Looking for some tow behind info...

My husband and I live in Oregon and are tired of setting up a tent in the middle of the night.  :-\    We're looking at 17 - 26 foot tow behinds with or without slides.  Since I'm a girl, I prefer the "with".    We do a lot of off road (and I mean OFF ROAD) camping in Oregon and might be moving to Alaska next year.  We're looking for any information/thoughts on good, smaller, tow-behinds.  So far we've looked at Northwood MFG, Outdoors RV (Back Country), the Springdale and the Crossover.  We're looking for a 4-Season camper, with good ground clearance, and mostly just all around good quality.  The problem is that we're not really familiar with what to look for.  I'm wondering if any one owns any of these campers and what they like/dislike about them.  Any input would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

Welcome to the forum.

Not sure about those campers.

Check the tow ratings of your tow vehicle and stay well below the Gross Weight of that trailer and other gear. 
You dont mention what you have so this may be a mute point.  BUT just incase it may limit your possibilities.

BigD is right....first look at what you CAN tow.  What is your tow vehicle?

Oh yeah,  I missed that part.  We have an F250 5.4L 4WD.  I think it should be fine towing anything under 26'.

alyciabaird said:

Oh yeah,  I missed that part.  We have an F250 5.4L 4WD.  I think it should be fine towing anything under 26'.

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Might consider the weight more so than just length.

What's the truck gross combined weight rating? (Truck and trailer)

What's the truck total weight ability? (Truck GVWR)

Then consider terrain (Gas powered will lose power climbing in the mountains).

alyciabaird said:

Oh yeah,  I missed that part.  We have an F250 5.4L 4WD.  I think it should be fine towing anything under 26'.

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Maybe.  What year?  What is the cab configuration -- regular, crew, extended, super crew...?  Rear end ratio?    With that info, a person can dig up the max tow rating for the truck.  You might even have the tow rating specified in your owner's manuals for that matter.

The tow rating, if you knock off 20% to allow for the high altitudes and long, long grades out here in the West, should at least equal the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating  (GVWR) of any trailer you buy.  It is trailer weight that controls what vehicle is needed to pull it, not trailer length.  Use GVWR to estimate that weight.

And if all of that isn't enough to figure out, don't forget to check your hitch capacity.  It will be posted on the receiver (the part of the hitch assembly bolted to the frame of your truck).  Mine lists the weight of the vehicle I can tow and the tongue weight the hitch can handle, and it gives me those maximums for both regular and weight distribution hitches.  My hitch (the part that slides into the receiver) actually had a lower capacity than the receiver and when I got my 2006 AF, I needed a beefier weight-distribution hitch to haul it.  Fortunately the seller included that.

Pay particular attention to tongue weights (they call it "dry hitch weight") when looking at trailers.  Some are Very Heavy and that's without putting anything in them.

So - to summarize - you have a chain: Truck capacity, receiver capacity, hitch capacity.  The one that's lowest is the weakest link in that chain and is what you can haul - but you can upgrade your receiver and hitch if they're below your truck capacity.

If you are having trouble coming up with a tow rating , feed us the numbers on your truck that I asked for, AlyciaBaird, and lets see if we can come up the rating for your truck.

Aly,  Unfortunately most forums here and everywhere will have what I call the Tow Police.  Yes, double check the trucks capacities, but unless you plan to stuff the camper with concrete, I would be willing to bet a F-250 super duty that is less than say 6-8 years old will have no problem at all pulling anything 26 feet or less.  Just make sure you have your hitch installed and properly adjusted.  As for sway... Always use it.  You never now when you may need it, until you don't have it.  Just remember, if it is a friction plate sway control, you cannot backup with it attached.  Regarding the trailer type you are looking for, I am not sure what will be available.  I know there are pop ups with off road capabilities, but you mentioned all year camping.  Off road typically will be big grade changes and tight turns, so I doubt you will really see anything other than pop up that can handle "off road"  With the longer trailer, you will have a much longer distance been the trucks rear tires, and the trailer's tires, therefore making it hard and dangerous to off road...  Too easy to put the tongue jack into the ground, with the expected ridges and valleys when off road.  I am sure what you are looking for is out there, I just haven't seen it yet.  Do your homework, and you will find a trailer that works, and with a F-250... go wild! 

Incase the tow police are wondering.. ;D  I am pulling a 33' trailer with a 2010 F-150.  Trailer is 6858# dry.  I am well within my GVW, GVRW, AND CGVWR.  truck is rated at 9600# GVRW, 15,000 GCVRW .  Equil-i-zer hitch WDH with anti sway.. Pulls the trailer just fine. I am in the midwest, so no major hills or mountains to navigate.       

southpaw821 said:

Incase the tow police are wondering.. ;D  I am pulling a 33' trailer with a 2010 F-150.  Trailer is 6858# dry.  I am well within my GVW, GVRW, AND CGVWR.  truck is rated at 9600# GVRW, 15,000 GCVRW .  Equil-i-zer hitch WDH with anti sway.. Pulls the trailer just fine. I am in the midwest, so no major hills or mountains to navigate.     

