New member looking for 1st TT!

JND and a dog wrote:
Hello campers! Total newbie here, headed out to what looks like a good place to purchase our first TT on Friday.

Do NOT buy new ! By a TT that is less than 5 years old. Start small, maybe a pop up or a hybrid. Don't invite others until you are comfortable with setup and take down (the most stressful time).

If you enjoy the experience after a year or two, then buy new !

You gonna' have to choose a TT by its weight that fits in your 2014 1500 Rams specs.
Much depends on the trucks rear axle ratio. Most 3.21 gears are in the 7000-8000 lb range. The 3.92 gears gets 9000-10450 lbs gross weight.

Your Rams weak point is its small 3900 rawr that limits payloads to around 1400-1500 lbs on the rear axle.
Rear axle will carry all the hitch weight and other stuff in the bed and part of the cabs weight.
You have the truck so drop by a set of CAT scales and get separate front and rear axle weights numbers.
Axle loads plus measuring points can help in setting up your WD hitch.

The 1500 Ram doesn't have enough rear axle capacity (3900 rawr) to carry a much over a 6k-7k gross weight TT.

Those higher 9k-10k lb tow ratings are made for non RV trailers like my 10k flatbed car hauler that I can load the deck to any hitch weight needed.

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. ??

JND and a dog wrote:
Hello campers! Total newbie here, headed out to what looks like a good place to purchase our first TT on Friday. Truck we'll be using is husbands 2014 Dodge Ram 5.7 Hemi. 2 WD 8 speed. Any general recommendations on brands, sizes? We know ( ok, he knows ) a bit about tow weight etc. Most trips will be him, myself and our dog. Would like ability to take 2 adults along occasionally, also one grandchild. We want at least one slide out and def a dedicated bed, not the table or bunk for us. Husband takes very good care of our vehicles, his biggest concern is transmission and not wearing it out, at least not real fast!
We do plan to be traveling mountain areas sometimes.

Not sure if a signature is added but in case it's not, I'm Dianne, husband is JD.

IMHO, I would recommend you look at the Lance trailers. I would suggest the 24' or 30' trailer. depending on the length of time you normally are out for an RV trip. If longer than 2 weeks I would choose a 30' TT. Trailers can get pretty claustrophobic. In addition the larger the trailer the larger the black and grey tank capacity. Under 30 gal. tanks fill up pretty quick, especially with 3 adults and grandkid which means more frequent dumping unless you have a sewer connection at your site. Recommend a Reese Dual Cam hitch for trailer for stability (wind from 18 wheelers) and ease of hooking/unhooking. You also want 2 propane tanks. New trailers tend to come with low quality tires. Personally I threw away the original tires and bought good tires. Get the biggest tire that will fit your trailer, i.e. E or G rated tires. I would not tow with C or D rated tires. Next buy a good Emergency Road Side Service policy i.e. Good Sam, but there are others. Buy 30 to 50 amp adapters and 50 to 30. Buy a good surge protector for the trailer electrical system, don't buy a cheap one. Buy a 15' and 10' sewer hoses. a stack of 2' levelers and a good sam block ramp to raise a flat tire or just call good sam to change the tire.

welcome to the forum where you will get all types of recommendations for brands and especially sizes (length and weight).
Of course TT size depends on your Ram truck configuration.
Is it a 1500 or 2500 truck ???