Nervous Newbie

[ephl]

We are recently retired and in our early seventies. We have never owned an rv before. After researching various trailers we put a deposit on a 2021 Imagine XLS 22MLE. Our tow truck is a Ford F150 XLT Crew Cab 4x4 with the 3.5 Ecoboost engine rated at 13,200 towing capacity. We will be camping occasionally one or two weeks at a time probably no more than a thousand miles from home. Having never towed a trailer, I am a little concerned about potential mishaps on the road such tire blowouts, strong wind gusts, or mechanical problems that I may encounter that I may not be able to trace and fix. I am not the greatest fix-it person. Any advice you may offer would be highly appreciated, especially those of you with this particular model. Thanks so much ! Tim

 

[NB Canada]

Start with local trips maybe under 120 miles for the first year
There is a lot to know and do when trailering and setup and tear down of camp

I would never suggest a 1000 plus mile trip having never trailered before

Also invest in a top quality hitch


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

 

[NB Canada]

The biggest phenomenon that occurs when towing is being passed by a larger vehicle
You will feel you are being sucked into the passing vehicle then shortly you will feel a push back out

Do not over correct for this. It is normal but can be intimidating


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

 

[Chewwi]

Read your owners manual and then read it again. You can get an electronic copy even before you get the RV.

Get an RV tire pressure monitoring system and use it. It’s hard to tell if a tire is low or blown when you are towing. You can do a lot of damage to the RV very quickly with a flat tire.

Also, have your dealer adjust the brakes on the RV before you pick it up. Dexter recommends you adjust the brakes after the first 200 miles when the shoes and drums have seated. Unless you your RV fealer is within 200 miles of the GD factory, your RV will already have more than that when you pick it up.

 

[ephl]

thanks for the good advice

 

[RobWNY]

I would suggest just towing around your area a few times and learning how to back up in parking lots with a lot of room and when businesses are closed. Remember to take wide right turns. Camp out in your driveway a couple times and don't cheat. Make it a real camp out. That way you know what you need to pack and what you don't. Watch as many youtube videos as you can about as many aspects of setting up, tearing down, using a dump station etc. as you can. Good luck!

 

[ephl]

Thanks, we have always been water people and I have pulled ski boats and pontoon boats but never a camper trailer. I am sure they catch a lot more wind and are harder on the tires. The last time we camped was about 38 years ago in a tent !!
Not doing that anymore !!

 

[Tigger1]

Congratulations on your soon to be 22mle! We really like ours.

Your F-150 will be good for the 22mle. Make sure to get a good weight distribution hitch (WDH) with sway control and understand how to adjust it to dial it in for your truck.

If you don’t already have a road side service policy you might consider one. I use Good Sam but there are AAA, Coachnet, your car insurance company, etc.

Buy a tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), lots of good ones out there e.g. TST, etc. Make sure to keep proper tire pressure, 65psi for the 22mle, and to check it early in the morning before it gets hot out.

Start looking at height restriction road signs. If you’ve never towed a trailer before you may not even notice them. Even though the 22mle is about 10 1/2 ft high, there can be bridges in small towns that may be a problem. I use the Rand McNally Deluxe Motor Carrier’s Road Atlas and check the low clearance index before I leave. Other options are available.

Use the Search function in the upper right. There have been some good threads for what do I need as a newbie. Use “newbie” as a search term.

Good luck and safe travels.

 

[RV Sailor]

Welcome

Lots of great advice. Build up your confidence with shorter trips in the beginning.
Practicing in lots with cones will help a lot. ( should have cones for emergency anyway).
Backing up practice will help build up communication techniques with your partner.
Good weight distribution hitch is necessary. Your payload capacity of the 150 approach max even though
Towing capacity not even close
Lots of 150 don’t have brake controller so install one
Checklists help- laminate them ( set up, breakdown, final list before shoving off)
Save money by camping a little before buying lots of do-dads and add ons. Some aren’t necessary
Research expensive upgrades such as batteries, electricity, surge protectors, and educate yourself on 12 volt
And 110 so you won’t be taken or buy unnecessarily. Match electrical equipment.
Read, read, read......you can’t read too much.
Learn the difference between true facts and internet opinions.
Have fun
Have fun
Have fun and build memories with lots of pictures.

 

[ephl]

Thank you so much. I've watched so many utube videos my mind is boggled !!

 

[ephl]

Do you mind if I ask how long you have had yours and whether you have had any problems or concerns with it that you could share? And thanks for responding to my post.

 

[Tigger1]

Do you mind if I ask how long you have had yours and whether you have had any problems or concerns with it that you could share? And thanks for responding to my post.

We bought ours in Nov 2019. Just two issues; there was a 15Amp main breaker installed instead of a 30Amp. Dealer fixed it quickly. The other was one recliner didn’t vibrate. I found the problem myself and fixed it, nothing big.

If you do a Search for 22mle you will see it’s a popular model and there are many threads. Also, a Forum tip, when responding to someone Click Reply With Quote like I did with your last post.

