Looking for TT to fit our needs. Newb.

[BarleyCrusher]

Hello learned sages!

Taking the family on a tour of the US and Canada this summer. National Parks, etc. I think we have basically decided to get a travel trailer, and tow it with my vehicle. It's me and the wife, two kids (7 and 9).

I have a 2004 Lexus GX470. The SUV itself is rated to tow 6500lbs but the stock tow hitch only to 5000lbs (early 2004 model year tow package). The SUV has a lot of miles but runs great, I have maintained it well since about 90K miles and no signs of worry. I've towed things before and it does great.

So I'm thinking I want a TT about 4000lbs or less, so that I can haul my water and other stuff in it. That puts me generally in a very restricted set of trailers 18-21 feet from what I can tell.

Looking at a dealership a few days ago with the family, I think we have decided that we want a "permanent" queen bed with permanent bunk beds for the kids. A murphy-bed queen also a possibility. There seems to be like 30+ different new models out there with this configuration under ~4100lbs, but they are pricey, for us. What I want to do is get a used one for $5-8K, and put some time and money into making it better, if needed. Does that make sense or am I nuts? I could get a new Viking 21BH for like $13K which I think would fit our needs, but I don't want to spend that much - we are planning to travel for 14 months or so (only the summer with the TT in N. America) and spending money now means maybe cutting things out later. I'm willing to replace carpeting, components, etc. I'd rather have a higher quality trailer with some wear and tear, than a new one that doesn't last. What are fatal issues I should look for in units that are 5+ years old? In visiting the dealer and looking at used ones, we observed nasty mold and chemical smells that I'm not sure I could deal with.

If I'm not nuts, how can I find something like what I'm looking for? I don't see many things for sale that are used and newer, maybe I'm not looking in the right places? RVTrader (can I say that?) has some things but not nearly as much as I believe has to be out there. I don't think I would buy anything sight-unseen, but I would be willing to travel to get it (I'm in PA)

Any help or advice is greatly appreciated, thank you!

[Bumpyroad]

Ascend had one that had bed and bunks but it would have to be a used one.
bumpy

[DrewE]

I agree that a popup would probably be a the best option with this tow vehicle.

You might also want to look at an A-liner or similar hard-sided foldable trailer. The basic tradeoff, as I see it, is less space inside for better protection from the elements. With a family of four, that probably isn't an ideal tradeoff, unless perhaps the kids sleep out in a separate tent.

[BarleyCrusher]

Edit/Correction: I counted 23 gallons of gas twice, so I've got 142 more pounds to play with in the vehicle. Feels better.

[BarleyCrusher]

Right, good point.

So car + full tank + us inside and no gear/camping stuff totals about 5525lbs.

GVWR is 6150lbs, 2850 front 3350 rear. I don't have a clue on weight distribution but heavier people up front and all the tongue weight in the back for sure.

So say I maxed out the trailer at 5000lbs (which the hitch is rated up to) that adds 600bs which makes the total 6125lbs. So 25lbs of "gear" I can put in the car. That's like nothing. Realistically I overestimated our weights by maybe 30 lbs, but regardless I'm not stocking stuff in the SUV because we don't want to haul it in the trailer.

So I'll be looking to be as light as possible. 5Klbs behind me means basically everything needs to be in the trailer. 4Klbs behind me gives me 120lbs more cargo in the cabin, more realistic.

Thank you for the eye-opener! Also I now realize I have seriously over loaded my ride in the past. Not okay for several months with the family. I think I'm still going to look for travel trailers, but my scope as shrunk even more.

[donn0128]

Towing, especially with an older SUV is not always all about weights. Frontal area of that big box will create a huge sail behing that SUV slowing you down terribly. First thing you really need to do is load family and all your traveling stuff into it, fill the fuel tank and drive across a set of scales. Then look on the drivers door post for FAWR,RAWR, and GVWR numbers. Stsrt doing the math. You will real quickly discover your available payload is much less than you might think. Remember approx 12% of a loaded trailers weight is added to your scaled ready to travel weight.
I really think that that after is said and done your best choice will be a tent trailer, not a full sized travel trailer.