Brand New Buyer Looking for Sound Advice

[JWeaverCMA]

Hey everyone!

My family has grown to the point that tent camping just isn't feasible and I am looking to buy my very first travel trailer in the next year or so and I am looking for advice from experienced trailer owners. I am 100% new to towing and trailer ownership and I don't feel like the dealers are steering me in the right direction when it comes to trailers that will be right for my experience level.

I would like to know some basics- What brands to buy and what to avoid, hidden costs, what sort of gear I'll be packing with me and any other advice that will be useful.

I drive a Ford F150 with a 5.0 V8 and our family will be growing to 5 this September. I'm looking for a bunkhouse style trailer that can be used for anything between overnighters to extended road trips.

At this point, any advice will be useful. Thanks guys.

[fdwt994]

rexlion wrote:
If you liked tenting, why not look at popups or hybrids? A popup has plenty of bunk space but folds to a short, easy to tow package that will fit in small forest campsites and will use much less gas.

We went from tent camping to hybrids. If we had to do it all again, we would skip the hybrid and go straight to a traditional travel trailer like we have now. The OP has a family of five and enough truck to accommodate a decent-sized travel trailer. Some of our reasons are:

1) Much better climate control vs. having tent ends that lose heat & AC
2) No more putting tend ends away in the rain and then having to find an opportunity to reopen them after the trip to dry things out
3) Quieter inside a travel trailer vs. one that has fabric for walls
4) No climbing over your partner in the middle of the night when you get in & out of bed
5) More secure- tent ends can simply be popped open and then whoever has access to your entire camper
6) Condensation issue with tent ends
7) Tent ends = seams that sometimes leak
😎 In the case of a popup, only a half-sized refrigerator and no overhead cabinetry, etc.
9) Popups tend to have smaller fresh water and waste water holding tanks.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to bash those that prefer hybrids or pop-ups. Different strokes for different folks. These are our reasons.

Good luck and please continue to ask any questions you have.

[fdwt994]

My recommendation- get an Equalizer brand hitch. Don't let the dealership choose one for you. Much better hitch than what I normally see on the roads and really not much more expensive, if at all. I've used both so this comes for personal experience.

Also, like others have explained, do your homework on weights. Don't allow a salesperson or a well-presented camper persuade you to go against your better judgment.

Good luck

[rexlion]

If you liked tenting, why not look at popups or hybrids? A popup has plenty of bunk space but folds to a short, easy to tow package that will fit in small forest campsites and will use much less gas.

[handye9]

JWeaverCMA wrote:
I looked up my total payload and my truck's limit 7350 lbs. So we're probably going to have to compromise a little on space in order to keep the weight down. What kind of general challenges/problems can I expect if I'm towing close to my weight limit?

The closer you get to max weight on any of your ratings, the more unstable and unpleasant your towing experience will be.

First rating to bite you, will be cargo carrying capacity (AKA payload). F150's are built in many different cab / power train variations. Some have as much as 3100 lbs available payload, some have as little as 750 lbs. Your payload number will be on that door sticker (mentioned above). That number is the amount of weight the vehicle was rated to carry, when it left the factory. Anything added to the vehicle (bed cap, bed liner, step bars, floor mats, etc), since it left the factory, take away from that load carrying capacity. As accessories, passengers and cargo are added, their weight is reducing your available payload and towing capacity, pound for pound.

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Example:

Say your version of F150 came with 1600 lbs payload (curb weight of 5900 and GVWR of 7500) and 8000 lb towing capacity. Then:

1. The dealer adds floor mats, step bars, and sprayed in bed liner. These items add up to 100 lbs. Your truck now has 1500 lbs payload and 7900 lb tow capacity. GVWR remains the same, curb weight has gone up.

2. You add a fiberglass bed cover (200 lbs), passengers (650 lbs), the family dog (50 lbs), fire wood and bicycles (250 lbs), and a tool box (50 lbs). They add up to 1200 lbs. Now the truck has 300 lbs available payload and 6700 lbs tow capacity. GVWR remains the same, curb weight has gone up again.

A weight distributing hitch will add another 80 - 100 lbs to your cargo weight. Your remaining payload would be 200 - 220 lbs available to carry the trailer's tongue weight.
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Before you start shopping for a travel trailer, you need to calculate your available weight carrying capacity, and leave yourself some room for growth.

Depending on family size and what the people take with them, two trucks of the same make and model, may not be capable of towing the same trailers.

Notes on travel trailers in general:

Average tongue weight will be about 12.5 percent of your loaded trailer weight.

Tongue weight is not a constant number. It will fluctuate during every trip. Different things may get loaded (in different locations of the trailer), groceries get used up, water gets used up, tanks get filled and emptied, etc.

Average load of dishes, pots and pans, bedding, camp chairs, BBQ, groceries, water, etc, weighs 800 - 1000 lbs.

[Need-A-Vacation]

JWeaverCMA wrote:
I looked up my total payload and my truck's limit 7350 lbs. So we're probably going to have to compromise a little on space in order to keep the weight down. What kind of general challenges/problems can I expect if I'm towing close to my weight limit?

That would be the gvwr of your truck, which is the truck weight plus anything inside the cab or bed. Also look in the drivers door jamb for the sticker I mentioned, stating "All passengers/occupants and cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs".

Something I didn't mention before is if you have added any accessories to the truck (truck cap/topper/ tonneau cover, step bars, bed liner, etc) they also count toward the trucks available payload.

