Rant - looking for a travel trailer
I wish some manufacturer made the trailer I was looking for. I have 4 children, and I use a SUV to carry the family. And from all the threads I constantly see here, and on other sites, I'm not the on...
Forum Discussion
itguy08 wrote:johnsoax wrote:
MOST SUVs have this limitation. So RV manufacturers should build around it. But they don't. The majority of potential customers are often told they need to buy a bigger truck to pull what they need/want. Yet the only time they need a bigger vehicle is to pull a camper. With popups basically going away, this is an issue that will most likely push campers into an even smaller niche market.
The engineering works for what I want, I just can't find anyone that makes it.
Not sure on the SUV but run the #'s against what the manufacturer says and go from there....
People said I was crazy thinking about our unit (Open Range LT272RLS, 35' long, 32' box, under 8k according to it's yellow sticker, under 10k gross) and towing it with our 2011 F150 Ecoboost with Max Tow. From Ford I've got 1800+ lbs Payload, a 11,300 tow capacity.
Dealer set us up with a 14,000b Equalizer hitch as we are new to this.
Well, we got the trailer and I figured worst case would be I'd upgrade if need be. Have about 200 miles on it and it tows fine. A little bouncy on the back roads but I've still got the P-rated tires on it and all stock. On the interstate it's fine. Have been passed by semis, cars, trucks, etc. At 65 MPH its stable. At 70 (fastest I've gone) it's also stable. On a windy day there was a little motion back and forth but even the semi in front of us was showing signs as well.
We've got some longer trips planned later this summer and we'll see how well it does and I'm thinking maybe air bags to make the bounciness a little better but so far I'm pleased with it. Is it the BEST? Probably not. Is it working well? Yup.
So run the #'s and let that guide you. If it fits within what the manufacturer says, you should be fine. But if you are on the edge, prepare for a vehicle upgrade.
Good luck on your trip! We did 3000 miles with the popup, one reason we are looking for something different, and could barely feel it through MO, KS, OK, TX, LA, AL, MS and KY. The hills in TN were fun due to a thunder storm, but still way more than enough power for the inclines.
