BajaNomad - Mex 1 with a travel trailer

Mex 1 with a travel trailer

Fishmagician - 4-27-2012 at 07:11 PM

I'm planning a return to the East Cape. I use to fly down in the late 80's and early 90s, but I now want to tow my 25x8.5 travel trailer down. My question, is it safe to tow an 8'.6" trailer down there??? I expect it would be, it might depend on the route??? Thanks I'm looking forward to coming back
:?:

woody with a view - 4-27-2012 at 07:15 PM

"the route?" there is only one route and it should be interesting. the road is being widened in many places but there are still the old drop offs. nothing is impossible, just take your time.

welcome, and happy trails...

bajachris - 4-27-2012 at 07:19 PM

Just drive slow when trucks and buses pass. The road is wider in the desert south of El Rosario.

RnR - 4-27-2012 at 07:41 PM

Have pulled a 26ft trailer back and forth from TJ to La Paz area every year for 14 years. If you can tow it in the US you can tow it in Mexico.

Keep the speed down and don't get into a tight radius corner at the same time as another truck/trailer combo. Some of the curves are not widened enough to handle the off-tracking of the two trailers at the same time.

Curt63 - 4-27-2012 at 08:13 PM

Take your time. Enjoy. You can do it!

Many thanks

Fishmagician - 4-27-2012 at 09:32 PM

The insight of the those who have driven before me is very much appreciated. Nothing worse than one of the eye opening

surprises you can get when towing. I really look forward to doing this. :biggrin:

jeffg - 4-27-2012 at 09:45 PM

I think no matter what you'll get one or two of those eye opening surprises. They help keep you awake!

Trying to figure out if I know you - got spreader bars?

Jeff

acadist - 4-28-2012 at 05:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jeffg
I think no matter what you'll get one or two of those eye opening surprises. They help keep you awake!

Trying to figure out if I know you - got spreader bars?

Jeff

Seems like I always have one of those surprises in just a pickup without a trailer. Be safe!

windgrrl - 4-28-2012 at 07:32 AM

We pull a rig about the same size with a and F-150 Lariat. Once we get through those rough roads in LA - towing is pretty much a breeze with good navigation through Ensenada. Your can expect some wear and tear on a regular RV, so it's nice to start off with a good check of the frame, tires, brakes and bearings. It might take some investment, but it's worth it.

Don't overload your rig and secure your stuff inside as it has a good chance of flying around when you go over a tope! Distirbute the load in your trailer and centre the heavy stuff over your trailer axles. You can unhook and go shopping in the bigger centres and get everything you might need.

Here's some other things you might want to do to make your trip more worry-free. Don't forget the anti-sway bar. We had our truck checked out by a good shop before we left. Get the right ply tires and inflate them properly for towing. Probably the most improtant part is to be road-worthy. We have seen too many improperly levelled rigs and trailers swinging back and forth. Your truck may be capable of pulling the trailer, but it also needs to becapable of stopping it.We also had new brake pads installed and on return to Alberta we had them checked again to learn how much wear we had (25%) on the trip. Consider using low gears for helping the engine on ascents and declines which can be steep.

Watch for good access for getting in and parking and getting back on the highway. Mex 1 is really pretty good overall, but in some places there is quite a sharp drop off to the service roads.

If you do have mechanical problems - we have had excellent service on tire repairs, and oil changes before we return.

Here's a good site to do some reading:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/1773...

Stop, rest, iinspect your rig, smell the cactus flowers along the way and enjoy the trip. It's really a fantastic drive and having RV is a nice comfy convenience. There are RV parks along the way - U2U me if you want more information.

w

Fishmagician - 4-28-2012 at 08:59 AM

Jeffg, I got bars.

Thanks for the tips. I appreciate them. I use the hood for my spacing on the road and that is a big help...Do they inspect the interior of th trailer at the boarder crossing going down??

DianaT - 4-28-2012 at 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fishmagician
........Do they inspect the interior of th trailer at the boarder crossing going down??

Sometimes. When we had our travel trailer it was checked at the border and at the army stops coming north. We never had any problems. They just stepped in, opened a few cupboards, and that was it.

These days, even with the green light, they are pulling more people over for an inspection--fortunately, we have always had the very quick look, a couple of questions, and we are on our way.

Have a GREAT trip.

