I am buying my 1st RV, and have done lots of looking and thinking but have a basic decision I need help with.My wife and I plan to spend 2-4 months on the road each summer once she retires next year. I have been planning to buy a 26' TT with an unloaded weight of 4500-5100 lbs. Of course we would add appr. 1500 lbs or so to that in cargo, our own weight, fluids, etc. I have a 2012 Ram 1500 5.7L gas engine with a tow limit of 8700 lbs.I am buying used, and am finding mostly larger units available. I'm considering a couple now that are 32 ft and about 6300 lbs dry.Of course the bigger units will be much more comfortable considering we will be full-timing for up to four months.My question: will 6 feet in length and 1500-2000 lbs be a big difference in towing issues and gas costs? Obviously, if I were jumping from a 20' to a 32' the answer would be yes. I only want to make this purchase once, and avoid the moving up or down in size that so many people seem to do. Also, I can't afford to get a bigger truck.Please let me hear from someone with experience! Thanks!

Your gaser can pull your tt but can you stop that tt with your non heavy duty brakes and going up hills and down hills takes a toll on your gaser engine as it dose not have engine braking built in to it so those may be somethings to look at maybe buy a 2500 for your basic needs not a 3500 its to much truck for that little tt you have.

Most likely your limit will be your Tow Vehicle (TV) cargo capacity or pay load.For example,• My 5000 lb. dry weight Travel Trailer (TT)weights 6200 lbs. loaded for a trip. Tongue weight is about 700 lbs.• My F-150 is rated to pull 9500 lbs. but it has a cargo capacity of 1411 lbs. That is what it was designed to carry. That leaves me with 711 lbs. of cargo. • My DW and I plus our dog and the truck cap with our gear weight about 700 lbs.• According to the CAT scales we are at or slightly over our TV weight limit when we tow. As for gas mileage expect 9 to 10 mpg and you will not be too far off. I assume your TV has the towing package. Also the only weight numbers that count are the ones you get from the scales.Unless you are in a real hurry, rent a TT similar to what you think you want. It is a tad expensive but it answers a lot of questions very quickly; without the big cash outlay.

you need a heavier truck. ,you,ll get better braking and much better preformence.

What is the "payload" rating of your truck? The sticker in the door of your truck will tell you the GVWR of your truck and it will have something to the effect of "the weight of cargo and passengers shall not exceed xxx lbs.". That is your payload rating and the place you need to start.

Just forget about MPG. Luckily, gas is at a real low price point, currently.Buy a TT that is under all the ratings of your truck. Allow some wiggle room. Otherwise, you will be miserable on every trip and your tow vehicle will start paying the price.If I was planning on cruising for 2-4 mos. every summer, a bigger truck would be in the budget. The larger trucks tow so much better. If you have to keep the Ram, focus your towing limits around the payload capacity of the truck, not the maximum towing limits. You'll run out of payload capacity long before you reach the max tow limits.

What to buy...I need a little advice! | Good Sam Community

rbpru
Explorer II
Jan 04, 2016
We have towed 15,000 miles in the last two years. The 25 ft. TT is as small as we would go. A 28 ft is about as big as we would consider.

It is a personal choice limited by TV and cost.
Atlee
Explorer II
Jan 03, 2016
That is currently me. We have a 24' (bumper to ball) Koala 21CS. It went cross country on our Big Trip in 2014, Virginia to the Pacific Ocean in Los Angeles, and a lot of places along the way and on the back. 7,900+ miles all total.

Our little trailer came along with no troubles. I pulled it with a F150 XLT, SuperCab, 4x4 and 1420# cargo capacity.

wanderingbob wrote:
In your intro you said that you would be traveling for several months at a time . If that means traveling every day or two then smaller is better . If that means staying in one spot for a month or two large might be better .I prefer smaller units as I am a 'traveler ' not a camper . We never stay three nites in one location .
stufarmer
Explorer
Jan 03, 2016
We've owned a similar Laramie 5.7 Ram, 3:73's L/S & tow pkg. While it towed our 5500lb boat fine here in Florida, it struggled dearly when we traveled with it threw the Smokey's.
patperry2766
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2015
camper

For me, this would be they layout that I would be leaning towards if I were planning to go for extended stays. While this might me a bit big for your truck, several manufacturers have similar floorplans.

For me, tripping over stuff and not having a place for everything is frustrating for me. With the double bunks in the back, both you and your wife could each have a bunk to keep your clothes, nicknacks & things you pick up along the way, or you could remove one of both to free up more room for storage.

It has an outside kitchen that you'll probably use more than the one inside (at least we do) and an exterior door that leads to the bathroom.
OutdoorPhotogra
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
rfloyd99 wrote:
Thanks to all - I have learned a lot, please keep posting!

Have looked at the door sticker, and done more research.

The GVWR is 6700, payload is 1611. Does that mean that I can load the truck with up to 1611 lbs? Made up of the weights of passengers, fuel, tongue wt of trailer, plus anything else carried/added onto/in the truck?

Am I missing anything here?

Close. You need to take your truck to a scale and get the weight with a full tank of gas and no other extras and then subtract that from GVWR. I think the payload of 1611 takes a full tank of gas and a 150 lb driver into account.

In other words, if you can squeak by with 600 lbs for your other passengers and gear ( and whatever you weigh over 150) then you would have 1,000 lbs for tongue weight and weight distribution hitch (100 lbs). A 6,500 lb GVWR travel trailer will be an 850-900 lb tongue weight.
bid_time
Nomad II
Dec 29, 2015
rfloyd99 wrote:
Thanks to all - I have learned a lot, please keep posting!

Have looked at the door sticker, and done more research.

The GVWR is 6700, payload is 1611. Does that mean that I can load the truck with up to 1611 lbs? Made up of the weights of passengers, fuel, tongue wt of trailer, plus anything else carried/added onto/in the truck?

Am I missing anything here?
Yes, that 1611 number is the maximum wt of passengers, tongue wt., hitch equip't, cargo, etc. all added together. So your first step is to determine what the tongue wt. will be loaded and ready to go camping.

this may help you out.
wanderingbob
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2015
In your intro you said that you would be traveling for several months at a time . If that means traveling every day or two then smaller is better . If that means staying in one spot for a month or two large might be better .I prefer smaller units as I am a 'traveler ' not a camper . We never stay three nites in one location .
patperry2766
Explorer II
Dec 29, 2015
A lot of packing will depend on how you anticipate camping. If you plan on staying in the same place for an extended time, or staying in a campground that has W/D facilities as well as being close to a grocery store, then your packing will be different as opposed to camping in remote places that aren't as easily accessible to stores, etc where you have to plan on longer stays between return trips to civilization to replenish your supplies.

This will just be something that you learn as you go.
kearlms
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
I had a 1998 Dodge 1500 with the 6.0 in it and it had a hard time pulling our 23 foot at 6300 lbs loaded. We upgraded to a one ton dually and love it. Pulls all we need to pull. We lost a transmission and the rear end after upgrading to the 23 footer. I dont know what or if there has been improvements, but I would be careful with anything to big.
rfloyd99
Explorer
Dec 29, 2015
Thanks to all - I have learned a lot, please keep posting!

Have looked at the door sticker, and done more research.

The GVWR is 6700, payload is 1611. Does that mean that I can load the truck with up to 1611 lbs? Made up of the weights of passengers, fuel, tongue wt of trailer, plus anything else carried/added onto/in the truck?

Am I missing anything here?