New member looking for 1st TT!

Ugh! Just realized , and not sure how I missed this, but the 2 are same set up. Any opinions about those 2 mfgs? Keystone vs Forest River. We really liked the owners of the Keystone, JD was impressed with the man, seemed honest and like he really took good care of his TT. We'll see how this afternoon goes.

* Keystone is double axle, really like that. Doesn't appear the Forest River is.

Thanks everyone!!!
Grit Dog nope, agree good song but he's JD ( John David ) and I am Dianne, just not THAT one, lol.
Said he knew that about the tran, while new to campers, not new to vehicles and quite the do it yourselfer on vehicles, among many other things. We also ride, him a 1400 Intruder, me a 1600 Nomad and us, me on back, Goldwing. He also has an 87 Ford F-150, inherited from his dad that he's done/doing all kinds of work on.We have a Pathfinder that's the dedicated dog car ( used to have 3 pups til they got old and we had to let them go, died not gave away! ) I drive an Acura TL. He added 2 additional springs on rear axle too because he bought a 7x18 trailer for a tractor, also inherited from Dad, the tractor, not the springs. lol

wanderingaimlessly I've yet to see any of those mfg, we are looking at used. ATM private sellers.

Headed out in just a few to see a 2018 Keystone Bullet. It's 25 ft, forget payload at moment but seems within the specs you guys have recommended. Also looking at a 2021 Forest River fsx DBK 20 ft tomorrow. I'm more excited about the former for a bit more space. I rather like my kids and especially the grand. lol

I'll go ahead and stick my neck out,
Your on the east coast, Lance, Arctic Fox, and ORV are scarce, and pricey when you do find them.
On the mainstream brands, limit yourself to the ones listed as 19-25 foot boxes, these will generally be under 8000 lbs.
Decide on a budget, and a target set of specs. As others mentioned, weight, is paramount, and consider loaded weight, GVWR not the empty weights the salespeople talk.
In general tin sided are the cheapest , Glass or "Filon" are preferred.
Interiors are similar to any furniture, particle board cabinets with shelf paper fake wood coverings are the cheapest, and deteriorate the fastest, Plywood is better, hardwood is the best.
Built in furniture tends to be cheaper, freestanding tends to be better quality.
Appliances are similar across brands and have similar traits.
Manufacturers ? There are lots of opinions, As a generalization.
Grand Design, K-Z, Jayco, seem preferred, Crossroads, and some lines by the other manufacturers tend to have a more loyal following, and generally better warranties. The warranties are not like a car, you cant just walk in and expect service, its a challenge in many cases. But the three I mentioned seem to have better warranties than many.
Dealers are an issue, most folks seem happier with local mom and pop outfits, Watch the contracts, shipping, handling, prep fees, walkthrough, and documentation are ALL made up. They are not mandated, they are ways for a dealer to pad the bottom line.
In SC one that I know is decent is RV outlet USA in North Myrtle Beach, at least they were when last I spoke with them.

Happy Hunting

"Also, our trips will mostly be long weekends. Occasional week I suppose."

On long weekend trips you will have blown tires, wind, heat, rain etc. just like long vacations. All the rules still apply.

JND and a dog wrote:
JIMNLIN Sorry, total girl here. Thought I'd said, 1500. Also, our trips will mostly be long weekends. Occasional week I suppose. Sadly we have a while to go before retirement, by then I suspect we'll be looking at larger vehicle and tt. ??

Jack n Dianne? Great tune!

You didn't, but by default, you did since Ram didn't offer a 8 speed in HD trucks in 2014.
Good news, tell your husband the ZF 8HP70 trans in that truck is one of the best current transmissions out there. First offered as an option in 2013 (and pretty new to ZF at the time), is STILL the same trans that Chrysler runs in ALL of their rear wheel drive applications 8 years later with virtually no changes, including HD Hemi 2500/3500 trucks, SRTs, Hellcats and Demons. (The 700-900hp applications are 1 step up in internal components than your trans, which is run in the 400-500hp applications) Also widely used in Europe in med duty applications.

Only weak link of that truck is the factory coil suspension. Comfy but soft. Throw some bags or Timbrens etc on it if not already done for other hauling purposes.
I'd be thinking 7-8klb max trailer weight and 30' or less. And more comfortable towing 7k or less.

You have tons of options.


PS, I second the notion of buying a used TT, but someone has to buy the new ones, so might as well be YOU!

Good luck in your search!

Beware of the RV salespeople saying "Why you can tow any trailer on this lot with that big truck you got."

You can't, you shouldn't. Concentrate on your truck's payload after you liberally estimate the weight of people and stuff that will be in the truck when towing. 13% to 15% of the trailer's weight should be the tongue weight.

Nothing wrong with starting with a TT. Most people buy a popup or hybrid then sell if after a few years to get something bigger; and take a huge loss in the process. Nothing wrong with buying your second trailer first as long as you don't go overboard. You can start educating yourselves by learning about weights, etc. here: Clicky

Thanks!! Great info so far, much appreciated and I'll share with hubs. He has a couple of trailers ( different sizes) and is a numbers kinda guy. Never towed any camper other than years ago he had one that attached to the bed of an old Toyota diesel truck. This will all be helpful! We're pretty committed on diving in on a tt but don't mind if we need to start small. Biggest issue for us is nor to damage trucks Trans.

JND and a dog wrote:
JIMNLIN Sorry, total girl here. Thought I'd said, 1500. Also, our trips will mostly be long weekends. Occasional week I suppose. Sadly we have a while to go before retirement, by then I suspect we'll be looking at larger vehicle and tt. ??

With a 1500 truck, I would look at the smaller Lance trailers for weight.

JND and a dog wrote:
JIMNLIN Sorry, total girl here. Thought I'd said, 1500. Also, our trips will mostly be long weekends. Occasional week I suppose. Sadly we have a while to go before retirement, by then I suspect we'll be looking at larger vehicle and tt. ??

Problem with 1/2 ton trucks is they vary wildly in capability. I've seen payloads as little as 950lb and upwards of 2500lb in 1/2 ton trucks.

Go look on the driver side door.

There will be a couple stickers with a bunch of numbers.

Key ones to find:
- GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, This is the maximum weight of the truck fully loaded. That weight includes the weight on the hitch which should be on the order of 12-15% of the trailer weight (the trailer also has a GVWR and is a good starting assumption for the ready to travel weight)
- The yellow sticker will have the payload. Again, the hitch weight counts against payload. A 7000lb trailer may have a hitch weight of 1000lb. Add in the 3 of you plus firewood and some other stuff in the truck bed, you may exceed the payload.
- RAWR: Rear Axle Weight Rating, similar to the GVWR but specific to the rear axle. It's possible to be within GVWR and Payload but still be over the RAWR. Hitch weight mostly goes onto the rear axle.
- Tow rating: Mostly this is built around the power to pull and brakes to stop...more often than not, you run out of one of the first three before you hit the tow rating.