Forum Discussion

travelandy's avatar
travelandy
Explorer
Mar 12, 2015

First travel trailer

Hi all! Just joined up and I already have a question. Now that my wife and I are retired, we would like to do some travelling. Unfortunately, as with so many others these days, finances will be a bit tight so "brand new" is an expression rarely used around our home. I have found a nice, used 2004 Nissan Pathfinder with only 86,000 km on it - it looks as if it has never seen a winter!! I would like to get a travel trailer since, for various reasons, a camper just won't do. Given the Pathfinder's 5,000 lb towing capacity I think that a 17 ft. to 19 ft. trailer is as big as I should go. Having said that, I have found listed an old (No year indicated) 21 ft. HiLo trailer for sale in Toronto. I checked the NADA guide for RV's and for that length, depending on the year, the weights shown are between 2,600 and 3,200 lb. It seems there was a "FunLite" model that was especially light and available for a few years. Anyway ... to the question - does anyone have information about these trailers regarding reliability of the mechanisms, leaks, availability of parts? The seller is asking $2,600 which seems a bit low (Why am I complaining?) but I've never seen one of these and know little about them. Thanks, in advance and sorry about the length of this post - I tend to talk a lot!

Andy
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    Andy

    Welcome to the world of RVing. I'm assuming you haven't had an RV before.

    For those of us in the USA that's about 53,000 miles which is considered low mileage for that age of vehicle.

    In answer to your questions... if the vehicle and RVs have been well maintained and no major damage from accidents they will be reliable. The running gear on a trailer will last a longtime with proper maintenance. The stuff inside also should hold up as well as the stuff inside your house does (again with proper maintenance).

    Travel Trailers will reach a price plateau of $1500 to $3000(us) as they get older than 10 years; depending on size plus condition. New travel trailers are rarely above $30,000 plus with 15 year loans many folks choose to go new rather than take a chance on used.

    One more point, most RV'ers go through 3 to 4 RVs before they finally reach one that meets their needs. Many start off small like you indicate and then move on to progressively larger tow vehicles and RVs.
  • Campfire_Time's avatar
    Campfire_Time
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    Bumpyroad wrote:
    I thought HiLos were heavy units.
    bumpy


    They are heavy for what they are, and compared to pop-ups. But light in comparison to a full height travel trailer. The advantage is that you could tow one that's closer to your max because you don't have the frontal area to slow you down.
  • westend's avatar
    westend
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    Small SUV's don't make great tow vehicles. The payload capacity of that vehicle is around 1000 lbs. The hitch weight of a 3000 lb travel trailer will be in the neighborhood of 600 lbs., loaded. That won't leave much weight for loading passengers and cargo, especially once you subtract the weight of a weight distributing hitch. I would aim for a larger tow vehicle if you and the missus wish to be comfortable with enough room for an extended trip.
  • travelandy's avatar
    travelandy
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    westend wrote:
    Small SUV's don't make great tow vehicles. The payload capacity of that vehicle is around 1000 lbs. The hitch weight of a 3000 lb travel trailer will be in the neighborhood of 600 lbs., ...


    I think you've confused the Pathfinder with something else. If you note in my post, the Pathfinder with the automatic tranny (Which I have) has a rated towing capacity of 5,000 lbs and a max tongue weight of 500 lbs. Going with a trailer that has a factory weight of 3,500 lbs or less should leave me with a reasonable "safety margin" once it's loaded up.

    Andy
  • travelandy's avatar
    travelandy
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    Campfire Time wrote:
    Bumpyroad wrote:
    I thought HiLos were heavy units.
    bumpy


    They are heavy for what they are, and compared to pop-ups. But light in comparison to a full height travel trailer. The advantage is that you could tow one that's closer to your max because you don't have the frontal area to slow you down.


    That's what I found attractive about it. Once lowered, the frontal area would be roughly around that of a larger popup style trailer. And from what I have read on this forum so far, the drag of a full height trailer can be as much (Or more) of a strain on the tranny and on gas mileage than the additional weight - at least at highway speeds. In stop and go or in the mountains, it would be a different story as the weight would have more effect than the wind resistance. My main concern (Other than the usual potential problems with an older trailer) is how reliable is the mechanism for raising and lowering the trailer.

    Andy
  • camp-n-family's avatar
    camp-n-family
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    westend wrote:

    Small SUV's don't make great tow vehicles. The payload capacity of that vehicle is around 1000 lbs. The hitch weight of a 3000 lb travel trailer will be in the neighborhood of 600 lbs., ...


    I think you've confused the Pathfinder with something else. If you note in my post, the Pathfinder with the automatic tranny (Which I have) has a rated towing capacity of 5,000 lbs and a max tongue weight of 500 lbs. Going with a trailer that has a factory weight of 3,500 lbs or less should leave me with a reasonable "safety margin" once it's loaded up.

    Andy


    What he's getting at is that you need to check your payload rating (door jamb sticker). Most smaller vehicles will max out on payload before coming anywhere near its tow rating.

    If you have a loaded trailer weight of 3500lbs you can figure on approximately 500lbs for tongue weight and the weight of the hitch itself. That counts directly towards you available payload. If your payload is 1000lbs you would have 500lbs left for passengers and stuff in the vehicle. If that's enough, then you should be good to go. If you plan to carry 4 heavy adults, a couple of dogs, and a trunk full of beer, then it won't be good.
  • travelandy's avatar
    travelandy
    Explorer
    Mar 12, 2015
    Bear II, thanks for the info. Given our financial outlook, I suspect that this is as much as we will be spending. Besides, it's not as if we have a growing family, so if it works for us than that will be fine. If not, then there may be a lot of TV viewing in our retirement picture.

    Andy
  • BarneyS's avatar
    BarneyS
    Explorer III
    Mar 12, 2015
    Andy,
    Westend was not talking about towing capacity. He was talking about payload capacity which is a very different thing. I might be a good idea to pay some attention to what he said. :)
    Barney
  • rbpru's avatar
    rbpru
    Explorer II
    Mar 13, 2015
    If your tongue weight and TV load are within the TV's max cargo rating you should be fine.

    Some older Hi-Lo were heavy so be sure to check that out.

    The problem with collapsible trailers is storage, particularly for clothing.

    Others features the DW and I prefer are, a bed that does not require crawling over
    each other to get out of, bathroom accessible without set up.

    Staring with an inexpensive used unit you can afford is a smart move. RVs are not a very good financial investment.

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