Manufacturers?

Welcome to the forum.
If you go to a Ford dealer looking for a truck, would they say you should buy a Chevrolet? No, they will try to sell you their product.

Same thing with a RV. They want to sell you what they have on display.

Check the dealers in the area you are willing to travel for the purchase.
Find a model(s) that fit your needs and wants. Every brand has pros and cons.

Then ask questions/opinions about them.
There is a big selection available, check out as many as you can and don't be in a hurry to buy.

There is a lot of experience and information available on the forum. Don't hesitate to ask questions.
When you find something you like, let us know what you will use as tow vehicle. Someone will help you determine if it is capable.

Many dealers/sales people will tell you a F-150 or 1500 series can pull just about anything. They just want to make a sale.

Take your time and use the search as a learning experience. Most members on the forum are happy to share their experience.

Welcome aboard!
Good news that you are at ground zero for RV purchases, in Florida. If you are purchasing new and will rely on the warranty for fixing even the most minor details of repair and maintenance, your relationship with the dealer will be the most important. Shop for a trusted dealer and then narrow your purchase choice by brands. If you are a DIY'er or are able to do some maintenance, dealer location and customer service won't be that big of a deal.

Good brands that we hear good things about on this Forum (in no particular order)--Arctic Fox, Nash, Airstream, Jayco, Big Foot, Outdoors RV, Oliver, and other Indiana-built TT's.

I really can't list any to stay away from because some of the entry level TT's all seem to have similar fit and finish issues. A few are plagued by fading front gel coat caps and owners are having to paint them. Those I would stay away from. A careful inspection before purchase will turn up a lot of these small issues.

Good luck on the hunt!

Welcome to RV.net.

Your question is really one that will require 1/2 a book to write. I don't mean for that to sound snarky, just that it is true.


There are still A LOT of questions you need to ask yourself so that you can narrow down what to look at.

New or used?

Budget?

Family size?

Tow vehicle or will you match a TV to a TT you buy?

Do you intend to stay with full hook-ups at a RV park or will you dry camp/boondock?

A really good way to look at a lot of trailers all in one location is to go to a RV show. Go there and do a pretend live-in to see if a floor plan and space fit your needs. Then you will also be able to get an idea as to options you may like along with pricing. Look very carefully at the shipped weight on those TTs to know what range a TV you should be in.

If you already own your tow vehicle, list it up as that is critical information. 1/2 ton vehicles can be very limited on what they can tow and it makes zero difference if you only are planning 40 mile trips, no water, bringing limited items, etc.

There is a lot of experience on this site and some information you may not want to hear... but heed that advice.

Cole,

Welcome and congrats on buying a tt!!!

It is great to see you asking questions before buying, unlike many who have learned after the fact in one way or another, myself included.

Best thing to do is start by figuring out exactly what your tv (tow vehicle) can safely tow, and more importantly, haul. By haul, I am referring to the payload of your tv as it was built. There is a yellow sticker in the drivers door jamb stating "Passengers and cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs". This is for your tv as it was built. The weight of the family, cargo (coolers, firewood, bikes, etc), the wdh (weight distribution hitch), AND the tw (tongue weight) of the trailer should not exceed this payload amount. Understand that any accessories added afterward need to be counted toward this amount: truck topper/cap, tonneau cover, step bars, bed liner, mud flaps, etc, all add up weight wise.

Knowing your payload and the tow rating will allow you to start shopping for a trailer. The manufacture "brochure dry weights" are almost a fantasy number. If you read some of the threads currently active about weight, you will learn that. The dry trailer weights often do not include options, some being "mandatory options". The dry tw (hitch weight) does not include the weight of the propane tanks or a battery on the tongue: 2-20lb tanks and a battery are ~120lbs, 2-30lb tanks and a battery are ~160lbs, added to the tw before you even load the trailer with food, pots and pans, clothes, bedding, chairs, grill, toys, etc..... Because of this some members suggest to use the gvwr of a trailer, and figure 13% tw based on the gvwr: example 7,000lb trailer gvwr, would be 910lb tw. They suggest this due to the tw generally needing to be between 12-15% of the loaded trailer weight for a safe, stable tow. And unless the trailer has very little cargo carrying capacity, most weekend/ short trip campers do not load their trailer to the gvwr. BUT on average it does seem the average person/camper adds about 1,000lbs to the trailer.

Our Jayco 32 BHDS has a "brochure weight" of 7,600lbs, with 920lbs tw (I think it is...). The yellow uvw sticker (every newer trailer has one) states it is just under 8,000lbs, but that does include the propane tanks, but not the battery, so just about 8,000lbs even with the battery. Loaded, ready to camp minus a few things (had just got the trailer, wasn't completely finished loading: bikes, rear frame mounted hitch for the bike rack, few other things) was about 8,700lbs with 1,400lbs tw. The weight adds up quickly!!! I figure with the rear hitch, bike rack, bikes,few other things added after weighing, and our boys stuff we are about 9,200lbs loaded now, will have to reweigh to get the exact tw again!

Make sure you get a good wdh!!!! The Reese HP Dual Cam, Equal-I-Zer 4 way system, and the Reese SC (very similar to the Equal-I-Zer, but offers more hitch head adjustment) are very good systems with integrated sway control. There is a couple stickies (Towing forum, and Tow Vehicles I think is where they are) that explain how a wdh works, and how adjusting the wdh to obtain the best tow as well. Even if the dealer sets up the wdh, it is for an empty trailer. Once you load the trailer you probably will need to readjust the wdh.

