Ugh! Please help me decide!
Hello! *waves*
My DH and I are in the market for a new TT and have looked at so many in the last few weeks (online AND in person) that they are all starting to look the same.
We have a 23 ft hybrid and really want to upgrade to an enclosed trailer. Our 2 yr old likes to crawl into the bunks and it scares the daylights out of me that he may fall out. Also, we are planning a cross country trip this summer to CA. I don't think the hybrid will stay cool in the desert all that well.
Our "issues"... we travel with 6 of our children, so we need lots of sleeping space. This also means our vehicle already has more weight in it than most people deal with.
Our 2004 Suburban is a 1500 5.3L and the 3.73. We also have the HD towing package, including the transmission cooler and upgraded hitch. It tows 7,400 (or 7,700 depending on which source you believe). HOWEVER, the GCWR is "only" 13,000 with my 3.73 (it goes to 14,000 with the 4.10). I followed advice seen here and weighed my car hubby, all 6 kids and 3/4 a tank of gas and we are at 6695. The 30 lb Boykin was not with us, so I would add another 40# with her and her light metal kennel. This leaves us with only 6265 before we are at GCWR.
Obviously we want to have wiggle room for cargo for our trip and not max ourselves out. We've looked at getting a different vehicle, but we know this one well and really like it. We took our HTT to Maine and back this summer and it pulled and ran like a dream. We also worked hard to find one that was "just right" for our family, complete with his sunroof, my barn doors and the DVD for the kids. I doubt we will easily find another that we enjoy as much in our price range.
So HELP!! :D On our short list is a Starcraft 26BH (5100#), the Passport 280 BH (4800#) and possibly a Rockwood, though I've not found any in the build we want. Whatever we buy will likely be our camper for the next 3-5 years until a few more kids move out on their own.
Also, total side note, is there any benefit in considering changing out my rear differential to the 4:10? Will it really increase our GCWR another 1000#? What else am I missing?
My DH and I are in the market for a new TT and have looked at so many in the last few weeks (online AND in person) that they are all starting to look the same.
We have a 23 ft hybrid and really want to upgrade to an enclosed trailer. Our 2 yr old likes to crawl into the bunks and it scares the daylights out of me that he may fall out. Also, we are planning a cross country trip this summer to CA. I don't think the hybrid will stay cool in the desert all that well.
Our "issues"... we travel with 6 of our children, so we need lots of sleeping space. This also means our vehicle already has more weight in it than most people deal with.
Our 2004 Suburban is a 1500 5.3L and the 3.73. We also have the HD towing package, including the transmission cooler and upgraded hitch. It tows 7,400 (or 7,700 depending on which source you believe). HOWEVER, the GCWR is "only" 13,000 with my 3.73 (it goes to 14,000 with the 4.10). I followed advice seen here and weighed my car hubby, all 6 kids and 3/4 a tank of gas and we are at 6695. The 30 lb Boykin was not with us, so I would add another 40# with her and her light metal kennel. This leaves us with only 6265 before we are at GCWR.
Obviously we want to have wiggle room for cargo for our trip and not max ourselves out. We've looked at getting a different vehicle, but we know this one well and really like it. We took our HTT to Maine and back this summer and it pulled and ran like a dream. We also worked hard to find one that was "just right" for our family, complete with his sunroof, my barn doors and the DVD for the kids. I doubt we will easily find another that we enjoy as much in our price range.
So HELP!! :D On our short list is a Starcraft 26BH (5100#), the Passport 280 BH (4800#) and possibly a Rockwood, though I've not found any in the build we want. Whatever we buy will likely be our camper for the next 3-5 years until a few more kids move out on their own.
Also, total side note, is there any benefit in considering changing out my rear differential to the 4:10? Will it really increase our GCWR another 1000#? What else am I missing?
