Towing a travel trailer, input wanted

[alchemysa]

Quite a few in that size range had the bed towards the front. Didn't really matter much to us.

My point is that having the kitchen at the rear could be a problem when towing. The kitchen is usually the heavy area with the fridge, cooker, pots and pans and all those cans of food etc. A tail heavy trailer is a nightmare to tow and outright dangerous. My advice is you test tow that rig on the open road at highway speed and see if the tail is wagging the dog.

 

[Skyco]

My point is that having the kitchen at the rear could be a problem when towing. The kitchen is usually the heavy area with the fridge, cooker, pots and pans and all those cans of food etc. A tail heavy trailer is a nightmare to tow and outright dangerous. My advice is you test tow that rig on the open road at highway speed and see if the tail is wagging the dog.

If the manufacturer did their design right and the axles (btw called tandems in the US, duals are side by side) are in the right place then it shouldn't be a problem.
I do agree that a test tow is ideal if it can be arranged.

As for a sway control as some insist on I suppose it doesn't hurt but personally I've never needed one on a travel trailer and I've owned quite a few and currently have a 99 I bought new.
I did have a momentary bad experience once with my dump trailer when the quarry placed 5 tons of crushed rock too far to the rear....spent an hour shoveling some forward to fix it...in summer heat...was not an experience I savored.

My rule of thumb on trailer weight is whatever manufacturer says truck will haul, half it to be happy. Sure I tow at or even over at times but I'm not happy doing it, especially for long trips:thumbsup:

 

[tommu56]

I didn't read the whole thread

But when you do get to the point you are considering one try the bath room on for size!!!
I mean go in shut the door drop your pants and sit on the toilet make sure it works for you.

I bough a hybrid (fold out beds) cheep and on our first trip I found out the hard way if I dropped my pants to my ankles the sink was in the way to bend over to get them. I admit I am 6'3" and 300lbs on a good day but my son only weighs 150 lbs and is 6'3" has a hard time doing the same thing.:confused2:

tom

 

[Bird]

A strange design compared to most I've seen. Bed at the front.

That's a pretty common design in the USA, and as someone else said, if it has the axles properly placed, they tow just fine. However, for me personally, I never liked a floorplan with the bedroom up front, except on fifth-wheel trailers, but that's just a matter of personal preference. Another personal preference is that I DID NOT want any slide-outs, and anyone can see that I was definitely in the minority on that one.:laughing:

As for a sway control as some insist on I suppose it doesn't hurt but personally I've never needed one on a travel trailer and I've owned quite a few and currently have a 99 I bought new.

I'm glad you've been lucky. I lost count of the number of RVers I visited with who had brand new rigs because they wrecked and totalled their first one and claimed the salesman didn't tell them about sway control, but you can bet they had a sway control on the next one. I'm one who thinks we have way too many laws, rules, and regulations in general, but I do think it should be illegal to sell a travel trailer without sway control.

 

[Dmace]

First look at this site to find your tow capacity for that Dodge RAM. Then you will know the max loaded weight you want to stay under. When looking at travel trailers, keep in mind the GVWR of the trailer as that has to stay under your tow capacity or the highway patrol can fine you even if your actual weight is under the tow capacity.

I have a newer 2003 RAM 1500 with a 8550lb tow capacity and just bought this 27ft 1994 Skyline Nomad. It's 4600 lbs empty and 7700lb GVWR, is fully self contained and insulated with the master bedroom in front, bunks in the rear and kitchen centered right over the axles. With the couch and table converted to beds it sleeps 6-8 people. No slides which is what I wanted because it adds a lot of weight and can be troublesome in tight campgrounds.

You will always want more room so unless you plan on trailering this camper all over the country, I would get the largest possible. The brake controller and Weight Distribution hitch are absolute necessities and I have yet to find a need for sway control even at 75mph on the interstate.
On a side note, with the trailer fully loaded at 6200lbs with 5 people in the truck plus a bed loaded to capacity with fire wood (1k lbs or more) I still averaged 12.8mpg with 60% highway in the HEMI.

 

[alchemysa]

I'm glad you've been lucky. I lost count of the number of RVers I visited with who had brand new rigs because they wrecked and totalled their first one and claimed the salesman didn't tell them about sway control,

I agree 100%. Never towed a caravan yet that wasn't a lot more pleasant to tow with sway bars.

 

[Iplayfarmer]

My rule of thumb on trailer weight is whatever manufacturer says truck will haul, half it to be happy. Sure I tow at or even over at times but I'm not happy doing it, especially for long trips:thumbsup:

I'd have to say amen as this statement pertains to buying a travel trailer.

I'll pull a load of hay or the occasional heavy tractor that is at (or slightly over) my truck's rated capacity, but for a trailer that I'm going to pull regularly I want it to be comfortable.