what to look for in a TT?

Ok, you're great on the GCWR, and assuming a fully loaded trailer, your tongue weight should range between 670 to 1000#. Assuming the driver, passengers, and other cargo in the truck don't weight more than the difference between actual tongue weight and 1625#, you should be good to go.

kdbgoat said:

Ok, you're great on the GCWR, and assuming a fully loaded trailer, your tongue weight should range between 670 to 1000#. Assuming the driver, passengers, and other cargo in the truck don't weight more than the difference between actual tongue weight and 1625#, you should be good to go.

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I was pretty sure I was understanding things correctly. Thank you for validating !

spencerpj said:

Seriously, check and recheck your numbers.  The Trailer salesperson will tell you what you want to hear,  they just love to sell Trailers.  Read previous posts concerning this topic.  That is too much trailer for that truck.  I have more truck than that (1500 Yukon XL, 4wd, tow package) and wouldn't dare pull that trailer.  Flat land, calm days, maybe ok,  That is not reality, camping areas have hills, and it is windy on the road sometimes.

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Why is this too much trailer?

scale obsession said:

Why is this too much trailer?

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Because that is not enough truck. Safety is too important to be right on the edge or close to it when towing. You need a safety margin.

SeilerBird said:

Because that is not enough truck. Safety is too important to be right on the edge or close to it when towing. You need a safety margin.

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Would you be as so kind to educate me on what type of margins are needed? The way I�m understanding this, I will still be 1100lb under the max weight if everything is fully loaded, leaving a 1100lb room for error.

good luck

The rating on the door sticker meets SAE requirements. They test to that weight pulling up a mountain. Look it up. As long as the OP doesn't go crazy loading his truck, he can carry the trailer fully loaded and set correctly just fine. That 10 and 20% margin crap went out the window when SAE ratings came along. I've said it before and will say it again, some people think a person has to have a one ton dually just to get a 20# bag of dog food from the store. If you can't show fact and not opinion why he can't safety tow that trailer, don't bother posting he can't.

scale obsession said:

Why is this too much trailer?

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Continue doing your homework.  Don't say the majority of us didn't tell you so.  My comments, and sorry if snarky are just my real life experiences with something close to what you are looking at.  I do wish you the best, be safe  )

No offense taken. I?m here to learn. I want to do this safely. I wasn?t trying to be rude. I just wanted to know what the reasoning was as to why it it wouldn?t work. From the little
Knowledge I have, the numbers work. I realize numbers aren?t always real world and that?s why I turned to oh guys before I paid for the TT. So please by all means fill me in. Give me your thoughts, experience Ect.

For starters, when you are near your max limits, then load your trailer not well balanced, and have 1/2 tank fresh water, and full holding tanks because it was raining when you tore down camp, then it's windy as all get out driving home, semi trucks blowing you around, liquids sloshing, you will know why a 1500 truck is not, and never was designed to pull a TT as close to the maximums are you are considering.  I had a neighbor, 1500 Suburban, 25' TT, one trip out west, came home, sold Suburban, bought Dodge 2500.  I only have a 20' Puma, pull with YukonXL, 4wd, Tow package, 8100 tow capacity, although not weighed, a great estimate would be 6500-6800 total pounds loaded, and pulls decent, hills, I know it, winds I know it, idiot brakes hard in front of me, you get the drift.  Maybe consider renting a TT the size you want, even if not perfect layout, and see how it does.  Others might say go for it, maybe they have stouter trucks to start, maybe they can endure more adrenaline rush while driving than I?  Sometimes, there's just more to it than the numbers, and I certainly don't know your adrenaline tolerance.   

spencerpj said:

For starters, when you are near your max limits, then load your trailer not well balanced, and have 1/2 tank fresh water, and full holding tanks because it was raining when you tore down camp, then it's windy as all get out driving home, semi trucks blowing you around, liquids sloshing, you will know why a 1500 truck is not, and never was designed to pull a TT as close to the maximums are you are considering.  I had a neighbor, 1500 Suburban, 25' TT, one trip out west, came home, sold Suburban, bought Dodge 2500.  I only have a 20' Puma, pull with YukonXL, 4wd, Tow package, 8100 tow capacity, although not weighed, a great estimate would be 6500-6800 total pounds loaded, and pulls decent, hills, I know it, winds I know it, idiot brakes hard in front of me, you get the drift.  Maybe consider renting a TT the size you want, even if not perfect layout, and see how it does.  Others might say go for it, maybe they have stouter trucks to start, maybe they can endure more adrenaline rush while driving than I?  Sometimes, there's just more to it than the numbers, and I certainly don't know your adrenaline tolerance. 

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) Very well stated spencerpj. )  Safety is the most important issue here and beginners just don't realize all the situations that can come up while RVing.

Interesting reading:

http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/towing/1502-sae-j2807-tow-tests-the-standard/

Does anyone have any recommendations as far as a TT that will meet our criteria?

bunkhouse
murphy bed/couch
preferably double axle

Tow vehicle

2016 silverado 1500, crew cab ,4x4 ,5.3, 3.42 gears
GVWR 7200 lb - curb weight 5900LB
500lb of passenger/cargo
leaving 800lb for tongue weight

moral of the story- should have gone 2500.

