Member/ observer

[Dzia Dzia]

Hello All,

We purchased our 2008 Fleetwood Sedona a year ago. We were tent campers but it is so much easier setting up camp and getting these old bones out of the comfort of a solid bed. Better shelter from Florida weather too.
We have had the Leisure Seeker out five times and are refining our set up with each adventure.
We have redecorated the interior by painting the cabinets and laying a new vinyl floor,
The pup is in great shape and routine maintenance easy and straight forward. Wheel bearings are greased up and ready to go for this year's trips to Florida State Parks beginning Memorial Day weekend with the grandkids. We have 5 trips scheduled so far.
We are considering a trip to the Smokey's next year but have a slight problem. Our towing vehicle, a 2008 Mercury Mariner, is not equipped with a towing brake package. We are currently on a four pin adapter pig tail which is fine for flat Florida. Braking is no problem here but mountains give me cause for concern. Where can I post to get advice on a DIY setup?
I enjoy reading and learning from other members here. I'm not a big thread poster but enjoy what others share.
Keep up the good conversations.

 

[NMroamer]

We had the same camper pulled by a 2008 Escape.
Same vehicle, pulling in lower end of the mountains here was a white knuckle experience.
Front wheel drive doesn't get much traction up steep hills with a trailer on the back.
There is a reason it does not have a tow package. It is the tail wagging the dog.
Bought a Tacoma V6 with tow package.

 

[Dzia Dzia]

Another vehicle is not an option. We almost pulled the trigger on a Honda pilot that was already equipped. The price kept going up. I'm just wondering if there is some sort of aftermarket package.
What thread might I find that?

 

[Drufus]

Maybe rent a pick up or suv with appropriate tow ratings for that trip.

 

[Sjm9911]

No such animal for your vehical.

 

[Dzia Dzia]

Seems the Smokies will have to wait until I have to get a new tow vehicle. Till then I guess it's just Florida and the low lands of the East Coast. Probably best for the TV/RV and the driver and passengers.

 

[LilRed]

Welcome from NY. Best to you in your new adventures!

 

[Dzia Dzia]

Thanks Red,

Lived in Rochester for a while. Wife's family is from there.

 

[jmkay1]

Seems the Smokies will have to wait until I have to get a new tow vehicle. Till then I guess it's just Florida and the low lands of the East Coast. Probably best for the TV/RV and the driver and passengers.

Just throwing this out there you can look at renting a cabin in the Smokies. That way you can still visit just not with your camper. It is well worth the trip, but you sure as heck can’t underestimate those hills, even with my current setup with a midsize suv those mountains are very hard on your vehicle.

 

[tfischer]

What is the tow rating of your current TV, and the weight of your pup? Before dismissing things entirely we need to know this information.

We towed in the Smokeys with our FWD Pacifica van in 2020, as the mountains of Montana, the Black Hills, etc in other years, no issues. But our TV has a 3500# towing package.

Our old van was only rated for 1900# with no towing package... we were pushing that if not slightly exceeding it (dry weight of pup is something like 1500#). I put a transmission cooler in that vehicle, and we never took it beyond about 3 hours from home, here in flat MN.

If your numbers work out there are multiple ways to get a brake controller on your vehicle, some that require minimal requiring.

 

[bondebond]

Assuming everything else lines up, you can add a 7-way harness to your Mariner with multiple methods, including this one from etrailer.com. You plug the existing 4 flat connector into this harness, buy a brake controller (I used a Tekonsha Prodigy P2) and run power wiring to the controller, then run from there to the new 7-way wiring harness. It's not exactly easy but can be done.

I assume the Sedona still has its 7-way connector?

 

[Sjm9911]

I think there camper is 2200 max weight gvwr and the tv is 500- 2000 max tow capacity. I dought the camper has brakes installed in it.

 

[bondebond]

Well, the OP is asking about how to get the brakes working and https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2008-fleetwood-destiny-expandable-trailer-floorplan-sedona-tr3870 and other sites show electric drum brakes, so I'm going with that for now until the OP says/discovers there are no brakes on the PUP.

 

[Dzia Dzia]

Thanks for all the replies. Had to cancel our Memorial Day weekend trip. Tow vehicle problems 2 hours before we were supposed to leave. Bolo for a week and a half. We were able to make a trip last weekend, June 10th through the 13th, 250 mi to Silver Springs State Park. Gas prices were atrocious. Nearly $200 round trip. So I think the Smokies are going to be out of the question for quite a while. We still have three more Florida camping trips planned for this year. We'll concentrate on those.
By the way the trailer does have brakes. Electric drums. Thanks again for all the suggestions and replies.