Plz help w/ our Forrest River Shamrock hybrid trailer decision???

[WeDisney4]

Hey Campers,

We would really appreciate your input and opinions on our possible purchase of a 2003 21ft. Shamrock Hybrid by Forest River.

We are initially planning on towing it with our Chrysler Pacifica towing capacity 3,500. This will be our 1st camper and unfortunately when we bought the Pacifica we weren’t a camping family. We understand we may be putting the cart before the horse; however do Not want to burn up the car or more importantly be unsafe!! We live in NC and will not plan any mountain trips until we upgrade to a full size towing SUV, just carefully loaded nice flat trips to the Fort. Truly, we have a lil camping savings burning a hole in our pockets and saw this on Craigslist for $6300 and would love to pull the trigger however would love to hear from you all!!

 

[bama_ed]

Okay.

3500# is probably the number listed in your Chrysler owner's manual. That usually goes with a "towing package" option for the car that primarily includes a transmission cooler (even though you think you'll be primarily on flat ground, towing means longer accelerations from a stop or slow speeds and more time at higher rpm before you can slip it into overdrive. this means your tranny will do a lot more shifting up/down when towing which is why the cooler is HIGHLY recommended). Does the vehicle have a tow pkg/tranny cooler?

You haven't given us the two numbers we need to give you a definite answer. Those are the UVW (Unloaded Vehicle Weight) which is what the camper weighs empty and the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) which is the maximum weight it is safe to carry after you pack all your stuff (bikes, full propane tanks, water in the tank, etc). GVWR minus UVW equals CCC (Cargo Carrying Capacity). Your UVW is usually a bone dry number and GVWR is fully loaded so you will probably end up somewhere in between when loaded and ready to head down the road.

Your loaded towing number is what you should compare to a car tow limit (when properly prepared). I would not pull a 3000# trailer without a tranny cooler if my tow limit was 3500#. If your vehicle is properly prepared with a cooler and 3500# is the car top limit, then I would feel comfortable towing 3000# loaded at most and leaving myself 500# of safety margin.

The safest/best solution is to have a tow vehicle with a tow limit (with cooler) that exceeds the GVWR by a comfortable safety margin.

The camper/trailer is required by law to have a sticker/label listing the UVW and GVWR. Ask the seller to provide you those numbers or see if you can find them on the internet. The sticker may be on the outside or inside the trailer.

After towin a large heavy popup with a Chrysler T&C van (with tow pkg and 3500# limit) we went through several brake jobs and a tranny leak or two before upgrading the tow vehicle to one with plenty of towing capacity. So I'm saying even if your numbers work on the Pacifica in the short term, you will likely be making a change in the long term (as you pointed out).

We have lots of folks who can talk tow numbers so everyone please chime in.

Thanks,

Bama ED

 

[Buzzcut]

Dont forget to add the cargo weight also with your numbers ie: passengers, fuel, supplies, clothing, fuel. You may tow it but will you be able to stop it, especially in a panic stop? Towing with a vehicle hat is underpowered or not set up for towing will make your camping experience miserable and unsafe. Good luck with your decision.

 

[SoccerDad]

This past March we upgraded our pop-up to a hybrid camper, a Jayco X20E. Before the upgrade our tow vehicle was a Toyota Sienna minivan with a tow rating of 3,300 lbs. After much research on the available hybrid campers we concluded that we must change our tow vehicle. In general the hybrid camper weights were just too much for us to comfortably pull with our Sienna.

That isn't to say that you can't find a hybrid camper that fits within your vehicle's tow rating. You will just have to look really hard. It seems the general guideline is to stay within 80% of your vehicle's tow rating. To simplify the math, forgetting about extra passengers and cargo, that means a camper weight of 2,800 lbs. should be your maximum.

Looking at the specs for the current Shamrock models shows that all of them are heavier than 2,800 lbs. The 21 ft. models range from 3,400 to 4,300 lbs. dry!

 

[heartsy77]

We have a Shamrock 17' hybrid tt, and we had weight distribution and sway bars installed at RV dealer. We had a Honda Pilot ( same towing capacity) and drove all the way from Upstate NY to Chicago for son's NAVY grad.

