Gap year, family of 6, TV and TT recommendations
This is a long post. Here's the short version: Looking to tow a Kodiak Ultra - Lite 283BHSL (7600 lbs GVW, 33 ft total length) with Ford Expedition heavy tow package. Not over the GCVW but close. Will travel across country for a year.
Hi,
For various reasons our family wants to take a gap year and go across country. We don't plan on going until 2022 and I'm starting preparations now. I've done a lot of internet research and have been impressed with the good (blunt = good) advice given to people like me that don't have the experience of towing larger trailers.
Here's some background on our current experience:
We have a tent trailer that we currently tow with a Honda Odyssey. We are a family of 6 (11 yo, 9 yo, 6 yo, 4 yo) and it's a small tent trailer (Rockwwod 1940 LTD). We are into minimizing space and weight and do just fine in tight spaces with minimal gear. I've been towing it for 4 seasons now and we've taken it out a lot. The Odyssey has a maximum towing capacity of 3500 lbs. The loaded trailer is about 2500 lbs. I can definately feel it behind me for the first couple of hours, but then it sort of melds into the van and I don't think about it as much.
For the gap year, obviously a tent trailer isn't going to cut it. I will be purchasing a new tow vehicle as well. Because we will be living out of the trailer it needs to be big enough to allow for kids to home school, me to work, and to be somewhat comfortable. A bunk house as a minimum and a separate room for the kids would be ideal.
I think the best thing would be to get a 3/4 or 1 ton truck with plenty of towing capacity for a 33 foot (total length) trailer. However, we have a hard time believing that a 6 seater pickup truck will be comfortable for 15000 miles of driving. I've never been a pickup fan and am used to vans and SUVs.
The problem with the current market is there is no 3/4 ton SUV option available anymore. The closest would be a Ford Expedition which is a 1/2 ton frame.
So I'm wondering how crazy it would be to get an ultralight 33' total length trailer such as the Kodiak Ultra - Lite 283BHSL. The numbers would work like this: 9300 pound towing capacity - 7600 pound GVW - 600 pounds people weight - 200 pound wet weight in TV = 900 pounds safety. Of course I would have to look at Axle Weights and tongue weights but that's still a small amount safety weight. I'm probably forgetting stuff so please shoot me down.
If our family can be disciplined about weight we could start from the dry weight and add up from there to allow for additional safety factors.
My two concers would be:
1) I'm right at the limit with this trailer without much, if any, safety factor to take into account the mountain passes and the weather I will be facing and
2) a 30' (33' total length) living space trailer will be a large sail in the wind and I worry I will be white knuckling it too often.
What do you all think? Am I stuck with a smaller 29' total length Kodiak Ultra-Lite 248BHSL instead (which removes the separate quad bunkhouse) or do you think I could make it with the 33'?
Also, is there any advice out there for a large family making the cab of a pickup truck work? Maybe we make it work knowing it will be a short time in the pickup truck.
Please be blunt with your advice based on your own experience.
Thanks
Hi,
For various reasons our family wants to take a gap year and go across country. We don't plan on going until 2022 and I'm starting preparations now. I've done a lot of internet research and have been impressed with the good (blunt = good) advice given to people like me that don't have the experience of towing larger trailers.
Here's some background on our current experience:
We have a tent trailer that we currently tow with a Honda Odyssey. We are a family of 6 (11 yo, 9 yo, 6 yo, 4 yo) and it's a small tent trailer (Rockwwod 1940 LTD). We are into minimizing space and weight and do just fine in tight spaces with minimal gear. I've been towing it for 4 seasons now and we've taken it out a lot. The Odyssey has a maximum towing capacity of 3500 lbs. The loaded trailer is about 2500 lbs. I can definately feel it behind me for the first couple of hours, but then it sort of melds into the van and I don't think about it as much.
For the gap year, obviously a tent trailer isn't going to cut it. I will be purchasing a new tow vehicle as well. Because we will be living out of the trailer it needs to be big enough to allow for kids to home school, me to work, and to be somewhat comfortable. A bunk house as a minimum and a separate room for the kids would be ideal.
I think the best thing would be to get a 3/4 or 1 ton truck with plenty of towing capacity for a 33 foot (total length) trailer. However, we have a hard time believing that a 6 seater pickup truck will be comfortable for 15000 miles of driving. I've never been a pickup fan and am used to vans and SUVs.
The problem with the current market is there is no 3/4 ton SUV option available anymore. The closest would be a Ford Expedition which is a 1/2 ton frame.
So I'm wondering how crazy it would be to get an ultralight 33' total length trailer such as the Kodiak Ultra - Lite 283BHSL. The numbers would work like this: 9300 pound towing capacity - 7600 pound GVW - 600 pounds people weight - 200 pound wet weight in TV = 900 pounds safety. Of course I would have to look at Axle Weights and tongue weights but that's still a small amount safety weight. I'm probably forgetting stuff so please shoot me down.
If our family can be disciplined about weight we could start from the dry weight and add up from there to allow for additional safety factors.
My two concers would be:
1) I'm right at the limit with this trailer without much, if any, safety factor to take into account the mountain passes and the weather I will be facing and
2) a 30' (33' total length) living space trailer will be a large sail in the wind and I worry I will be white knuckling it too often.
What do you all think? Am I stuck with a smaller 29' total length Kodiak Ultra-Lite 248BHSL instead (which removes the separate quad bunkhouse) or do you think I could make it with the 33'?
Also, is there any advice out there for a large family making the cab of a pickup truck work? Maybe we make it work knowing it will be a short time in the pickup truck.
Please be blunt with your advice based on your own experience.
Thanks
