Toy Hauler Loading, Towing and other $hit that can go wrong.

[alanmcorcoran]

Some of you have probably seen from other threads that I'm scheduled to venture out (for the first time) with a smallish rental toy hauler and my ten year old 1/2 ton Suburban when i return to California (Thursday.) Several of you have already cautioned me about the joys of backing it up and aggravations with hitching and unhitching. I've done a little googling on the Internet and I've learned a few things:

1) People with 1/2 tons think they are big enough to tow.
2) People with 3/4 or 1 tons, think people with 1/2 tons (that're towing) are idiots.
3) All things considered, it's not a good idea to go over 55 (for a number of reasons, the least of which is, it's illegal.)
4) Side loaders seem to suck. Pretty sure mine loads from the rear.
5) Some people are able to load Harley sized bikes in Toy Haulers routinely. Others say it's impossible.
6) Some Toy Haulers are made to shit specs and the tie down rings etc. are known to pull right out of their cheap-ass composite wood floors. (This seems criminally stupid to me, but not surprising given my past experience with RV accessory "quality." [cough.])

Have some questions/chum for the board...

1) should I go with the Geezer for the first time out? Anybody done two up on a geezer? How long could their passenger's ass take it? Or suck it up and do the Strat?
2) Ride it into the Toy hauler? Walk it? winch it?
3) back it out under power or merely in gear? Or just with the brake?
4) Tie down recommendations?

And any other stuff you want to mention...