Need help on decision on buying TT for long term living

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You have a lot of choices with a F-150, up to about 25 feet (200 sq ft living area). Larger than that, you get into lightweight construction methods, which can be problematic for four season living.

I know people who live for extended periods in molded fiberglass TTs as short as 13 feet (about 65-70 sq ft), a bit cramped for me, and others who struggle with the 400 sq ft maximum that defines for HUD the difference between a RV and permanent home. I know a few that have lived in the 40-50 sq ft in the back of a van, or the smaller space of a tuck camper.

I suggest you start looking at the living arrangements in TTs of various sizes to find what meets your living space needs. Once you find a size, try to find it built well enough for long term, year round living. That part will be harder, and the cost might have you rethinking economics of TT vs hotels, since you are probably going to be paying rent for the place you set up your TT.

Something not yet mentioned... most travel trailers are designed for light duty use. The furniture, appliances, fabrics etc are not designed to handle the wear and tear of everyday use. You would have to get an "Extended living" RV (heavier and more expensive) to have one that will hold up over time.

Plenty of folks do it. A lot in construction that move around with the work.
That said, run the numbers based on paying for a campsite, plus the rv cost, plus the reduced fuel mileage while towing, plus increased wear and tear, plus camper maint and repairs.
Then decide if you are doing it in the winter and add in all the cost of heating and winter proofing the trailer, IF you can even find somewhere to park it.
See how that stacks up to hotel/eating out costs and then the Inconvienence if you're moving it often, working in big cities etc.
it's only the economical choice if most of the chips fall your direction.

When I was working I hit almost 40 states over the years. Sometimes for a few weeks, other times for a few hours. I think an important factor not mentioned so far is how long will you be in one place.

A 25 footer will be much easier to haul from town to town every few days than would a 35 footer. But for a month, you'll appreciate the extra space. My experience is even our 36 footer starts to shrink after a month.

But those posts on weights are very important if you're looking for the larger units.

Since you're new to RVing, I'd suggest buying something a year or two old from someone who really is motivated to sell it. There's a good chance whatever you pick, you'll soon learn what it is you want out of the trailer. With luck and having gotten a really good deal, you can get most of your money out of it when you're ready to get the one you really want.

What are your questions?

Here are mine
1) What f150....year model trim engine tranny etc
2) Do you know how much payload (cargo carrying capacity) your truck has
3) What areas are you going to be traveling in/staying in
4) Summer/winter?

First, where will you be traveling? If it is going to be in the Northeast, you will find it next to impossible to find campgrounds open during cold weather months, and it will also be next to impossible to keep a RV warm and pipes thawed out during the extreme cold months.

Moved from Forum Technical Support

As pointed out diazr2, start by determining how much trailer you can actually pull. Don't go by the typical, my truck is rated to tow x pounds. That rating is artificially high. The weights you need to be concerned with are GVWR, GAWR and potentially GCWR. GVWR is the max weight your truck can carry, including passenger(s), fuel, cargo (either in bed, or in cab), weight of hitch, and tongue weight of trailer fully loaded.

Your max cargo capacity is on the yellow sticker on the drivers door jamb. It wil say something like max weight of all cargo, including passengers is "x".. That is your cargo capacity for that truck.

You need to take your weight, weight of gas (8 lbs per gallon... I think gas weight has to be considerd in cargo capacity.. others will chime in if Im wrong), weight of anything you will carry in the cab/bec and approx 100 lbs for the weight distribution hitch. Subtract that from the cargo capacity, and that tells you how much you have left for the tongue weight of the trailer.

To determine likely tongue weight, take the GVWR of the trailer (it will be on the front drivers side corner of trailer usually). The GVWR of the trailer is the max the trailer should weigh fully loaded. Take 15 percent of that value as an estimate of tongue weight. If this number, along with the calculation for weight of truck above, is equal to or less than the overall cargo capacity of the vehicle (as displayed on the yellow sticker), then it is a potential candidate for you to consider. If these numbers all end up exceeding the cargo capacity, then you have to move on to something smaller/lighter.

Hope it helps...

Mike

I hear the eco boost is a nice truck. But with a 150 you will be restricted to the size. I would guess if you are going to live in it full time you would want something that is roomy. I would much rather spend time in my own trailer rather than a motel room that's for sure. Your first starting point is to see what your truck can pull and yes there are all kinds of weight ratios for the same truck so you need to check into that first thing. Good place to start is the sticker on the inside of the drivers side door. and then go from there. Other than that you are just spinning your wheels. Find out how much you can pull how much you can carry and most importantly how much you can stop.. Then you can narrow your search accordingly.