am sure i would have backed up with that thing attached.

[droolingmess]

Typical friction type sway control uses 2 spring clips, loosen the friction lever remove the clips, takes about 3 seconds.

[funfinder4]

It takes more time to get out of the truck and put on my mechanic gloves (optional) than it does to loosen the sway bar and pull the clips.

You don't have to remove it everytime you back up (like gas stations/parking lots) only when you know your going to have to cut the trailer really sharp like most do when backing into their camping spots. I generally remove mine at the campground office while I'm stopping (and geting out already) to check-in.

[Wildfire75]

We've been towing a 23' trailer for the past couple of years and I can't say I've ever noticed a condition where a sway bar would have helped. This includes during a 2,000 mile trip we took down to Yellowstone, Denver and Utah just after getting the trailer and many more trips to local campgrounds. By far the scariest "oh s#@!" moment we had was when towing our old tent trailer with torsion suspension. We must have hit a bump --just-- right as it sent the trailer bouncing back and forth between one tire and the other like it was some kind of see-saw. I don't think a sway bar would have helped with that at all, either, so I'm left wondering if the need for a sway bar is necessitated by a poorly layed-out and/or longer trailer.

As for the mirrors, can't speak to the ones for a 1st gen as I've only looked them up for a 2nd gen...

[1jeep]

congrats on the new trailer!
I personally would use at least a friction sway, had a 23' trailer a few years back this was what i used.