Light/Ultra Light, or not?

While I have never owned an ultra light camper I really really like the aluminum frame. Having seen what what damage can do to the wood in standard "stick and staple" trailers,as soon as I could I sold the one we spent a year rebuilding and thousands of dollars on to replace it with one that has all aluminum framing and exterior construction. I still had to replace all the cabinets due to water and age damage.(35 year old glue just dries out) and the floor is still plywood but unlike the first camper the floor is not part of the structure of my current rig, so damaged parts can be replaced instead of the whole thing.

to me the all aluminum will outlast everything else currently on the market now.

My GMC was built in 1977 and she now only needs the paint redone. of the more then 12k made during the 4 years of production over 8k are currently accounted for. how many of the standard construction models of that time are still on the road?

If your going to live in it full time go for workable floor plan and something that will stand the test of time.

Just my thoughts.

I have a Rockwood ultra light and love it.

[quote author=1275gtsport]to me the all aluminum will outlast everything else currently on the market now.[/quote]

Agree about the aluminum.
What did you end up buying?

I ended up getting a 1977 GMC motorhome (built from 1974 to 1978 totally in house by GMC) a 26 foot Palm Beach model.
Front wheel drive floor only 14 inches off the ground. I do admit there is not a lot of storage but then again what do I need a weedwacker for?

this is how she looked the day we brought her home.
http://s1136.photobucket.com/user/Adam_Raeburn/media/GMC%20Palm%20Beach/pass_side.jpg.html?sort=3&o=5

Oldsmobile front wheel drive, a great combo but the transmission is chain driven, its the same as a Toronado, or Eldorado just watch the fluid and don't overload it!

I just bought a Prime Time "Tracer" Ultra lite, 27ft, I've towed it several hundred miles and it's been a dream, both to tow and to "camp" in, I would highly recommend one for anyone looking to tow a fairly good size camper with a 1/2ton truck. I have a 2013 GMC 1500 and The Camper was Loaded, I towed it 500 miles without a problem.

Oooo. They have a model of that Tracer that looks real nice to me.

I'd be interested to know what you think of the build quality after you've had it a few years. Maybe I'll have to come back to you in 2015 and ask.

Please note that a metal frame (vs wood) is not tied to lite vs heavy. In fact, most RVs above entry level have ad metallic frames for many years now. The best lite models may use aluminum more than steel, but wood frames (stick construction, in RV parlance) is a bottom-of-the-line characteristic and even then confined mostly to smaller sizes.

I've been pretty impressed with the build quality, I like the insulated tanks and dump valves, the universal docking station is nice too. I have the 2640 touring edition, it has electric jacks, an 8cu ft. fridge, gas grill, lots of stowage and the shower is bigger than the one in Our house, I also like the E-Z tow axles. I bought it in August and I've had no issues at all so far.

Thanks for the details! I'm going to record these for future reference.

I'm a sucker for that 2750RBS, with the kitchen island (REAL prep area!!), and find I really like the double access to the bedroom on either side of the entertainment center. (After awhile, man...I just get SO TIRED of seeing the same damn floor plan, over and over and over again.) The larger fridge, electric jacks, and enclosed/insulated tanks are on my "must-have" list, so I'm glad to see they're included.

The specs say this is 6,285 lbs, which is light for a 30 footer, but that still leaves only 1,353 CCC.

I'm not a towing expert (don't even qualify as a novice), but it sounds like the weight makes the difference between being able to tow with a 1/2 ton and a 3/4 ton, right? So here's the big question for me: what's your gas mileage like while you're using your GMC as your destination transportation, vs what the gas mileage might be in an equivalent 3/4 ton truck?

(Reason for all the picky questions: I have a Leaf now. Haven't been to a gas station in a year and our electricity cost in the Pac NW is dirt cheap. So my toad of choice, were we to take one, would be a Chevy Volt. I just HATE paying for gasoline.  But if the mileage for a TV--when driven without the trailer--could be brought to within "reasonable" limits [say, 15 MPG vs 10], I could see us not having to own or tow a toad at all. And that would be awesome, and resolve so many issues that have me going around in circles.)

Of course, all this is merely speculative. Have no idea where the $$$ is going to come from for this compelling-looking but pretty expensive TT, but we have 2-3 years to figure it out. Maybe by then the 2014s will be a reasonable price.

Karen

If the trailer is a fifth wheel, the problem with a half ton is the relatively small payload (carrying capacity). A 5W put 20-25% of its weight directly on the truck suspension and most half tons come up short. On a travel trailer, the weight on the truck is more like 10%, so payload is usually not a factor.

Is that 6285 lbs dry weight or GVWR? Forget the brochure dry weight - you will never tow it at that number.  Also: what "15  mpg" is ok with you. City, Highway, or combined?

Frankly, if you want great mpg after you arrive at your destination, buy a motorhome and tow an economical car.

[quote author=Gary RV Roamer]Is that 6285 lbs dry weight or GVWR? Forget the brochure dry weight - you will never tow it at that number.[/quote]

Dry weight. But that's why the CCC amount is worrisome. I'm a little person but between the two of us + 3 cats, we've got 455 lbs of breathing weight. Then there's the weight of full propane tanks, a full water heater, and at least a half-full fresh water tank. And that leaves...how many pounds for all the "essentials"?

