Trailer lessons

February 20, 2025

Barry is hitching up the RV this morning to tow it to Camping World for our service appointment. The gravel bikes are still on top of the car from yesterday so we're all set for a ride while the mechanics check out the trailer. Hopefully they'll have some answers for us on why the trailer hitch popped off the ball twice on the way to Tucson, and what's up with the grabby brakes.

They'll keep the RV for most of the day but we can keep the car, so we drive to a Starbucks close to the Loop bike path. Barry catches up on the news while I plod along on the journal for a little while. Then we pull the bikes off the car and start pedaling southeast on Julian Wash.

There won't be much hammering today, we're just out for some exercise and a nice lunch. At Rita Road we pull off the Loop and start making our way north towards an Italian cafe I've found. The roads to get there are all fine, except for a long stretch of construction on Valencia where the shoulder is partly closed.

Neat tile mural on the path, I haven't seen this one before

On Julian Wash, looking at the Rincon Mountains, I think. Still learning the mountain ranges.

Pretty prickly pears (say that 5 times fast)

Ordinarily Valencia is fine to ride on the shoulder. It's tight but rideable here. Ahead there are long stretches where the barricades push us out into the road.

Plenty of room to ride on Kolb, if a bit noisy

Kolb passes by the largest aircraft boneyard in the world, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base

Kolb Road gets us up to our lunch spot - Nate's Italian Kitchen on Golf Links Road. The lobster pasta special there has me too enthralled to think of getting a photo. Barry's huge pastrami sandwich is also excellent.

A short ways west of Nate's we get on Aviation Bikeway and continue west towards the repair shop. I'm curious to see this end of the bikeway. Sadly, a big chunk of it is in worse shape than anything I've seen on the Loop - patchy pavement, trash, glass, lots of tents to the side. It feels orphaned. Still, the bikeway is better than riding busy Golf Links Road, and it gets us to another bike path that turns south towards the car.

When we get back to Camping World the news from the service department is embarrassing, but favorable. The ball on the car is 2 inches diameter and the trailer needs a 2-5/16 inch ball, a common size for RVs. That's a pretty big difference. It's lucky the hitch didn't pop off more often, or at highway speeds. After towing this rig around for almost five years, we are just now learning this key specification, which is actually stamped on the hitch. Yeesh.

At least it's a cheap fix - $38 to replace the ball. The other issue with the grabby trailer brakes costs nothing to resolve. The tech shows Barry how to adjust a setting on the brake controller to ease up on the power to the brakes. This smooths out the braking nicely with no more jerking around.

So we're all set for the return trip to St. Louis in two weeks, and thrilled not to have another big repair bill on a rig that we plan to unload soon. We pull it back to the park and get the setup routine done in time to walk around and watch the sunset.

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Today's ride: 28 miles (45 km)
Total: 648 miles (1,043 km)

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Scott AndersonYou’re right about the west end of Aviation Way. We don’t die it much any more. A better option is to come in at the middle on the Treat Bicycle boulevard. East from there - at least to the Palo Verde overpass and its link to Julian Wash - it’s just fine.
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1 month ago

Kelly IniguezNate's is just down the street from me. I've heard good reports from several people. There's also a Chinese food in that same complex that I've eaten at several times.

On Houghton (accessible from the Houghton bridge bike path - near the stone horse artwork) is a Thai Restaurant, Luckie's. We ate there after riding from Sonoita to Tucson. It was delicious! Perhaps my opinion was influenced by the number of miles we rode that day, but Luckie's is on my list to try again.

It's probably not on your frequently ridden list, but they are paving the other side of the wash from Brandi Fenton Park at Dodge Street. That will take the congestion off of the section between there and the big mural. At least I hope they are going that far down. It's the logical connection.
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1 month ago

Jacquie GaudetWhen you mentioned the trailer coming off the hitch, the first thing that came to mind was whether there might be a ball/hitch mismatch. I’ve never pulled a trailer so wasn’t sure. However, when we rented a tiny one from UHaul years ago (Al drove), they were very specific about the size of ball needed. I would have thought the same when you buy one.
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1 month ago

Janice BranhamTo Kelly IniguezI missed that stone horse, will have to look for it next time we're there. That new trail piece near Brandi Fenton will be great. You're right, that section is busy, and it feels narrow to me. Thanks for the restaurant suggestions.
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4 weeks ago

Janice BranhamTo Jacquie GaudetLooking back it does seem obvious that the ball size was the issue. I agree, I would have expected the dealer we bought the trailer from to make sure we had the right one.
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4 weeks ago