Travel trailer buying advice???

[Robert_in_NY]

My girlfriend wants to buy a travel trailer for us to use with our two kids and two dogs. She started out looking at used and from there it turned into checking out new and we ended up spending 3 hours today going through around 30-40 travel trailers, 5th wheels and motor homes. The motor homes are nice but not really what were looking for at this time. They have advantages but are more money then we want to spend. The 5th wheels are great but most of them we saw today are set up for retirement couples which we are not yet. The ones we fell in love with and the kids as well are the travel trailers with the kids room on the back and the outdoor kitchen.

These are set up with a master bedroom on the front and the kids bedroom on the back. The kids room can sleep 3-4 without any issue and are set up nice. There is a door that leads directly into the bathroom from the outside as well which was a nice feature. These units are 32' campers so there is plenty of room for everyone and a couple friends as well.

So we have looked at plenty of units and have narrowed things down to two but I'm not sure if I am overlooking anything. I'm not use to buying or even looking over campers and I want to hear if there is anything we should take notice of. Good points or bad points to pay attention to. Any thoughts or advice you guys want or can offer would be great before we spend $25-$30k on one of these things and find out we didn't get what we really should have.

I do like the travel trailer because it allows me full use of the truck bed still and when unhooked I have my truck for a daily driver if needed. I would be pulling it with my 2006 F-250 diesel and these two units are under 8k so weight isn't an issue. Will need to get sway bars though.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Here are the two we are currently looking at

New 2013 Starcraft AUTUMN RIDGE Travel Trailers For Sale In Hamburg, NY - BUF75037 - Camping World

New 2013 Heartland Prowler Travel Trailers For Sale In Hamburg, NY - BUF145664 - Camping World

 

[bullbreaker]

If you want to save $ might consider buying from this outfit : Bullet Travel Trailers, Keystone Bullet, Bullet RVs | RV Wholesale Superstore Yes you would have to take a ride to pick up.

At least compare prices , look at other units online ,etc. Heartland makes good stuff for the buck IMO.
I'am CW member cause I find their "store stuff" priced rite and they obviously have lots of RV needed items.
However I find their RV lot trailers ,etc way overpriced at least in SW/FL. Where your at make sure unit is "winterized".

Boone

 

[ronjhall]

Since you use Tractorbynet for tractor things.
Give these 2 sites a look for info on RV's.
RV.NET
iRV2

 

[bullbreaker]

Robert also lots of newer units now have slightly curved roofs for rain/snow run off.

More good sites and as you probably know lots of good info on youtube

Heartland Owners Forum

Forest River Forums - Forest River Owners Community

How to PROPERLY EMPTY Your RV HOLDING TANKS - YouTube

How to Wire an RV Receptacle - YouTube

Also might want to bring Ava with you before purchase to pick out color/graphics,etc. :thumbsup:

Boone

 

[jwstewar]

Robert, Starcraft is made by Jayco. Jayco bought them a few years back. We have a 2009 Jayco 32BHDS. Very similar to the layout you are looking at. We've been real happy with it. A couple of minor issues during the first year, but one trip back to the dealer and all was well. Everything still works as it should and still looks great to boot. We've got the power awning and stuff. Wish we would've gotten the bike rack on the back. It weighs 7984 as shipped from the factory and we pull it with our '99 Silverado 1500. One thing to consider, with Starcraft there is only a 1 year warranty. On the Jayco line they offer a 2 year warranty. One thing to be aware of, some of the online wholesalers can be tough getting warranty service.

 

[JDgreen227]

Have done a lot of towing with a '95 Jayco Eagle 30' FK and a 2005 Sunnybrook 26'...get an aluminum framed model for both ease of maintenance and lighter weight, what with gas at $4 a gallon don't buy any thing bigger than you need. It's currently a buyers market for used RV's, I purchased my Sunnybrook 4 years old for half what it cost new. Let the first owner pay the depreciation hit and not you. Had a 34' Airstream MH with a toad but I actually preferred the trailer/truck combo for what it gave me vs the expense. Make sure what you want has ample storage, and ample fresh/grey water capacity. The big plus for a truck/trailer combo is that you can use the truck for transportation 24/7/365. Slideouts are nice, but they add a lot of weight and complexity. Anything you buy is going to be a tradeoff, so take your time and shop carefully. Good luck !!!

