Cargo trailers to tow behind an RV

[cptqueeg]

I'm wondering about factors that one might consider in the purchase of an enclosed cargo trailer to haul all that bulky, dirty sports equipment and nice stuff that we can't fit in the RV. (I think Reality Check built the model for this type of trailer with his endless ability and creativity.)

I'm considering a bumper hitch, dual axle from 8'-16' - long enough to hold bikes, 13' canoe, SUP, extra camping gear, 30gal fresh water, and all the stuff that's now mounted on the outside in boxes, etc. It needs to be 7' tall, but not sure of width - wheel wells inside or outside cargo area. I am a huge fan of surge disc brakes so will most likely get them. Does the angled front affect gas mileage enough to warrant the loss of space over a squared fronted trailer? I doubt there is SxS or other OHV in my future.

We do a mix of dispersed camping usually 1 or 2 nights enroute to a destination for 3-4 days and then home again. Or just run to a local place for 2-4 nights. Currently camping w a class B, Sprinter van, but just getting underway w our retirement camping.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[wnjj]

cptqueeg wrote:
My wife drives a considerable amount during our travels and it's exciting enough as it is. I can't imagine her reaction to a blow out on a SA trailer so the DA is strictly for my peace of mind. Tucking a SA trailer into position by hand is certainly a valuable asset.

The only trailer blowout I've had was with an open deck 2-place snowmobile trailer (~2k lbs). It was on the freeway at speed and I only noticed a slight tug which made me look in the mirror to see some smoke coming off the tire.

A trailer tire blowout is nothing to be concerned about from a stability point of view. It only increases drag on the hitch which is more stable not less.

[cptqueeg]

My wife drives a considerable amount during our travels and it's exciting enough as it is. I can't imagine her reaction to a blow out on a SA trailer so the DA is strictly for my peace of mind. Tucking a SA trailer into position by hand is certainly a valuable asset.

[Grit_dog]

wnjj wrote:
Single axle has the advantage of being easy to push/turn around by hand with a wheel under the jack. I've done that a few times in tight camp spots to stow the trailer.

Agreed. And the OP doesn’t really have enough tow rig or enough gear to need a tandem axle trailer. More is not always better.

[Grit_dog]

FLY 4 FUN wrote:
I have never towed a cargo trailer behind an rv but many buddies double tow behind 5er's. Their suggestion to me was to consider a 2 axle setup that makes a blowout an inconvenience vs an instant destabilizing event you may not see until its too late. I would be curious to hear others thoughts on this scenario.

Daryll

For sure, there is the issue or concern of not being able to see the trailer and dragging it some distance with a flat tire and potential ensuing damage from that.
However if worried about that, aftermarket TPMS systems are reasonably priced.
As far as a little single axle cargo trailer having a flat and causing a “destabilizing “ event, that’s mostly bunk. Maybe if you blew the outside tire in a high speed corner, but aside from that, the reason the first part of my reply is a concern is because it is literally hard to even notice there’s an issue if one doesn’t physically see it.

[wnjj]

Single axle has the advantage of being easy to push/turn around by hand with a wheel under the jack. I've done that a few times in tight camp spots to stow the trailer.

[blt2ski]

A SA trailer is generally speaking, no more destabilizing than a blow out on a vehicle with a single tire on it.
Granted a dual axle, you can remove the tire, tie the axle up and tow it to a repair yard......
Reality, you're screwed if you have a blow out of any sort. Not prepared to fix it your self, or not able to due to physical issues of some sort.

Marty

[FLY_4_FUN]

I have never towed a cargo trailer behind an rv but many buddies double tow behind 5er's. Their suggestion to me was to consider a 2 axle setup that makes a blowout an inconvenience vs an instant destabilizing event you may not see until its too late. I would be curious to hear others thoughts on this scenario.

Daryll

[blt2ski]

I'd do a 10' box, single axle in the 3500 minimum to preferred 5000 lb 6 lug with electric brakes on either axle capacity.
A 10' trailer you can put your 13' canoe on it with very little overhang on the trailer. Probably easier to get it onto the trailer vs sprinter. Those are 9.5' tall, vs a cargo trailer at 6-8' depending upon interior hieght.
A 12' box would be better, but that's as long of a single axle I would go. 14' us usually a dual 3500 lb axle trailer.
Your sprinter should have no issues towing a 3-5000 lb trailer assuming you have the payload for the 400-700 lbs of hitch weight. I drove one for work for 200k miles. Iirc it had around a 200/400 motor, 5 gears. If it now has one of the 6 or 8 sp trans that MB offers, you'll be better off yet. I believe GCWR was around 15000, which is on par for diesel pickups back in the day with similar speed motors.
I still wish we had sprinters vs the transits we have now. A much better designed van from a wieght carrying standpoint. I'd run down the road at 10-12k gvw with a 2500, performed fantastic.

