Montgomery, Tx Newbies: 2022 315RLTS

GDReinekes

New Member
Joined
Nov 29, 2022
Messages
3
Hello to all. My hubby and I just bought a new Reflection in September but haven’t used it yet. It’s in the shop for warranty work but I wanted to post as we will likely rely on the GD Forum for a LOT education.

My name is Dana and my husband is Ed. He is recovering from a brain tumor, brain infection and massive Craniotomy which result in initial 100% right side paralysis. Long story short, we are truly blessed as he has recovered beyond all expectations; however, it leaves me a bit to learn a lot in a short amount of time as he now doesn’t have the complete ability, strength nor stamina to level, set up/tear down etc. I hate to play the woman card here but I had never even pulled a trailer until recently ?

We leave in a couple of weeks for a very long trip from TX to Bozeman MT where our son lives. I’m sure I’m getting ready to learn about things the difficult way on our first adventure especially with it being in the Winter traveling North. We are wondering if anyone has advice for traveling the mountain passes with fresh snow or ice? We did live in Colorado for 25 years (until 8/2017) and have extreme weather experience in autos, but that doesn't compare to pulling a home on wheels w/11k of trailer and stuff. We will be traveling 3-5 hours a day over 6 days to get there and staying mostly at KOA facilities with pull thru sites. We are not traveling through Colorado as we know based on knowledge and experience that travel through Wyoming in Winter is challenging from Northern Colorado on. We have chosen a familiar route via NM, In Burkbonnet, TX, Tucumcari, NM, Farmington, NM, Green River, UT and Pocatello, ID although we may return to Tx via Wyoming and Colorado. It is likely to be snowing at multiple points along the way. Any tips for ascending or descending in snow/ice while pulling? As a side note, we rented a GD Imagine last year and pulled during Thanksgiving and encountered some snow in Utah and Idaho but it was very early in the season so there wasn't any snow sitting on the road itself. We didn't experience any issues that trip but there has been significant snow this year already and am.dure our travel conditions will be quite different.

I apologize for the lengthy post! And will start a new thread on Winter Travel Tips soon.

I/we look forward to participating in the community and potentially meeting you at Rallies. Speaking of, where and when is the next one?

Dana and Ed Reineke
2022 Reflection RLTS Travel Trailer
2022 Ram Larime 4x4 w/6.4L gas engine and 6’ bed
 
Welcome to the forum, glad your husband has recovered better than expected. I've never towed in snow, but have read plenty about it.

Speed is obviously a big factor, tires are equally important, you would want the ones made for use in snow conditions, snow tires would be the best choice.

Some people recommend chains on the truck and trailer, some places in that part of the country do require chains during this time of year.

Make sure your trailer brake controller is set properly, you don't want the trailer braking harder than the truck on fresh snow.

Limit travel to afternoon when its warmer outside and the sun is out.

Have a good plan for swapping propane while there, the only way to keep underbelly heated is with the furnace, and it loves propane.
 
Hi and welcome. Sounds like quite the recovery your husband has made so far.There is no doubt you can tow and set up the trailer (I do it, alone once in a while) . But towing in snow and mountains not having the experience behind you makes the short days very appealing. I can't help with the route. I suggest you copy the route part of your post and start a thread in the Campground/Routing section for route advice. You may also want to read or post in the winter camping section for advice on what to expect . This way you leave preppared because the trailers are not as winter ready as the manufacture makes you believe.
 
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. It’s my hubby is truly a miracle! Initially, they gave him 2-10 days to live. Apparently, he had other plans��

Thankfully, we have heavy duty of road tires. The foregoing being said, current weather conditions warrant further research. We have a brand new truck with a robust towing package; I’m unsure whether there are adjustments needed in the trailer brake so I will most definitely delve into that further.

Great advice on the propane as I hadn’t considered mid-trip fuel ups!

Dana & Ed
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS
2022 Ram 2500 Laramie 4x4 SRW, Short Bed
 
Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. It’s my hubby is truly a miracle! Initially, they gave him 2-10 days to live. Apparently, he had other plans��

Thankfully, we have heavy duty of road tires. The foregoing being said, current weather conditions warrant further research. We have a brand new truck with a robust towing package; I’m unsure whether there are adjustments needed in the trailer brake so I will most definitely delve into that further.

Great advice on the propane as I hadn’t considered mid-trip fuel ups!

Dana & Ed
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS
2022 Ram 2500 Laramie 4x4 SRW, Short Bed
[MENTION=51837]GDReinekes[/MENTION] -

You're getting some good advice above. I would add: make sure that, when you're making reservations for places to stay, the park will have water available. The farther north you get, parks tend to either close down in the winter (Oct 15 - 30 is a common time for closing) or turn off the water when things start to get really cold. RV Trip Wizard (a subscription app) is a great way to plan routes and stays. The Mountain Directory will tell you everything you need to know about passes, grades, etc.

https://tripwizard.rvlife.com/

https://mountaindirectory.com/

Here are a few forum tips as you spend more time on the forum:

1) If you use "Reply With Quote" (to the right of "Reply") as I have here, folks will know to whom you are responding and that person will get a notification.

2) You can also tag folks using the "@" symbol and their user name (as I have done yours) - they'll also get a notification that way.

3) If you choose to get a paid membership (nominal cost and well worth it), you can create a signature block with your RV and tow vehicle information (see mine below). That way you won't have to repeat that information whenever you post or ask a question - and others won't have to ask. You can create a signature by going to:

Forum Actions (on menu bar) -> Edit Profile -> Edit Signature (under My Settings on the left)

Rob
 
Welcome from Splendora. Lot of Davy folks on here. Best wishes for a continued improvement to your husband.
 

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