Looking to purchase a travel trailer
Hello, my name is Rose and I am retiring in one year, I have been looking at the Winnebago Minnie Winnie and Lance both seem to be all weather terrain durable, I just bought my Silverado 1500 LT to pu...
Forum Discussion
You need 3 numbers:
Towing capacity of your truck
Payload/cargo capacity of your truck
Gross (max loaded) weight of the trailer
Start looking at trailers with a gross weight no higher than 80% of your tow capacity. That's an easy first pass test.
Then take the gross weight of the trailer and multiply it by 12 percent. That is what the tongue weight of the trailer should be when it's all hooked up. That weight becomes part of the cargo of your truck. You need enough payload left for yourself and any other passengers and whatever stuff you want to carry in your truck.
Find out the EXACT cargo and tow capacities of your truck. You can't just pick something like a generic Silverado. Those numbers vary hugely depending on the options on the truck.
If you can't find the information readily, a dealer should be able to help you track it down.
Of the 2 trailers you mentioned, the Lance is generally the brand with the better build quality. More important are the specific items on the trailer that suit your needs. The floor plan has to work for you. Also if you plan to camp anywhere without water and sewer hookups, you need generous holding tank capacities--fresh, gray, and black.
Do your reading on here, there is tons of good info.
I personally am not a fan of RV shows. In my experience, dealers take their fanciest biggest models with all the bells & whistles, to show off. If you will be travelling alone, something of a much more modest size will probably suit you better.
Look up some dealers within a reasonable driving distance. Check out their inventory and identify some models/stock numbers that you think might work for you. Then go and look on a weekday (less busy) and tell them you are not buying today but you are doing some preliminary fact-finding, and might be back to buy if they can help you. If they are not helpful and informative, that is a sign you might do better somewhere else.
Towing capacity of your truck
Payload/cargo capacity of your truck
Gross (max loaded) weight of the trailer
Start looking at trailers with a gross weight no higher than 80% of your tow capacity. That's an easy first pass test.
Then take the gross weight of the trailer and multiply it by 12 percent. That is what the tongue weight of the trailer should be when it's all hooked up. That weight becomes part of the cargo of your truck. You need enough payload left for yourself and any other passengers and whatever stuff you want to carry in your truck.
Find out the EXACT cargo and tow capacities of your truck. You can't just pick something like a generic Silverado. Those numbers vary hugely depending on the options on the truck.
If you can't find the information readily, a dealer should be able to help you track it down.
Of the 2 trailers you mentioned, the Lance is generally the brand with the better build quality. More important are the specific items on the trailer that suit your needs. The floor plan has to work for you. Also if you plan to camp anywhere without water and sewer hookups, you need generous holding tank capacities--fresh, gray, and black.
Do your reading on here, there is tons of good info.
I personally am not a fan of RV shows. In my experience, dealers take their fanciest biggest models with all the bells & whistles, to show off. If you will be travelling alone, something of a much more modest size will probably suit you better.
Look up some dealers within a reasonable driving distance. Check out their inventory and identify some models/stock numbers that you think might work for you. Then go and look on a weekday (less busy) and tell them you are not buying today but you are doing some preliminary fact-finding, and might be back to buy if they can help you. If they are not helpful and informative, that is a sign you might do better somewhere else.
