Too Many Choices For Newcomer

[VOZ]

Looking for a Travel Trailer that sleeps 6-8.

Price Limit of 40k give or take a few.

Toyota Tundra Is The Pull Vehicle.

*Pitfalls?

* Which Brands To Avoid?

* Which Options To Avoid?

* Which Options Are A Must Have?

* We (Wife & I) Do Know We Want Master Separated Form The Rest Of The Place.

*Outside Entertainment Would Be Nice.

* I'm Pretty Handy & Don't Mind Cutting Up A Brand New Rig.

* Which Mods Are First?

[epeters]

~DJ~ wrote:
Which brands to avoid?

This is a total throw of the dice. We started out with an entry level 2010 Springdale 18' TT. Used it 5 seasons with zero problems. Never went back to the shop. Then we upgraded (:R ) to a new Nash 23D. Only kept it 1 season as it spent most of the time in the shop with a myriad of electrical problems and a chattering slide-out that virtually felt like an earthquake running it in and out.

We now have a 2016 Arctic Fox 25R. Problem free? Not hardly. It is currently in the shop with a laundry list a half page long of things needing fixed. At least the slide-out operates smooth as glass plus there is an access door for a hand crank should it ever fail, something the Nash did not have. Was always concerned the slide would fail out in the middle of nowhere!!!

Anyway, the problems currently with the AF are very minor and hoping we will have a trouble free future!!!

Good Luck.

wow, really sorry to hear that. We got our 2018 Nash new last year and has been trouble free so far. Zero time in the shop. We've used it enough now to know that everything works as it's supposed to.

Sure hope the AF gets up to snuff ASAP.

I still recommend NW products, but that's just my opinion.

[VOZ]

rbpru wrote:
Well after 4 pages, it still comes down to the basic three items.
1. Floor plan. It remains when all else is solved or accepted.
2. Tow Vehicle cargo rating. Either you have enough or you have to live with the fact that you are overloading your vehicle and increasing the wear and tear.
3. Cost. TTs are a hobby and should not pose and undue cost burden on the family.

Almost everything else is opinions and choice.

Good Luck

Got it all covered sir, gas mileage went to ****.
It pulled good at 70mph, I just want to get it weighed to see where I'm at.

[rbpru]

Well after 4 pages, it still comes down to the basic three items.
1. Floor plan. It remains when all else is solved or accepted.
2. Tow Vehicle cargo rating. Either you have enough or you have to live with the fact that you are overloading your vehicle and increasing the wear and tear.
3. Cost. TTs are a hobby and should not pose and undue cost burden on the family.

Almost everything else is opinions and choice.

Good Luck

[GrandpaKip]

CAT scale.

[VOZ]

SoundGuy wrote:

VOZ wrote:
too late, I already own it,,,
Rode home just fine, considering I forget to hook up my brake controller ..

SoundGuy wrote:
The true test is once the trailer is fully loaded & ready to camp with everyone in the truck, along with any cargo you may carry in the back of the truck. Congrats and good luck with it. :B

VOZ wrote:
I can pull 6500lb with my Tacoma. When I hooked it up, it sagged very little.. Going out tomorrow, will be loaded. I'll report back my findings...

By "6500 lbs" I assume you're referring to your Tacy's trailer tow rating ... if so, that doesn't mean you can tow any trailer actually weighing that much but that the total weight of everything, not just the trailer, can be as much as 6500 lbs. However, even if you towed anywhere near that you'd be towing at 100% capacity of the vehicle which most don't find particularly pleasant. Good luck! :B

You are correct sir... I did take it on a small trip, only 1.5hrs away. aside from gas mileage (sucks) it went well..

I've been trying to keep weight down to a minimum, whenever possible, all tanks empty etc...

Where can I get it weighed?

[SoundGuy]

VOZ wrote:
too late, I already own it,,,
Rode home just fine, considering I forget to hook up my brake controller ..

