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denise71's avatar
denise71
Explorer
May 15, 2013

1973 Holiday Rambler Vacationer

We are buying a 1973 Holiday Rambler TT that is 26 foot long and it seems to be in decent shape. We have a Dodge Ram 2500 Van that is a 1/2 ton that we are going to pull this with. Does anyone know if our vehicle is going to have problems pulling it? And can anyone tell me the weight of this camper? The guy we are buying it from said that it is somewhere near 4000 lbs. But I really would like to know for sure. Also it no longer has the stove or furnace. So I am assuming that would lower the weight of it just a bit.
We are new to having a camper and really don't know much about them so any help or advice would be great.
We also have 1/2 ton Dodge Ram pick-up that we had wanted to pull the camper with, but the hitch is homemade on the truck and everything is welded on and so we don't have anyway to hook up the sway bar to it. Is there anything solution to this problem that anyone can tell me, cause we would have much rather pulled it with the truck than the van.
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    May 15, 2013
    Most manufacturers place a sticker on the RV showing the weight. The sticker may be on the outside and/or on the inside of one of the cabinet doors. Your best bet is to take it to a local public scale and have it weighed.

    A 2500 van should be rated as a 3/4 ton not 1/2 ton (1500). You shouldn't have any problem towing this TT. Many RVers were using Dodge vans to tow these types of trailers back in the 70 and 80's. Make sure the propane lines have been capped off properly unless you plan to replace the stove and heater.

    A friend blew up their trailer due to the repair guy not capping off a propane line when he removed the stove to repair it.
  • SprinklerMan's avatar
    SprinklerMan
    Explorer
    May 15, 2013
    Heres a question , is this old camper basicly free ? If not you may want to consider looking at some units in better condition . Sometimes you can save money by spending a little more on the front end , than nickle and dimes on the back end .
  • Fishinghat's avatar
    Fishinghat
    Explorer II
    May 15, 2013
    While HR products were very well made back then, that was 40 years ago and as SplrinklerMan pointed out, it would have to be very, very cheap to be a "good buy". Check the running gear, such as the brakes and bearings, and the tires should be less than 10 years old.

    You are probably going to want a furnace and stove eventually, as well as a refrigerator (not an icebox). Seriously consider a newer, lighter trailer that you could pull with your Dodge Ram.

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