Looking to buy trailer - help me not screw up!

[Travel4Life]

I'm looking to buy my first TT in a few months. I am waiting to buy a tow vehicle until I pick a trailer but right now looking at a tow capacity of 9000. I have four kids and looking at quad/tri bed bunkhouse options (Outback 322BH, Jayco, Shadow Cruiser 280QBS as examples). I've been out looking for a few days and wondering the forums but I want to ask -

What do you wish you knew while shopping for a TT the first time?
What easy mistakes should I avoid?
I'm afraid of sinking tens of thousands into a poorly made lemon only to regret it later - but it's hard to tell build quality as a novice - what should I look for?

[Gdetrailer]

Travel4Life wrote:
I'm looking to buy my first TT in a few months. I am waiting to buy a tow vehicle until I pick a trailer but right now looking at a tow capacity of 9000. I have four kids and looking at quad/tri bed bunkhouse options (Outback 322BH, Jayco, Shadow Cruiser 280QBS as examples). I've been out looking for a few days and wondering the forums but I want to ask -

What do you wish you knew while shopping for a TT the first time?
What easy mistakes should I avoid?
I'm afraid of sinking tens of thousands into a poorly made lemon only to regret it later - but it's hard to tell build quality as a novice - what should I look for?

#1 mistake, "buyers remorse" AFTER the paper work has been signed and after realizing RVing is not for you..

OR..

Bought too big or heavy of a trailer for your vehicle..

OR..

Bought too small of a trailer for your family..

OR..

Decide you do not like the color, shape and or layout of the trailer..

OR..

Can't afford the purchase..

Or..

So on..

Since it is your first trailer, I would recommend renting a RV and do a trial camping "trip".. See if you actually like camping.. Some folks after buying a RV end up finding out it is not for them.. That is a huge expensive mistake.. Renting once or twice is a very cheap way of dipping your toes in without having a $20K+ RV sitting in your back yard for nothing.

Additionally, some folks find out they don't like a layout or trailer size.. Once again a very expensive mistake.. You WILL LOSE MONEY if you trade or sell off your trailer..

Then when you have rented a couple of times consider attempting to tow a trailer.. If you have never towed anything rent a Uhaul trailer and tow it around for a day.. Towing changes a vehicles driving characteristics.. Some folks may have a hard time getting used to having something attached behind their vehicle.

THEN, consider buying a USED trailer.. Buying a 3 or 4 yr old trailer for much less money allows you to cheaply determine what you like/dislike in a trailer layout.. Much of the depreciation hit was taken by the previous owners and you can sell it off for very little loss..

THEN once you have your likes/dislikes and needs figured out buy a new one that more suits you..

And last of all, as others have mentioned, find out the exact cargo payload of your vehicle is.. Most chances you will run out of cargo payload before you reach those "towing ratings"..

Your tongue weight and weight distribution hitch become "cargo" of your vehicle. So, it is important to understand that your cargo weight of the tow vehicle plays an important part in just how much can be towed.

Your bumper pull trailer tongue weight MUST be no less than 10% of the trailer weight but it is typically 10%-15%. Ideally the more tongue weight you have the more stable the towing (going under 10% is dangerous and makes for very unstable towing), leaning towards 15% is best for bumper pull trailers.

To put tongue weight into simple terms for just how much your cargo weight can tow..

5,000 lb trailer should have a min of 500 lbs (10%) but may be as much as 750 lbs (15%) not including weight distribution hitch so you would want to make sure you have around 800-850 lbs of cargo left on your tow vehicle.

6,000 lb trailer should have a min of 600 lbs (10%) but may be as much as 900 lbs (15%) not including weight distribution hitch so you would want to make sure you 950-1000 lbs of cargo left on your tow vehicle..

Yeah, there will be lots of "dissenters" on this cargo weight theory but for your first try it is better to error on the LIGHT side instead of finding out you NEED a vehicle with more capacity after buying a RV..

