Travel Trailer suggestions

[kc5grw]

...and his setup (with toys in the rear) results in a 10,000lb trailer with an 800lb pin weight.
BTW: Thanks for the generosity... "2 185lb people"

8% on the pin That's too light even for a bumper pull. I imagine he feels every crack in the road with that setup. I remember whenever I hauled steel and it just got a little heavy on the tail that the pin would slap against the 5th wheel every little crack in the road. I would definitely not recommend that setup.

Well, the FAA considers a "standard" person to be 170lbs.

 

[BRDof3]

... the FAA considers a "standard" person to be 170 lbs.

Hot dang. I'm finally above average in something!

 

[SC DAD of 2]

I have and still enjoy our TT. My only suggestion would be, consider buying used. The market is currently flooded with campers which makes it a great time for buying deals.

 

[disney4dan]

Nice truck Shan, and there are days my kids wish we had the Crew Max for the reclining rear seats. I remind them to be thankful I don't make them ride in the bed of the truck! Back when I was a boy, we used to walk to school, 15 miles each way.....sorry, got distracted again.

Hard to say on the pin weight of that fifth wheel rig being only 800 pounds, seems very light to me. Not trying to be the weight police or anything, but I've always heard of the 20% rules for fivers.

Maybe Donnie and others can answer this question, but what happens to the hitch weight with toy haulers? I assume that they all have the garage area in the back, behind the axles. Does that take weight off the trailer tongue?

We used to have a Champion 3,500 watt generator that came pre-wired with a 30-amp RV plug (that is 30-amp, 120 volt connector) which most trailers use. It was fairly quiet and only cost $299 at Cabelas on sale. No where near as quiet as a Yamaha or Honda generator, and it did not produce "clean" electricity for microwaves or other sensitive equipment, but it would run the AC. Unfortunately for us, it only got used once before taking a "walk" out of my garage some day this past fall. I guess someone else needed it better than me, but it's a long story. That generator would lift pretty easy into the bed of the truck, and would fit under the trailer when at the site. Cabelas actually lists the decibel rating of this generator and it was fairly quiet, but I am more of a purist and found it bothered me so I've decided to not use generators any more.

For trailers, like I said last summer, I am really partial to Jayco and I know you would be happy with many of their models. Jim and I both picked up Keystone trailers recently and they are nice ultra-lights. While my truck can haul 10,200 pounds, I have no intention of getting to that limit and my trailer maxes out at 7,500 pounds. We have a bunkhouse for the kids, but fell in love with some of the trailers that have a living room at the back with a big bay window to enjoy the scenery. I could picture you with a nice vintage Airstream. Here's hoping lady luck shines on you and you find a few grand to drop on one of those, then we can all check out the photos!

Also, wait until you decide to work on the brakes on this truck (if you like to tinker with things yourself). It's the kind of job that won't let your coffee get cold or your beer get warm. Short and sweet and easy to do. I have not tackled the parking brake shoes yet.

Speaking of brakes, the new trucks (I think they all have this now) will hold back the truck if you apply the brakes to keep the truck at a constant speed, the transmission will downshift and hold it back with the engine. Sorry for the bad grammar, tired after spending the day with the cub scouts at the Pinewood Derby and the neurons are misfiring a little.

Congrats on the new truck and let us know which trailers you select.

PS - I forgot to caution you about the tailgate. I don't know about the 2008 model year but the tailgate on my 2007 had an issue with separation of the metal joints (not really a weld, from what I remember), but if you put too much weight on it, they would break. Mine started to separate after loading a log-splitter and the riding lawnmower in and out of the back a few times. So know I take the tailgate off and load direct to the bed.

 

[Pickens native]

I have a 2008 double cab tundra with the 5.7 our TT is a 31" prowler by fleetwood.The truck pulls the TT very well as for brands of TT we have owned 2 fleetwoods and 1 scotty going up in length with each new TT or they have all been new to us.I have looked at alot of used TT over the years and I like the fleetwoods.Good Buy on the truck I love mine.

 

[LarryJ]

Congrats, Shanta!! You are lookin' mah-tee fine in that new set o' wheels!!

I'm just confused as to why LarryJ hasn't been all over this post sharing his wisdom and telling you how to forge your own hitch in order to save $10.00 over the cost of buying one & having it installed.

That was really uncalled for and quite frankly rude IMO and from you it surprises me ... or maybe not It's surprising how what one posts in one thread is carried over into all threads ... SO SAD I was going to give a few comments, but since they would only cause off topic comments like yours, I'll just keep quiet.

Seriously - I'm very happy for you. Our 1st class A was a '78 Southwind "Bread Truck on Wheels", and it drove you - you didn't drive it. So I hear ya loud and clear on that one.

