Too many choices

[robsb1234]

Help. The family can't decide on our new camper. I like the floor plan of the Forest River Grey Wolf 26DBH. The wife likes the Jayco 28BHS, she thinks the quality is a little better, and she may be right. We originally loved the Prime Time Avenger ATI 27DBS, but for some reason didn't get it. I need some help deciding. Price is definitely a consideration. Avenger is cheapest, Grey Wolf is next, Jayco is most expensive. Grey Wolf is about 5800#, while the other 2 are around 6200# (towing with an F150). Help!!

[bid_time]

How much you can tow

[CincyGus]

robsb1234 wrote:
2014 F150 4x4 supercab 5.0L engine 3.55 axle ratio
Rated curb weight:5460#
GVWR:7350#
Payload: 1890#
GCW: 13500#
Max rated trailer weight:7800#
8000# e2 2 point sway control round bar weight distribution hitch
So, what do you think?

So if You're at 1000 tongue weight using the numbers above, you have 890# of payload left.

Subtract the weight of the people and pets that will be riding with you.
Subtract the weight of anything you carry in the cab or the bed of the truck. FOr me it's things like a cooler, extra propane tank, chairs, bikes or kayak's, table, cornhole boards, etc.

If you do the above and you still have a positive number left, your good and that is your safety margin. If your negative number, you need to get to a positive number by either eliminating weight or downsizing the camper to give you a better safety margin.

[MitchF150]

Ha, I've got an F150 with #11,000 tow rating and only tow a #5,000 GVWR TT with it... I'd go to around #7500 GVWR on the trailer if I wanted a new trailer with this truck, but for me, I just don't like the new trailers out there for the price they want for them compared to what I have with my 2003 trailer..

It was the first trailer I bought brand new and I still get offers from total strangers to buy it from me! I just tell them, thank you, but not for sale...

Anyway, Good luck with it all.. I have looked at new travel trailers for the last 10 years or so and I always just walk away thinking "what a pos"....

Mitch

[robsb1234]

2014 F150 4x4 supercab 5.0L engine 3.55 axle ratio
Rated curb weight:5460#
GVWR:7350#
Payload: 1890#
GCW: 13500#
Max rated trailer weight:7800#
8000# e2 2 point sway control round bar weight distribution hitch
So, what do you think?

[camp-n-family]

robsb1234 wrote:
@trailer newbe So you're saying 5800# dry weight is too much for the truck. How heavy do you think it can go?

It’s not so much what you can pull but rather how much can you carry. What is your truck’s payload rating and how much does the stuff and people you put in it weigh? The trailers you are looking at will have tongue weights from 800-1000lbs once loaded which will eat up a lot of your payload and not leave much for passengers.

[robsb1234]

@trailer newbe So you're saying 5800# dry weight is too much for the truck. How heavy do you think it can go?

[trailer_newbe]

You just answered your question. Don’t go bigger with your current truck.

[robsb1234]

Thanks for the advice. Weight is definitely a concern for me. Rated tow weight on my truck is only 7800#, but I can't afford a new truck and a new camper right now. We are upgrading from a 22 ft Coachmen Cascade bunk house that has served us well for 3 years, but we really want something bigger. I was hoping that someone would tell me if any of these were junk. They seem pretty **** similar, but the Jayco did seem slightly more polished. But, again, I prefer the floor plan of the Grey Wolf.

[LadyRVer]

Make wife happy. But, please consider what your truck can tow. I made 2 truck mistakes... won't do that for the 3rd time!

Good luck in whichever one you chose.

[azdryheat]

So you want us to pick out your trailer? All three will disappoint until the factory flubs get worked out. Good luck.

[wanderingaimles]

Exhale.
For starters consider how you intend to use it.
Boondocking? RV park with full hookups? Weekends mostly, or longer stays?
Longer stays, more dry camping means you need bigger tanks.
5800 and 6500 lbs are dry weights. With a half tank of water, propane and tanks, and a battery, (still no clothes dishes etc) You will be 6500 - 7000 lbs, with a 1000 lb tongue weight if you properly distribute the weight. Add the necessities and your probably between 7500 and 8000 lbs, is that the weight range you were looking for?

As to quality, you are about right, all are entry level, the Jayco could be either metal or glass sided, the other two are metal.
Appliances, equipment will be near identical, so look to fit and finish to distinguish the differences.
Pressboard is the cheapest cabinet and drawer material, plywood is better, hardwood is better still.
Staples are the fastest and weakest fasteners, brads are a little better, and screws are better still.

Pick the one that feels right to you and that fits your needs.
Then search online through
RV trader
and
rvt.com

using their advanced search, look up the exact model you want, and see how the prices vary.
Go to the dealers websites, and look for their terms. Some advertise low prices and then add thousands in hidden fees as well as trying to force you to use their preferred lenders. Others will price their product straight up, out the door. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples.
Good luck

[Lwiddis]

Your F150 can handle a tongue weight of 800 to 900 pounds plus the family and stuff in the truck?