[Bumpyroad]

Georgia Popcorn wrote:


If you decline the "walk-thru" you get no battery and no propane...As far as "systems" working, that can change after a ride down the highway!

this makes no sense to me. you should demand a walk thru. an extensive PDI might cost a little. and battery and propane would be included, at least on a new unit. if it is used and no battery, could be a ploy to not operate on 12 volts. when used tractor shopping that was a ploy, oh can't start it cause the battery is dead/missing/whatever.
bumpy

[braindead0]

Georgia Popcorn wrote:
IF you buy "new" be especially attentive to the "finance guy" when he tries to sell you on extended warranty's, you can get the same thing the dealer offers at SAMS CLUB at a lot less money!!!

If you decline the "walk-thru" you get no battery and no propane...As far as "systems" working, that can change after a ride down the highway!

I presume by 'walk-thru' you mean something you were charged for? That must depend on the dealer, ours didn't charge us anything extra... battery (still in use) and propane were included in the deal. Maybe that's not the norm..

[Georgia_Popcorn]

IF you buy "new" be especially attentive to the "finance guy" when he tries to sell you on extended warranty's, you can get the same thing the dealer offers at SAMS CLUB at a lot less money!!!

If you decline the "walk-thru" you get no battery and no propane...As far as "systems" working, that can change after a ride down the highway!

[rbpru]

Floor plan, tow vehicle and cost all have to match. I always suggest you take your best guess then rent a similar unit for a week or two.

You learn a lot about living in and pulling one of these barns down the road.

[hvac]

I agree with Bumpy. All metal or fiberglass roof. Good start anyway. The less wood top bottom and inside the better. Preferably no wood. Anywhere.

[summitpower]

I agree with everyone about weights, We just bought our trailer last weekend, after looking for 3 weeks, it didn't take long for us to figure out taking kids and dogs that we wanted a larger trailer, one my 1/2 ton wouldn't haul, I ended up buying a 3/4 ton with towing capability of 13k pounds and payload of 3300, we ended up getting a 8900lb trailer, so I am safe, the only negative, I miss how my half ton rides, but take your time, and one thing I learned on here is don't settle, things that might seem ok in beginning will really annoy you later, look at a heritage glenn 300bh, was a good fit for us with 3 small kids and 2 dogs.

[Delphi]

2012Coleman wrote:
Worst mistake would be to buy the TV based on the tow capacity. Payload is the more important number...

Ditto. What he said.

That's the most important number in choosing a tow vehicle.

Ignore this advice at your peril.

[keymastr]

Most common mistake people make is buying a tow vehicle based on fitting in the garage or how good the ride/gas mileage is when not towing. You should buy it based on how much it can tow. It only costs a few hundred more to upgrade to a 3/4 ton HD truck instead of the 1/2 ton and it will tow much easier. Especially the size trailer you are looking at. In fact I might be inclined to go with a 1 ton single rear wheel diesel. Better fuel economy all the way around and better resale value as well as being able to haul most any trailer you want when the kids start wanting quads or dirt bikes and you need a 15,000 pound toy hauler. Saves you from buying another truck.

In any case, the trailers you are looking at are borderline for 1/2 ton trucks and may be over loaded when you put your family and gear in. For a few hundred bucks it is not worth the gamble and towing at the limit of the truck is not easy or relaxing. If you don't think it is true, just look at the threads about how to add suspension enhancements to 1500 series trucks. There is always at least one here.

The lighter the large trailers are the flimsier the construction. Better built trailers will weigh 9000 pounds at 26' vs 31' for others. The weight savings comes from somewhere. For a well built trailer check out outdoorsrv.com Their standard features are things many people add and they are true 4 season trailers. There are other well built ones out there as well and since they hold up better the resale value is better.

Good luck with the search.

[AmericalVette]

TomG2 wrote:

Travel4Life wrote:

What easy mistakes should I avoid?

Listening to about half the advice you get on online forums like this. Trouble is, which half. Throw out the most extreme for starters. Disregard the "My way or the highway" crowd.

Check out brand specific forums and look for common complaints and problems. Stay under all tow vehicle ratings. Visit the factory, if that is practical. Shop, shop, shop, there are huge difference's in RV prices out there.