Fishmagician - 4-28-2012 at 11:17 AM

Jeffg,,,It took a little while for this weathered old mind to recall who "Jeff" was....so sorry.. I hope your down south now. :light:

[Edited on 4-28-2012 by Fishmagician]

DavidE - 4-29-2012 at 12:58 PM

I like to mount a gigantic blind-spot mirror off of my passenger side mirror that will show me to-the-inch where my trailer tires are in relationship to the extreme edge of the pavement. Of course the ugly sucker gets stowed when I get to where I am going. Fact is when I cross the border, off come the regular mirrors and on goes 2 blind spot mirrors. I like to see exactly and precisely where the other side is as well in relationship to the center stripe. With regular mirrors it seems like I have to eyeball them like I was examining something to make sense out of what the mirror is showing. With the blind spots, it takes me but a glance. Blind spots also help me when the Mexicans pile up 5 across on a 2-lane city street.

When I say huge I mean eight to twelve inch diameter blind spot mirrors. They come with mounting hardware to cobble them on to regular frames. This doesn't work so cool if your factory mirrors have turn signals and other crap built into them, tho--

edm1 - 4-30-2012 at 06:07 AM

Just another view and my personal opinion . . . Just based on my personal experience which is not much. It's NOT SAFE, it's taking chances.

I have a tandem axle ATV trailer that's only 94 inches wide (7' 10") 12 foot long, and I would love to tow it everytime I go to Baja . . . But I've decided never to do it unless most of the highways are widened or at least have shoulders (whenever that might be , maybe never). However, I would flat-tow my 66-inch wide 4x4 through those narrow highways.

I've read a few fatal accidents involving trailers on that highway, and I had a near miss with an oncoming vehicle towing a trailer (trailer was more than a foot in my lane, I had to go off pavement to avoid it). I could just imagine what could have hapened if I was also towing a trailer.

I'd rather take chances climbing boulders, crossing floodwaters, rivers, etc. You may call me a wimp.

[Edited on 4-30-2012 by edm1]

mcfez - 4-30-2012 at 07:13 AM

Make darn sure that you have your legal paperwork for the trailer.

I'd make sure also that your "tow" is insured as well as you vehicle.

Skipjack Joe - 4-30-2012 at 07:43 AM

Edm1 makes sense. If the trailer is 8'6" wide that leaves little space on those narrow lanes.

jeffg - 4-30-2012 at 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Fishmagician
Jeffg,,,It took a little while for this weathered old mind to recall who "Jeff" was....so sorry.. I hope your down south now. :light:

[Edited on 4-28-2012 by Fishmagician]

Hi Mike, unfortunately we're still up here in Vista. But I'm down there a lot, maybe we can get together if you make it down. I sent you my contact info in U2U

Jeff

Hook - 4-30-2012 at 08:26 AM

I've towed more than a few 8-8'6" boats down and the best advice above is........

SLOW DOWN WHEN WIDE LOADS ARE APPROACHING YOU!!!

To what speed? To a speed that will allow you to control the trailer should you have to put it on the shoulder (if one exists at that spot). When big 18 wheelers come by, I sometimes slow down to 10-20 mph.

Oh yeah, and dont have any long mirrors sticking out on the driver's side. They wont be there for long. :no:

This really only applies below San Quintin where the pavement narrows.

[Edited on 4-30-2012 by Hook]

DianaT - 4-30-2012 at 08:47 AM

Some people will say no way, some people will do it once and never again, and some people do it year after year and are very comfortable doing so.

In many places, there is little margin for error.

However you decide to get to Baja California Sur---have a great time.

Alm - 4-30-2012 at 04:32 PM

Fishmagician, what is the model of your TT, are you sure it's 8.5 ft wide? This is unusually wide. Most TTs are from 7 to 8 ft wide.

Fishmagician - 5-1-2012 at 09:01 AM

I have an Artic Fox 25R with soloar..

David K - 5-1-2012 at 09:09 AM

That's a good photo from DianaT... here are is one more that shows the Baja Highway where it is less than 20 ft. wide (south of San Quintin)...

and one from jrbaja, note the trailer tire on the white line...

DSCF0034 copy.jpg - 26kB

Brian L - 5-1-2012 at 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Alm
Fishmagician, what is the model of your TT, are you sure it's 8.5 ft wide? This is unusually wide. Most TTs are from 7 to 8 ft wide.

His is 8'6! That is more than normal!

David K - 5-1-2012 at 09:47 AM

On a 19 ft. wide highway, without shoulders... there is very little room for two 8.5 ft. trailers to pass each other! Just be careful...

J.P. - 5-1-2012 at 10:03 AM

For the last 12 years or so I have traveled hwy.1 in everything from a 37ft Mh. to a 22ft class c. I have LOST two Mirrows both times on the south side of GUERRERO NEGRO and QUITE POSSIBLY THE STRAIGHTEST STRECTCH OF HWY IN BAJA. I think possibly I was too relaxed and the traffic moves a lot faster. The last time it was on the return trip to Ensenada . We were meeting a string of several trucks headed south and the last truck was a empty flat bed he nailed my mirrow. To this day i will say it was on purpose.

