Our First TT, will it be a hobby nightmare?

[Fizbin]

We are 2 weeks away from buying our first TT and we are not sure if this will be a nightmare or everything we dream about?

We have our own business and can work from the office or a cruise ship, so no worries there.

We home school our 11 year old and we are a very close fun family, and road trip ALOT now.

We have the cash so no budget issues there.

We just got a big 2015 Tundra and we're looking at the Jayco 28bhbe (with 1 slide)as the weight isn't crazy and even loaded is under the max the Tundra can handle.

After doing research on brands, taking into consideration the floor plan we would like, visual inspection, salesman's pitching (ugly business here) reviews and conversations on this forum, we think the Jayco model mentioned above will be best.

Our huge anxiety comes from reading different peoples issues with all brands somewhat in general.

• Electrical and Plumbing Issues.
• Leaking Roofs.
• Mold.
• Mice invasions!

Our other main critical concern is after the sale service.
After reading the reviews on ALL the dealers here in and around Austin Texas it looks like all service departs are horrific! I can pick out the reviewer bomb throwers in a review here or there and discard them but,,, good googly moogly,,,, these places are all SUPER BAD to deal with service. We went to 1 dealer in Buda Texas who wanted to make a point that we HAD to get fiberglass as hail would destroy a camper. He drove us through what I can only describe as a camper grave yard. There must have been 100 campers all waiting for service. I asked him about this and he said some are waiting on insurance claims, others for parts, and just an assortment of reason! I think he wished he had not brought us back there in the end.

Finally, yes there are dozens and dozens of bad reviews and customer complaints but on the flip side,,, are there hundres or thousands of truley satisfied customers that just don't share their experience?

What do we do, what do you think?

[Wishbone51]

Fizbin wrote:
BTW is DW an abbreviation here for wife, I've seen it a few times?

DW = "Dear Wife" or "Darn Wife" .. We can tell from the context.. There's also DH, DD, DS, etc... Is there a DX? hehe

[love2rvcamp]

Take a look at the yellow sticker on the door.

This will give you the exact weights for your Tundra



The number 2051 in this example is the payload. You have to subtract the tongue weight of the trailer from this, all stuff in your bed, weight of passengers and the weight of any distribution hitch.

As with most 1/2 tons you can run out of payload before you get any where near the GVWR that they advertise.

Check these numbers before purchase will give you an enjoyable towing experience.

Mike

[Fizbin]

Ok, I did not know there were different tow hitches. I fall in the old saying in the Jurassic Park movie, "I'll spare no expense" so I should get the bigger one. I was quoted from this new salesman $429 but he didn't say what model it was.

OCD, yep I wont say that about myself but my wife will. BTW is DW an abbreviation here for wife, I've seen it a few times? My truck is rated at 11klbs. The trailer is at 6135,,, even with my wife (DW?) and young daughter and some piles of junk to load in I can't image that we would get to the gvwr of 9250. But I bet a bunch of you are laughing and shaking your heads,,, "Just you wait!"

[Wishbone51]

If it will be a hobby nightmare or not really depends on the amount of research you have done, if you bought a good trailer, and have the right tow vehicle.

In my case, I started RVing in 2012, and had some experience towing small utility trailers. I spent 6 whole months (hours per day) researching the subject and lurking on several forums, asking questions, and getting a really good feel for what I'm getting myself into. Also spent a lot of time daydreaming and visualizing every single detail to the point where when I actually did it, it felt like I had done it before. Every little task, no matter how small, I had researched and visualized. I'm a bit OCD when it comes to this.

I wasn't comfortable purchasing from an owner directly and ended up purchasing an older (2000) trailer from a reputable dealer. My reasoning is that if it wasn't for me, or I had a ton of issues, I wasn't out too much money purchasing this trailer ($6500). After spending two hours in the walk-through and asking a ton of questions, I took it on a shake-down cruise to the coast and took plenty of notes on what wasn't working as expected, what items (mostly kitchen) that I forgot, etc.

My very next trip after that was a 5 week cross-country vacation that went off with absolutely no issues. At the beginning, I was getting a lot of help from other RVers, and by the end, I was helping out the newcomers.

Another thing I do is take notes during each trip on things forgotten, or things that might make whatever easier, and add it to my checklist the next time.

My experience might be different than others, but when it comes to my money, I spend an insane amount of time doing my research first, and it paid off.

[itguy08]

Slate CM wrote:
Toyota uses real world ratings, J2807 engineering standards since 2011, while Ford has yet to adopt them.

As of 2015 Ford is using them too, as are all manufacturers, IIRC. And they didn't loose much at all, nor were the 2011-2014's bad tow rigs at their limits.

