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Originally Posted by TXWolf
The dry weight of this travel trailer is 7300 lbs. We are getting an equalizer hitch and electric brake controller installed.
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Depending on your gears and tire size, you're at or near the top of the towing capacity shown on page 249, 2008 Owner's Manual.
I don't have a gearing calculator handy, but if you have 3.73 gears, then 35 inch tires are going to make it like you had 3.55 (or worse) gears. And with that comes lowered towing capacity.
Assume plain water is just over 8 pounds per gallon, so you could easily add another 500 lbs to the trailer in just water. Then you got all your groceries, beer, firewood, and such to add. I could see you getting up to 8000 lbs, easy.
1) Make sure tires, brakes, fluids, etc on the truck are inspected and in perfect shape. And don't wait until the last minute while you're hitching up. Smack yourself on the head if you ever think, "might be alright -- I'll just keep and eye on it", instead of fixing the problem before you go.
2) Go over your receiver, hitch, safety chains, electrical plug, trailer lights/brakes, and equalizer bars EVERY time you go to leave somewhere. Even if you just parked overnight, inspect it before you go in the morning. Get used to doing an inspection walk around the trailer when you stop at rest stops and the like.
3) Your brake controller should come with a manual that tells how to adjust the controller with the trailer hooked up. Find a vacant stretch of road to do that adjustment.
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How hard is it to back one of these things up?
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Not as bad as you might think. Lars is right, longer is easier. Borrow some orange cones or such and take some time in a large parking lot to practice. Work out with the wife what hand signals (flashlight, radio) the two of you are going to use when you're backing in or out of a space. And then practice again in the dark.