Is it a bad idea to leave trailer hitched to TV for weeks/months on end?

[Jstan]

Curious if this is a bad practice, leaving the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle. Potential wear on TV shocks/suspension etc? No issues with trailer I presume? Appreciate any feedback, thanks!

[gbaglo]

Not sure why you would want to, but you can just use the trailer jack to take some weight off.

[padlin]

Be kind of bouncy without at least the jack and stabilizers down.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Jstan

Curious if this is a bad practice, leaving the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle. Potential wear on TV shocks/suspension etc?

Springs do sag with time, but what really kills them is cycling (compressing and extending) rather than a constant load. Plus or minus the trailer's tongue weight shouldn't matter.

Shocks only wear with movement; while they are sitting still, it doesn't matter what position they're in.

Originally Posted by Jstan

No issues with trailer I presume?

Right - the trailer doesn't care whether a tongue jack or a hitch is holding up the tongue.


The main reason that most trailers are not left hitched to the tug is simply that the tug is used for other purposes, not that it would hurt either tug or trailer to stay hitched up.

[emers382]

When we are traveling and staying only one night somewhere like the two at Cracker Barrels while rushing home last week I just put the legs down, makes it more stable for sleeping as well. I don't think I'd leave the trailer hooked up for any length of time though.

[Vermilye]

When on the move & not expecting to use the truck separately, I just park. If I need to raise the front of the trailer to level, I run down the tongue jack, lifting the truck (within reason). Of course, if I have to lower the tongue to level, I unhook. Since I travel solo, I often don't bother with the stabilizers; any rocking of the trailer doesn't bother someone else. Makes packing up in the morning easier & faster...

[Dave Walter]

To me its kind of like winning $5 in the lottery when I stop at a site for one night and find that the trailer is nearly level when attached to the tow. Then I do not have to unhitch!

[gbaglo]

And, then you buy another $5 lottery ticket with the $1 Extra?

[arniesea]

When we are traveling cross country making one night stops, we leave the trailer hitched to the truck. I will do my best to move the trailer back and forth looking for the most level spot side to side. Then drop the landing gear down and the rear stabilizers with a power drill. I find the 5.0 is actually more stable hooked up than not since the long front overhang is now supported.

Next morning, even with water and electric hookup, it only takes about 20 minutes to put everything away, raise the stabilizers and landing gear. We are good to go!

[gypsysouls]

We did a lot of one-night stays while enroute to Alaska and back in the summer of 2019. We never unhooked for those one-nighters. We did drop the scissor jacks (4 corners) on the travel trailer though. The tow vehicle did not seem to suffer any undue wear and tear as a result.

[McBride]

Went through this a while back. After talking to different mechanics and owners of work trailers, it does not hurt to leave weight on a TV.

[Fox hunt]

we leave it hooked up if stopped for a night or two -we don't mind the movement so we rarely put down the stabilizers (we both have spent a lot of time on boats so a little movement is OK for us). I do unplug the trailer /truck connection. I've been told the trailer wont draw from the truck when the engine is off but it has happened to me twice with my last trailer and with multiple friends trailers so i don't want to chance on a dead truck battery in the morning.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Fox hunt

I do unplug the trailer /truck connection. I've been told the trailer wont draw from the truck when the engine is off but it has happened to me twice with my last trailer and with multiple friends trailers so i don't want to chance on a dead truck battery in the morning.

This isn't an issue with the trailer - it's the truck. It's either wired properly (shuts off power to trailer when ignition is off), or not.

[Mark James]

Originally Posted by Jstan

Curious if this is a bad practice, leaving the trailer hitched to the tow vehicle. Potential wear on TV shocks/suspension etc? No issues with trailer I presume? Appreciate any feedback, thanks!

Recently game back from Arizona to British Columbia in about 7 days. I always leave the Tundra hitched if I am only staying in a place for one night at a time. Not hard on the truck/5 TA and saves a lot of time with the hitching process.

[Jim Bennett]

When just doing an evening stop for an overnight sleep, then on the go early the next day, we always stay hooked up as this is often required at many truckstops, Walmarts, etc.

If we will have the good part of the day I will often take the few minutes to disconnect and reconnect. It is quick and easy to do, and allows you to use the tow vehicle to run around if you wish.

Given the many, many nights I have stayed in a trailer in the last 30 years, I can't recall ever staying hooked up for two nights. I can't see a reason to do so either. They make our trailers easy to disconnect and reconnect for a reason.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

This isn't an issue with the trailer - it's the truck. It's either wired properly (shuts off power to trailer when ignition is off), or not.

If you change to lithium batteries, the problem goes the other way. If the tow vehicle does not have a disconnect relay, the higher voltage of the trailer lithium batteries will drain to the lower voltage tow vehicle battery.

[Tam2004]

We do pull the power plug between trailer and TV. We usually take a little weight off - but am so glad to read that this is not necessary! Thanks everyone.

[mlandry63]

Call it laziness or whatever. But if I plan on leaving the next day, i often leave everything hooked up, assuming that the trailer is fairly level. If it's a free place like on a residential street, i try to be as discreet as possible. Don't really need stabilizers, just me and the dogs! I Don't want to alarm anyone

[arniesea]

If we are staying for just a night somewhere like a trucker's parking area just off the freeway, I plug my 7-pin power plug into my modified female receptacle that I mounted up in my pin box. This turns on all my running lights and tail lights for safety. See how to do this in the thread linked below.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tug-10518.html

Oh, those red rubber hoses on the edge of my pin box are to keep from drawing blood each time I bonk my head on the pin box mounting brackets!

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by arniesea

If we are staying for just a night somewhere like a trucker's parking area just off the freeway, I plug my 7-pin power plug into my modified female receptacle that I mounted up in my pin box. This turns on all my running lights and tail lights for safety. See how to do this in the thread linked below.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...tug-10518.html

Oh, those red rubber hoses on the edge of my pin box are to keep from drawing blood each time I bonk my head on the pin box mounting brackets!

Hi Arnie, what is it you have attached to your rear bumper?