Rockwood 2100 series has a Murphy Bed option, with slideout.  I almost did that, then decided making a bed like that, daily was not for me.  Coleman makes a 24' rear bed, 2 doors, 5k dry, if the longer TT is a must.  I hear ya on the 2500, new this year, Suburban is back with a 2500 version, 6.0, and in a few years I will probably upgrade to that, out of my pricerange new. 

edit:  Why I went with my Puma 19bh, it has a full bed, and 1 bunk in rear.  although definitely on the small side of a bed for me and mrs, I didn't want my trailer to be all about a bed in the middle of the front.  everything has a tradeoff 

We have a Venture Sonic travel trailer which has two axels and a murphy bed.  GVRW of the trailer is 5200.  Ours doesn't have bunks, but they make a model that does (the 220VBH), and I believe it has the same 5200 GVWR.  We tow with a Chevy Suburban (1500) with the max tow package (tow capacity 8000) and use a weight distributing hitch w/ sway control.  So far, we've been happy with how it tows (although we are a bit slow when going up steep hills).  However, I don't think we would want to tow anything heavier with the Suburban.

We are new to RV-ing and this is our first travel trailer, and so far we are very happy with it.  And we love the murphy bed.  Very easy to put up and down and it can be put up with the sheets, blankets, pillows already on the bed.

Good luck with your search!

Scale Obsession:
I have to second all the comments that your 1,100lb room for error isn't enough ... I'm really new to RVing and have a much smaller, older rig...
My TV - GVWR is 5950LBS - towing 'on paper' is rated for 5,100lbs
My TT - 1990LBS dry

Just from not having my rig balanced:
I have experienced the wind and truck passing combo that pulls you in and then pushes you off the road... I have experienced the coming up to a line of traffic that came out of no were due to construction MILES down the road, STOP DAMN IT! STOP!.... I have white knuckled it through crazy wind .... lost tread on a trailer tire on the highway....

In short... I DO NOT ENJOY driving the van with trailer and was getting frustrated until I found this forum and realized it doesn't need to be that way.... You don't want to white knuckle every time you pull out or you will want to stay home.....

I have a small setup, but, with the wisdom of the crew here.... I plan on weighing my rig, getting better balanced and getting a WDH to help weight distribution; so I can enjoy my driving a little more.

You can do it with your truck, but will you WANT TOO?...

This is a question I was going to ask eventually, so I appreciate the OP.  I also appreciate the answers, but some are vague to my simple mind. 

  -Axles - what should the numbers be?
  -Tires - again, what numbers? what brands?
  -Tank sizes - you guessed it, what should the capacities be? (I realize more is better, but realistically what should you expect?)
  -Furnace close to bedroom bad?
  -When I look in the storage area to see what's holding the bed up what would I hope to see? (Shoot, I'd treat it like a home inspection and I know that's not reasonable)
  -Roof - I assume crowned is better, but what about material and other things?  one-piece? 
  -Cabinetry - should I expect as good a quality as in a house?

Thanks in advance

-Axles - what should the numbers be?
  -Tires - again, what numbers? what brands?
  -Tank sizes - you guessed it, what should the capacities be? (I realize more is better, but realistically what should you expect?)
  -Furnace close to bedroom bad?
  -When I look in the storage area to see what's holding the bed up what would I hope to see? (Shoot, I'd treat it like a home inspection and I know that's not reasonable)

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To all of the above I'd have to say, "That depends." Tires and axles need to be sufficient to support the max allowed weight for the unit, and it'd be nice to have a little capacity left over. As to tire brand, most major brands will do fine -- I'd be more concerned with their capacity. For tank sizes, the bigger the better, up to a point, figuring that you need to allow (weight wise) for a full fresh water tank plus all the goodies you'll carry in the rig, from clothing and dishes and food to games and tools and RV accessories.

For the furnace, keep in mind that it's noisy, and during cold weather will run intermittently through the night. What's under the bed will vary with the unit -- it might be slideout mechanisms, plumbing, electrical or storage space, or perhaps combinations.

-Roof - I assume crowned is better, but what about material and other things?  one-piece?
  -Cabinetry - should I expect as good a quality as in a house?

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Most any roof will work fairly well, if done right, but a slight rounding is good, and one piece is best BUT -- there will be holes cut through it for vents, antennas, etc., so those need to be well sealed. Cabinet quality in houses varies, and that's even more true in RVs, with the lower priced units often having pressboard and staple construction, but some top end units may have cabinets that are fancy and strong even compared to most houses -- Beaver motorhomes come to mind.

Generally speaking, you'll get what you pay for (up to a point), in terms of MSRP when new, with the lower priced units tending to have a lot of shortcuts taken.

But you really need to find a floor plan that will work for you (not what someone else prefers), and that's one reason we usually suggest that you look mostly at used units for your first rig, so you won't lose as much when you find that something else will work better, due to discovering what RVing really is like for the way that YOU do it.