Towing near the max is hard to say. with our last truck ('10 Chevy 1500 ccsb 4x4 5.3/6spd3.42) and trailer (~7200lbs loaded, ~920lb or so tw) we were actually over the gvwr of the truck by about 200lbs, but still under the rear axle rating by about 50lbs. And that was only with about 200lbs in the bed: a tool box, 4 bikes, and maybe a couple other items (20lb propane tank come to mind, maybe a cooler- rest was in the trailer). We did have a set of step bars, spray in bed liner, cab high fiberglass topper, and a family weight of under 500lbs (was probably closer to 450ish) at the time.

Handled ok, though we luckily never had to make any emergency manicures. Power never seemed to be lacking here in Mi at that weight. But the newer motors do need to rev to make power. On steady in line we have here the truck just did not have quite enough to hold 4th climbing it. Just ever so slowly was dropping speed. Gave a little gas, trans dropped into 3rd and I could have accelerated to whatever speed I wanted (within reason!).

The thing about towing near max is it could possibly wear parts a little faster. Some are happy if they are under the axle rating if the tv, even if the are over the gvwr (some tv's have a gvwr that is under the total axle rating by a fair amount: our Chevy had 2-3950lb axles if I recall correctly, but a 7000lb gvwr. but that is a decision you would have to make on your own. I didn't care to do it, so we ended up buying our HD.

Hopefully this helps some.

Good luck!

[WNYBob]

I think you are quoting tow weight. Look for CARGO weight, that's the total you can add to the truck, people, tongue or pin lbs and stuff.

There lots of posts on weight, just do a search.

[PatRenee]

Check Out Open Range.. we are new also.. researched for a year.... settled on Open Range.... the first time we walked into one..it just felt better.... we bought the 323RLS and love it... it is 38 foot and I never pulled a trailer before... I have towed over 3000 miles in 5 months.... love it.. no problems pulling at all.... They also have a two year warranty... mine has residential appliances, king bed. and W/D hookups... If you are near Texas I highly recommend Tyler RV... Good Luck




https://www.highlandridgerv.com/products/2017/light/travel-trailers/LT308BHS

[JWeaverCMA]

I looked up my total payload and my truck's limit 7350 lbs. So we're probably going to have to compromise a little on space in order to keep the weight down. What kind of general challenges/problems can I expect if I'm towing close to my weight limit?

[nickdarr]

One other consideration is budget. There can be a big difference in quality between a 28 foot $15K trailer and a similar size and floorplan in a different model or from a different mfg for $35K. I know it seems intuitive, but the trailers can look so much alike cosmetically, especially interior wise, that the structure (frame, axles, etc) gets overlooked. Also, with all the models out there, the differences start to run together.

[nickdarr]

We had an Outdoors Creekside 23 bhs that we towed with our Yukon and a WD hitch. It was a great trailer with "4 season" package. They are great to call as well with questions about true weights, towability, etc. Trailers are made in Oregon. We just bought a trailer from a Boise dealer and the process was painless, but I would not trust any of the dealers we visited there to have your complete best interest in mind. They are selling you something. Good advice in the previous post. Only thing I would add is to rent a trailer and see how you feel towing it and how it works for you.

[Need-A-Vacation]

Welcome!

With a family of 5, guessing 3 growing kids (1 still on the way) and a F150 the biggest challenge you will be facing is the available payload of your truck, regardless of what the inflated tow rating is. There is a yellow sticker in the drivers door jamb stating "All passengers and cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs". This number is the max the weight of all the passengers (including the driver), any cargo (coolers, bikes, firewood, etc), the wdh, AND the tt tw (travel trailer tongue weight) can weigh.

Keep in mind the trailer manufacture "brochure" weights do not include options, even those options which may be "mandatory". The "dry" tongue/hitch weight does not include the weight of the propane tanks or a battery either. That can add ~120lbs for 2-20lb tanks and a battery, or ~160lbs for 2-30lb tanks and a battery. Your trucks receiver hitch also has a max tw rating.

Brand wise, pretty much all the manufactures make great trailers, and they all can make the worst.... The best thing to do is to go through the trailer before signing any papers to make sure all is correct.

One thing I came across when we were shopping last year is some manufactures do not use as high of a rated axle as other manufactures do for comparable models. One brand we looked at that was the same floorplan as our Jayco had 2-4400lb axles, but a 95XXlb GVWR. They added the tw that is "carried" by the tv to the axle rating for a higher GVWR. Yes, the tv does carry the tw, but my crazy thinking is the more reserve capacity (within reason) the better. As a comparison, our Jayco 32 BHDS has 2-5000lb axle, with a 99XXlb GVWR.

Gear wise, there are the basis you will need, and then there is the like to have. Lol I would bet you already have some stuff from the tent days.

Should have:

2x8 (or 10) boards or Lego blocks for leveling the trailer side to side. Boards/blocks for under the tongue jack and stabilizer jacks.
Wheel chocks.
30amp extension cord.
Fresh water hose.
Sewer hose, one that is better than what a dealer may include.
Pots/pans for cooking.
Awning mat (?).
Camp chairs.
Grill.

Optional:
Ez Up.
X-Chocks.
Folding table. We have 2 of the Aluminum roll top tables. Store just like a bag chair.
Gravity chairs.
And the list could go on. The biggest thing is storage space, and available payload of the trailer.

When shopping, as hard as it may be try to take the whole family once you have an idea of a few different models, and spend some time inside each one. See how it is to move around inside while "cooking" on a rainy day with everyone.

Once you get a tt home, try Camp Driveway the first few nights. That way anything you think of you can run inside and grab from the house. Also have a pad of paper and a pen/pencil to write things you need down as you think of them.

Hopefully this gets you started.

Good luck!