Purchasing first TT, need opinions on model and tow help

Thanks! I think this info will help greatly!!!!

I wouldn't recommend prime time lacrosse either. Also I wouldn't buy from Tom Raper!!!! I purchased one from them in February and have had nothing but problems and Tom Raper's service sucks!!!

neither Thor nor Forest River are easy to deal with either as an end buyer or dealer....this statement is made from experiances of friends and relatives that have either owned their products or were dealers....the same story as told by relatives was conveyed to me by my current dealer. Good friend had a brand new Montana whose microwave went on fire....yes flames from the electronics....it took months for them to agree to replace it. They are more about profits then customer service. I had major frame failure on a Skyline Nomad 2 years past warranty....they rebuilt to like new no charge....hence we made future purchases. Same for KZ...a roofing material defect that caused damage....repaired no cost to me....hence a new KZ last year. Poor or no customer service equals no sale...simple if they treat others like garbage how will they treat me?? And FR is even worse since Warren Buffet bought them in 07. KZ and Jayco are still family owned and operated...not a pimple on a hugh corp butt...JMHO

spadoctor wrote:
I would stay with either Jayco or KZ...both well built and have a 2 year warranty. Both stand behind their units better then Thor or Forest River. Keep in mind that the tow ratings are based on a flatbed trailer loaded with flat cargo NOT an rv with the big front wall causing drag. Keep in mind also that safe towing also includes the rig handeling while braking. Proper hitch setup is needed for proper and safe towing. Are you in eastern PA? If so check out the Spree at either Family Camping or Cneer. We are on our second KZ tt from Cneer (Chuck and Audrey newcampers.com)....you will not find a better dealer anywhere.

What do you have against Keystone products???:@

At the risk of subjecting myself to the weight police, I am going to share my setup with you that I think might provide you some useful information.

I have a 2008 Ford Expedition EL pulling a Jayco White Hawk 31DSLB. I just purchased this trailer this year so I have only had it out once, but I have pulled it over the scale several times to see where I stand with weight, and I have learned several things:

- First off, do not believe the "dry weight" specs published for the trailer, even if it is "dry". On Jayco's website, the published dry weight of the 31DSLB is 6,125 lbs. The sticker on my trailer pulling off the dealer lot said my trailer weighed 6,600lbs. So figure on 400-500lbs more "dry" weight than what is published.

- Secondly, I think you are underestimating the amount of weight you are going to add to the trailer. That little stuff adds up way more than you think. My experience.......my trailer coming of the dealer lot was 6,600 lbs. Before my first trip, we put food and drinks in (only for a weekend so not that much), packed the (4) kid's bikes, sleeping stuff, kid's toys, some tools, barbecue, lawn chairs, leveling blocks, pots and pans, and a few little odd things. I made sure I had everything I needed but at the same time I did NOT put in a bunch of extra stuff. I filled with freshwater and headed to the scale and was SHOCKED to see that my trailer weight heading to the campsite was about 8,600 lbs.......so I have some work to do. Without freshwater and getting rid of a few things I probably don't need, I think I can get this down to 7,700 - 7,800 lbs, but there is NO WAY I will be able to travel loaded at lighter than this.

- I had a Jay Flight prior to owning the Whitehawk. The storage options in the White Hawk are less than the Jay Flight, especially if you get the outside kitchen (which I have). The front pass-through storage in the White Hawk is HUGE and is really the only convenient place to store most things you will bring camping. Unfortunately, this means lots of tongue weight. On my 8,600lb weigh-in, I calculated my tongue weight to be almost 1,300lbs, and that was being conscious of trying to minimize it as much as possible. Obviously, I have some more work to do as this number is not acceptable.

On my way home from camping with water empty, I weighed in at about 8,100 lbs with the trailer. My Expy was within the GVWR but still over the rear axle GAWR by about 130 lbs. Tongue weight also was over my RV receiver limit (920 lbs) by a couple hundred pounds.

I did purchase a Propride 3P hitch to help with my tow. I will say this - the trailer tows just fine. Even at 8,600 lbs, I had no issues. No sway at all and the truck handles the weight okay. I won't win any races but at no time did I feel uncomfortable or overloaded.

I will re-distribute weight inside my trailer to get closer to specs. What it probably means is that I will have to take some some from the front storage and put it in the rear of the trailer for when I travel and then move it once we get to the campsite. I might end up a little under the recommended 13-15% tongue weight. The drawback of this is potential trailer sway, but I think the Propride can handle this for me.

It is going to be a pain but the bottom line for me is that this is the trailer that best met my needs, so I will make it work. I might not get completely within in all my weight specs, but I will get close. Unfortunately, when you are family of 6, your options are pretty limited for a tow vehicle that can fit everybody and still tow a good size trailer.

Hope this helps.

The Lance 2185 is a great unit! Lance also offers a 2 year warranty and they're manufactured with exacting specifications! Take a look in my signature for some informative videos on Lance & their philosophy and building practices!

WoodGlue

Passin Thru wrote:
I dont know why you guys always worry about tongue weight. Get a 12000 lb hitch.

They don't exist. The 2007+ Ford and GM SUVs (and I think Toy/Nis too) have receivers integrated into the rear bumper and frame. There are no aftermarket heavier duty ones. Anther reason is the low payload and axle ratings of the half tons. 1200 pounds of TW with 1400 pounds of payload means the family is riding separately.

Under 6k dry and under 650 dry TW should be good and comfortable.

I would stay with either Jayco or KZ...both well built and have a 2 year warranty. Both stand behind their units better then Thor or Forest River. Keep in mind that the tow ratings are based on a flatbed trailer loaded with flat cargo NOT an rv with the big front wall causing drag. Keep in mind also that safe towing also includes the rig handeling while braking. Proper hitch setup is needed for proper and safe towing. Are you in eastern PA? If so check out the Spree at either Family Camping or Cneer. We are on our second KZ tt from Cneer (Chuck and Audrey newcampers.com)....you will not find a better dealer anywhere.

I know a few people with the Passport that are very happy with there purchase. You can also look at the Passport 28BH that is 31'10" long with a 5500lbs dry weight and 610lb dry hitch weight.. Good luck with your search!!

http://www.keystonerv.com/passport/

Listed dry weights are several hundred pounds below actual delivered weights. Our 2014 White Hawk 28dsbh dry weight is 5,942 lbs with options. Add at least 500 lbs to the listed dry weights.