RVing/Travel trailer questions

[Viperdave]

on my trailers that i tow frequently, i carry spare wheel bearings and brake shoes. have had both fail. its cheap to carry spare parts. Even if you cant replace them yourself, its a lot easier to find someone who can if you already have the parts. if you are just staying local, than no worries on that front

 

[Diamondpilot]

on my trailers that i tow frequently, i carry spare wheel bearings and brake shoes. have had both fail. its cheap to carry spare parts. Even if you cant replace them yourself, its a lot easier to find someone who can if you already have the parts. if you are just staying local, than no worries on that front

I do the same. Seen a couple start out Friday after work. Got 5 hrs down the road and lost a bearing. Odd size like one of my trailers. Long story short after searching for hundreds of miles on Saturday and Sunday it was Tuesday afternoon before the parts reached them via FedEx and put on. Lost 4 full days.

Chris

 

[skidmark1510]

We have a 30' fiberglass camper with aluminum frame and is a bumper pull. After owning many campers this one seems to be the perfect size and floor plan for my wife and I. All state parks accept 30'. The only changes we have made to the camper was replacing the bed mattress with a quality full sized mattess and replaced the screw up tv antenna with a Jack digital antenna that does not have to be raised or lowered. It is a light weight and I thought I could comfortably pull it with a 1/2 ton truck. DO NOT PULL A 30' WITH A 1/2 TON TRUCK. A 30' requires at least a 3/4 ton heavy duty with tow package or even a 1 ton dually, which is what I decided on.

My camper is a Forest River, Rockwood Signature series. It is a 2008 year model 8293SS. It has torsion axles and is virtually self leveling. It is perfect for a retired couple like us but is crowded when we add a couple of grand kids. Do get bunks if your kids are young.

I use a prodigy brake controller. Have tried several and prefer the Prodigy.

Please remember that getting there and getting back home safely and comfortably is A main concern so PULL THE CAMPER YOU DECIDE ON IN SEMI TRUCK TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU BUY IT. The hitch setup is the key to weight distribution and a big part of draft control.

We love to camp about 12-15 weeks a year.

Have fun.

 

[Code54]

Thanks for the advice! It sounds like there is a LOT of up keep I need to pay attention to so I am glad I asked. Honestly more than I even thought!
I noticed Skidmark1510 mentions not towing a 30' camper with a 1/2 and maybe not a 3/4 ton truck. I currently have a 12 RAM 2500 diesel and figured it would be more than fine for a 30' - is there something I am missing? I pull a flat trailer with 10K from time to time and really have no problems at all and I don't have a weight distribution hitch on it, is it due to the campers "profile" you need a WD hitch?
Also is insurance a big deal on an TT? I know I pay $17 a year for my flat bed that is worth say 2k, for a little $8000 travel trailer be more than a couple hundred bucks to insure for the year?
Thanks again

 

[jejeosborne]

Thanks for the advice! It sounds like there is a LOT of up keep I need to pay attention to so I am glad I asked. Honestly more than I even thought!
I noticed Skidmark1510 mentions not towing a 30' camper with a 1/2 and maybe not a 3/4 ton truck. I currently have a 12 RAM 2500 diesel and figured it would be more than fine for a 30' - is there something I am missing? I pull a flat trailer with 10K from time to time and really have no problems at all and I don't have a weight distribution hitch on it, is it due to the campers "profile" you need a WD hitch?
Also is insurance a big deal on an TT? I know I pay $17 a year for my flat bed that is worth say 2k, for a little $8000 travel trailer be more than a couple hundred bucks to insure for the year?
Thanks again

I don't see a problem with your tow vehicle or a half ton pulling a 30' trailer as long as the weights are within reason. I consider 30' average for a travel trailer. Just my opinion. I like the longer wheel base models for more leverage on stability.

 

[aczlan]

A canoe will fit if you hand it over the roof of the cab (assuming a bumper pull TT). See hauling canoe on pickup truck - or 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD with Yakima Outdoorsman and Q Towers for a Canoe - Car Racks / Truck Racks Public Forum for some ideas.

Aaron Z

 

[Samandothers]

make sure fridge, heater, air cond., water pump, AC and DC work. If you can find one with a slide it really makes a difference on the interior room. One caution about camping in cold, we have been camping with heat but water lines froze between fresh water tank and the pump when temps were in mid upper teens.
Great family activity, leave the tv at home. We saved almost enough money on beach rentals to pay for our used unit. If you start to see dark under the white rubber roof you will need to re-coat roof. Liquid rubber roof is pretty expensive.

ok done rambling. Good luck and you'll have a blast.

 

[RobertN]

I would not necessarily say there is a lot of upkeep. But, you can not "park it and forget it".

A 30' should be fine with a 3/4 ton. You need to check your hitch though; they typically have two ratings. One is for a WD setup, the other is without. You may have a 10,000lb rated hitch. But that is probably with WD. I think my '01 RAM is rated 10,000 with WD, 5,000 without.

I would still be concerned about where you could take a 30' trailer; it may be regional but I have seen campgrounds that do not allow that long of trailers(I think older campgrounds from befroe these massive trailers were the norm).

I'll mention again, don't put anything on the roof... I have friends that used to be RV repairmen. One of the major problems they saw with roofs, metal or rubber, is people putting stuff up there; canoes, racks, luggage...

Thanks for the advice! It sounds like there is a LOT of up keep I need to pay attention to so I am glad I asked. Honestly more than I even thought!
I noticed Skidmark1510 mentions not towing a 30' camper with a 1/2 and maybe not a 3/4 ton truck. I currently have a 12 RAM 2500 diesel and figured it would be more than fine for a 30' - is there something I am missing? I pull a flat trailer with 10K from time to time and really have no problems at all and I don't have a weight distribution hitch on it, is it due to the campers "profile" you need a WD hitch?

 

[aczlan]

A canoe will fit if you hand it over the roof of the cab (assuming a bumper pull TT). See hauling canoe on pickup truck - or 2012 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD with Yakima Outdoorsman and Q Towers for a Canoe - Car Racks / Truck Racks Public Forum for some ideas.

Aaron Z

 

[skidmark1510]

Sure, your Ram 2500 will pull a 30' camper. I was referring to the side drafts that a 30' camper has in the slipsteam of a passing semi truck and trailer at 70-80 MPH. You might want to go to the RV forum and read some of the horrifying experiences caused by side drafts and cross winds. Your stabilizer hitch will eliminate most of this if your truck is HD enough, and I am sure your truck is really stabile. My dually is a Ram 3500 diesel and the frames are very similiar. QUOTE=Code54;3240247]Thanks for the advice! It sounds like there is a LOT of up keep I need to pay attention to so I am glad I asked. Honestly more than I even thought!
I noticed Skidmark1510 mentions not towing a 30' camper with a 1/2 and maybe not a 3/4 ton truck. I currently have a 12 RAM 2500 diesel and figured it would be more than fine for a 30' - is there something I am missing? I pull a flat trailer with 10K from time to time and really have no problems at all and I don't have a weight distribution hitch on it, is it due to the campers "profile" you need a WD hitch?
Also is insurance a big deal on an TT? I know I pay $17 a year for my flat bed that is worth say 2k, for a little $8000 travel trailer be more than a couple hundred bucks to insure for the year?
Thanks again[/QUOTE]