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Re: Small bunkhouse RVs? Have I missed any?
Boomerweps wrote: Note that many if not near all single axle TT use 3500# GAWR axles. The GTWR is based on the GAWR and the anticipated tongue weight added together. So the Cargo Carrying Capacity is in part expected to be carried on the tongue! 16BHS GTWR 3877#, 3500# GAWR, 694# CCC, dry weight 3166#, 266# full fresh water tank. Not all, several of the ones I *was* considering are definitely over 3500 on the axle. Granted, most of those have been ruled out for being too wide or porky. drsteve wrote: Most people are unaware of the existence of this number, and would probably ignore it even if they knew... Well, to be honest I have been unable to find any such specification in the owners manual or anywhere online. About all Toyota gives is a flat "5000 lbs" towing spec, and 500lb tongue limit. That said, it seems to do fine with a 77" wide trailer at about 3000lbs wet. Stretching that to 85" wide and maybe 3500-4000 wet hopefully won't be too much of a stretch.996Views0likes0CommentsRe: Small bunkhouse RVs? Have I missed any?
Boomerweps wrote: Queen bed BUT with an east-west orientation. I.e., the forward sleeper has to crawl over the rearward sleeper to get to that dry bathroom at night ;( My wife's biggest complaint. That is less than ideal, but the plans I'm looking at all look a LOT easier to get in/out of bed than the R-pod we have. She makes me sleep "in", so I have to climb over her and through the narrow opening between kitchen and bath which is maybe 30-36 inches in the R-pod 177. Further complicating it is an overhead cabinet right in the middle. Boomerweps wrote: it is easy to overload it on the single axle. That surprises me a bit, I feel sure we're never near the limit of our R-pod even with its single 3500# axle. Then again, it's small enough there's not a whole lot that will fit inside and I don't travel with a lot in the tanks if it can be avoided. As to the mirrors, the 4runner's mirrors can see around the 77" or so body of the R-pod... but going to an 85" wide camper may necessitate add-on mirrors.995Views0likes0CommentsRe: Small bunkhouse RVs? Have I missed any?
Lwiddis wrote: What payload is left after you all load and hop in the 4Runner? drsteve wrote: What is the payload capacity? 835# for vehicle alone. How much that takes away from towing capacity is TBD... Toyota's not clear on that, I'd need to see if there's a published GCWR and actually weigh the thing to get a firm number. But my plan is not to get close to the 5k limit anyway. drsteve wrote: Is your hitch receiver rated for the extra tongue weight of the larger TT? I will have to add TW to the spreadsheet I'm using to keep track of these. Some are going to be close to the limit loaded up. drsteve wrote: Do you have a WD hitch? No. azdryheat wrote: Winnebago and North Trail have bunkhouses. Thanks. Looks like North Trail's bunkhouses are all too heavy though. CharlesinGA wrote: Winnebago Micro Minnie. current production models include the 1700BH and 1800BH and 2100BH. The 1700BH is single axle and the 1800BH and the 2100BH are both identical floor plan/dimensions w/tandem axles, the difference being that the 2100BH has the dinette in a slide and the 1800BH does not. Older 1800BH models if I recall were single axle. It does not look like any of the Micro Minnie bunkhouses have a queen (60" wide) bed. CharlesinGA wrote: The Micro Minnie models have rubber roofs. If you want a little better, go to the regular Minnie models, they have fiberglass roofs and I think are wider (and heavier) Glancing over the specs, I think all the regular "Minnie" models are going to be too heavy. Hey, I recognize the username... are you the same Charles in GA from garagejournal? :) afidel wrote: KZ 181BH, single axle but lighter and more spacious than the 190BH. That would be a great option if it had a queen bed. KZ's published specs show it as being 54" wide (double/full). Thanks for the info y'all. Keep it coming if you know of more lightweight queen bunkhouse plans. Wifey has revealed an additional "druther", that the dinette must seat 4. That combined with other requirements point towards a Jayco Jay Flight SLX7 184BS being best suited of the ones I've found. But we're probably 6mo off at least from doing something, so there's plenty of time to look for what else is out there.996Views0likes0CommentsSmall bunkhouse RVs? Have I missed any?
