Camper travel trailer noob questions
About to pull the trigger on a 2016 Dutchman Aerolite 292 DBHS. http://www.dutchmen.com/aerolite/floorplans-and-pictures/floorplan-details?modelId=22695 I'm hoping I got a good deal at 31950 out ...
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Another Houston guy here, and I went from a 2012 F150 Ecoboost to my current rig, 2013 F250 diesel. Forget the salesman - he's there to collect your money. You'll have to make this assessment on your own.
The tongue weight will undoubtedly be in the 1000-1100 pound range by the time you add propane, battery, your gear inside the RV, and perhaps water in the gray/black/freshwater tanks. Look at the sticker on the truck's trailer hitch and you might be over it already, without even getting into payload capacity. Look for the number that has the weight capacity with weight distribution hitch.
On top of that, 34' is pretty long for a travel trailer.
Once you figure out all the math, my suggestion is to ask yourself how far and often you plan on traveling with the RV. If you think it'll be short trips, like maybe Austin or closer several times a year, then you can get away with being closer to the limit because Texas is pretty flat. If you're thinking Colorado, Big Bend, Florida, or anywhere along those lines, I strongly urge you to buy a smaller TT or upgrade trucks. Towing for hours and hours in windy conditions, which is unavoidable, is not fun if you're under-trucked. Towing up/down long hills/mountains will also be pretty hard on the truck.
The tongue weight will undoubtedly be in the 1000-1100 pound range by the time you add propane, battery, your gear inside the RV, and perhaps water in the gray/black/freshwater tanks. Look at the sticker on the truck's trailer hitch and you might be over it already, without even getting into payload capacity. Look for the number that has the weight capacity with weight distribution hitch.
On top of that, 34' is pretty long for a travel trailer.
Once you figure out all the math, my suggestion is to ask yourself how far and often you plan on traveling with the RV. If you think it'll be short trips, like maybe Austin or closer several times a year, then you can get away with being closer to the limit because Texas is pretty flat. If you're thinking Colorado, Big Bend, Florida, or anywhere along those lines, I strongly urge you to buy a smaller TT or upgrade trucks. Towing for hours and hours in windy conditions, which is unavoidable, is not fun if you're under-trucked. Towing up/down long hills/mountains will also be pretty hard on the truck.