There is a fair amount of needed accessories as well, but once you decide on a trailer that fits your family and tv, we will be happy to help you become prepared if you need it!

As for manufactures, part of our decision to go with a Jayco was the 2yr warranty, and we liked most of the features. I have since learned if you purchase a Forest River (FR) product (they make many different brand names, search Forest River RV) you can add a second year to the warranty for $150. We may have looked closer at the Puma comparable to what we have had we know that. Not sure if it would have totally changed our mind though! I also read (anyone confirm this???) that if you go to the FR gathering at the factory they do repairs for free, even when out of warranty.... No idea if this is true, or to what extent of the repairs....

As mentioned, do not believe most salesman as to what your tv can safely tow!!!!

Good luck!!!

Wow, thanks so much for the quick responses.
Great to know that I have all this info right here.

My TV is a 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 with 5.7 Hemi and 3.21 gear and 8spd transmission.
According to what I have found, my truck is rated up to 8300#'s max towing and the little sticker on the door jamb says, max loading weight is not to exceed 1562#'s.
Love my truck but wasn't considering a TT when I bought it otherwise I would have bought a 3/4 ton.

YW!!!

How much does the family weigh total? Remember the kids unless already mostly grown, will only weigh more with time, decreasing you payload! Lol

With about 1500lbs payload, that should be ok for a smaller bh model. How many kids?

Do you have a topper or anything added to the truck?

The Jayco Jay Flight 26 BH may be a fairly good match for your truck, pending the number of kids you have. Estimated 6,000lbs loaded, roughly 800lbs tw. Leave about 700lbs for the wdh, family, and coolers.... The Jayco Jay Flight 27 BH would be a little heavier, but with a slide which does add some room inside. But may be marginal depending on the family weight. Estimated 7,200lbs loaded, maybe 900-950lbs tw????

I know what you mean about learning about the payload part of towing!!! We had a '10 Chevy 1500 CCSB 5.3,6spd,3.42 truck rated for towing 9,500lbs or so!!! But with about 1,550lb payload also, that was quickly gone even though we are not a heavy family weight wise. Truck topper, firewood, coolers, bikes, etc all added up to being a it 200lbs over the trucks gvwr!!!! Live and learn.... Never had a Ln issue power wise with the drivetrain, just needed a little more payload capacity!!! We ended up doing ok trade in wise when we stepped up to our current truck, '13 Chevy 2500HD CCSB.

Check every so often on trading the truck in. See what the current offers are on a 2500 or 3500. Never know what can happen!!! Could end up doing what we did, bought nearly the exact same truck option for option, and color! Difference between the two: Was Imperial Blue, now we have Blue Topaz. The only other option differences I can think of is we now have the factory brake controller (works awesome!!!), power pedals (didn't care!), back up sensors, and a rear window defrost.

Do you have the factory brake controller? If not the Prodigy P2 and P3 are highly regarded!!!

Once you get the trailer it is only a madness of doing mods at that point!!! Lol Gotta make the trailer more useful for you!!!

westend wrote:
Welcome aboard!
Good news that you are at ground zero for RV purchases, in Florida. If you are purchasing new and will rely on the warranty for fixing even the most minor details of repair and maintenance, your relationship with the dealer will be the most important. Shop for a trusted dealer and then narrow your purchase choice by brands. If you are a DIY'er or are able to do some maintenance, dealer location and customer service won't be that big of a deal.

Good brands that we hear good things about on this Forum (in no particular order)--Arctic Fox, Nash, Airstream, Jayco, Big Foot, Outdoors RV, Oliver, and other Indiana-built TT's.

I really can't list any to stay away from because some of the entry level TT's all seem to have similar fit and finish issues. A few are plagued by fading front gel coat caps and owners are having to paint them. Those I would stay away from. A careful inspection before purchase will turn up a lot of these small issues.

Good luck on the hunt!

Just for information, Arctic Fox had front cap fading issues. Not sure status of 2015 and 2016 models. Recommend you check fading issues out carefully.

In addition to what others have said, another thing to keep in mind is that most manufacturers assemble their trailers using components purchased from just a few suppliers like Suburban, Atwood, Dometic, Dexter, Lippert, etc. So while there is some variation in build quality a lot of the critical components are the same.

Take the complaints you hear on the internet forums with a grain of salt. People with problems tend to vent while those that are satisfied don't say much at all. So you will find way more complaints about a particular manufacturer that you will praises.

The other huge difference maker in my opinion is the dealer. A good dealer evaluates the rig and takes care of the minor issues before you even pick it up. They will spend time with you going through the proper operation of all of the systems so you are comfortable with how things work. They take care of you if you do have problems after the fact. I think a lot complaints about a particular brand are really due a dealer who is only interested in moving their inventory as quickly as possible and could care less about the customer once the trailer is off the lot.

Good luck!

What I did was talk to the service guys at a nearby RV dealership and ask them which ones they see the least. The heck with salesman the repair tech has all the knowledge to lead you to a good trailer.

Q1.Can anyone offer up a list of the best manufacturers down to the ones to stay away from?
A1.No such list exists, they all make good ones and bad ones.
Q2.What manufacturer gives you the best bang for your buck in a 27'-31' TT?
A2.Look at "value priced" trailers of any brand in person and judge based on your eyes.