Newbie wannabe needs advice

I would think that one of the things you can do is to find a location where you would like to live, and buy a trailer or 5th Wheel there and have it towed to the sight. I bet you can find folks to tow it to storage afterward for a minimal price also, or maybe you could get a deal on leaving it year round.

Based on my experiences with my Tundra, keep your towing weight to 7K or less and you will have a nice setup. I pulled our old 29' Sunline TT that was close to 8K and although the Tundra pulled it OK, you could tell that it was a strain at times....not a rig I'd want to take through the mountains.

If you really want a larger & heavier trailer, trade in the Tundra for a 3/4 ton truck and you'll have plenty of capacity for a lot of larger trailers and fifth wheel trailers.

But there are quite a few trailers out there that are around 28' and would weigh 7,500 lbs. or less if you don't go crazy with carrying too much extra stuff.

Be conservative with weight ratings and you will avoid being in the situation of finding out that you HAVE to get a different tow vehicle. It happens frequently.

As per my signature, towing around 6200-6500 lbs., the Tundra is great. My trailer is 26'9" and we've done quite a bit of towing. We're on a long trip now and leaving Lander, WY today to head over to Colter Bay in the Grand Tetons. From there, we're off to Yellowstone, and then Glacier NP and over to Little Big Horn, Devil's Tower and the Dakota Badlands. Based on the trip so far, the mountains aren't a problem...I just let the truck do the work and can maintain speeds of 50 mph or better.

For a 3 month stay, most folks want the space of a larger 28-32' trailer. DW and I do alright with our smaller trailer for two months or so. This coming winter, we've booked a month in Lake Placid, FL and will take another month gradually heading home via St. Augustine (FL), Jeckyll Island (GA), Savannah (GA) and then to Salisbury (MD) to visit my sister before heading back to OH.
But, everybody has to figure out what works for them.

Take your time and look at a lot of trailers. Aside from quality, examine them carefully for storage space for what you need for a 3 month stay. Consider whether an outdoor kitchen is something you want. I love ours...we set up the Weber grill next to the outside stove and cook a lot of meals outside. The auxillary bar fridge is really handy for water, pop, beer, wine, etc. and makes more room in the main fridge for food.

Also, look at the awning length that comes with different trailers. I've noticed that a lot of more inexpensive trailers come with awnings that are 2-4 feet shorter in length than what they could be. It's one of many areas where they can cut costs in less expensive trailers.

So..good luck in your search!

tat - that IS discouraging - although I would not go up to 10k pounds - I think if one could be found 7,500-8,000 would be my limit. I have the mid size box - and would get an Andersen aluminum hitch.

One of my camping buddies bought a V-8 Crew Cab Tundra rated to tow 10,000 pounds, and the RV dealer talked him into buying a small fiver, 26.5 Eagle Ultralite with GVWR of 9650 pounds. He also had to buy a automatic slider hitch weighing almost 300 pounds to make the fiver work with the really short pickup box.

He says it has plenty of pulling power, but he is about 800 to 1200 pounds too heavy on the rear of the truck. He has installed helper springs, beefed up the OEM tires to LT in Load Range D, and inflates to 65 PSI when towing. In 20,000 miles of towing he has gone through three sets of tires on the rear of his truck, some of that from fast wear, some of it from throwing treads or blowouts; e.g. even with his "upgrades" he is still badly overloaded.

On the up side, he has not lost control of the rig yet.

Well - lots to think about and the Tundra may not be the right vehicle - We have trailered lots of boats etc, so maybe a TT is the way to go.

dj - we would most likely start snowbirding in Fla - Arizona later! Thanks for the heads up on length and age. I wonder if that would be considered age discrimination. . . hmmm

Sounds like you are going to become a "snow birder" in Ariz. If it makes a difference as to what type of RV Park or Resort you like, many of the RV resorts in Ariz. have restrictions on the length and age of a rig, usually min. length is 26 ft. and if older than 10 yrs., the rig has to inspected. There are other RV parks that are smaller without all the amenities and without some of the restrictions. Just some thing to consider.

RumDiet wrote:
Thanks for the links - I'll be looking

I have a new Toyota Tundra - V8 - 4x4 - 6.5' bed So I think I would be OK with a small to mid 5th Wheel.

Can I assume correctly from tatest posting that Hitchhiker is mid level and New Horizons and Excel the top?

I would be buying something used - at least to start out with.

I hate to burst your bubble, but I would not consider towing a fifth wheel with a Tundra or any other 1/2 tow class truck. The pin on fifth wheels bear 20 percent or more of the weight of the trailer versus 10 to 15 percent travel trailers.
Example, a light fifth wheel weighing 9000 lbs will have a loaded pin weight of about 1800. That is more weight than what most half tons are rated to carry including passengers. For your truck, I would stick with a travel trailer (not fifth wheel) weighing less than 6500 fully loaded.
You are in the right place for good advice.

For only three months a year it is really not worth your time or money. The Tundra is a nice vehicle, but not capable of towing what you would want to spend months in. You would be better renting a condo.

Thanks for the links - I'll be looking

I have a new Toyota Tundra - V8 - 4x4 - 6.5' bed So I think I would be OK with a small to mid 5th Wheel.

Can I assume correctly from tatest posting that Hitchhiker is mid level and New Horizons and Excel the top?

I would be buying something used - at least to start out with.

You have to decide how big you need it to be for the amount of time you are using it, and how much you want to pay, for both the RV and the vehicle that will tow it.

My local dealer can put me in a new 14 foot travel trailer for about $12,000, but if I were going to be in it for three months in a warm (not hot) place, I would probably go 19-footer for about $15,000. Either can be towed by my one-ton passenger van. If I had a second person living in it, I might want more space, but too much more space and I need a bigger tow vehicle.

Want a lot more space? Moderate size, low cost fifth wheels, maybe $40,000 for a 28-30 footer up to about $70,000 for 38-footer (getting into 1-ton dually pickup territory).

That's decent quality, low price brands. It goes up from there. If you want a new Hitchhiker fifth wheel, expect to pay about $110,000 for 35-38 feet. If you want the quality of a custom-built Excel or New Horizons, you can easily double that. But I wouldn't pay $200,000 for a fifth wheel I was using only three months a year in a not so challenging climate.

I've been around RVs, shopping and using, inspecting what camping companions buy, and I don't really see any brands to stay away from. It is all a matter of how much you want to pay, as the lowest cost models fit most peoples occasional use purposes, mid-range is fine for seasonal and even long-term use in moderate climates, but if you want to live in extreme climates you sometimes need to go the the upper end of the market, particularly for towables.

I think once you get past the price of a Hitchhiker, you start paying for more than capability, you pay for things that are considered luxury fittings in homes, and you are paying for a custom build to your specifications. These would be in fifth wheels, there are really no super premium travel trailers unless you can persuade Horizons or Excel to build one for you.

A lot of fiver vs TT has to do with size. For many people living in a towable RV, the size that is comfortable, the comfort features wanted, make it too big to be built as a travel trailer. Similarly, people using motorhomes for long term living tend to like them in the 40-45 foot range, which means motor coach or diesel pusher chassis to carry the weight of the house.

Some people, particularly singles with a simple life style, might live full time in a 20-22 foot motorhome weighing not much more than 8000 pounds; not many, but I've met a few. I've met them also towing 13-17 foot TTs behind mid-size SUVs.