I would love it if Rick would consider a 5'er - but he is a 100% Class A kinda guy. There are just so many versatile and beautiful 5'er options out there!

Half the fun is the "hunt" - so I hope you have lots of fun pickin' & choosin'!

Larry

 

[3gr8kids]

Originally Posted by des1954
Congrats, Shanta!! You are lookin' mah-tee fine in that new set o' wheels!!

I'm just confused as to why LarryJ hasn't been all over this post sharing his wisdom and telling you how to forge your own hitch in order to save $10.00 over the cost of buying one & having it installed.

That was really uncalled for and quite frankly rude IMO and from you it surprises me ... or maybe not It's surprising how what one posts in one thread is carried over into all threads ... SO SAD I was going to give a few comments, but since they would only cause off topic comments like yours, I'll just keep quiet.

Seriously - I'm very happy for you. Our 1st class A was a '78 Southwind "Bread Truck on Wheels", and it drove you - you didn't drive it. So I hear ya loud and clear on that one.

I would love it if Rick would consider a 5'er - but he is a 100% Class A kinda guy. There are just so many versatile and beautiful 5'er options out there!

Half the fun is the "hunt" - so I hope you have lots of fun pickin' & choosin'!


Larry I think perhaps Debbie was just kidding? I think maybe that's why the beginning her next statement, she wrote "seriously". IMO.

 

[Disbuf]

I have done some research on this and yes, there are a lot of folks pulling fivers with the Crewmax and a sliding hitch. But some of the dimensions have to be checked against the actual RV to make sure there are no pinch points. Also, most use airbags to lift the rear a bit since the pin weight makes the rear slouch some.

I added the airbags to my truck and they work great. I run about 35-40 pounds of air to take the slouch out.

Also, that is a great looking truck But I might be a bit biased since I love my Tundra.

 

[Shan-man]

Speaking of brakes, the new trucks (I think they all have this now) will hold back the truck if you apply the brakes to keep the truck at a constant speed, the transmission will downshift and hold it back with the engine. ...
PS - I forgot to caution you about the tailgate. I don't know about the 2008 model year but the tailgate on my 2007 had an issue with separation of the metal joints (not really a weld, from what I remember), but if you put too much weight on it, they would break. Mine started to separate after loading a log-splitter and the riding lawnmower in and out of the back a few times. So know I take the tailgate off and load direct to the bed.

Dan, thanks for the feedback. I was wondering about the deceleration... it felt like the truck was doing some engine braking automatically. Pretty cool feature! Also, i will be more cautious about how I load the tailgate in light of your warning. Thanks!

 

[Shan-man]

I added the airbags to my truck and they work great. I run about 35-40 pounds of air to take the slouch out.

Also, that is a great looking truck But I might be a bit biased since I love my Tundra.

I'm curious what your pin weight is. The Tundra manual suggests the pin weight be between 15-25% of the total trailer weight. It seems like the payload weight for the Tundra makes a bumper pull a more practical choice. Though it looks like you have a nice rig that is working for you.

 

[jriae2000]

Last spring when we bought our TT I found everyone who owned a used TT was upside down and wanted more than the dealers wanted for new. We looked into 5 or 6 used TT but nobody could go any lower. They bought when the market was hot. Trailer life stated a few months back that 06 was the best year for sales ever with several thousands of models sold. Everyone ramped up production for 07 and then we all know what happened. Now a lot of unfortuanate people are or were stuck. Regardless of what you choose have fun with the shopping process. The more you look the more you learn.

 

[liv luvs disney]

Shan, you know from past experiences that I don't give good suggestions, but I wanted to tell you I love your new ride!

 

[Shan-man]

Shan, you know from past experiences that I don't give good suggestions, but I wanted to tell you I love your new ride!

Welcome back, Hon!

 

[lawnspecialties]

Hey Shan.

Craigslist is full of them right now. Here's one.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/rvs/1648906380.html

 

[Shan-man]

Ho, Ho Ho!!! Dad gum Jamie! $20K!? Nice rig but that ain't gonna work for me! I wouldn't have any budget left for candy canes!