I have a 2012 R-pod 177 that we started RVing with about 3 years ago but my family has outgrown it (there's now 4 of us), so we're starting to look for a "bunkhouse" plan to replace it, probably within a year. Not stuck on a new one, but I'm browsing manufacturer sites for details of what's out there. Tow vehicle is a 2018 4runner and trading cars is not an option right now, so we're looking for trailers within the capabilities of that vehicle. It's rated 5k towing but I'd like to not max it out, so I'm looking at no more than 3500-3600 dry (current R-pod is 2560# dry and the 4runner handles it very well even with a load in the tanks and full of stuff). We need a queen bed for us, bunks for two kiddos, plus some sort of additional "living" space (dinette, couch, etc) and the usual kitchen and something bigger than the wet bath of the r-pod. I've browsed websites of KZ, Forest River, Gulfstream, Dutchmen, Coachmen, and Keystone and have assembled the following list. Are there other lightweight "bunkhouse" plans from other manufacturers I've missed? Best options: KZ Escape E191BH - 3320# dry KZ Sportsman Classic 190BH - 3260# dry (tandem axle... is that going to be better/worse with a smaller tow vehicle?) Forest River Wolf Pup 16BHS - 3097# dry, only 85" wide Gulfstream 19DS - 3100# dry, only 84" wide Gulfstream 199DD - 3160# dry, 96" wide Gulfstream 198BH - 2790# dry, 96" wide Jayco SLX7 174BH - 2934# dry, only 85" wide Jayco SLX7 184BS - 3210# dry, only 85" wide (edit: added jayco models to this list) Others I'd consider but may be too heavy: Dutchmen Kodiak Cub 175BH - 3532# and 96" wide Coachmen Catalina Expedition 192BH (can't find a weight spec) Coachmen Apex Nano 193BHS - 3515# dry Keystone Springdale Mini 1800BH - 3394# and 96" wide6KViews0likes15CommentsRe: Just getting started... looking at small trailer choices
Well, this escalated a lot more quickly than I thought it would. :) We set out today to hit a few dealerships to see some used inventory. First dealer we stopped at... looked at a hybrid we'd seen on their site, but didn't like the condition of it. Also on the lot was a 2012 R-pod 177... looked inside, great condition and roomy for how small it was thanks to the slide-out. Walked around the lot some more to check out some new pop-ups, went back and hung out inside the R-pod for a bit and pondered. Ink's not on the paper yet, but we have an appointment on Tuesday to finalize everything, have them show me how all the systems work, and then we'll take it home. :B In the meantime, I'm working on adding a brake controller to my truck and appropriate wiring connector. seaeagle2 wrote: One thing to keep in mind the 87 to 93 TBI and 700R4 combo is a real dog for towing....They were sort of a stop gap between carb and turbo400 and modern fuel injection and electronic transmissions. I'm aware it's a dog, and I'm quite ok with being in the slow lane with it. If we end up with more than one child, we'll probably want a different tow vehicle anyway, so this truck will do for now. seaeagle2 wrote: Be sure you have or add a transmission oil cooler and not just the one in the radiator. Definitely will! A temperature gauge too.510Views0likes0CommentsRe: Just getting started... looking at small trailer choices
FrankShore wrote: You'd be just fine with a nice hardsided TT, small but sleeping 4 people, correct? You might look at a Lance 1575 or even a 1685 ***Link Removed*** Lightweight shouldn't be a problem with your older tow vehicle! Good luck on your search Those are great looking trailers, thanks! However I guess I left off one important detail... we're probably going to lean more towards something used. Not totally ruling out a new one yet, but other planned purchases may make that decision for us.509Views0likes0CommentsJust getting started... looking at small trailer choices
New here, just looking for a sanity check... My wife and I are looking at smaller trailers... either pop-up, hybrid, or lightweight TT. It's going to be 2 of us and a baby coming early next year, won't rule out additional little ones in the future. We tent-camped not long ago and decided we'd camp a lot more often if we weren't on the ground (and had A/C if it's not cool at night). We want a queen or larger bed for us, and room for at least 2 other people to plan for the future. My thoughts of a pop-up are it would be much easier to tow, less cost, more "camping" feel, but not as much privacy in the campground. And many don't have any toilet/shower facilities. But on the flipside, I think a hard-side unit would be really hard on my truck. The truck is a 29-year-old Chevrolet half ton, but in excellent condition for its age. We like the truck, it's sticking around at least until there's more than one child... Its TBI 305 is no real powerhouse but I think the real weak spot would be the 700R4 transmission and 3.08 gears. It drags a 14' utility trailer around just fine, but I imagine any camper would make that seem like nothing. Am I overthinking it, and would be ok with a small/light travel trailer? (I'm talking about one of the ~3000 lb units, maybe 16-18ft.) Obviously no towing in OD, and an aux cooler and temp gauge would be added. I really don't want to mess with a ring/pinion swap, but that's not out of the question.3.2KViews0likes15Comments
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