Month: March 2021

Towing With A Tacoma

by JRWilkinsonGear / RVing / Tow Vehicle / Travel Trailer

We bought our tow vehicle first. I picked a Toyota Tacoma after driving a Prius for 12yrs. Our 2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Off-road 4×4, crew cab short bed is rated to tow ~6400lbs. So we shopped for small trailers under 4000lbs, starting with teardrops. We bought the Geo Pro G19RD because we loved its floor plan – rear dinette, front bed, adequate storage, tank volumes, dry bath – and its low GVWR. The sticker on the frame read 3150lb GVWR, but many rv’ers say this weight does not include the extras Rockwood adds. So reviewing Forest River’s 2021 G19RD specifications, the UVW may be closer to 3271lbs. Following the “80% rule” of not towing more than 80% of your rated tow weight. We should be able to tow up to 5000lbs. We wanted to keep it closer to 4200lbs loaded. We have not stopped at a weigh station but it’s on our to-do list.

Update: Towing With A Tacoma 2022

Forest River/Rockwood 2021 Geo Pro G19RD (discontinued in 2022)


This model of Tacoma is equipped with a tow package which means there are some manufacturer’s add-ons that help when towing. The class IV receiver hitch with trailer wiring, transmission cooler, engine oil cooler, 130-amp alternator and heavy-duty battery to allow you to tow 6400lbs.
We added an Equal-i-zer 10k E4 weight distribution hitch with 4-point sway control. I installed a Tekonsha P2 brake controller, using the appropriate Tacoma pigtail that integrates it with the Tacoma’s 7-pin wiring. A ScanGauge II OBD monitor is installed & configured to readout transmission fluid temperature. Which some people feel is the most critical engine item to monitor when towing w/ a lighter truck. The Geo Pro has a tire-pressure monitoring system factory installed which is also critical for any trailer, especially a single-axle trailer.

Since picking up the trailer in Nov 2020, we’ve done five trips, mostly short & within 270mi of home. Our 1st was a 3-day shakedown trip to Campland-By-The-Bay in San Diego, 30mi from home. The longest & farthest, a one-week trip to Ventura-Pismo Beach-Carpinteria. Two other short trips: 2 days in Joshua Tree; 5 days in Indio.
We’ve been very weight-conscience, only taking what we need. On our last trip, we added two folding bikes and dog to the Tacoma (~100lbs) and found the truck rode more smoothly. In the trailer, we distribute gear weight throughout the compartments – hoses, hardware, hookup accessories – in bins. The griddle, power cord w/ surge protector, leveling blocks, and safety cones in the rear compartments. We’ve been bringing food and 1-2gals of drinking water, depending on the length of the trip. For the Joshua Tree “dry-camping” trip we added 12gals to our fresh water tank, which adds ~100lbs.
Following the advice of another Tacoma tow’er, we shift our automatic transmission from “D” to “S4”. We’ve found that “ECT PWR On”, another towing feature of the Tacoma, so far does not make significant difference. Our mileage has been averaging 11.5mpg with it on. It’s too early to tell but we towed with “ECT PWR Off” last trip and may have averaged 12.4mpg. But we need more miles since this stat is based on towing with very few inclines.

Indio “Glamping”+Joshua Tree Day Trip

by JRWilkinsonCalifornia / Campgrounds / Day Trips / Indio/Palm Springs / Joshua Tree National Park / National Parks / RVing / Sightseeing / Trips

For our third trip of 2021, we wanted to visit family in Desert Hot Springs & Indio Mar 14-18th. Shadow Hills RV Resort in Indio, CA was a great location to stay since it’s less than a mile from family. This RV park has all the amenities allowed by Covid-19 restrictions.
Fortunately we arrived Sunday because Monday the winds were fierce – blowing steady 35mph with gusts to 60+. By Tuesday morning the winds has dropped & weather warm & beautiful.

Full hookups, cable tv, laundry, pool, dog parks (tiny fenced areas), daily trash pickup at each site, showers and restrooms scattered throughout the park. The RV sites are level, wide concrete slabs with hedges separating you from your nearest neighbor. Being close to Coachella (annual music festival, canceled this year), there are many tent sites which were unoccupied.

Indio is ~40mins from Joshua Tree’s Cottonwood Springs Road south entrance. So after visiting family, I did an afternoon excursion to Joshua Tree. The topography of the southern entrance is quite different from the northern 29 Palms entrance. Most of the rock formation points-of-interest are in the northern side of the park. The Ocatillo Patch and Cholla Cactus Gardens features are in the central valley so I focused my photography efforts there. The 40mi drive to the Cottonwood Springs entrance has a much longer incline that the 29 Palms. If I were towing our trailer, I would definitely use the 29 Palms entrance.

Desert X 2021 Art Festival was also underway with 9 environmental art installations. The number of installations is greatly reduced this year due to Covid-19 but still worthwhile. The weather in March is near perfect (~70degF) except for the occasional wind storm like a day ago. The short hikes to the various installations, which are scattered throughout the area, were pretty easy. Although ParaPivot is quite a steep climb up a winding concrete driveway. We went on Wednesday so no tickets were required. Thurs-Sun tickets are required to keep the crowds down.
We saw 4 of the 9 installations. We were trying to find the fifth, The Art of Taming Horses, which ended up being a scavenger hunt without success. Turns out the installation will not be viewable until after April 9th. The Women’s Qualities installation is in the Sunnylands Center & Gardens which closes at 4pm so we missed it by 20mins. Check the Desert X website for ticket & exhibit information: https://desertx.org. You can download the DesertX app for detailed descriptions about the art & artists plus locations.

Customizing Howie: Bed Extension

by JamesMods / Travel Trailer

Following a thread in the Geo Pro Facebook group, we built an bed extension to convert our E-W bed to N-S. Starting with a 4’x8’x1/2″ piece of finished birch plywood from Home Depot, we had them cut a 41″x44″ piece. I used a hole saw, jigsaw and router to make holes for aeration & weight reduction. The extension is pulled from under the mattress, even with the bathroom door trim, about 16″. This allows the bathroom door to still open freely and there’s enough space to exit the trailer if necessary. We had a custom cover made ($40; http://coversandall.com) that’s 16″x44″x8″ and filled it with 8″ of high density foam (Amazon). I’m 5’9″ and my wife is 5’1″ so this is long enough (54″+16″=70″) for us to sleep N-S. Plus the dog can sleep in the nook under the window. No more crawling over each other in the middle of the night. Next addition will be a small shelf for my phone & glasses near the TV.
Note that the fire extinguisher was moved by the TV. If you use a Beddy on your mattress, this will not work. We leave the sheet & blanket tucked but pull them over the cushion at night.

2021 Update: since the single cushion was 8lbs & awkward, we’ve been trying 4 seat cushions instead. Designed for patio chairs, these cushions have ties on one side used to secure them to the chair back. I installed four D-rings onto the board so we can clip two pairs of seat cushions to the rings. These cushions form the mattress extension and are covered by bedding. They don’t look quite as ‘professional’ but are softer and easier to take down & store.