All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: I've almost got this towing thing down. One more ?To answer the above question... We plan on trips within 5 hours ~ 95% of the time. The occasional longer trips will be broken into 5 hr increments (at most) due to the fact that we're teachers and have plenty of time to travel in the summer. I'm not sure we'd ever need more than a tad bit of water, nor am I concerned about full tanks of propane.Re: Is it possible to finance a $23K trailer for 180 months?FWIW, we have personal reasons for wanting a longer termed loan. None of it has to do with affordability, cash flow, bad credit, lack of a down payment, etc... The idea was to time the loan so that it'd be paid off right around the time our mortgage is paid + the time frame at which our youngest would be heading off on his own. Looks like we'll need to readjust our thinking. Thanks for all the help.Is it possible to finance a $23K trailer for 180 months?I've noticed that my credit union only extends out to 8 years or so. I just clicked on the GoodSam financing table. The max for a $23K trailer is 12 years @ 8.49%. Note: We have near-perfect credit and can put $ down if that makes a difference. I understand that financing works differently with an RV due to its designation as a luxury item; however, it's surprising that I'm not seeing any options.Re: I've almost got this towing thing down. One more ?Got it. Thanks. Think we found one that us under 7,000GVWR. All good.Re: I've almost got this towing thing down. One more ?Note: We're never going to travel with water in the tanks. We're not using a generator. And, we're only going to need, maybe, one propane tank. That seems to be a big chunk of what begins to add up for many campers. Other than clothes, food, blankets, pillows, and, maybe, bicycles, we don't expect to add much else in the way of weight.I've almost got this towing thing down. One more ?I know that dry weight is the weight off the assembly line. I know that GVWR is a better # to look at because it takes everything, that has weight/mass, into account. What weights are generally added between the assembly line and the RV lot? I guess I'm asking, what would I need to account for before I add my own stuff. I'm assuming the frame of the bed would be accounted for, but the mattress, for example, would be additional on top of the dry. I had started a thread a few weeks ago in which the general consensus was that my truck could safely pull anywhere from 6,500 - 7,500 completely loaded. Wife and I found several RVs that we liked that had dry weights well within range but the GVWR was pushing it. We made a list of every, single thing we thought we might be adding to the weight and aren't coming anywhere near the GVWR on our end; however, I need to make sure I account for any weight added post-assembly / pre-us. For reference, here's the #'s I got from my original thread... 1,650: -subtract driver and passenger weight (we'll say 400 for this example, you adjust). -Subtract weight of the WD hitch (app. 100 pounds) -Subtract weight of all gear, snacks, games, beverages in the cab (we'll say 50 pounds) -Subtract tools, bikes, wood, grills, etc. in the bed (we'll say 100 pounds). This would leave you with 1,000 pounds available for tongue weight. Assuming your hitch is rated to handle that tongue weight, you could handle somewhere around 7,500 pounds LOADED. I would suggest, based on that, you'd need to be looking at something under 6,500 pounds dry, if not closer to 6,000 even. Re: Kind of a dumb question, but I'm newInteresting. I had seen a couple of negatives re: Camper's World here and there. I didn't realize the feeling was so widespread. I'll follow y'all's advice and wait until I purchase the trailer. Thanks for the info.Kind of a dumb question, but I'm newY'all were so gracious to help me with my last question, so here goes #2. The only thing I have on my truck right now is a hitch cover. Therefore, I need to get a hitch, weight distribution, sway control... essentially the whole 9 yards. I'll be going to Camping World locally to have the equipment installed. My question is this. If I know the style and approximate weight of the travel trailer I'm going to get, is it appropriate to go ahead and get this done THEN look for trailers OR do I need to buy/get the specific trailer first, then hit up Camping World? I guess what I'm asking is, does "one size fit all" when it comes to hitches and trailers weighing around 5,000 lbs dry (a little over 6,000 with people/equipment)? We're probably not buying until September; however, as a teacher, I've got a couple of weeks of free time before reporting to school. I'd just as soon go ahead and take care of the stuff I can do now, but don't want to buy and get something installed that, ultimately, doesn't fit the trailer we buy.Re: Yet another tow/weight question...Thx again for all the info. I'm trying to avoid the mistake my brother made a couple of years ago. Bought an RV, picked it up, got 10 miles and the truck overheated. He's a truck driver, so he prob should have known better. As far as the length if trips... we should be ok. 90% of our trips will be within 250 miles of home. Long trips will be broken down into extremely small increments of miles due to the fact that we're teachers and have plenty of (summer) time to travel.Re: Yet another tow/weight question... kellem wrote: SlothHorn wrote: Thanks so much for all the info. 1. The two we're looking at have dry weights of 4,883 and 5,120. 2. I'm sure most newbies say this, but, we don't anticipate having too much added weight to the calculations above. Perhaps your not quite understanding dry weight. This weight does not include optional equipment added, propane tanks, batteries, any fluids......it's just a striped weight off the end of the conveyor belt. EXAMPLE: Our current trailer has a dry weight of 6120lbs and a GVWR OF 7740LBS......OUR trailer weighed in at 7492 ready to camp. Hope this helps. I get that and think I've got it. That's why y'all have helped me realize that my truck should be able to handle the ~5,000 lbs (dry) that I'm set on. I get that dry weight is just the starting point. I'll account for added things to the trailer + whatever we bring along. Thanks for the help.
GroupsTravel Trailer Group Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 20, 202544,029 Posts