First road trip👍

[Karfre]

Well we made our first road trip in our new truck & 5th wheel 2 weeks ago. We went to Hiawassee, Ga and stayed at Georgia Fair Grounds RV Park. We started off in the rain that morning and I sat my Brake setting at 5.5 and that was perfect for my rig. I was “extremely pleased” with my truck performance. I am so glad that I listen to several of y’all on the site that recommended to get a 3500 Dually & I did👍 It pulled my 16,880 rig with ease, in fact I hardly new it was back there, plus my Solitude 380 FL towed & tracked perfectly!! When the rain stopped I moved my trailer brake gain to 5 & that was good! We were on mostly two lane roads and some 4 lane roads with 65 mph limits. On two lane I drove 57 & 4 lane 67. I did not use tow mode because it felt better in reg mode & using cruise control!! The engine brake on “auto” worked great. I don’t have any complaints about my truck or my RV! We stayed 7 days at the Rv park & loved staying in our 380 FL!! We could not be happier with the floor plan of our RV!! Hopefully we will sell our home this month so we can hit the road as “Full Timers” 👍😎

[attaboy]

Congratulations on a good first trip.
I suggest you re-think the tow mode decision.
Enjoy your future trips.
Bob A.

[The_Lovells]

I will second @attaboy, you really need to use tow/haul mode. We have a very similar rig to you and it does make a difference, especially in slowing the whole TV/5th wheel combo down. The reprogrammed shift mode makes a difference in acceleration as well. I concur whole heartedly with your engine brake assessment, I used it extensively last fall in the NC mountains. It and tow/haul mode can really control your descent.

[Captcolour]

3rd the tow/haul mode. We love our 380FL and dually. Congrats!

Over on the Facebook, I see people showing off their new rig with what appears to be not enough truck in the picture. Everyone congratulates them. I don't because if I did comment, it would be "nice RV. When are you going to upgrade the truck!". When I do see someone post a pic with a Solitude or Momentum with a dually, then I comment "nice RV and glad to see you have the right truck for the job!".

[Spartacus]

I'm glad that it went well for your first trip I love it when that happen.

[Hoopy Frood]

You don't say what brand of truck you have, but I would also agree with using tow/haul mode. With the Ram, it changes shift points and torque converter lockup points. These will contribute to a cooler running transmission and better performance. And you can still use cruise control.

[Redapple63]

Glad rig and tv are working great and your first trip was a success!

Bill

[Karfre]

I have a 2022 Ram Limited 3500 Dually 6.7 Turbo HO with 4.10

[Karfre]

I wanted a SRW truck so bad, but I kept listening & talking to people on this forum!! Their experience & knowledge was overpowering to me that I need a “Dually” & I am so happy that I listened and got my Ram 3500 Limited Dually���� it rides outstanding and pulls my Solitude 380 FL with ease & most of all SAFELY����

[Steven@147]

Well pre-welcome to full timing! It really is amazing how these new trucks tow heavy loads. We just went from Bryce Canyon to Moab and portions of interstate 70 are at 6% + on grades for miles and temp @ 90 degrees. When the cooling fans kick on it kind of sounds like a jet taking off. The exhaust brake will hold the truck at what ever speed I choose on the down grades. I have used the exhaust brake and down shifting together on some grades. I use tow/haul anytime we are hitched up, much easier on the tranny, even the AISIN.

Enjoy your travels!