Newbie question

[Widow_Jams]

Senior widow looking for RV for travel. I have found a neat Weekend Warrior 2008 for sale. I was reading another forum written about the time this company failed. One complaint was about the roof leaking.

I have NO knowledge of RVs. I need to DO this or I will never live my dream. The years are adding up. I have been fretting about this for months and yet another birthday is just around the corner.

I am torn between one that Is pulled and one that is driven. Money IS an issue
My truck is 1/2 ton 4WD. I WANT TO STAY 27' or less but want double axles. I HAVE towed a small farm trailer over the years.

Any seniors with advice. And specifically ANY info on the Weekend Warrior? I am seriously considering it. It is a toy hauler model but I will use that area for something else

judy

[Ron3rd]

Just to clarify to the OP, Weekend Warrior is out of business. If you have an adequate tow vehicle, I would look at trailers in the 25ft range with a slide out. We had such a trailer and sold it at the 9 year mark to friends for $6,000 and it's still a very nice trailer, the wife just wanted something bigger for the grandkids and our kids when they tag along. IMO, the 25 footer is ideal for 2 people but can get a little tight with 4. Good luck in your decision and there's lots of good deals out there if you're patient. Airstream makes a very good unit too, but they get pricey. Excellent choice if you've got the $$.

[anaro]

They are all somewhat skirting around telling you what you can tow. Perhaps it would be easier for you if we helped you to figure this number out. Take your truck to a Cat scale and weigh it fully loaded with all passengers, pets and gear you intend to routinely have in it when towing plus a full tank of fuel. Put the front axle on the first scale pad and the rear axle on the second scale pad. Bring a broom handle or something like g as the button you need to push is really high up. When they ask for first weigh or reweigh, it is first weigh (if you use the scales to set up wdh you can reweigh for $1-2/time in the next 24 hrs, 1st weigh is usually $9-12). When they ask for truck number tell them private vehicle. If they still need a number give them your favorite number (they get way too many number 1's).

Now take your yellow weight ticket and look at the numbers on it. Take the total scaled truck weight and subtract it from the trucks gcwr to get your adjusted towing capacity. Take the scaled weight and subtract it from the trucks gvwr to get your available payload. Take the rear axle weight and subtract it from the max RAWR.

The loaded weight of the tt needs to be less than your adjusted towing capacity. Your loaded tongue weight needs to be less than your available payload and axle weight ratings (although a properly adjusted wdh will transfer some weight back to the tt and forward to the front axle). Not knowing how heavy you will load your tt, it is safest to do all calculations using the tt gvwr (the most the tt should weigh when loaded). Ideal loaded tongue weight is 13-15% of loaded tt weight. CalculAte 13-15% of the gvwr for now to get an idea of whAt tongue weight you will be carrying. As others have said, toy haulers have heavier tongue weights but I'm not sure of the ratios there.

The quad bunks or tt with a bunk slide often have an office type area for you to utilize but they come with extra weight and length. Best of luck to you in trailer hunting and your adventures.

[rbpru]

I have to agree with APT, you can easily exceed the Max Cargo limit in a half ton even though you are well below the max tow rating. The stuff we add to the trailer and the truck adds up fast.

My 5000 lb. Dutchmen is about as big as I wish to go on my F-150, fortunately it is just my wife and I so we do not have a lot of toys.

Also good advice about the WD hitch they can be quiet awkward to handle. That was another unexpected thing we learned when we rented a TT.

[Bayoubass]

Someone mentioned getting the smallest TT that u can live with, I agree. Big equals issues that you don't want at our age (66 on my clock). My wife and I love the 19' Keystone Hideout , have to draw the line somewhere ! Good luck.

[BubbaChris]

The other thing you should really check out is the process for attaching and detaching a weight-distributing hitch. Perhaps via Youtube videos.

This is something you'll have to do with anything but a very, very tiny trailer. Many people are able to make the process easier with an electric tongue jack (but knowing the standard way of doing it is important too).

[MFinCA]

newman fulltimer wrote:
Do not buy it it also has a weak frame also

The larger WW units had that problem. They were using lighter frame material to try and keep the weight of the unit down. They are very heavy units.