That being said, make sure you calculate your weights off the payload sticker on the door of the truck and dry, midpoint, and max weights of the trailer. Make sure you are comfortable with those #'s you calculate.

Yes, the $800 hitch may be needed. When we settled on our unit, an Open Range LT272RLS, the salesman said they have 2 options, the cheap WD hitch and the best. He recommended the best for our F150. I said "I want the best.".

[Fizbin]

Well, you all are tremendously helpful. The dealer I just started talking to says $1,000 to hold and start inspection on vehicle. Does that sound reasonable?

And someone mentioned an inspection spreadsheet of some kind. Unless you have one handy I can try and track down one.

Tongue weight, is there some sort of scale you can get to check this? When I'm talking about shifting weight to the rear, I'm not talking about creating negative tongue weight, just keeping it in a manageable level the way I do with a work trailer. I hope that makes sense? 🙂

Oh, and the 2015 Tundra is the off-road edition so it has a beefed up suspension.

[profdant139]

Honestly, I am not sure whether your truck can handle this particular trailer or not -- but that is not the point of this post. The point is this: you have no idea how much FUN this is going to be! With a "footloose" business that can be conducted anywhere, and a home-schooled child, the whole world is open to you. Once you get over your understandable newbie fears, you will be so happy that you chose to get into RVing.

After ten years of extensive travel (check out our blog link, below), our only regret is that we did not get into trailering till we were in our 50s, missing all those years with the kids.

Be sure to save a copy of your post and look at it in a couple of years -- it will give you a big laugh.

Yes, there are always maintenance issues. No big deal. It is the price of freedom. No more crowded airports, no more disease-ridden cruise ships, no more motel bedspreads (if you know what I mean!), fewer salty/fatty/tasteless meals in noisy restaurants. Choose your itinerary as you go. Sit by a campfire and read. Hike to a waterfall and feel the spray.

Do it. No doubt. (But make sure your truck can comfortably handle the weight, especially in the mountains, both uphill and down.)

[CampingN_C_]

It's your first TT, you are going to do a lot of stuff wrong, break things etc etc, anyone that says they didn't with their first one is full of it.
Stay on here and asks lots of questions. The Jayco forum has a lot of brand specific info as well.
Our Jayco is a year old and we've had the LP regulator go bad, that's it.....knock on wood !!!!
Get the camper and go have fun, don't sweat the small stuff !!!

[colliehauler]

Fizbin wrote:
I am very handy for sure but I think the biggest issue would be a mysteriously leaking ceiling or wall. The last thing I want to do is look for a leak with caulk gun in hand,,, or actually deal with a poop issue.

As far as tongue weight, all dealers are trying to sell me a special tow hitch for like $800. And from the reading on here I feel that is cool. I have learned from towing different things over the years that if I want to decrease tongue weight just load stuff behind the last axle, does this hold true here as well?

You do need a WD hitch especially since you are marginal with tow weight. If you don't want leaks do the recommended maintaince and inspections twice a year. Sealing the roof is part of the maintaince with the correct rv sealant.

As far as the poop issue keep the blank tank valve shut and use lots of water, water is your friend in avoiding the pyramid of poop.

[Gr8life]

Tundra, and other similar pickups are "Rated" to tow over 10,000 pounds, but that is not always a good idea. Check out things like payload and other user reports before purchasing a travel trailer that approaches that mythical limit. Many people find it much more fun to tow under their maximums rather than over them. Get real world weights on everything before signing the check.

[Sandia_Man]

As stated above, don't sign or pay until the dealer has demonstrated that all systems are fully functional. This alone will make the first year of ownership so much easier. It helps if you are handy with tools as most issues during the warranty period are minimal and can be easily repaired by yourself. TTs are not as complicated as motorized RVs with most plumbing and electrical problems easy to diagnose.

It's been nearly 8 years since we purchased our current TT and I have attended to all the minor issues by myself in lieu of taking it to the dealer and having it sit for who knows how long. Then when they do get to it, more than likely they will not spend the time and energy to repair it as well as I would. Our dealer's service dept. had no problem giving me the part or advice to make the repair even under warranty as they receive very little compensation from manufacturer for doing warranty work.

Most of the issues are loose plumbing fittings or electrical connections, and maybe a screw or nail working itself out of a piece of trim or wall panel. As for roof leaks, simply have a couple of tubes of Dicor lap sealant onboard and every few months pop up on a ladder and apply a bead to any visible cracks. The self leveling formulation will fill the crack and become one with the rest of the seam sealant.

