i would love the buy a Winnebago

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an RV or an interest in RVing!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
B

beckyr

Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2020
Posts
6
Hi all,

I'm new here and would love to buy a travel trailer in the next year or so.  I have a 2019 Ford Ranger with a GVWR of 6,050 and a GCWR of 12,500. Max tow rating is 7,500 lbs. I'm just beginning to research the best/safest trailer for us to tow.  So far my list has a Winnebago Minnie Drop 1708 with a dry weight of 2,800 and a GVWR of 4,000 lbs. with a single axle.

My other fav is a Winnebago Micro Minnie 2106 FBS with a dry weight of 3,980.  It lists a GVWR of 7,000 lbs and has a double axle.

We hope to do both local camping and would love to travel across country after retirement.  Does anyone have any advice for me?

Edited to change weight.
Becky
 
Hi Becky. Welcome to the forum. Someone will be along shortly to help answer your question.  If you have any others, feel free to ask. Just so you know it?s easier to respond if you start a post for every question you?ll have.
 
Welcome aboard!

I'd suggest renting an RV for a few days if you've never used one before. 

You'll learn a lot that way before you buy one.
 
I've read of people doing that, and we probably will.  i hear some people say to buy the lighter weight camper and others recommend two axles.  That's my big first concern.  I'm sure I'll have more  :).  Thanks Arch
 
Just going with the #s you provided... The first camper would certainly work, but the second is problematic on the Ranger.  Ranger Gcvw at 12500 - Ranger Gvwr 6050 = Max trailer weight of 6450. Second trailers Gvwr of 7000 is a problem. I understand that you may not load the Ranger fully out, but you might, and you might not load the trailer fully out, but you might, and that leaves you with a bit of a problem. Its not an insurmountable problem, you would just have to carefully manage your loadouts on both the truck and the trailer. You can't just throw everything you want in the trailer, pump the water tanks full, and dump all the remaining stuff in the back of the Ranger and take off. You will have to know and understand your weight limits on both the Ranger and the trailer before you hit the road.
 
Thanks Sadixon.  I've got to check my numbers, because I certainly don't want to go over, but wouldn't two axles be safer than one?
 
Hi Becky and another welcome.  There is an advantage (sort of) with two axles, when you blow a trailer tire (not if but when) there will still be three operational tires. The disadvantage is more rolling resistance as in less mpg and four tires to manage.

A tip about trailer tires - made in China trailer tires are absolute junk, probably 99% of trailer rated tires are made in China regardless of brand. I pull a Featherlite car hauler trailer behind our diesel pusher, let me count the number of premium made in China trailer tires I've had self-destruct. Finally I found light truck tires that would fit my Featherlite trailer. No more tire problems.

Whatever you buy, make certain that a light truck tire ("LT") will fit. My Featherlite trailer had fender covers which presented a clearance issue in height and width was a factor in a replacement.

I've been an advocate of Winnebago products for many years but my experience is mainly with motorized units. Do lots and lots of research but keep in mind most people that don't have problems never make their voice heard so don't judge a brand by anecdotal Internet reports.

The advice about renting before buying is an excellent idea, after a couple of weeks of camping you will be a better informed buyer.
 
beckyr said:
Thanks Sadixon.  I've got to check my numbers, because I certainly don't want to go over, but wouldn't two axles be safer than one?
Click to expand...

Two axles will cushion the impact of bumps and potholes better than one as the flexible coupling at the center of the twin axle springs allows each axle to move up and down semi-independent of the other.  As a rule of thumb the trailer will only bounce half as far as a single axle as each wheel of a twin axle setup goes over the bump.

On the other hand, with twin axles you have 4 tires instead of 2 to eventually replace and twice as many brakes, wheel bearings, etc. to maintain.
 
Two axles are better than one, for the reasons others have already stated.  Besides, only the lightest trailers will have a single axle.

Your Ranger's max tow assumes it is not carrying any cargo, just driver & passenger (150 lbs each) and fuel. Every additional pound you carry in/on the truck reduces its tow capacity by the same amount. Furthermore, an RV trailer is tall & wide, creating a lot more wind resistance than a typical utility trailer. The tow rating is not specific to RVs.  Generally, though, the Ranger should be able to handle 6000-7500 lbs of trailer reasonably well, depending on how much cargo there is in the truck.
I'd say that 7000 lb MicroWinnie is the largest trailer you can consider.

You also need to watch the truck cargo capacity (payload), which has to be sufficiency for the passengers and gear in the truck PLUS the weight of the hitch and the trailer tongue weight on the hitch ball.  The trailer tongue weight MUST be 10%-12% of the actual loaded trailer weight, so you are looking at around 600 lbs for that alone. Most Rangers will be fine with that, but check your Payload rating to be sure.
 
Thanks everyone for your helpful responses.  Is there really a need to carry more than 1,000 pounds of stuff?  We only plan to take cooler, food, clothing, and basic camping gear, and hoses and everything necessary to make the camper work.  I know water, propane and battery will add to the weight too.  If I put $1,000 pounds in the camper (dry weight 3800#) my tongue weight would be about 500 plus the weight of the towing equipment?  We plan to have the camper weighed after loading. I hope I have this right. 
 
You would be surprised how fast stuff adds up as you add things like pots, pans, food, BBQ grill, camping chairs, folding table, mosquito screen canopy, hoses, cords, clothes, bicycles, tools, ....
 
My RV had a sticker weight 1300 pounds less than actual with no people and a minimal amount of water.
 
If I put $1,000 pounds in the camper (dry weight 3800#) my tongue weight would be about 500 plus the weight of the towing equipment?
Click to expand...
Yes. 10% of the actual loaded trailer weight is the minimum safe amount for safe towing; 11-12% is even better.

You may not have a 1000 lbs of stuff simply because a trailer that size has limited storage space, but we can pretty much guarantee you will have more than you expect. Maybe not on the first trip, but each trip will add a few more "nice to have" things and only rarely does anyone remove extra stuff once it gets onboard.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Members online

Total: 941 (members: 29, guests: 912)

Forum statistics

Threads
131,956
Posts
1,388,177
Members
137,708
Latest member
7mark7
Back
Top Bottom