Marty

[cptqueeg]

Thanks for the helpful replies. I really should borrow or rent one and try it out. Obviously need to get the van scaled before I can make any decisions. Looks like the canoe is going on top of the van.

The van is working for us now, but we "camp" more than most #vanlifers, hence the need for extra gear.

[Desert_Captain]

I have been towing our 6X 10' {8'tall} cargo trailer behind our 24' E-350 V-10 for 3 and half years and 25,000 miles. Usually we are hauling either our Can Am Spyder at 1,000# or the Rzr SXS at 1,300#. The trailer is single axle and weighs 1,200# for a net weight of 2,200 - 2,600# depending on what else we load.



As you can see even when loaded with the Can Am Spyder I still have lots of room to store additional gear:



For the OP I highly recommend a single axle trailer as double axles will be not only be much heavier but a lot more money. Having an enclosed {cargo} trailer is ideal as it is for all intents and purposes a portable garage that follows the coach like a faithful puppy. Everything inside is out of the weather, completely protected from not only road debris but out of the prying eyes of bad guys.

If towing with a Sprinter you really want to keep the max loaded trailer weight under 3,000#. Towing the trailer costs me about 1 mpg {8.5 vs 9.5} typically cruising between 60 - 65 and often in the mountains here in the southwest. The V-10 while a tad thirsty is a torque monster that hauls the trailer over 9,000'+ passes without even breathing g hard.

While at 8' our trailer is tall it is sufficiently smaller than the rear profile of our coach so it does not suffer from excess windage as evidenced by the total absence of bugs of the front face of the trailer. When I tow it behind my Honda Ridgeline the top 4' of the front of the trailer is covered with bugs. The coach and trailer are 38' overall.

:C

[Horsedoc]

Consider a Covered Wagon brand trailer made in S Georgia. Well built and quite strong. Not the cheapest out there but light enough to tow and if you contact the factory they can built to your specs

[valhalla360]

cptqueeg wrote:

Not sure if the van is the answer, we're a year into it so far. We've bought and sold a TC and we're trying to develop interests other than hiking so the need for equipment is multiplied. It's rated at 500lb tongue wt and 5000lbs max towing.

Another major limitation other than capacity is the ability to pursue dispersed campsites and smaller campgrounds in NPs and N Monuments. So I think something around the 8'-10' range to keep the overall length at ~30' might be the most practical.

Perhaps a little more height?

500/5000 may be the rating for the hitch.

What does the door jam say for weight ratings?
Even better, swing by a scale and see what she really weighs.

Pulling a small car 4 wheels down uses almost none of the trucks payload. If you are already near max loading and add a 500lb tongue, you may be overloading it.

If you stick to a small single axle trailer and keep the weight down (say under 2k lb), probably OK but since you have the MH, just swing by a CAT scale and get real numbers rather than guess.

[Grit_dog]

The uses you’re envisioning is solidly in the single axle trailer realm for cargo carrying.
You need to narrow down what you’re after, IMO.
And a 7 or 8’ wide x 16’ tandem will pull about as much heavier as you’d expect it to compared to a little single axle. Sounds like you don’t have enough vehicle currently to pull more than a 3klb giver take trailer anyway. (And not be ragging on the tow rig)
Square or v nose doesn’t matter behind a larger vehicle. Semi trailers don’t have v noses for the same reason.
Aside from that it’s pretty much how much do you want to spend.
Trailer prices have aboot doubled as well in the last couple years. So choose wisely.
The same model 6x12 trailer I bought new in 2019 (used it once and sold it) for just under $3000 is $4999.99 currently at the same dealer today.

[cptqueeg]

ability wrote:
Are you planning to keep the Sprinter? That seems like the only limitation.

Most of our camping is for OHV trips and anyone with a moho tows a cargo trailer for their SxS and cargo. They all seem pretty happy with their setups.

Not sure if the van is the answer, we're a year into it so far. We've bought and sold a TC and we're trying to develop interests other than hiking so the need for equipment is multiplied. It's rated at 500lb tongue wt and 5000lbs max towing.

Another major limitation other than capacity is the ability to pursue dispersed campsites and smaller campgrounds in NPs and N Monuments. So I think something around the 8'-10' range to keep the overall length at ~30' might be the most practical.

Perhaps a little more height?

[Rick_Jay]

Hi,

As dedmiston asked, Are you planning to keep the Sprinter?

If so, the first thing you need to do is to determine the true towing capacity of your Sprinter RV. I don't know much about the specifications of the various Sprinter chassis', but I do understand that different years/models/manufacturers will have different tow capacities.

Once you know the towing limits, you can then see if there's even an option to tow a trailer with all of the stuff you want to put into it.

Good Luck,

~Rick