Towing help more narrow or shorter in length??

[TheCanells]

I have narrowed down my TT selections to either the coachmen apex APEX

or the Jayco Jayfeather x213
Jayfeather

I am wondering which will be easier to tow. They both weigh around the same. I am wondering if the shorter length x213 (24' hitch to bumper vs 26'7" for Apex) or the more narrow trailer (Apex is 7.5 wide and Jayco is 8' wide)

I will be towing with 2004 4runner V8 with tow package and airbags. I will be using a WDH/sway bar combo. The yota is rated to tow 7k with WDH.

We do have a family of 5 however my oldest girl weights just over 50 lbs, middle sister is just over 30lbs and youngest girl is 15lbs.

I have read countless posts about towing, I understand and am trying to stay about 1000 lbs under max tow rating when full and ready to camp. We will be mostly staying at campgrounds that have water hookups so most time we will not be towing with full tanks.

GVWR on Apex is 6500lbs and Jayco is 5500. I like the Apex becuase there is much more storage room, however i really just want to know if I should shoot for the 21 footer (was my original plan to stick to under 22 ft long box) or if that half foot more narrow Apex will be easier to tow?

Thanks in advance!!

[wmoses]

gmw photos wrote:
Yes, I'll be the first to say it without mincing words..... too much trailer, not enough truck.

Yeah but he didn't ask that ... 😉

I agree though.

[LakeN]

I would go with the Apex for these reasons....8 more gal capacity for your black tank which u need with 5 people. The larger dinette booth/slide. you will be !ess likely to quickly outgrow the short space of the Jayfeather. You wont notice a few more feet when towing. As others have said, check your figures on the towing capacity.

[gmw_photos]

Yes, I'll be the first to say it without mincing words..... too much trailer, not enough truck.

[rfryer]

I doubt if either the width or length difference will have any significant bearing on towing. The shorter unit would have the edge on access in tight quarters, but it depends on where you want to go. I’d focus on the TV payload rather than the tow rating, you typically run out of payload well before you reach the TR. But if you want to do much mountain travel it’s good to have as much excess as you can in either one. Mine is narrower, but I’ve pulled wider ones on a couple of occasions. The only difference was I wanted extendable mirrors for the wider unit.

[westend]

Start figuring your towability backward from the 1300 lb. payload capacity, not the gross towable trailer rating. You probably will run out of payload before you get 7000 lb. on the hitch, when figuring in passengers and cargo loads.

[ADK_Camper]

I have a Fun Finder that is narower than 8'. I can't say weather or not it is easier to tow, but I can tell you that I do not need "towing" mirrors on my truck. The standard rearview mirrors work fine with the narrow trailer.

[AirForceAngler]

The narrower one may be better for towing with a narrow SUV like the 4 Runner. Easier to see around.

[wmoses]

TheCanells wrote:
I have narrowed down my TT selections to either the coachmen apex APEX

or the Jayco Jayfeather x213
Jayfeather

I am wondering which will be easier to tow. They both weigh around the same. I am wondering if the shorter length x213 (24' hitch to bumper vs 26'7" for Apex) or the more narrow trailer (Apex is 7.5 wide and Jayco is 8' wide)
.....
i really just want to know if I should shoot for the 21 footer (was my original plan to stick to under 22 ft long box) or if that half foot more narrow Apex will be easier to tow?

Those dimensional differences alone will not likely result in any significant (or noticeable) difference in towing. IOW, they will both be similary easy or hard depending on other criteria.

[AirForceAngler]

5 people in a 21' (even 22' for that matter) is going to get crowded, especially as the kids get older. That being said and looking at both floorplans, I'd be going with the Jayco at this point. It may be a foot shorter, but the 1/2 foot difference in width helps quite a bit. Plus, I've owned both a Jayco and a Coachmen and the Jayco was a much nicer trailer. Now, if you could find something like the Apex in a 8' wide version, that'd be the way go to maybe. It's all a lot of personal preference, really. A longer trailer is easier to back up.

[Fubeca]

In my opinion, the width will have more impact than the length - but it won't be significant. Since you are pulling with the 4runner which is narrower than a full-size, I bet the narrower trailer will be a more comfortable tow. It will be SLIGHTLY easier to see around, back up and will have a slightly lower drag as the frontal area is smaller (assuming is is the same height).

[Campfire_Time]

As far as width, for the most part, you won't know the difference between the two. I used to tow a 7' wide HTT. My X20E is 8' wide. Not much difference in towing "feel".

rbpru raises a good point about tongue weight. I think your limit as 700#. You will probably be right at that limit or over. Not to mention that if you have a 700# tongue, you'll have eaten more than half of your payload.

[APT]

Frontal area is far more impact than length on how a trailer tows. But the 6" difference in width between the two would not be enough to prefer one of the other. I doubt you would notice anything besides how much you can see next to/behind the TT. Pick the one you like better.

I like the Apex better. We looked into the Rear slide models and didn't like the master bed access, despite it being larger. I also like the dinette slide over not.

[rbpru]

What is the GVWR on the 4 runner? Will the TT tongue weight put you over the limit with the kids and stuff?

Pulling it with a V8 should not be an issue, if it does not put too much weight on the TV frame.