Moving up from PUP to TT, what to expect

[RDMueller]

After 5 seasons of camping in our little Forest River 176 PUP, we are planning on upgrading to a TT. We haven't picked a specific trailer yet, but most of the units we are interested in are in the 24-27' range with empty weights ranging from around 5000-6000 lbs.

Towing the PUP with my Ram 2500 was a non-issue, for the most part didn't even know it was back there! No brakes, no need for WD hitch or sway control, very minimal impact on mileage. When buying the PUP, no prep was needed for the truck, the dealer just rolled the pup over to my truck and helped me hitch it up and I drove away. I'm guessing things will be a bit more involved with the TT, and I want to be ready.

First off, I do know I have plenty of truck for what I'm planning to buy. The GVWR is 8,800lbs and the GCVWR is 20,000lbs. The empty weight of the truck is just a little over 6,000lbs (it is the crew cab model with 8' bed). My biggest question is whether I will need a WD hitch and sway control. The existing receiver on the truck is a Class III (6000/600) so I will either need to upgrade to a Class IV or use a WD hitch. The question is which option.

If a truck of this size and capability has no need for a WD hitch pulling what I'm looking at buying, I'd much rather just upgrade the receiver to a Class IV. However if the consensus is that WD is preferred, then I could just stay with the existing receiver. Assuming a 7,000lb loaded trailer at 10%, that's only 700lbs on the hitch. I've carried 2,500lbs in the bed of the truck before and it handled great. Of course that weight was distributed both in front of and behind the rear axle. This 700lbs will all be behind the axle. Thoughts? I'm hoping that others with a similar truck/trailer combo will chime in with what works for them.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! I would like to be as prepared as possible before I show up at the dealership to take delivery.

[Robbieo11]

The most obvious is less set up time

[Beer_Belly]

I was looking at TT's myself simply for the ease of set up. The Pup is paid for, and has more room (or so it seems)than some TT's. Mine does have a slide out, Toilet, and A/C. What I would expect to be different on the down side....Towing -can't see all the way around....windy days.....at the campground -backing in (again, can't see all the way around)....at home -storage may be a problem for some (not us though, plenty of room).....use as a guest house for those relatives you'd much rather not spend the week with.....the good -ease of set up, especially in crappy weather....can pull off the road and take a rest, or something to eat at any time

[Doug33]

jake2250 wrote:

We enjoy the TT allot more than the PUP,, But the PUP was way better then Tent camping,,But Camping is way better than working any day!!

Awesome assessment! 🙂

[Mike_Up]

As far as towing, just make sure you have the tow package with the associated coolers so you have enough tow rating. Sounds like you have enough payload so that's a none issue.

The WDH is still needed as even a class IV hitch receiver requires a WDH for weights over 5000/6000 lbs. Plus sway control is needed for any size truck to keep it straight in winds.

I've had 2 PUPs and 2 TTs along with several tents. PUPs are pain because of packing and unpacking everything that goes on to the PUPs floor and truck's bed/SUV cargo area. The actual setup of the PUP is pretty easy.

Now setup does get to be a pain in the rain. I was closing up when I seen water streaming all over the cabinets, after it ran off of the tent material. Had to setup all over again, wipe cabinets down, and close up again and try to keep rain water from running on to the cabinets again. Then get home and setup the PUP to dry the tent material so that it doesn't get moldy.

Now I had a Rockwood PUP that had no water heater and no bathroom, it was easy to setup. The Starcraft had water heater that was NONE DSI and it was a pain trying to get it's pilot lit. The bathroom was also a chore as I wiped all the water off the toilet and curtain so that no mold would grow. It was a pain for sure.

Then on the Starcraft after only 1 year, the Aqualon bunkends started pouring water in from both bunks 4 corners. Needle holes must of stretched but I couldn't get them to seal at all. Had mildew stain on the bunk boards from all the water pouring in and off course the mattresses got soaked. Luckily the mattresses dried with no ill affects.

We traded to a TT and wife since says she refuses to ever camp in a Pop Up due to the pain setting up/closing, packing/unpacking, and needing to bend over or on your knees to get to any of the low storage for items.

PUP was harder to back in due to it's single axle but was easier to tow as long as had good suspension (sport Track) opposed to soft suspension truck (Pathfinder).

