New to travel trailers

[Franbak13]

My son and I are thinking about buying a 2012 Outback Keystone 312BH. They are charging $24,900 for it. It seems to be in great shape. Since we are a 66 yr. old mom and 25 yr. old son, the 312 with the bunkhouse in one end and the master bedroom in the other seems to be just what we need for both of us to have our privacy.
But neither of us has ever had a travel trailer before and know very little about camping.

What are the ins and outs of towing something like this?

Any help anyone can give me would be appreciated.

[dadmomh]

At this point, only one thought....please, please don't do this! You have too much trailer and not enough truck. Just a impression, but I'm guessing you'll be doing the driving??? Yes, it's pretty much easy, but not so much in an emergency. None of us want to be a kill-joy for your excellent plans, but also don't want to see pictures of you and your dear son and new TT rolled over on the side of the road or hit by a gust of wind or a semi and lose control. Another judgment, and forgive me if I'm wrong, but you sound stressed to make this happen with the perfect trailer. I think most of us would agree that somewhere along the line, we've had to give and take to make things work and be safe and SAFE is the key word. Never mind anything else. You have a nice size truck for something in the 25 - 28' range DEPENDING ON WEIGHT. Please don't even think of going over 1000# less in towing than your GVWR. Preferably more. Right now, by the time you add your son, some clothes, the food from a stop at McD.....you're likely overweight. That is so not good. You came to share your excitement and to get good and solid advice, so please heed what you're hearing. Re privacy....you can still maintain your privacy with some compromise. Bathrooms have doors. Many bedrooms have doors or curtains to pull. And in the real world, you've both probably had more view than was intended at the time. You don't need to be a bundle of nerves and need a bottle of Xanax by the time you arrive at the campground. You need a safe and relaxing drive so you can set up camp and enjoy your time together.

Re a 5th wheel, that might be a solution, but is it worth the bunch of $$$$$ to make the change from what you have now with a suitable, albeit maybe less than perfect TT to something you may find you don't care so much for after all. I would take baby steps here. Just be safe....that's our main objective.

[B_s_Bunch]

Maybe need to post in the fifth wheel forum. Larry

[Franbak13]

I haven't gotten any advice on towing a fifth wheel. I am going to have to get a truck to tow it with because mine is not the towing capacity for a fifth wheel. The one we are looking at now is a 2010 Gulf Stream 30fbhs. Now what are your opinions on this one. Please feel free to help me out here.

[2012Coleman]

These Travel Trailers look interesting Found on another thread here.

This one as well...

[rightyouareken]

I agree, don't give up yet! There are lots of bunkhouse models that could fit your needs that should be towable with your truck.

[2012Coleman]

If you are set on a big TT, your best bet would be to upgrade your pickup. Think seriously of getting a 3/4 ton - F250, Chevy/Doge 2500. These come in gas as well as diesel engines, 2 or 4 wheel drive. Above all, learn how to determine the capabilities of any TV before you buy it. Don't listen to car salesmen or RV salesmen. Ask here - use the Tow Vechile forum if you like.

Don't think that you can't hook up a TT solo - you can! It's easy! There are all sorts of gizmos to help you - wireless backup cameras, etc. I do it all the time. 5th wheels will need a beefy TV.

Or you can opt to simply start with a smaller trailer that your current TV can handle. Not sure how much privacy is needed but most have a curtin or wall seperating the main sleeping area/living areas, and others can sleep on air mattresses eiter on the dinette or jack-knife couch.

Look above a rightyouareken's signature - he's got a great looking TT pulled by an F150.

You can get a lot of help here - no such thing as a dumb question.... Good luck and keep us posted.

[APT]

Both TT and 5th wheel can tow well. Both can be hooked up by one person easily. It's just a preference on number of steps, floorplans, use of truck bed when traveling, and price.

[Franbak13]

Ok, I am taking all the advice that I have gotten. I really appreciate everyone taking the time to comment on my dilemna. Now I have another question. Since we have pretty much given up on the TT for now, what are your thoughts on a fifth wheel? I have been told that it is much easier to tow and one person can hitch it up. I know I have to do something else about a truck because of the towing capacity. Please let me know your opinions. Thanks.