Was it fine yes. BUT I did not like they way it drove w/ the camper on it. It made me feel like the camper was pulling us back. And the fuel milage was nuts LIKE 5 MP gallon!


Needless to say 3 weeks later we traded Pilot for Nissan Armada! Which tows it perfect and get's 10 mpg towing on back roads and hills.

So my advice is think twice!

 

[aceys_h0ney]

Like others said it depends on the camper weight. Also you have to really be sure what came on the camper at the factory and what was added later. In our research we found it was not uncommon for them to have left the factory without the AC units, so the weight on the sticker was the factory weight but didn't include the AC which was added after but before it was sold for the first time, there is a disclaimer about this in our factory manual. Also full propane tanks, these types of things can add alot to the weight of the camper. Our hybrid (we are the third owners) had some stuff upgraded and some stuff replaced so we knew we could not depend on what the sticker said. If your concerned about this, ask the seller to meet you at a weigh station with the trailer empty and see what it really weighs, then think realistically what you would pack. I probably have a few hundred pounds of all our standard camp stuff in our camper, easily. I'd be leary towing close to capacity, after you add your passengers, luggage and other gear you may be close.

 

[vtjohn]

The 17 footer hybrids on the lot I work at are 3000-3200 lbs dry, a 21 footer will be heavier. No way you should be considering this set-up for a Pacifica, especially with loading the car with people and gear. You'll be much safer with a pop-up/folding trailer, and Bama Ed indicated that a similar Chrysler product struggled with that option.

 

[jaredjohn4]

We run a full size Chevy Express conversion van pulling a Coleman Bayside popup camper. I ran it over the scales at 3575 lbs. fully loaded for a three week trip. I use a sway bar and load leveler hitch to help tie it all together. Normally our vacations run 3,000 - 5,000 miles. The van pulls very nicely. I wouldn't want to add another 1,000 pounds. I have a Pacifica sitting in the garage. I would use it to pull my camper around the block, but to hit the road, the van makes it safe.

2011 Spring Break – Fort Wilderness 10 Days – Fly/Drive, Camp – Chevy Express 1500/Coleman Bayside
2009 July – Atlanta / Florida / Fort Wilderness 2 weeks / 4 weeks total Camping – Chevy Express 1500/Coleman Bayside
2006 July – Fort Wilderness – 7 Days Camping – Ford E150/Coleman Laramie
2004 July - Disneyworld – Fort Wilderness – 7 Days Camping– Ford E150/Coleman Laramie

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hey Campers,

We would really appreciate your input and opinions on our possible purchase of a 2003 21ft. Shamrock Hybrid by Forest River.

We are initially planning on towing it with our Chrysler Pacifica towing capacity 3,500. This will be our 1st camper and unfortunately when we bought the Pacifica we weren’t a camping family. We understand we may be putting the cart before the horse; however do Not want to burn up the car or more importantly be unsafe!! We live in NC and will not plan any mountain trips until we upgrade to a full size towing SUV, just carefully loaded nice flat trips to the Fort. Truly, we have a lil camping savings burning a hole in our pockets and saw this on Craigslist for $6300 and would love to pull the trigger however would love to hear from you all!!

IF the weight of the 2003 21 foot Shamrock Hybrid is comparable to the weight of the current 21 foot Shamrock Hybrids, then this is WAY too much weight for your vehicle to pull. The DRY weights (actual weight before you put any cargo in it) of the current 21 foot models are 3638 and 4311 respectively. One is just too close for comfort and the other one totally unsafe.

Bad things can happen when you are towing even when the weight limits are within reasonable tolerances. You don't want to make the mistake of having a problem even before you start out.

Take it from someone who totaled an F150 pickup truck and 27 foot trailer on a dry, flat stretch of I-95 on a beautiful sunny day with a setup we had been towing for 2 years with no problem and supposedly well within specified weight limits. You just never know.

 

[ear goggles]

We have a 19 foot 2007 Shamrock and we love it. We tow it with a Nissan Pathfinder 6 cyl. without any problems except for the 9 mpg while towing.
Something we discovered, it gets pretty hot here in Florida, and if you are camping somewhere without any shade, the air conditioner simply can't cool the camper off during the day because of the canvas beds sticking out on each end. We've taken to putting reflective flys over the beds, which does help a bit. Of course most any spot at the Fort is plenty shady.