[atreis]

I tow a somewhat larger trailer with a V-6, and my previous trailer was the same length but a little heavier than this one. Been towing full-height trailers with a minivan for 11 years now.

Advice: Invest in a good quality WD/anti-sway hitch. I'd be very wary of one that's thrown in at no/low cost on the purchase. (Equilizer, Reese Dual Cam, Reese's Equilizer knock-off (can't remember the name), and of course Hensley and ProPride are all good.) Get them to give you a discount on one of those that's equal to the price of the one they were going to throw in.

Watch your weights. It's very easy to load more weight into the trailer, or on the tongue, than your TV can handle. Check the weight limits for the axles and tires, and overall gross combined weight limit for your tow vehicle, and make sure you stay under. Best way to know that you're not over: Load up for a trip, including pets, family, clothes, etc... Stop off at a Cat Scale and get weighed. Cat Scales have three platforms. Position your tow vehicle so that the front tires are on platform 1, the rear tires on platform 2, and the trailer tires on platform 3. That will give you axle weights for front and rear of your TV (which you can add together for the total weight), the weight of the trailer without tongue, and you can get the total weight by adding all three together. Adjust as needed (next trip assuming you're close), and re-weigh every couple years. You could also invest in a tongue scale if you want to know how much the tongue weighs (couple hundred dollars). For safety, the tongue should weigh no less than 11%, and probably more like 14-15% of the total trailer weight. Too light a tongue is a serious hazard, and can cause devastatingly bad uncontrollable sway. Too heavy of a tongue and you'll overload the tow vehicle.

Don't be in a hurry. Keep your speed at 60mph or below. (Most TT tires are only rated for 65 mph max speed anyway.) When climbing mountains put your RPMs into your engine's power band and keep them there. Don't worry about your speed. You'll slow some as you climb and need to downshift to stay in the power band, but if you keep it there you'll still end up passing semis and larger trailers/RVs. On the down slope, let your car speed up to 65, then brake firmly to slow down quickly to around 50, then repeat. That gives your brakes time to cool while gravity accelerates you again and will help prevent brake fade.

Where's the power band? That depends on your engine. Toyota/Honda tend to be at higher RPMs than Ford. You'll be able to tell by just experimenting some to see where you have more power.