SoundGuy wrote:
The true test is once the trailer is fully loaded & ready to camp with everyone in the truck, along with any cargo you may carry in the back of the truck. Congrats and good luck with it. :B

VOZ wrote:
I can pull 6500lb with my Tacoma. When I hooked it up, it sagged very little.. Going out tomorrow, will be loaded. I'll report back my findings...

By "6500 lbs" I assume you're referring to your Tacy's trailer tow rating ... if so, that doesn't mean you can tow any trailer actually weighing that much but that the total weight of everything, not just the trailer, can be as much as 6500 lbs. However, even if you towed anywhere near that you'd be towing at 100% capacity of the vehicle which most don't find particularly pleasant. Good luck! :B

[VOZ]

SoundGuy wrote:

VOZ wrote:
too late, I already own it,,,
Rode home just fine, considering I forget to hook up my brake controller ..

The true test is once the trailer is fully loaded & ready to camp with everyone in the truck, along with any cargo you may carry in the back of the truck. Congrats and good luck with it. :B

Thank You!

I can pull 6500lb with my Tacoma. When I hooked it up, it sagged very little.. Going out tomorrow, will be loaded. I'll report back my findings...

[SoundGuy]

VOZ wrote:
too late, I already own it,,,
Rode home just fine, considering I forget to hook up my brake controller ..

The true test is once the trailer is fully loaded & ready to camp with everyone in the truck, along with any cargo you may carry in the back of the truck. Congrats and good luck with it. :B

[SoundGuy]

APT wrote:
Stick to around 6k dry, which will be 7k loaded for a long weekend with 900-1000 pounds of TW.

WAY too much for a Tacoma ... geez, I tow a 19' trailer that averages ~ 4800 lbs loaded & ready to camp with an average gross tongue weight of ~ 625 lbs and I'm pretty well out of payload capacity with my 1/2 ton Silverado, allowing for a couple hundreds pounds in the truck and only 2 of us as passengers!

[VOZ]

afidel wrote:

VOZ wrote:
2 years later and I'm back..
a little different now.
I have a Tacoma not a Tundra, towing cap is 6500lbs
Looking at a Keystone Passport 239ML, it has everything I need.
Empty weight is 4140.

Selling my Jeep for this, so It has to be worth it

Rent a similar sized trailer and do a long weekend\week long trip. You'll get an idea of how your vehicle handles the weight and what things you find important in a trailer.

too late, I already own it,,,
Rode home just fine, considering I forget to hook up my brake controller ..

[afidel]

VOZ wrote:
2 years later and I'm back..
a little different now.
I have a Tacoma not a Tundra, towing cap is 6500lbs
Looking at a Keystone Passport 239ML, it has everything I need.
Empty weight is 4140.

Selling my Jeep for this, so It has to be worth it

Rent a similar sized trailer and do a long weekend\week long trip. You'll get an idea of how your vehicle handles the weight and what things you find important in a trailer.

[APT]

Stick to around 6k dry, which will be 7k loaded for a long weekend with 900-1000 pounds of TW. Pick a floorplan you like and you'll probably find 10 brands offering the a similar one.

Get a WDH with integrated sway control and learn how to adjust it.
Get a proportional brake controller such as Prodigy P2/P3.

[VOZ]

2 years later and I'm back..
a little different now.
I have a Tacoma not a Tundra, towing cap is 6500lbs
Looking at a Keystone Passport 239ML, it has everything I need.
Empty weight is 4140.

Selling my Jeep for this, so It has to be worth it

[drsteve]

For pulling a TT, forget the towing capacity number. You could probably pull a 10K boat, or a flat trailer loaded with 10K worth of cement blocks, but a travel trailer presents an enormous amount of frontal area (and thus wind resistance) in comparison, and has a greater percentage of tongue weight as well. With any half ton truck, the limit you will hit first when choosing a travel trailer is the cargo capacity of the truck. The Tundra's capacity is probably somewhere around 1500-1700 pounds. The door sticker will give you the number for your particular truck, and accounts for optional equipment. Does your truck have P rated tires, or LT tires? Transmission cooler? Factory tow package? What is your hitch receiver rated to carry?