TT is great for convenience but doesn't fit everywhere due to it's large size. TTs is harder to tow (LT Tires on truck would make it better) with TTs larger surface area causing it to push truck side to side from winds (as one, locked together with good sway control hitch). Also heavier hitch weight can cause bouncing but WDH usually corrects most when correctly adjusted.

PUP is far easier to tow and gets much better MPG. Plus is much easier to store. Downside is much less convenient with less amenities and more setup.

TT is harder to level due to it's dual axles which can be a pain on steeply sloped campsites.

If I were to go to another PUP, it would have tent material that has vinyl coating and not a material that has a soaked in vinyl as Aqualon. Definitely a DSI water heater, and a toilet for the kids. Has at least one large cabinet top space or 2 midsize cabinet top spaces, and a front trunk.

[rbpru]

I live in Northern Indiana and there are a few places that will rent TTs. These were not old beaters either. The one I rented was a 26 foot fiberglass with slide, Edge model. I do not recall who the manufacturer.It was two years old and on the lot for $15,000.00.

This was a “no hassle” deal. I backed in and picked it up clean and returned it clean, they did all the dumping, tank refills and hitch set up. The tech went with be on a test drive to show me how to adjust the brake controller and hitch and un-hitch.

The dealer said most of the trailers were rented for Notre Dame football weekends and rarely had over 100 miles on them.

It was not cheap, a bit over $100.00/day but I learned several things.
• Pulling a barn down the road is a lot different than the PUP.
• My F-150 might be rated for the weight load, but it the 200 hp. V6 was not. Max speed was 62 mph. on the flat, 50 to 55 mph. on hills. I needed a bigger engine.
• 8 to 10 mpg was the norm. Backing into a CG spot took a spotter.
Pull-throughs were your friend.

Also getting there simply takes longer, 60 to 65 mph is max. and 250 to 300 miles is a days journey. However,
• Set up was easy.
• There is a lot more maintenance because you are carrying a lot more things.
• Almost any CG can accommodate a 25 footer.
• You crawled out on you own side of the bed.
• The bathroom was nice and convenient.
• Clothing was hung in closets and food in a pantry.
• Microwave, television, oven and other amenities spoil you.;)

In my humble opinion, it is not camping; it is RVing. It took us another year to decide, that for the type of travel we wanted to do, the TT was a better fit. We spent a lot of time checking out A-liners and other such hard sided PUPs.

I would not go back to the PUP and my tenting usually involves a canoe trip.

[jake2250]

3 - Setup / teardown. Faster in a TT than a PUP - by far a lot faster.

True!! Yeah It took a minimum of 20 minutes just to get set up in the pup,, Mean time,dog needed walking, kids wanted in,wife wanted to get in and start lunch or dinner.
Beds had to be made, truck had to be unpacked..

TT- as soon as I level side to side (made very easy with Andersen Levelers), Wife and kids can go in and get what ever they needed,, less than ten minutes I am done and DW will have a drink waiting!!
Also,, I sleep way better in the TT than I did in the PUP,, PUP was very noisy in the wind and rain!!

We enjoy the TT allot more than the PUP,, But the PUP was way better then Tent camping,,But Camping is way better than working any day!!

[RDMueller]

Next question is regarding brakes. As I mentioned, the pup didn't even have brakes. Other types of trailers I have towed with this truck had surge brakes. My truck does have a brake controller that was installed by the previous owner. He used it with large gooseneck trailers. I don't know anything about it though and have never used it. From the picture can you tell if this will work or will I need something different?

[Doug33]

Terryallan wrote:

mrw8i wrote:
Biggest differences going from PUP to TT.


3 - Setup / teardown. Faster in a TT than a PUP - by far a lot faster.

for us it was just the opposite. I could have the pup unhooked leveled, raised, and camping in 20 minutes.

With the TT with the TT it takes longer than that to get it leveled, and unhooked. Then there are the hoses, sewer, and shore power to hookup before you can even get the slide out.

and tearing down. I could be down and gone in the time it takes to dump the tanks. All in all. For me. The TT is a lot more trouble than the pup. But it does have a bathroom.

The biggest advantage to a TT over a PU is that you only have to pack and unpack once. With the PU, we'd pack almost everything into the TV. Then when we got to the site and put the PU up, move stuff from the TV into the PU. Then we'd have to do everything in reverse when leaving. This is because the PU had very little usable storage when in the closed position for towing.

