RV trailer


johnnycee

New Member
Hello RVers -

I'm currently an rv wannabee, and I'm seriously considering a standard trailer rv, mainly because I have a pickup to pull it with (Ford F150 w/ 5.4 liter engine). Can someone please tell me advantages/disadvantages of a trailer ? I'm considering one about 25 feet long. Is such a rig too big for my pickup to pull? What are some of the better quality brands? Your comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Johnnycee
 

TexasClodhopper

Senior Member
Re: RV trailer

Welcome to the forum, Johnnycee!

Someone will probably jump in here on your topic, but look around the forum. Do some searching. This topic has been explored many times. You undoubtedly will garner a lot of knowledge from previous postings as well as any new postings.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: RV trailer

There are two 'flavors' of trailer, the fifth wheel and the travel trailer. The fifth wheel attaches to the bed of the truck, pretty much over the rear axel. The travel trailer attaches to a hitch below the rear bumper of the tow vehicle. I presume that when you say 'standard trailer', you are referring to the travel trailer.

You mention a length. The length is not the most important thing to consider; the weight is. A 1/2 ton pickup with a small engine probably will likely in reality only tow 5000 pounds or less (although the newest pickups claim they can do better). You may find a 25' trailer which has a GVWR of 5000, but I doubt it, and if you do, it will be 'ultra-light' which means ultra flimsy. :)

Note that if your truck does not have a 'tow package' (with at minimum a good transmission cooler), you probably should not tow over 3000 pounds, which pretty much means a 'pop-up'.

Advantages of a travel trailer over a fifth wheel are

1) can be towed by any vehicle capable of towing the weight
2) leaves the bed of the pickup available for carrying stuff
3) the floor plan is all on 1 level
4) generally lower, so will fit through lower clearance, and have less wind resistance.
5) generally puts less weight on the truck, so if your truck GVWR and/or rear GAWR are near to the max, may be the only choice.

The disadvantages are:

A) Generally less headroom
B) Generally less storage
C) Much more difficult to hook up
D) Less stable to tow
E) Much more complicated hitch and setup
F) Longer Truck + Trailer Length for the same floorplan

Note that PullRite has a hitch which they claim overcomes C, D & E.
 

DL Rupper

Senior Member
Re: RV trailer

Johnnycee welcome to the forum. Tex and John have pretty much said it all. Unless you have one of the new 2007 F-150's you probably don't want to bite off more than you can chew weight wise.
 

SnowbirdInFlight

Senior Member
RE: RV trailer



johnnycee - 3/14/2007 8:01 PM Hello RVers - I'm currently an rv wannabee, and I'm seriously considering a standard trailer rv, mainly because I have a pickup to pull it with (Ford F150 w/ 5.4 liter engine). Can someone please tell me advantages/disadvantages of a trailer ? I'm considering one about 25 feet long. Is such a rig too big for my pickup to pull? What are some of the better quality brands? Your comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks, Johnnycee



Welcome to the board JohnnyCee!
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We bought our 38 foot travel trailer Sierra by Forest River in 2000. At the time we had a 1999 GMC 1/2 ton Suburban. At the time we purchased the car we knew we were going to buy a trailer and being naive we trusted the car salesman that told us this car would pull anything we bought.
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So, we go to buy a trailer a few months later and although we started looking at 19 footers - something happened and we ended up with the 38 footer, ha ha. We got the hitch and brake system installed on the suburban and off we went. OMG! Believe it or not we were able to tow the trailer just fine down the road. Of course we couldn't do any fast starts at lights or anything. And when the traffic passed us it wasn't any fun!
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So, we decided we better get the towing capacity we needed to pull the trailer a little bit more safely. We ended up with a 3500 diesel, 2001 Dodge Ram Dually with extended cab, full bed, and 4X4 drive. The trailer pulls just great now! Before I was a nervous wreck because I could 'feel' the trailer behind us, but now I don't even know it is there. Summer before last we bought a cover for the bed of the truck and we have all the extra storage we would miss from a fifth-wheel. Hooking up is not hard if you know how to do it.
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We love our trailer and even more since it's been paid for for two years,
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So, if you're just starting out, maybe a travel trailer is the way to go. You can always 'move up' later if needed. Anyway, good luck in the choosing and hunting!

Janeen
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Kirk

Senior Member
Re: RV trailer

Janeen puts it very well. The key factor is not what you can tow, but what you can control and also stop. Your safety and the safety of those who will travel with you should be your first concern. The typical sales person will tell you whatever they believe will get you to buy the most expensive thing that they can sell to you. Never believe what they say about towing abilities. Your truck has a rating for the max. that it is designed to tow as well as the max. combined weight or what it tows and the truck when ready to tow. If you want a safe trip and a reliable truck, you need to keep those ratings in mind at all times. And use the max. weight or GVWR when you factor in the weight the trailer will be when you tow it.
 

benwd

New Member
Re: RV trailer

Something to consider regarding tow weight that hasn't been mentioned. If you travel at your max gvcw your performance will be poor. You're better off buying a tow vehicle rated well above your planned combined weight.
 
Re: RV trailer

I have a Dakota Quad cab 2000 AWD. The manu. sticker says 4900# tow cap. My wife and I were looking at TT to pull with my truck. The truck has the heavy rear end and TT pull pkg and is titled as a 3/4 ton. The dealer and the TT sales people told me I could pull up to 6000# No Problem. I started reading this forum and thinking about it. We bought a 96 33' Itasca instead. Now I can pull her Tracker or my bike with now problem. Cost wise the MH cost about the same as a Rockwood and a Jayco Lite we were looking at. Both new. I'll be 59 in June, and wanted what ever paid for before I retire in 5 yrs. Wife is 47.
More room more cupboards and the wife is happy. I'm happy. My truck stays a car--her Tracker becomes a toad. We are new to RVing. I have learned a lot from reading the forums. A lot of good advise and info.
Paul
 
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