Nervous First Time RV Buyer Looking For Tips & Advice

[JustinG30]

Hey everyone. Long story short my girlfriend and I are purchasing our first travel trailer this week. We are looking at 3. Ones 26 ft overall, another 27 and the last 28 (21, 23, 24 livable). I have a 2015 Ram Crew Cab with 3.6l v6 4x4 and says I can town 7,200. All three weigh under 5,000 dry.

My biggest concern is driving. Will I notice a difference between the 26 and 28 ft ? We are planning on taking it this weekend on an approx 1500 mile road trip from Michigan to Boston and back. I'm nervous about making right turns, getting stuck somewhere, etc. so any tips or tricks for a first time purchaser and driver would be recommend. Thank you.

(I've only towed an 8x5 trailer before)

[is_it_friday_ye]

JustinG30 wrote:
Thanks for all of the advice. So we found what we want. Coachmen Freedom Express 233rbs. Has 2 slide. Anyone know anything about these? Good solid camper? Looks like we are getting it for 19k out the door including electronic brake, weight distribution hitch, tax, title, etc. is their anything we should see if we can get them to throw in?

Also some of these have a black tank flush other don't. If ours doesn't, is this a big deal?

Thanks

I like our black tank flush but I've also added one to a previous camper, it wasn't hard to do. Which brake controller are they giving you? I would make sure it's a good one. I have the Tekonsha P3 but the Prodigy P2 is a good one also. Make sure it comes with a spare tire. Have them throw in an extra power cord if you can (30A).

[Tvov]

Black tank flush is not a "big" deal, but it is nice to have. We don't have one - I just fill/rinse and dump the tank a couple times to clean it out. A flush works quicker and usually more thoroughly. You can add one later if you think you want it.

[JustinG30]

Thanks for all of the advice. So we found what we want. Coachmen Freedom Express 233rbs. Has 2 slide. Anyone know anything about these? Good solid camper? Looks like we are getting it for 19k out the door including electronic brake, weight distribution hitch, tax, title, etc. is their anything we should see if we can get them to throw in?

Also some of these have a black tank flush other don't. If ours doesn't, is this a big deal?

Thanks

[goreds2]

midnightsadie wrote:
don,t let a sales person talk you into a tt you can,t pull. couple ft makes a big difference. if used? do a lot of inspecting and if you see ANY WATER MARKS ???? run don,t walk. tires if older than 5yrs old they gotta go ,they rot no matter how good they look . RULE # 1 never beleave what a sales person says ,they lie to make a living they,ll say anything that will get you to sign.

Great advice above.
Also, try to negotiate an out the door price so they don't try to include BS fees when signing the papers.

Remember, you are not there to be friends with the sales person. Be stern and let them know you are willing to walk out.

Bring in printouts of other RV's for sale. If they see you looking at them after coming back from talking to the manager, a deal will be made in your favor (from my experience).

It never hurts to ask for add-ons such as them installing Max-Air vents etc.

[ncrowley]

Make sure you get a load balancing hitch with sway bars. They may a big difference in how well the trailer tows. Get a quality hitch set up.

[Slate_CM]

I was sort of the same as you as far as towing. I had only pulled a 14' flat bed before the TT. Picked up a 28' trailer and drove 100 miles home from the dealer.

I am far from an expert, but have gotten a lot more confident with the passing miles. On the freeways I start braking as soon as I see the brake lights of the cars in front of me. I don't like having to do panic stops or maneuvers.

[Campincarters]

Just make sure you take your time. You will hit some decent hills coming from Michigan to Boston. Plan out some gas stops along the way. I80 is a nice ride and so is the Mass Pike in Mass. You are going to do just fine. I would though make sure you have a water pressure regulator. Cost is under 10 bucks. I would make sure you water lines are under water pressure for a few hours. When I bought my first new trailer about 4 or five hours into the first night I had to tighten a clamp that was loose to stop a leak.

[Campfire_Time]

bikendan wrote:

One problem is you keep using fictional "dry" weights, a common newbie mistake.
You need to look at each trailer's factory weight sticker. That's what the trailer weighed when it left the factory.
Then you can add battery weight, water weight and cargo weight to have a more realistic idea of what it weighs for camping.

That's where to start, not with dry weights.

X2 on this advice. "Under 5000# dry" means 6500# loaded and ready to camp. That's the real weight and what you will really be towing down the road. Look at the GVWR of the trailer and work from there. From experience I'll tell you that you'll be much happier towing something that has a GVWR of 5700# or less.

[Murphsmom]

On thing I don't see mentioned here is the need to use LOTS of water in the black tank. Just doing a minimum flush will leave the solids in a pile in the middle of the tank. And do not hook up your sewer dump line and leave it open. That will just let the water run out without actually emptying the tank. Wait until the tank is about 3/4 full before you dump. A clear elbow for the end of the poop chute (where it connects to the sewer hookup) will allow you to see if you are getting the tank clean. We got ours at WalMart. Rinse, rinse, rinse. Then add back in about five gallons of water after you close the valves.

Have fun!

[valhalla360]

JustinG30 wrote:
What kind of issues should we be on the lookout for? The camper will be brand new.

New doesn't mean in perfect working order. It's not at all uncommon for new rigs to have issues and it's a lot easier to sort them out locally.

Also, I'm guessing you are trying to make due with an existing truck of unknown condition if you are trying to get away with a standard V6. It may run fine when lightly loaded but load it up to the max and run for hours and issues may show up.

If the issues were obvious, we would just suggest fixing them before leaving. That's where the shake down trip comes in handy. It's possible you do the trip with zero issues but the odds are not in your favor.

[John_Wayne]

Rent one for this trip and Then you will have a better idea what size rig your truck can pull. A better Idea what you want in a floor plan. a better idea what you want and what you can live with in a floor plan. If you buy and have any problems making the deal or something needs to be fixed your trip is shot. The rental should be ready to go.
You buy a trailer that's to big for the truck your not happy with the handling you get home have to decide if you want a smaller trailer or bigger truck. going to cost much more then a weeks rental of a trailer. Or you get home and decide camping is not for us.

[bikendan]

JustinG30 wrote:
What kind of issues should we be on the lookout for? The bcamper will be brand new.

One problem is you keep using fictional "dry" weights, a common newbie mistake.
You need to look at each trailer's factory weight sticker. That's what the trailer weighed when it left the factory.
Then you can add battery weight, water weight and cargo weight to have a more realistic idea of what it weighs for camping.

That's where to start, not with dry weights.

[JustinG30]

What kind of issues should we be on the lookout for? The camper will be brand new.

[valhalla360]

Unless you are dead set on the big trip, change to something local for a trial run. Far easier to deal with issues if you are within 100miles from home and worst case you can leave the trailer on a camp site and come back the next weekend to sort out issues.

Even if you do it in 2 runs each way, that's a pair of 8hr days to make 1500 miles roundtrip.

Otherwise, you won't notice much difference with a couple feet of extra length.