westend wrote:
6000 lbs is going to close to the max you want to pull with that truck, regardless. If this is your first travel trailer and a cross-country trip is being planned, I'd suggest to get something smaller. Tell us how many campers will be going along. If it's only you and one other passenger, a 17' trailer will produce as much fun and be a lot easier to handle for a newbie.
+1. We spent 5 months and travelled 22,000 miles on a round NA jaunt with the equipment you see in my signature below. With 381 hp and 400 ft-lbs of torque, power was never a real issue while towing the 7000# trailer even over the many mountain passes we crossed. My combined weight was in the 14,000 lb neighborhood, and both axles on the truck were maxed.
Having said that, the drive would have been more comfortable with a ¾ or 1 ton truck for sure. Cross winds and passing semis moved us around a bit, which is understandable I guess when dealing with a 30 foot wall sideways in the wind. Never dangerous but uncomfortable at times.
I believe that westend's advice about considering a smaller trailer is sound. Towing is much easier when the tow vehicle is considerably heavier than the trailer. If I do this again, it will be with a smaller travel trailer.
Maybe have a look at the first two stickies in the towing section of these forums for excellent info on how things work and how to set up for towing. I learned lots there.
Safe travels.
