In search of large family Bunkhouse
Hey, Our family has grown to 8, and need a very large bunkhouse with dual bunks. I've been looking everywhere and just can not find anything that really fits the need. Any one have 6 large ki...
Forum Discussion
ksu_j wrote:
I've got a 2004 KS Frontier. It has quad bunks up front, a couch that folds down into a bed and a table that makes into a bed, plus a queen bed slide-out in the back.
My kids are 10, 7, and 4. This is an excellent set up for us, at least for the next several years. Not sure how old your kids are, but a set up like ours could work for you. Camper is about 25ft running down the road and expands to about 30ft with the rear slide out. GVWR for the camper is 6900lbs I believe. I've never weighed it, but I'd guess we're at 5500-6000lbs read to camp.
I pull it with a 9 seater 2008 3/4 ton Suburban. In theory my set up could handle your entire family both vehicle and camper. In reality, I think both would be a little cramped.
KS or KZ? I am looking at a similar model KZ, the 2405 model with the queen rear slide out and front twin bunks. What I can't seem to find is the TW specs. So far this is the only trailer I found I would feel comfortable pulling with my F150.
Yes it has TONS of pulling power, can easily pull 11K up a grade, but stopping, and stability, anything over 33' would be too much of a handful and make for a not so enjoyable trip. My truck is rated at 8600# towing, but only 1470 payload, which seems really odd, why have such a high towing capacity and such a low Payload? In any case, I know the truck can tow 7K, my New Yorker HT pulls very nicely behind it with two horses and all their tack, and the TW loaded comes in as 980#. With 5 people in the truck and my topper, I know the limits are at this weight. I would not go over this as the GCWR. With the trailer and passengers and an empty bed(it has a topper) it is over the 1470 payload by about 300#, but is rock solid. That might change a bit with a longer, wider trailer with higher COG though, won't know until I try it, but after reading hundreds of different posts and what others are pulling with a similar setup as mine, this is what I feel comfortable with.
Main thing is, I cannot replace my truck, it is my daily driver, gets 20+ MPG, and I put 36K a year on it. Going to a larger truck is not feasible nor cost effective. So I have to find the closest match to what I know it can handle and go from there.