^^^ Excellent ^^^ :C

[TomG2]

Travel4Life wrote:

What easy mistakes should I avoid?

Listening to about half the advice you get on online forums like this. Trouble is, which half. Throw out the most extreme for starters. Disregard the "My way or the highway" crowd.

Check out brand specific forums and look for common complaints and problems. Stay under all tow vehicle ratings. Visit the factory, if that is practical. Shop, shop, shop, there are huge difference's in RV prices out there.

[JoeTampa]

First, sit in the trailer at the dealer and imagine a full day there. Is there enough room for everyone to not be up each other's noses? Is there enough storage? When the kids go to bed, can you still use the trailer - have a drink, read a book, maybe watch TV without waking them up? Sounds silly, but some bunkhouses have doors that close and some have curtains - big difference.

Are there AC ducts in every room? One TT I had didn't have one in the bathroom and it got very warm in there.

Make sure that all the connections, valves, etc are easily accessible when the trailer is fully deployed (slides out, etc). One of mine had the tank valve handles UNDER the slides.. Little things like that get old VERY quickly.

A backup camera is a very wise investment - not just for backing up, but for ensuring that lane changes are safely made.

A ladder to get on the roof is very handy.

No matter how much storage you have, space will be at a premium. Anything that saves space is worth considering, from the number of tools you carry (and you WILL need tools!) to the length of hoses and how many kids scooters and toys you bring.

Get an Electrical Management System (I recommend Progressive Industries) and a water pressure regulator. The EMS is pricey, but less pricey than a new AC if the power fluctuates and kills it. The water pressure regulator is cheap.

When towing, go slower than normal and leave lots of room in front of you. Towing a trailer requires extra vigilance because there much less margin for error.

We have a rule for the kids - when camping, no electronics except for right before bed and right before breakfast, or when it's raining. They go outside and PLAY! We also keep a lot of movies on board for rainy days and late evenings when we are camping with friends. The kids watch a movie before bedtime at one trailer while the adults socialize outside.

Splurge on the items that make camping easier - whatever that means to you. For me, an electric awning is SOOO much nicer than a manual awning. I have a bit for my drill that fits the stablizer jacks, making them easy to lower and raise versus the lug-wrench hour-long affair. The ice machine eliminates the need to (have to go) buy ice, and it's faster and easier that doing it in the freezer. Andersen Levelers make leveling easy. And if I didn't have an electric tongue jack, my first tow would likely have been my last.

The argument over whether or not an SUV is capable of towing a trailer rages on... But from my experience, it's less about towing capability and more about towing SAFETY, and wheelbase (in my case) matters. The difference between towing with my Jeep Commander and my Silverado 2500 is literally night and day. With the Jeep, the drive scared me to death and had me stressed and aggravated on arrival. With the Silverado, I barely know the TT is back there. I arrive stress-free and ready to enjoy myself versus looking up the nearest therapist in the Yellow Pages.

Lastly:

Read these forums - a lot - you will learn a metric ton of knowledge here that you likely will NOT gain through experience - certainly not the painless kind, anyway. This forum has saved my bacon numerous times and given me great ideas for improvements to the trailer and just better ways of doing things.

[Tal_IL]

With four kids, floor plan is going to be especially important - a kitchen suitable for cooking for the family, sleeping space and just general usable space.

As far as build quality, you can definitely rank some units above others. But, with anything mechanical, you will have some issues. Whether they become merely an inconvenience or a full-blown nightmare is largely a function of your dealer's level of customer service. Scrutinize the dealer quality as rigorously as the TT itself.

[SoundGuy]

Lynnmor wrote:
Quality is poor across the industry, all you can hope for is that they threw it together with materials that are better than the bare minimum.

Materials used are pretty generic across the industry, it's the "throwing together" that can vary from one manufacturer to another. Based on my own experience in owning a number of trailers all from different manufacturers, whether you get a good one or one fraught with problems is as much luck as anything else ... sometimes you win, sometimes you lose no matter how careful you think you are during the selection process. More important IMO is having a dealer's service department you can rely on when problems do arise.