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Above sounds very close to my numbers.  Except I use a 2011 and live in West TN.

alyciabaird, Southpaw makes a good point about not being able to do much off-roading with longer trailers.  There are lots of places I've been with my truck with its slide-in camper that I wouldn't try hauling any TT in to.  Have you considered a camper instead of a trailer?  Same deal on the weight considerations, and of course less room than a trailer, but a lot more places you can get to.

Yes those are very good points.

Funny how my way of looking at campsites has changed since we now tow a 33' TT versus the old Jayco Tent camper with  tandem axles and a 14' box.
Then again getting the Jayco 1406  changed the way I looked at campsites too when we went up from an 8' box Jayco 806!

Its all about which is more important:  Comfort and space of your Home Away from Home(HAH), as compared  to the location of your HAH.

southpaw821 said:

Aly,  Unfortunately most forums here and everywhere will have what I call the Tow Police.  Yes, double check the trucks capacities, but unless you plan to stuff the camper with concrete, I would be willing to bet a F-250 super duty that is less than say 6-8 years old will have no problem at all pulling anything 26 feet or less.

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"Tow Police"? Nonsense, southpaw . . . 

I've been on "this" forum for about 17 years now. The former owner, and current owner have taken great pains to find knowledgeable folk to head up and monitor the various topic headings. They are not paid, but rather volunteer their time to answer questions and give advice. When I pulled a trailer and asked questions - and Carl L. responded by asking follow-up questions - I took notes and gave him all the feedback he needed to get me safely down the road.

Yes, I would rather take Carl's' advice vs. someone that writes I can pull anything unless my trailer is filled w/concrete or, " . . . with a 250, go wild". And certainly have never considered the experts here on computers, electricity, towing -- or whatever, as policing those topics . . .

Tow police?  ROFL. 

Let's call them what they really are:  Folks who through the kindness of their hearts share information that a new or relatively new RV enthusiast might not otherwise encounter.....information whose primary intent is to safeguard that new person's well being....and information that the person who sold them the RV might have been remiss about passing along.

Are the "tow police" overly conservative?  Perhaps....but it's better to have too much truck than not enough.  And for those of us who regularly tow up (and down) steep grades, having "too much truck" is imperative should something go afoul.  I've seen too many rigs that are, IMHO, 3 ounces of bad luck from disaster. 

YMMV

Frizlefrak said:

Tow police?  ROFL. 

Let's call them what they really are:  Folks who through the kindness of their hearts share information that a new or relatively new RV enthusiast might not otherwise encounter.....information whose primary intent is to safeguard that new person's well being....and information that the person who sold them the RV might have been remiss about passing along.

Are the "tow police" overly conservative?  Perhaps....but it's better to have too much truck than not enough.  And for those of us who regularly tow up (and down) steep grades, having "too much truck" is imperative should something go afoul.  I've seen too many rigs that are, IMHO, 3 ounces of bad luck from disaster. 

YMMV

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+1 and totally agree...

Like I keep preaching about taking the RV out and towing it around should be fun and enjoyable not a white knuckle ride or stressful. So its all about having the proper size tow vehicle for your travel trailer. Having a bigger tow vehicle is always safer than the other way around.

I found this invaluable. Some years it breaks down into conventional towing or fifth wheel towing.

Linda

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/rv_trailer_towing/default.asp

I wished I had found the "Tow Police" when I bought my first TV and 5th wheel. I ask the salesman what I could tow his response "What ever you want."  My TV was a 1/2 ton. Keep up the good work  "Tow Police".

The 'TP' poster hasn't been here for a day and a half. Might be a seagull (they fly in, eat your food aka read your posts, poop all over you or your place, then fly away 

eliallen said:

I wished I had found the "Tow Police" when I bought my first TV and 5th wheel. I ask the salesman what I could tow his response "What ever you want."  My TV was a 1/2 ton. Keep up the good work  "Tow Police".

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Nice.  This person was willing to put your safety on the line to make a sale.  Not all RV salespeople are like this, but TOO many are.  If the "Tow Police" prevent just one catastrope, it's worth all the effort.

Tom said:

The 'TP' poster hasn't been here for a day and a half. Might be a seagull (they fly in, eat your food aka read your posts, poop all over you or your place, then fly away 

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Yep.  They're called "trolls" on most message boards....come in, rile everyone up, then just lurk and giggle.  Must be nice to have so little to do that this sort of activity is amusing.