I didn't give much thought to the upkeep and maintenance of an RV when purchasing our new rig, plus I found it fun keeping the old girl in good running order. Have done many mods improving the overall livability of our rig and had a good time doing so. Our kids are mostly grown and don't make as many trips as in the past. That's OK because now my DW and I can gear our RVing to things we like to do without worrying if the kids will be bored. Here's hoping you love the lifestyle as much as we have, we are thinking of getting a new rig here in the near future better suited for couples.

[handye9]

GaryWT wrote:
Trailer looks nice, good luck with it. Just keep an eye on the payload of the truck, with a tongue weight of around 1,000 or so and a payload around 1,600 it is doable but tight at the same time. Enjoy.

X2 on the payload.

I think you need to do some more homework on what you can carry and tow.

The following two paragraphs, are excerpts from Toyota's towing guide (2015 Tundra):


34. “Payload capacity” is the calculation of GVWR minus curb weight and should be used for comparison purposes only. Do not exceed any Weight Ratings and follow all instructions in your Owner’s Manual. The maximum you can haul (payload) depends on base curb weight plus the total weight of any cargo, occupants, and added vehicle equipment. “Added vehicle equipment” includes additional standard/optional equipment and accessories added by the manufacturer, dealers, and/or vehicle owners. The only way to be certain of your vehicle’s exact curb weight is to weigh your vehicle without passengers or cargo.

35. Before towing, confirm your vehicle and trailer are compatible, hooked up and loaded properly and that you have any necessary additional equipment. Do not exceed any Weight Ratings and follow all instructions in your Owner’s Manual. The maximum you can tow depends on base curb weight plus the total weight of any cargo, occupants, and added vehicle equipment. “Added vehicle equipment” includes additional standard/optional equipment and accessories added by the manufacturer, dealers, and/or vehicle owners. The only way to be certain of your vehicle’s exact curb weight is to weigh your vehicle without passengers or cargo.


What they are saying is Tundra's are not all created equal. Each one has it's own max payload and tow capacity, based on it's actual weight, including options, accessories, occupants, and cargo. As these things get added, the available payload and tow capacity are dropping, pound for pound.

Jayco 28bhbe has unloaded weight of 6425 and gross weight of 9500 lbs. When you load it up for camping, it will probably weigh between 7500 and 8000 lbs. Your loaded tongue weight will be close to 1000 lbs. Your weight distributing hitch will weigh about 100 lbs.

Check your actual payload, deduct the weight of your family, deduct the weight of any aftermarket accessories you or the dealer have added, and see how much payload you have left. You''ll need about 1100 lbs for the tongue weight and hitch.

Your real world tow capacity is limited to the weakest link in the overall tow ratings. Normally that weak link is payload. Sometimes the hitch receiver is a bit low on what it is rated to carry.

The closer you get to going over weight, the more unpleasant the towing can be.

[NanciL]

If you are handy and a do-it yourselfer there is no problem.

If not you can expect more to go wrong with your trailer than with your home, and the repairs cost more

On the good side, from our experience, after all the bugs get ironed out, the troubles will be few and far between

Jack L

[Slate_CM]

I bought my first TT last summer. If you can do some minor fixes, you should be fine. The only things I've had to do are replace a screw on a cover over the wheel opening and flip the valve for the propane tanks to the front so I can read it.

I think you will be fine with your Toyota, especially with the 5.7 and towing package. I have an '08 Tundra and tow a 5600 dry TT with no problems. Toyota uses real world ratings, J2807 engineering standards since 2011, while Ford has yet to adopt them.

[2012Coleman]

I looked up your TT - it has a gross weight of 9250 lbs. Calculating by a reasonable 12%, that is 1110 lbs tongue weight. When you say your Tundra can handle it, are you referring to the manufacturers stated towing capacity? Or are you calculating against payload which is how much your Tundra can haul - it gross vechile weight rating? Stuff like that 800 dollar hitch setup, and the weight of passengers and cargo in your TV subtracts from payload. Post your door jamb sticker for help on this. Proper loading helps but don't let someone tell you adding water to the fresh water tank will reduce tongue weight.

If you are going to be on a long trip while under warranty, you will need to be able to get to a place that is authorized to do the work. All your other concerns come under the heading of stuff happens. Mold and mice being the least of your worries. Jayco has a good reputation and a two year warranty. Any Plumbing, leaking and electrical issues should be covered under warranty. Proper maintenance should prevent issues like a "poop" problem. This comes from learning how to use your TT which is part of the fun. Tires need to be maintained as well - aired up to the proper PSI, covered when not in use, and observe their speed rating - 65 mph for ST tires.