[rightyouareken]

It's not the low speed maneuvering that is the concern, its the ability to handle the trailer at highway speed that is the concern. I agree with others that you need a much smaller trailer for your truck. You need to figure out what available payload you have with your truck and work backwards from that figure, not tow rating. My truck is rated to tow 9300 lbs, but would be over its payload rating (~1450 lbs) with a trailer over 7,000 lbs loaded, which means 5,500 lbs or less dry, which is right where my trailer falls. I wouldn't want to tow anything larger. And it's not a power issue, its a stability issue with the less capable chassis of a half ton truck.

Chose carefully or I suspect you'll be shopping for a new 2500 truck very shortly.

[2012Coleman]

Not trying to be mean, but concentrating on just camp grounds with paved raods and then getting a pull through site every time will severly limit your camping time. You need to learn how to back it up at some point. Took me over 2 hours to get my 25' TT into my driveway, but got considerably better at it each time. You came to the right place for advice - please consider heeding as so far it has all been good. The manufacturers tow specs were created under conditions which you will never match, and therefore are overstated. And as others have stated, I would have never considered getting one longer than my current TT the first time. Now, I'm ready to, but need to upgrage my tow vehicle first.

[APT]

Franbak13 wrote:

But neither of us has ever had a travel trailer before and know very little about camping.

Towing an RV is not easy. Not for the tow vehicle, not for the driver unless you get into about 50-70% of capability. So you want to push the capability of your truck with no RV or towing experience? My truck is overkill for my current TT, yet my wife won't tow it despite the Suburban being her daily driver.

The average RVer adds 1200 pounds of stuff over manufacturer dry weight. Weekender couples less, full timers more. 7k dry is over 8k loaded, and 900-1100 pounds of tongue weight. That's too much for most half tons. You want to tow with a 10 year old one? How was it maintained?

2004 GM half ton means 4-spd trans. Do you know your axle ratio? You can check the RPO sticker in the glove box for GU6, GT4, or GT5. How about the HD towing package?

My advice is to spend the $25k on a newer 3/4 ton truck. Take the $10k-ish value of your current truck and get a nice used TT. There are plenty of bunk house models that will work for you. You will be a lot happier with the towing experience.

[Doug33]

I spent 10 years pulling PUs because my wife and I were nervous about pulling a TT on the highway. Then 7 years ago we ventured into getting a 24' TT, and that took some getting used to. Now, after considerable debate, we are venturing into the 28' territory, granted it is a light weight aluminum frame (5200 lbs dry weight). So it is only a few hundred pounds more than the 24' TT. I will have to see how our truck handles the task at hand. I would never consider getting anything bigger based on the restrictions of the tow vehicle, which is similar to yours.

I just emptied out all the stuff I had accumulated in the 24' TT, and it was enormous. There was easily 500 lbs worth of stuff in there, and that does not include the water we used to place in the tank, as well as food and drinks for each trip.

And if I remember correctly, Lynchburg VA is a pretty hilly area. Anything over 6000 lbs dry weight would be an issue, in my opinion.

[Franbak13]

Thanks for all the advice so far. We have been looking at smaller trailers too, but can't find any that would suit us yet. We are also considering a 2013 Forest River Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite 8311SS, this trailer would suit us better than anything else we've seen. It is about 1.5 feet shorter and 500-600 pounds lighter than the Outback. Our truck is rated for 8,600 lbs and the GVWR on this one is 8,450 lbs. The unloaded vehicle weight is 6,951 lbs. We probably would never fill the trailer anywhere near the GVWR. Would this be at all possible for us to tow even at a low speed? We will be driving slow no matter which one we get. We will always be in campgrounds that have pull through, paved sites and will only be taking the trailer on main highways and will be doing as little maneuvering and backing up as possible. Also is there anything that could be done to our truck that might make towing something like this a little easier or more stable?

[nunuc2000]

I am still wayne_tw wrote:

Franbak13 wrote:
We have a 2004 GMC Sierra 5.3 V8 Extended cab.

Your truck is not up to the task of pulling the trailer you are considering.

You are definitely venturing into the danger zone of towing... that truck IS NOT capable of safely towing that trailer. If you're just going a few miles down a flat straight stretch, you'll be fine. But if you plan anything further than that, any hills, even anything stronger than a stiff breeze... well... I sure as heck wouldn't want to be behind you or beside you, that's for sure! Please reconsider the size of that trailer or your tow vehicle - for safety sake!