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:
We are actually leaving Friday or Saturday and driving to Boston area and staying at a campground (going to split driving between 2 days). We are going to stay there for a full week then come home. So with the weight, a lot of the trailers we are looking at are the Lite models but still around 4500lb with nothing in them. So something like this still may be to much for my truck? In looking, we didn't really see much lighter in the 20-24ft range like we were wanting.

Since I know we are jumping in pretty deep the first time and taking a long trip, any tips for the road, turns, must have pieces of equipment in the rv. Thanks

1. Have a good sway control and weight distributing hitch
2. Take your time and take a credit card.
3. Check your tire pressures and torque the lug nuts
4. Buy an extra length of cord. 30' should work. 30A you probably have. Some hookups are far away sometimes.
5. Leave plenty of following room and know how to apply just the trailer brakes on your brake controller in a panic in case you have to.
6. Do you have flip out towing mirrors on your truck?
7. RV hose for drinking water, the white hose.

[vjstangelo]

We towed our first TT (4500 lbs dry) with a 1/2 ton 1999 Expedition, 4.6L V8. I think it put out 200hp. The weak link in that setup was the tranny which was a dog.

Yours sounds like a pretty big V6, probably over 200 hp. With such a well geared transmission, I 'm betting that it would be able to tow a 4500 lb TT well enough.

Many many folks think that one needs a 3/4 ton for any TT. In the Rocky mts, maybe, but not in the east, my opinion.

[JustinG30]

Thanks so much for the advice

[Tvov]

Usually camper trailer (travel trailer) lengths are counted using the "box", or livable area. So my 21 foot TT may be 25ish feet overall, but is still considered a "21 foot" TT.

Simply put, the shorter the trailer the tighter you can maneuver. Longer trailers are, in general, easier to maneuver / back up, but you need more room. Once you are on the highway you really won't notice that much difference.

Until you get used to towing and know the area you will be in, plan on using highway gas stations to refill - they should have plenty of room. Highway gas stations will vary, but in general if you just need to refuel with regular gas you will use the car pumps in the front. The truck pumps in back are really for the big rigs (tractor trailers) and larger campers / motorhomes, but there usually will be a gas pump back there if you end up back there. For parking you usually will be with the big rigs. If you are parking in angled spots, try to park so the rear of your trailer is visible to approaching trucks so they know the spot is taken (you may see what I mean when you are parking). I try to stay out of the way of the big rigs - they are working and I am on vacation, I'll take the far spots in the lot.

Your may find your engine revving higher than you are used to while towing. Put the transmission in "tow/haul" (or whatever setting is appropriate for towing) and let it choose the gears. On the highway the transmission will probably shift into high gear (overdrive) eventually when on straight and smooth stretches, but it may take longer to shift into than you'd think. You'll figure out how your engine and transmission works. I use cruise control when towing on straight and smooth sections, makes it easier for me. When needed I turn off cruise control - hills, curves, traffic, etc.

If you have a chance, try changing a tire on the camper at your house. Figure out how you will lift the camper (up on ramps, a jack, etc). I found that the tire changing jack in my truck will work to change tires. Make sure you have the correct socket / wrench / socket wrench - I found that my truck's lug wrench does not fit the trailer tires, so I made sure I have a proper size socket and socket wrench in the trailer. If you have AAA, double check to see if the service covers towing the camper or something like changing a tire on a camper - the plans and regions are different.

Go camping, have fun, have a credit card handy and a good sense of humor, and let us know how it goes!

[JustinG30]

We are actually leaving Friday or Saturday and driving to Boston area and staying at a campground (going to split driving between 2 days). We are going to stay there for a full week then come home. So with the weight, a lot of the trailers we are looking at are the Lite models but still around 4500lb with nothing in them. So something like this still may be to much for my truck? In looking, we didn't really see much lighter in the 20-24ft range like we were wanting.

Since I know we are jumping in pretty deep the first time and taking a long trip, any tips for the road, turns, must have pieces of equipment in the rv. Thanks

[is_it_friday_ye]

I don't think you'll notice much difference in the lengths but I agree, that sounds like a lot for a 1/2 ton with a V6. I used to own a Dodge 1/2 ton with the Hemi and towed a 29' travel trailer. It did ok but don't expect good mileage. I would also make your first trip closer to home, 1,500 miles is a lot for a weekend, especially your first trip.

[NCWriter]

It sounds like it's too late for tip #1 which is to make your first RV trip a short one in a campground near your home, and spend plenty of time practicing driving it.

It takes actually using it before you'll know what to bring from home.

#2 would be avoid driving into Boston. Hopefully you have a campground planned outside the city.

#3 would be to allow more time than you think to go from point A to B in an RV. When you say "this weekend," do you mean the entire trip there and back takes place on a weekend? Not recommended.

[midnightsadie]

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.

[fla-gypsy]

Those will be quite a load for a 3.6L NA gas engine even with the 8 sp transmission

[Hiking_Hunter]

You won't notice any difference between a 26' and a 28 ' trailer in the turns. What you will notice though, is the load of any of those trailers on a hill. You're getting pretty close to maxing out that 3.6l engine. It should be OK on flat ground. Take it real easy on the hills.

[JustinG30]

Ya were near Detroit. I see your in Jackson. We will be spending sometime at Greenwood so I need to figure this out lol

[summitpower]

Same boat kinda here...lol