 

[sandman2234]

From someone who has never owned one, consider this...
I used to tow my in-laws a lot. They went from a 23 to a 31 footer, and my 1/2 ton p/u was rated to haul one just a little heavier, so it shouldn't have had a problem. Pulling, stopping, no problem, but I did have problems controlling it and did not like the way it towed. Thought it might have been the rear bedroom with a queen size bed with all that storage UNDER IT. Never did get the wife to pack the trailer where it handled good, compared to the fifth wheel trailer they traded it in for. I only towed the fifth wheel once, about 2K miles total, but loved hauling it. Then they traded again for a motor home and that was the end of pulling a camper.
Consider a fifth wheel for the handling characteristics.
David from jax

 

[RobertN]

I like the way my 5th wheel tows. But, I do give up bed space with the hitch. Done trips from 10 miles to almost 5000 miles. Definitely like the 5th wheel when on the road.

Make sure to consider WD hitch as part of getting a bumper pull.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I like the way my 5th wheel tows. But, I do give up bed space with the hitch. Done trips from 10 miles to almost 5000 miles. Definitely like the 5th wheel when on the road.

Make sure to consider WD hitch as part of getting a bumper pull.

I would love to get the Hensley hitch but unless I find a used unit I'm not sure I can justify the price. They look great but I feel their overpriced. So I'm looking at other options like the blue ox and am researching my options.

 

[Stimw]

You will save a lot of money if you can find a used unit, and they are out there you just have to look.
Even if you could do a road trip to an area with more for sale.
A friend and his wife bought a new 38' 5th wheel with plans to live in it for $70,000.00. That lasted for 2 years and they tried to sell it. After 2 more years they sold it back to the dealer for the pay-off $25,000. !!!! I tried to tell them about the instant loss on a new unit. They learned the hard way.
rv.net forums is a great site to get ALL the info you will ever need. The RV community is always very helpful with information.

 

[Bird]

Yep, the fifth-wheel is the best towing. Besides trips all over the southwest, then to West Virginia a couple of times, I towed our 32' fifth-wheel to Alaska and back twice in '90 and '91. However, with a load distributing hitch, sway control, and brakes, conventional trailers are not bad to tow. I towed our 25' conventional to Alaska and back in 1972.

 

[westcliffe01]

My advice is to find out how they are made and out of which materials. The best is welded aluminum framing, rigid foam and Filon siding. Hopefully the roof is not flat. Rooftop AC's have a way of causing roofs to sag and if they are curved it prevents water from pooling. Run from anything that has lumber in the frame or any form of hardboard or plywood. Aluminum siding dents easily. Molded fiberglass is the best, but I think only available on 5th wheels because of the funky roof shape.

Stability of the 5th wheel or GN trailer is clearly superior so a bumper tow is relatively "white knuckling it" by comparison. Particularly on long East/West runs with a quartering NW or SW/SE wind and combined with semi traffic, every major passing will set up a sway that has to be damped out at the wheel. A DRW truck will tow better than single rears and remember that the trailer weight seldom takes into account the stuff that you load into them.

You will take a big hit financially if you make a wrong decision. I suggest you talk to the RV dealer you are most comfortable with. Many of them will rent the trailer for shorter trips that let you get a good feeling for how they tow and how the amenities work out. I did that the first time and it was an eye opening experience that changed my mind about high profile "common" trailers forever. It was just a 22ft trailer, but towing it I got 10mpg when gas was nearly $5/gal which translates to $0.50/mile. That vacation was about 4500 miles or $2250 in gas alone + camping fees, but it would have been a lot more expensive if I had just bought one first...

Now I have a "HiLow" which is a shoebox design and when towing it is lower than the roof of my F250. In the meantime there are a lot more alternatives than 5 years ago, so pay careful attention to the aerodynamics and ride height. A 5th wheel / gooseneck trailer also allows you to hitch something behind the trailer, like an ATV/UTV/boat which in the grand scheme of things comes basically free when towing since it hardly adds at all to the drag.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

I want to thank everyone for the advice so far. I just got home and plan to spend the next few hours reading up on the RV forums.

We started out looking at used but most didn't really fit what we were looking for and the ones that we did like had leaking roofs or were just in need of a lot of upgrading to make nice for what we want. We have not ruled out used yet if we find what we are looking for and really are not in a huge rush (we have a camping trip planned for about a month from now and we can tent it if need be) so hopefully we can find what we want at a price were happy with.