 

[ephl]

We bought ours in Nov 2019. Just two issues; there was a 15Amp main breaker installed instead of a 30Amp. Dealer fixed it quickly. The other was one recliner didn’t vibrate. I found the problem myself and fixed it, nothing big.

If you do a Search for 22mle you will see it’s a popular model and there are many threads. Also, a Forum tip, when responding to someone Click Reply With Quote like I did with your last post.

Thanks, can you tell I've never posted to a forum before? I really want to thank you and everyone else who has replied to my post. After much thought and soul searching we are thinking that because of our age (76) and (70) maybe we should just remember the good times we had camping years ago when we were young and could waterski, and kayak, and swing from ropes in trees into the lake. Maybe hotel rooms, car rides, and plane trips should be how we sight see and travel now. Oh well, thanks again to everyone and yall have fun and enjoy life!!

 

[NB Canada]

Thanks, can you tell I've never posted to a forum before? I really want to thank you and everyone else who has replied to my post. After much thought and soul searching we are thinking that because of our age (76) and (70) maybe we should just remember the good times we had camping years ago when we were young and could waterski, and kayak, and swing from ropes in trees into the lake. Maybe hotel rooms, car rides, and plane trips should be how we sight see and travel now. Oh well, thanks again to everyone and yall have fun and enjoy life!!

Have you ever considered a class B or a small class C?

More money upfront but I think resale is good and a great way to travel

Without kids it would be my choice

Good luck in whatever you choose


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

 

[ephl]

Have you ever considered a class B or a small class C?

More money upfront but I think resale is good and a great way to travel

Without kids it would be my choice

Good luck in whatever you choose


2021 Imagine 2400 BH
2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew

Thanks, if I could find a good used small class c in good shape that has been taken good care of we might be able to afford one. The new ones especially class b are way out of our price range.

 

[Tigger1]

Thanks, can you tell I've never posted to a forum before? I really want to thank you and everyone else who has replied to my post. After much thought and soul searching we are thinking that because of our age (76) and (70) maybe we should just remember the good times we had camping years ago when we were young and could waterski, and kayak, and swing from ropes in trees into the lake. Maybe hotel rooms, car rides, and plane trips should be how we sight see and travel now. Oh well, thanks again to everyone and yall have fun and enjoy life!!

Best of luck with your decision. It is a lot to consider.

Since you like the outdoors but maybe feel that RV ownership might be more than you want at this stage, perhaps rent a cabin at a campground.
For example, KOA has campgrounds all over the US and they rent cabins. Some are near water so you could bring or rent a kayak or canoe. Many have fire-rings so you could have a camp fire at night to get the experience. Just a thought.

 

[Tigger1]

Thanks, can you tell I've never posted to a forum before? I really want to thank you and everyone else who has replied to my post. After much thought and soul searching we are thinking that because of our age (76) and (70) maybe we should just remember the good times we had camping years ago when we were young and could waterski, and kayak, and swing from ropes in trees into the lake. Maybe hotel rooms, car rides, and plane trips should be how we sight see and travel now. Oh well, thanks again to everyone and yall have fun and enjoy life!!

PS - forgot to mention in my previous post. Here are two RV rental websites where you can rent Class B, C, travel trailers, etc. from owners. It’s kind of like Vacation Rental By Owner (VRBO) except for RVs.

https://www.outdoorsy.com/

https://rvshare.com/

 

[Wilsonfan]

All great advice, especially the WDH, tire pressure monitoring, electronic brake controller and Goodsam or AAA road side assistance. If you are going to have strong side wind gusts, consider just waiting a day to travel.

 

[Ynot4me2]

Yes all great advice you received so far. Keep us posted on your decision. We really love our 22mle. If you do decide to go forward with we will all be here to answer any questions. Like others have mentioned so far, wider turns, look up, good surge protector, good reputable TPMS and don't cheap out on the WDH and brake controller if your truck doesn't have one already. Your truck is more then adequate for the 22mle.

Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

 

[ephl]

Yes all great advice you received so far. Keep us posted on your decision. We really love our 22mle. If you do decide to go forward with we will all be here to answer any questions. Like others have mentioned so far, wider turns, look up, good surge protector, good reputable TPMS and don't cheap out on the WDH and brake controller if your truck doesn't have one already. Your truck is more then adequate for the 22mle.

Sent from my SM-P610 using Tapatalk

Thank you so much !! We looked online at a lot of trailers and locally at 3 dealerships in our area. Two had bad reviews about service and customer support after the sale. The third we trusted but didn't have what we were looking for. We absolutely loved the 22mle we saw online and one is coming soon to a local dealer. Unfortunately to one of the dealerships with a bad reputation. We are still racking our brains whether to go with a bumper pull trailer or try to find a used Class C that might suit our purposes better at this late stage in our lives. The question is do we want to camp again (we can't pull our boat and the trailer too) or sightsee to places we have never been in a manner that might be less stressful. Too many thoughts in my head !! I need to go get a margarita !!!