 

[thegooftroopfla]

I love my tt. however the half ton truks are tricky. I have been towing a keystone sprinter 311 bhs., it weigh about 8000 lbs. it is a travel trailer not a 5ver. My truck pulls it and I have a wieght distribution and a sway bar. these two things are neccessary in my opinion to tow with a 1/2 ton. also electric brakes are a neccessary. also be careful. when i bought my f150 alls the salesman could rave about was the f150 tows 10,000 lbs. well that is not 100percent correct. not all half tons are created equally. when you start filtering through it depends on everything . for example
a f150 crew cab with 3.73 gears and 4x4 may be able to tow 9900 lbs. however
a f150 crew cab 3.55 gears and 4x4 only tows 8500 lbs. i do not understand how the gear ratio changes the tow capacity so much but it does. I understand the torque and everything else but I never realized it was this big of a difference. I am unsure if toyota does the same thing. and actually when i talked to a sales person he was telling me that the actuall f150s that can tow that much are pretty much special order and few and far between. like I said i am unsure if toyota has one eng/gear package or not. you need to check. the gear ratio should be coded on you door panel and you can enter it in a travel trailer wieght calculator if you google it.
one more thing. I have been towing the same camper for almost three years now with an f150 and just got a new one. yes you may be able to tow it but it will not be very efficient. my f150 gets about 14-16 miles to the gallon around town. when i tow my travel trailer it is 4-6. that is not a very big distance. and lots of refueling. you have to refuel less than every 200 miles. Pulling one of these into a gas station is always tricky. also a transmission cooler would go a long way as when you pull your tt you will be turning some serious rpms at an average of 65mph. and this may sound funny but with an f150 a 15 mph headwind makes a huge difference in rpms and gas mileage. you can do it but it is a pain. also do not plan on doing any steep grades. after three years of doing this I am most likely upgrading in the next month to a 3/4 or 1 ton truck just to make it a little easier and more efficient.
also remember when you factor in all your gear that you will be hauling so if the camper weighs 8000 lbs the you add in 50 gallons of water in your tank. that is 8 lbs a gallon. there is another 400 lbs. and then add in any grey or black water you might have. the numbers start to jump quick. then you add two people and their weight all your sheets, pots, pans, decorations the number escalates exponentially.
if you do get a tt then one of tricks i do is unless i am dry camping i leave the camper 100 percent empy on water/grey and black. while hauling. this lightens the load. then when i get to the campground i put 10 to 15 gallons of water in the tank in case their is a brief water supply problem, which has happened multiple times, this way i can use the water during that period. any how just thought I would guide you. I bought the tt because my truck could tow it, but it does work the truck hard. you always want extra weight between your max towing weight and whjat you are actually towing. alright have a good one

 

[thegooftroopfla]

also I am upgrading. my trailer shipping wieght is 8300 lbs. does anyone have an idea between f250/350. I am a ford guy so i will be going ford. we eventually want to get a golf cart . what are the opinions on how the 250 vs 350 haul a camper and golf cart in the bed of the truck i do not have a toy hauler. thanks

 

[disney4dan]

The Toyota's with the towing package all come with the same gear ratio on the back - one of the things Toyota does differently from the big three is that you only get to choose from a limited set of option packages. You can't customize the options from the factory, have to change things on your own after the purchase.

I don't recall what the gear ratio is, but with Toyota what changes the weight rating overall is the weight in the truck. Adding 4x4 reduces the GCVWR because of the extra weight for the transfer case, etc. Any Tundra shipped with the factory tow package will have the same gears in the rear differential.

 

[disney4dan]

also I am upgrading. my trailer shipping wieght is 8300 lbs. does anyone have an idea between f250/350. I am a ford guy so i will be going ford. we eventually want to get a golf cart . what are the opinions on how the 250 vs 350 haul a camper and golf cart in the bed of the truck i do not have a toy hauler. thanks

Now would be the time to find the deals (actually, last summer was better according to my dad who just purchased an F450).

Not sure about your state, but in ours, the weight limits in the F350 and F450 require commercial plates, commercial insurance and inspections done at selected locations (more $$ in each case). You are also required to carry a fire extinguisher and chock blocks.

I would go with the F350 if you want the golf cart in the back, as they can be had for about the same money (maybe less?) than a 250. Go with the E-rated tires also, make sure nobody has put on something rated lower.

 

[Shan-man]

Now that's a good point that I hadn't considered. I figured that the gas milage would plummet when towing, but hey, I'm used to getting 7mpg in the motorhome... so no big deal, right? But wait, the motorhome has an 80 gallon fuel tank. A 26 gallon tank at 7mpg means stopping every 3 hours for gas, ugh! I suspect I'd get better than 7mpg though, since the truck alone gets 19.2 highway.

As for the Tundra's tow rating, everything I've read suggests that the 10,800lb is pretty conservative. There is a promotional/documentary video series on YouTube where a Texas rancher was given a Tundra to torture test for 100K miles and he towed a 20,000+ lb gooseneck cattle trailer over washboard roads and never had a complaint power-wise and no suspension issues during the trial. It's a very interesting video.

One other thing I just found out... the Tundra uses engine braking. I'm not sure if this is a common feature on trucks or not, but I was pretty impressed. I would imagine this really enhances control when braking under load. That said, it will probably be a while before a trailer is in our future... I just got handed the bill for a new water pump on the moho and it'll be about $800!