Here we go again, advice requested

[Taurus18]

My wife and I do competition BBQ and the last few years have been working out of an 18' TT that I remodeled for that purpose, however we have now started looking at a TH for more comfort and convenience.
This is our "wish list":
Looking at used, bumper pull, would like to stay at or under 26'
Front bedroom, full bathroom, kitchen, 2 door fridge, a place to sit with a table. At least one side of the garage would need to be empty for the smoker.
An option would be a rear bedroom with front cargo area assuming I could remove the murphy bed without any damage.
TV is a 2009 Nissan Titan, 5.6L V8 4WD with max tow capacity of 9400#
I won't totally rule out a Fiver, but have a short bed with a toolbox to consider.
Thanks in advance
Greg

[Taurus18]

jsalazar310 wrote:
I don't have any helpful replies but if you ever come down to CA, I'd like to try some of your BBQ!

That's a long ways, but never say never 🙂

[jsalazar310]

I don't have any helpful replies but if you ever come down to CA, I'd like to try some of your BBQ!

[atwowheelguy]

I have a 2010 Cruiser RV Funfinder Xtra XT-245. You may find some 2015s in inventory. Unfortunately the manufacturer was recently bought out by a larger company and the new owner decided to stop production of this line.

6740 lbs. with 780 lbs. tongue weight loaded for camping with two dirt bikes but no water. 5025 lbs. on the yellow weight sticker.

[Taurus18]

And not helping matters are the discrepancies, for example:
Grey Wolf is listed as having a 574 pound dry hitch weight, yet
Vengeance is appears to be almost identical but has a listed hitch weight of 945 pounds. :?

[Happy_Camper3]

Here is the exact same one I have:

http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/2006-Forest-River-SALEM-114408916

I am very happy with it. but there is no seperate bedroom, I'm afraid that will be hard to find.

[lincster]

Agree with Y-Guy on all aspects.

If the toyhauler has the water tanks, or part of the water tank, in front of the axles and you tow with water, it won't matter how much weight you put in the back, your tongue weight will go up.

I had a triple axle Weekend Warrior, 30' box, tongue weight was 1400lbs at the ball coupler.
120 gallons of water with no toys, tongue weight went up to 1700lbs.
4 quads loaded into the hauler, tongue weight went back down to 1400lbs.

I have a Sherline tongue weight scale, so I was measuring right at the ball coupler.

I have the same scenario with my current 5th wheel.

2640lbs of pin weight with no toys and no water.

Full water and a 2800lb sand rail and 2 quads in the back, pin weight goes up to 3450lbs.

[Y-Guy]

Taurus18 wrote:
Is there a rule of thumb for weight behind the axles reducing the TW? I know it changes but don't know of a ratio?

There really is very minimal change unless you load all the weight right on the rear bumper. In most cases you are not going to change the TW that much. Toy Haulers are notorious for having very very heavy tongue weights. I've lost count over the years of how many half ton owners have upgraded after the buy a toy hauler or worse had to see the TH.

[misterpowertool]

There are about a dozen or so TH's out there with that same basic layout...mine being one of them. Most are 8'6" wide. That ratio is just some math. Say a 24' trailer has 8 feet behind the axles' centerline, thats 33%. You put 1000 lbs in the very back, you reduce TW by 333 lbs, but that 1000 lb object is 4 feet long f-r, you're looking at reducing TW by about 248 lbs.
BTW, Bilstein HD shocks on the rear are a worthwhile investment for your TV. I think most here will at least agree on that.

[Taurus18]

The BBQ equipment that would be loaded would add up to about 1000 to 1200 pounds max.
As for the tow vehicle, if one of you want to donate a 3/4 ton to me..........
otherwise it's the Titan, which has served me well.
I looked at a 2014 Vengence 19V yesterday, dry weight was around 5300 but TW was was right at my max of 940. Is there a rule of thumb for weight behind the axles reducing the TW? I know it changes but don't know of a ratio?

[misterpowertool]

Y-Guy wrote:

Taurus18 wrote:
I understand what you all are saying, we had a guy try to steer us towards at Work & Play that weighs 7500 empty with a hitch weight of over 1100, no thanks.
I'm thinking more along this line:
Grey Wolf

The GW #'s don't sound right, 7574 GVWR with 574 tongue weight that's not even 10% tongue weight normal recommendations are 10-15%. I'd insist on actual weight of one of the units.

574 TW DRY...with a 4124 approx. DRY weight, thats about 13.9% tongue weight. Why compare the DRY TW with the FULLY LOADED trailer weight? To the OP... looks like you have a good match with the Grey Wolf 19RR. I'm sure your Smoker and gear aren't going to weigh 3300 lbs. Unfortunately, there has been a long time bias against 1/2 tons with some here. You'd be under the 80% "rule". If you're still unsure, you can rent a TT with similar numbers and decide for yourself.

[misterpowertool]

lincster wrote:
Titans are not built heavy duty enough to tow a decent sized hoy hauler.
If u have to move batteries to reduce tongue weight, u don't have enough tow vehicle.

I pretty much agree... But to the OP who has a Titan and wants a TH to roll a BBQ smoker into, this is relevant info. As already stated, THs tend to be balanced heavy on the tongue...why? ...because toys get loaded into the back. His BBQ isn't going to weigh much, so no counterbalance. For his situation, he Could move batteries If TW % was way off.

Our TH is the largest I would choose to tow behind a halfer. It's 5100 lbs dry...about 7000lbs loaded with all gear incl. lifted gas golf cart. TH is overall 25' long. Towed it once with a Tundra...Tundra had a bit better drive train but softer rear springs.

[lincster]

Titans are not built heavy duty enough to tow a decent sized hoy hauler.
If u have to move batteries to reduce tongue weight, u don't have enough tow vehicle.

[misterpowertool]

My Aerolite 215BHKS had more TW (864) than our current TH.

[misterpowertool]

Oh, brother! Always someone here who thinks a 1/2 ton isn't a truck and their 250/350 is! I tow sig TH high and low into the Sierra Nevadas and the one thing that keeps me from maintaining a decent pace (ie. speed limit) is some lumbering class 2 or 3 truck pulling some 5er or 27'+ TT. Most have the decency to pull over, like the cars I sometimes catch up to. 2008 and up Titans have a higher payload capacity. AND THE TOW RATINGS ARE MODEL SPECIFIC. Something else, you don't have to have the batteries mounted on the tongue... go with a sealed AGM and put it wherever you want. The battery they give you with a new trailer isn't worth much anyway.