Alm - 5-1-2012 at 10:23 AM

Oh yes, this one is 8.5 ft indeed. I didn't realize they come that wide. Arctic Fox line is so expensive, never took a close look. Vast majority of 25-30ft trailers are 8ft wide, some are 7.5 ft (like Forest River). But, even with 8 ft it doesn't leave much space to pass on a 19ft road, especially if the other one isn't trying to keep to the right.

Sprocket - 5-1-2012 at 10:46 AM

My race car trailer is a 27ft x101inch flat bed and its a hard job getting it to La Paz. I carry 1 Full axle assy wheel to wheel with springs, 2 more spare tires and wheel bearings. The full axle makes for a easy repair if the one on the trailer gets bent. (do this because I suffered a day ender near Mulege a few years ago). We cant aford to be waiting on the side of the road.
I would carry 2 spare tires and a bearing hub assy (cheap ins), put your best tires on the right side cause at some point they will drop off the road.
In our chase notes I include the following
1) drive like there is a semi in your lane around every corner
2) look carefully when pulling off highway
3) if you do stop, pull as far away from the road as poss (check for soft sand)
4) check over trailer every time you stop, its easier to catch a low tire and fix it then have a blowout.
5) please help whoever is driving
*answer radio
*answer sat phone or cell
*ipod etc
*mirrors

We do a lot of night driving when racing
1) I have installed several extra yellow lights on the left front of the trailer and put florecent tape on the mirrors of our chase trucks. ( nothing worse than driving 1000 miles with out a drivers mirror and a make shift cardboard window!)
2) amber fog lights and or off road lights really help.
3) we try to team up with other trucks or cars going our direcction
4) keep your speed in check
5) watch for large animals and dont swerve for smaller animals
6) IF YOUR TIRED STOP, THIS RACE IS NOT WORTH YOUR LIFE OR OTHERS

hope this helps

I will find a great pic one of our chase guys took coming home from La Paz!
[Edited on 5-1-2012 by Sprocket]

[Edited on 5-1-2012 by Sprocket]

Fishmagician - 5-1-2012 at 11:07 AM

It's an Artic Fox 25R

Skipjack Joe - 5-1-2012 at 12:09 PM

19' road? That means your lane is 9'6".

You take up 8'6". That leaves you with 6" of safety on each side of the lane.

What pleasure is there in bracing yourself repeatedly during the journey with the thought "have I got it wiithin my 6" margin of safety".

Alm - 5-1-2012 at 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Skipjack Joe
19' road? That means your lane is 9'6".

You take up 8'6". That leaves you with 6" of safety on each side of the lane.

This is assuming his trailer doesn't sway at all.

edm1 - 5-1-2012 at 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Brian L

Quote:

Originally posted by Alm
Fishmagician, what is the model of your TT, are you sure it's 8.5 ft wide? This is unusually wide. Most TTs are from 7 to 8 ft wide.

His is 8'6! That is more than normal!

It's called a widebody with all the amenities, slide, etc. Wonder if they make a "Narrowbody" especially made for Baja.

bent-rim - 5-1-2012 at 01:16 PM

Two tales of encountering Travel Trailers on Mex 1. In 1997 my brother and I drove a chase truck for a M/C road race to the tip(the record is 10:35). We played hopscotch with this couple towing a Mallard Travel Trailer, we were in a slow truck. On the way back we saw the Mallard with it's entire left side ripped off and the husband was driving back alone.
A couple of years later as I was going down the grade fron San Ignacio to Santa Rosalia a truck towing a trailer in the oncoming lane was at least a foot over into my lane, I had nowhere to go and I lost a $500.00 mirror on my truck. There was nowhere to turn around and I've hated wide vehicles on Mex 1 ever since, except for the Mexican Truckers, they seem to know their side of the road.

Alm - 5-1-2012 at 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by edm1
It's called a widebody with all the amenities, slide, etc. Wonder if they make a "Narrowbody" especially made for Baja.

Probably not with slides, and not from Arctic Fox. Though I'm not familiar with AF brand.

Yes, there are TT 7.5 ft wide up to 25ft (or longer), and if you're Ok in a small unit like 17-19 ft then there are some 7-7.5 ft wide . This is bumper to bumper length, as they are normally advertised, and the actual box is 4 ft shorter. 17 x 7 ft (13 x 7 box) feels really small inside.

Fishmagician - 5-1-2012 at 04:35 PM

Okay, you guys are getting my attention with the size of the road and my trailer.....time to calm myself and have a beer(s)... :biggrin:

Fishmagician - 5-4-2012 at 07:38 AM

When crossing the boarder do you check in with Mex Immigrations at TJ or further down???
Thanks you've all been a great help.