[oughtsix]

The biggest advantage to a motor home that other RV's can't really match is that passengers can travel in the back of a motor home. Since you are traveling alone the majority of the time you won't really get this benefit. I would guess in your situation being able to unhook your tow vehicle and go will probably be a much greater advantage!

As all the previous posters mentioned initial cost and ongoing costs will be higher in a motor home. With a motor home you will have a whole other motor vehicle to maintain on top of the RV maintenance required for a trailer. I can't count the number of people I have known that have purchased used motor homes and have ended up stranded and at the mercy of what ever local mechanic they can find. Maybe this is not an issue if you can afford to buy new?

I have a 26 foot trailer and it suits the 4 of us quite well. If you can make a smaller trailer work for just you I would encourage you to go the smaller route.

All of the used trailers I looked at dealers were a complete RIP-OFF! I bought mine from a private party and was able to afford a much nicer unit then if I had purchased a used unit from an RV dealer.

You might consider looking at a bunk house model trailer. The bunks in mine would be easy to remove to create the office space you are looking for.

[APT]

28' toy hauler and half tons do not mix well. Even 25' can easily exceed half tons payload and receiver ratings before adding the toys. I recommend weighing your truck and understand where it stands with respect to all its ratings, not just tow rating. And no trailer is as difficult to tow as RVs. It's huge box of air that catches a lot of air that has to be pulled on the highway at 65mph and 8'x25-30' side wall catching cross winds.

[rbpru]

You can always do what my wife and I did. We rented a 26 footer with slide for a 10 day trip to the Ozarks.

It was the size we wanted, so we thought we would try pulling the barn down the road to see if we liked it.

We were successful, though we soon found our TV under powered. Later we found the floor plan we liked in a used 26 ft. Dutchman. We also upgraded to a nice EcoBoost F-150.

In about a month I will have completed my 70th orbit of the sun.

[stus__family]

Another senior here with a few years on you. If I were you I would look for a trailer with a rear bunk area with the thought of removing the bunks and replacing them with a work surface.
Don't expect the grandchildren to want to go with you more than one time and then it seems like the thrill wears off unless they are used to it and like camping.

[Widow_Jams]

Wow! You fellows have been a miracle find. I canceled my appt to see the WW. But it was tough. Other than an airstream it was the first I found that excited me. I loved the kitchen design. I have discovered the kitchen is a real issue for me and lots of windows. I have a very small hobby business and genealogical research and the toy hauling area was going to be outfitted as office and library and I also want to have a washer/dryer if that is at all feasible.

I DO appreciate the opinion of each of you! I am simply clueless. I am going to be traveling alone except for maybe gkids a few weeks in the summer. I am only a few years from the 7th decade so I feel an urgency to DO this while I am healthy and energetic but my biggest minus is NO knowledge of anything mechanical.

Thank you so much!

By the way. Can a door of a toy hauler be removed and it enclosed with a door and windows? That is what I was going to see if I could do with the WW.

[Bayoubass]

Another senior here, I have 1/2 ton f150 4.6l and bought a keystone hideout 19' , great floor plan, not expensive ( bought a 2011 for $9300). Easy to tow, set up, and comfortable . Tandem wheels also. Good luck finding something you like.

[az350x]

Terrydactile wrote:
Toy haulers will have a heavy tongue weight without toys in the garage. If you do decide to purchase a toy hauler type be mindful of this.

^^^^^x2. Due to the living quarters in toy haulers being in the front end, tongue weight is extreme without considerable weight (toys) in the back. The forward weight does also make them prone to frame flexing, especially the Weekend Warriors with the Zieman chassis. WW lost a class-action lawsuit over their design, weak chassis issues, and the fact that without a Sherman tank in the back, it was virtually impossible to distribute the load "properly." I've owned 5 toy haulers, 2 of which were WW. They're convenient, but there are a few downsides.

Good luck!

[Terrydactile]

Toy haulers will have a heavy tongue weight without toys in the garage. If you do decide to purchase a toy hauler type be mindful of this.