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130 Posts
Last weekend I got my first chance on testing the RL towing a travel trailer. I have a 18' Hybrid Surveyor Lite, and was making the trip from Redondo Beach, Ca. to Las Vegas. Aprox. 650 miles roundtrip. The trailer is a single axle with a dry weight of 2,850 lbs. Tongue weight of 380 lbs. Trailer loaded was aprox. 3,400 lbs. The drop on the RL from the tongue weight was only about 1 - 2 inches so I didn't install load distribution bars. I do have a friction sway bar on the trailer. The trip to Vegas is pretty easy with two moderate climbs. Elevation went from sea level to 4,000' at the highest point. The trailer has electric brakes and I have a PRIMUS controller on the RL. Mounting the controller was easy, the only difficult part is making the connection for the pigtail. The RL brake connector is at the very top of the emergency brake and attached to another cable. I could only manage to get one hand up to the connector and it took me about 30 minutes to finally get the pigtail attached. The RL had no difficulties pulling the trailer, I could easily keep the speed up in the mid-sixties on the grades and had to back off on the downhill and flat sections. I was surprised on how many other cars/trucks I was passing on the uphill grades. The RL averaged 12 MPG both ways during the trip. This is acceptable to me considering the overall way the truck performed. I know the truck can handle a heavier pull load, but I think 4,000 lbs. and under is a good match for the truck with a high trailer. Overall the RL handled great and I'm happy with the trailer/RL match up. 