In the TT, we have more storage room than we know what to do with, so virtually nothing has to go into the TV for the trip and be moved later. Once you back up, level and hook up utilities to a TT, you are basically done. Also, the fridge in the TT is so much bigger so we don't need any coolers anymore.

Overall, our setup time in the TT is definitely faster than it was for the popup. Especially if you wanted to set up an awning or screen room. The powered awning on the TT takes all of 15 seconds to hit the button and extend. 🙂 Setting up the awning on the PU was very time consuming. Adding the screen room was even worse. 😞

[IDman]

We drive a Ram diesel and tow a heavy TT built by Arctic Fox using a WD hitch. We have never needed a sway bar because of the heavy weight of TT. If I towed a light TT, yes, I would use sway bar.

[Terryallan]

mrw8i wrote:
Biggest differences going from PUP to TT.


3 - Setup / teardown. Faster in a TT than a PUP - by far a lot faster.

for us it was just the opposite. I could have the pup unhooked leveled, raised, and camping in 20 minutes.

With the TT with the TT it takes longer than that to get it leveled, and unhooked. Then there are the hoses, sewer, and shore power to hookup before you can even get the slide out.

and tearing down. I could be down and gone in the time it takes to dump the tanks. All in all. For me. The TT is a lot more trouble than the pup. But it does have a bathroom.

[RDMueller]

rbpru wrote:
My two cents is do what the DW and I did when we switched from a PUP, we selected a TT floor plan we liked; then rented a similar unit.

10 days in the Ozarks told us more about towing a TT than all the advice and recommendations put together.

We love the PUP but the TT is a whole different world.

Wow, surprised you were able to find a TT to rent. I looked into doing that a few years ago and had no luck. Motorhome rental is everywhere, but at least in my area, nobody rents TT's.

Anyway, I have done the motorhome rental, so I'm familiar with dumping, hookups, etc. In fact, it was renting the motorhome that gave us the nudge to move up from the pup. I guess we're just on the normal progression - tent to pup to TT, probably someday to 5er and eventually a motorhome!

[rbpru]

My two cents is do what the DW and I did when we switched from a PUP, we selected a TT floor plan we liked; then rented a similar unit.

10 days in the Ozarks told us more about towing a TT than all the advice and recommendations put together.

We love the PUP but the TT is a whole different world.

[mrw8i]

Biggest differences going from PUP to TT.

1 - Backing up. Can't look over your shoulder. You have to depend on mirrors and a spotter.
2 - It's wider.
3 - Setup / teardown. Faster in a TT than a PUP - by far a lot faster. However, over time you start bringing more junk and it takes longer and longer to put everything away.
4 - The bathroom. Big win on the TT
5 - Warmth in colder weather. Big win on the TT
6 - Openness feeling. More of a win on the PUP.
7 - Dumping

WDH - yes. Required.

[brittsnbirds]

I started out with a Jayco PUP. Had a ton of fun with it. However it was a little rough and my DW wouldn't go. We traded for a Wildwood 25RBEC bunkhouse. Loved the bunks for storage and thought we died and went to heaven. However it got cramped without slides. I did the research and got the Equal-i-zer hitch. I'm another HUGE fan of the Equal-i-zer hitch. Pulled the Wildwood TT with a '03 Chevy 1500 many miles. The Equal-i-zer paid for itself pulling east on I-10 through Texas with a terriable cross wind, was real hoot. I don't want to imagine what type of ride we would have had without the Equal-i-zer. I traded for a 2500 HD Chevy, kept the hitch and moved the head up 1 notch. Pulled great again (actually better).

Last year we traded the TT for a 34' 5th wheel. OMG what a difference pulling. Totally different experience. Don't know if it pulls better because of more aerodynamic or the 5th wheel (or both) but it pulls much better. My gas mileage actually stayed the same and I increased my weight by 2k.

You will find going from the PUP to a TT or 5er it is totally different. Your travel time will increase. You have to pay more attention to where you pull of as well (restaurants, fuel etc.). Plus the camping spots get a little slimmer. With a PUP you can put it pretty much anywhere. Trailers are a little more space specific. One of the best things about the TT/5er's there is no canvass to get wet other than the awning. You just pack up and leave.

I do miss the good ole days with the Jayco but the 5th wheel is much more homey!!