We did look at a fiberglass unit set up the same as the two units I posted. It was more money but supposedly a better unit then the other two. The biggest things were just fancier items like it came with a grill and laundry shoot. Nothing that I noticed at the time that made it seem worth the added cost but now with the new information I am gaining it may become a better option.

One thing I did notice is the Starcraft had power jacks at the corner with switches on each corner. I see this as being a "fun" toy for the kids so I already know I would want to change the switch to a keyed switch for up and down or have a lockout in the circuit somewhere to prevent the kids from playing with them. The manual jacks would be a better fit for our situation at this time.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

From someone who has never owned one, consider this...
I used to tow my in-laws a lot. They went from a 23 to a 31 footer, and my 1/2 ton p/u was rated to haul one just a little heavier, so it shouldn't have had a problem. Pulling, stopping, no problem, but I did have problems controlling it and did not like the way it towed. Thought it might have been the rear bedroom with a queen size bed with all that storage UNDER IT. Never did get the wife to pack the trailer where it handled good, compared to the fifth wheel trailer they traded it in for. I only towed the fifth wheel once, about 2K miles total, but loved hauling it. Then they traded again for a motor home and that was the end of pulling a camper.
Consider a fifth wheel for the handling characteristics.
David from jax

The first trailer I ever towed was a 30+ foot gooseneck. I was 16 or 17 and went with an old family friend to an auction in ohio. We hauled a 6x6 round baler down and came back almost empty. I remember driving through Cleveland during rush hour and loved how the trailer followed. If I was to ever have a dedicated truck for hauling I would consider a fifth wheel but by leaving the bed open I can haul an atv and other gear in there. In NY I can't pull more then one trailer so unless we get a toy hauler fifth wheel we would be limited on what we could bring.

Thanks for your reply David, I hope you and your family are well.

 

[westcliffe01]

With the high gas prices it is a buyers market right now. You can easily save 50% on a lightly used 2 year old model compared to new. I got the 22ft Hilow (a $22k trailer back then) for $5000 at a bank repossession sale. It had only been camped in 1 time, but had been sitting under 4 feet of snow and ice for an entire winter. I would make sure that you have used up all your used options before going new. But you only want to look at late model units 2 max 3 years old.

You are living in NY state, the camping season is short. Better deals will be had the farther North you go...

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Also might want to bring Ava with you before purchase to pick out color/graphics,etc. :thumbsup:

Boone

We took both Ava and Dylan (Michele's son) and had them look at all the campers with us. As soon as we found the ones with the kids room they both lit right up with excitement. They can care less about the color and graphics as long as they have their own area to get away from us And best part is the ones were looking at have multiple top bunks since they both want the top bunk.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

Have done a lot of towing with a '95 Jayco Eagle 30' FK and a 2005 Sunnybrook 26'...get an aluminum framed model for both ease of maintenance and lighter weight, what with gas at $4 a gallon don't buy any thing bigger than you need. It's currently a buyers market for used RV's, I purchased my Sunnybrook 4 years old for half what it cost new. Let the first owner pay the depreciation hit and not you. Had a 34' Airstream MH with a toad but I actually preferred the trailer/truck combo for what it gave me vs the expense. Make sure what you want has ample storage, and ample fresh/grey water capacity. The big plus for a truck/trailer combo is that you can use the truck for transportation 24/7/365. Slideouts are nice, but they add a lot of weight and complexity. Anything you buy is going to be a tradeoff, so take your time and shop carefully. Good luck !!!

The reason we are going with a slide out is for the added room. There will be at least 4 people and two dogs and with our weather and the rain that comes anytime you plan an outdoor event we would like a little extra room for the days were all stuck inside. We understand the added hassles that may come up but feel it is worth it just to make it a better experience for everyone inside.

 

[Robert_in_NY]

This was the other model we were looking at.

New 2013 Keystone Cougar Travel Trailers For Sale In Hamburg, NY - BUF1024858 - Camping World

 

[LA Confederate]

You should come buy my travel trailer that I'm selling. Lol!

All kidding aside, the travel trailer is handy for leaving the bed open for stuff. Mine is a Keystone Sprinter 311BHS. It's a 31' class (35' overall) with a rear bunkhouse that has a slide and entertainment center for the kids plus a super slide in the main cabin. The Sprinter has a steel sub frame and aluminum cabin frame.

When you buy, options are usually worth the extra money. Slide toppers are a must. Awnings are also worth it and an upgraded a/c unit as well.

I pull this with an 03 F250 7.3 and it does fine.