ELCO5280
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Re: Newbie Q: Truck Tow Capabilities.
APT wrote: ELCO5280 wrote: Thinking a full plan reassessment is in order. That is a good idea. And it reinforces my idea to spend the money on capable/reliable TV over the TT. When then TV breaks, life sucks more than when something fails on a TT. Full timing for 2-3 years means a few things. First, a lot more towing miles than the average weekender, like a 10k+ per year. A diesel will cost less in fuel while providing a more comfortable towing experience during that time. While not everyone needs a diesel including you, it seems to fit your use case better than most. Figure 12-13mpg towing a TT vs. 8-10mpg. The average weekender RVing adds about 1000 pounds to dry RV weight based on a survey done here a couple years ago. Full timers take a lot more, like 2500-3000 pounds of extra gear. More stuff for longer durations of doing laundry, food, etc and more spare parts/tools. The TV has to be up to the task to handle the weight and storage space and the RV as well. A lightweight TT with 1500 pounds of payload is probably not going to handle that journey. Take a look at motorhomes. They might serve your family better. Find one that can tow 5000 pounds and you can take a car with you for daily excursions. Total truth never considered a motorhome but that could be an option too. We have a '98 Volvo S70 GLT that we love that we could pull behind.481Views0likes0CommentsRe: Newbie Q: Truck Tow Capabilities.
All good points. Our kids are small, but with their few favorite toys, books, clothes, etc I may be way off on the total weight of the truck and trailer. I can see too much truck being an issue too. I don't want to pay $30k for a 2500HD diesel and not ever come close to maxing the thing out when I could have saved a bundle with a better suited vehicle. We've looked at the 5th wheels and feel they're just too big for us. We really like the TT with the double slide (1 for seating/dinning and 1 for the bunk house) so if I could locate a proper TV for this type TT for $20k or less would be best for us I think. I haven't purchased a vehicle since '02 so I have a lot of research to do. I'll look into the Ecoboost (do all F-150s come equipped with that?). Anyone else have an TV recommendations I should look in too?481Views0likes0CommentsRe: Newbie Q: Truck Tow Capabilities.
Thanks everyone for the input. Our TV is definitely a concern of mine since she already has 130k miles on the transmission. Since I bought her new I've towed a friends 6,500lbs boat about 4x but that was on flat hwy, so not sure how long she'll last towing FT over passes, etc.. Our intended use of the TT is to live in it FT and travel the country while our kids are still young. With that we didn't want to skimp on the TT since it would be our home. But, with the limited capabilities of our current TV being realized, it has greatly reduced our TT options. Thinking a full plan reassessment is in order. Not sure I could find a 3/4 ton turbo diesel truck newer than '08 that would fit our budget without breaking the bank, but the search begins!481Views0likes0CommentsRe: Newbie Q: Truck Tow Capabilities.
Thanks for the welcome and reply downtheroad, much appreciated. We're looking at the Keystone Passport 2300BH @ 4,300 dry weight and the Apex 238BH@ 4,100 DW. Any other BH TT models we should check out that weigh around 4k lbs? Thanks in advanced for all the help!481Views0likes0CommentsNewbie Q: Truck Tow Capabilities.
My wife and I are interested in a '14 Keystone Passport 2650HB Grand Touring for our family of four. We will use this for 4-season camping traversing the Rockies frequently. TT SPECS: Specification Description Length 29'4" Width 8'0" Height 10'7" Hitch Weight 540 lbs Dry Weight 4,876 lbs Cargo Weight 2,324 lbs TV: '02 Ram 1500 Quad 4X4 w/ Sport Tow Package SPECS: Curb Weight: 5,260 GVWR: 6,650 Payload: 1,380 GCWR: 11,500 Max Trailer: 6,100 Axle: 3,900 Front/Rear Each With truck fully loaded with 2 small kids, wife and I along with bikes, food and day gear we're around 6,000lbs GVWR and 640 lbs left of payload. I'm thinking if we added an additional 2klbs to the trailer making it 6900 lbs we'll have exceeded the GCWR 11,500 (Truck: 6000 + Trailer: 6900= 12,900) by 1,400lbs, as well as the payload (even at 10% GVWR 690 lbs) with the hitch weight. Am I right on my understanding of tow capabilities? Do we need to be closer to a 4,000lbs TT? This is pretty confusing and don't want to make the wrong choice for our TV.4.4KViews0likes15Comments
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