Newbies

You should be fine picking out a nice trailer for the two of you with the full size truck but pay more attention to the trailers GVWR and pay no mind to it's dry weight.

I always recommend a weight distribution hitch with antisway.

Good luck in your search.

pooretravelers wrote:
We have a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 and know how much we are able to tow (8400 lbs).
Any advice is welcome!!

No you can't, you'll run out of payload capacity long before you get anywhere near 8400 lbs. That number isn't how heavy the trailer itself can weigh but the maximum the truck is rated to tow / haul counting everything.

pooretravelers wrote:

I know this is a general question (and I am getting ready to hit the FAQs) but... what are some of the top questions to ask dealers when looking and getting ready to purchase our first travel trailer?

Ask a dealer only one question: how much the total is with all taxes & fees.

You need to do your own research like you already started here. When you are completely knowledgeable about what you are about to purchase, you won't be subject to all the potential misleading guidance from a dealer.

"and know how much we are able to tow (8400 lbs"

How much weight can the Dodge carry? A far more important number.

This is an absolute great web site that is packed full of information tailored for new RVers of all styles. (ChanginGears.com, click here).

The "Getting Started" link in the left side menu list is an excellent starting point. It will give you lots of information you probably have not considered. It's fun, it's informative, it's exciting to learn. Going through just that one page and reading the pages associated with the links on that page will give you good direction.

I think the second most helpful topic on that web site is the menu item "Manufacturers". There it has an alphabetical list of (almost) every RV manufacturer available, sorted by make or brand. What's beautiful about this page are the links to the manufacturers web sites where you can drill down on each one and view floor plans and designs. Be warned though, you can spend a lifetime doing just by itself.

After you have identified what you think will work for you, what you are looking for, what you like, what you don't like, you'll have better ammunition to take to the first dealership you encounter.

The site covers everything you should consider, from the tires to the television antenna and everything in-between.

Another site that is a really fun site that has good information, but not as "loaded" as Changin'Gears, is GoRVing.com. I've been around RV's, pretty much all my life, and I still absolutely love this site and watching the videos. It's basic information, and really a good starting point too.

Good luck and enjoy. And ... expect to be overwhelmed.

No you can't, you'll run out of payload capacity long before you get anywhere near 8400 lbs. That number isn't how heavy the trailer itself can weigh but the maximum the truck is rated to tow / haul counting everything

Can you explain? I've looked up all kinds of numbers and GVWR and CCC, etc and I'm confusing myself about it all. From what Dodge told us, our GVWR was 8400 lbs. I'm trying to understand all this but I think I'm making it worse on myself.

Ah, the weight police have shown up early. Many here believe that unless you have a 3/4 ton (diesel preferred) you shouldn't tow anything larger than a pop up. You have come to the right place to get answers but be prepared for all sorts of answers.

OK, the limiting thing with half ton pickups is their limited payload capacity. You do have to watch the GVWR numbers and this is the big thing. My Tundra has someting like a 1700 pound payload rating. Once I drop the trailer on the hitch I have something like 700 pounds left to take care of me, the wife,a generator and some lawn chairs.

Half tons make good tow vehicles but you do have to watch the weight of your trailer and the tongue weights. Don't look at dry weight numbers, look at gross vehicle weight numbers. They usually post 10-15% of these numbers at tongue weights even though the are usually higher. Salespeople are probably the worst to get honest answers. I suggest that you go on the trailer website and ask owners what their numbers are. If you are interested in a particular kind of Jayco, go to the Jayco site, or this one for that matter, and ask specifically about that trailer. You will find that many will be towing with your kind of truck.

Good luck. It is late in the season so I am assuming you have just started to look. Take your time.

From my experience a 4x4 half ton is good for about a 5000# dry weight or 7000# gross weight TT. That is about a 25 to 28 foot TT. Even that may be heavy depending on the TT model.

Much more than that and you will run out of cargo capacity.

Since cargo capacity is vehicle dependent, you will need to read the information on on the door jamb sticker to determine your payload limit. I also suggest at least 300 hp.

The folk who knowingly tow heavy, either tow very little or are willing to accept the wear and tear.

Good luck

When the wife and I started looking we went to a CW just to look. All we wanted to do was look and get an idea of what we wanted. There was no pressure from the dealers. In fact, it was such a hot day they had no desire to go in the units, they left us alone to look.

We then had a idea of what we wanted. Did a lot of research on line and narrowed it down to a couple different models. Went back to CW and said this is what we want to look at. Again, no pressure. We knew what we wanted to look at and they didn't try to steer us to something else. Worked for us.

Weight ratings

Here is a short basic video explaining the different weight ratings.