Funny how non-essential so many of the essentials end up being when you're looking at an overweight trailer

[quote author=Gary RV Roamer]Also: what "15  mpg" is ok with you. City, Highway, or combined?[/quote]

Would be happy with combined.

[quote author=Gary RV Roamer]Frankly, if you want great mpg after you arrive at your destination, buy a motorhome and tow an economical car.[/quote]

Oh, I know that. But I'm trying like hell to avoid it; both for the extra length and hassle of a toad, and the cost of buying/maintaining/insuring an extra vehicle.

We could avoid the towing part, at least, if we buy a toy hauler and travel with the smallest, lightest car available (which right now in the US is the Smart) stashed in the garage.

I can dream.

Karen

Well here's My take on it, Our Tracer Ultra Lite is a really nice travel trailer BUT I wouldn't want to fulltime Live in it, We had a motorhome but I didn't like leaving it sit as much as We do so I made the decision to go with a TT. We are not retired and do enjoy the RV lifestyle and love to travel, But fulltiming isn't an option, at this time. I have to get to work so I bought the GMC and then shopped for the TT I felt We would be comfortable in and I could tow comfortably with My truck. It averages 14.3 MPG, that's a fully loaded extended cab 1500 GMC with a 5.3L V-8 and a six speed transmission. The TT dry weight for the 2640 is 5300, add Tammy and I, four small dogs and the kitchen sink (She packs everything on-board) I'm guessing 7500LB. On Our last trip to Hot Springs I averaged 9.5 MPG towing the trailer. Any bigger TT I would go 3/4 ton and a Diesel, Period! no question. IF and when We decide to cash everything out and travel fulltime it would be a Diesel Motorhome with a fuel efficient car in tow, That's  My take on it all.

Thanks for your observations, Kenny, much appreciated.

One more question: why wouldn't you want to fulltime in your Tracer?

Herekittykitty,

A few miscellaneous comments. Other than the all aluminum trailers like Airstream or the fiberglass eggs like Casita, most trailers have wood in the composite walls. Filon or fiberglass can delaminate and water will often make the foam and any composite board crumble so having aluminum or steel framing does not necessarily mean no potential for water damage. Metal is a much better conductor than wood so trailers with metal frames may have cold spots at every frame member depending on the construction method of the wall.

As you are beginning to notice, cargo carrying capacity of many light weight trailers is not that much. If you do some searches on various RV forms as to what fulltimers think is adequate, I think you will find that 1,000-1500# per person is often mentioned. There are a few travel trailers in the 28-30' range like Silver Creek and SunnyBrook that have a relatively light dry weight and a good amount of cargo capacity. Something to think about when crunching all the weight numbers is that 1000# in the trailer, only adds 100-150# to the weight of the tow vehicle.

We went through much of the same research and decision process that you are now going through when we switched from a motorhome to a trailer. Even though our first trailer (26') had a GVWR of 7500# and a cargo carrying capacity of just under 3000#, we chose a 2500 diesel truck as a tow vehicle due to the lack of cargo/passenger weight capacity of the 150/1500 trucks after subtracting the tongue weight. This decision allowed us to move up to a 29' trailer without having to get a different tow vehicle. The diesel gets 11-12 towing and averages 16 combined city/highway.

We travel about 15,000 miles per year, and while I certainly have not been looking for them; EV charging stations do not appear to be very common in the mountain states. I have to wonder how RV parks handle folks plugging into the power pedestals. I know that the Smart cars are popular with fulltimers (especially those with large 5th wheels and Heavy duty trucks), but do not know how many of them use the electric model. A post on a forum like the Escapees RV Club Forum might get you some answers.

When We decide to go Fulltime Id want a generator, and a washer & dryer, then we are not in Ultra Lite territory any more therefore a 1/2 ton truck is not an option. I mean I would live in My Tracer but I plan on being a little more off the grid when We retire, so something like a Fifth Wheel toy hauler and a one ton would fill the bill. or a M/H with a Jeep would be more practical.

With our ultra light it isn't construction and it has 3000 lb of ccc. There just isn't any where to put all of the stuff we would need full timing and we use the bunks for storage now. We'd lose even more when we replaced the couch and dinette with something comfortable to sit on.
The manual to the trailer also states that the trailer isn't intended for full time use and doing so would void the warranty. They used condensation and humidity as a reason and it is something we deal with when it's below freezing. 

[quote author=JiminDenver]The manual to the trailer also states that the trailer isn't intended for full time use and doing so would void the warranty. They used condensation and humidity as a reason and it is something we deal with when it's below freezing. [/quote]

Yeah, apparently a lot of mfr say this. I guess it won't make a difference anyway if one buys used (as we likely will), but I consider it a BS excuse for saying, "Our rig is low quality, so beware."

It's good to know that there actually is some ultra light out there with 3,000 lbs of CCC, though.

herekittykitty said:

Yeah, apparently a lot of mfr say this. I guess it won't make a difference anyway if one buys used (as we likely will), but I consider it a BS excuse for saying, "Our rig is low quality, so beware."

It's good to know that there actually is some ultra light out there with 3,000 lbs of CCC, though.

Click to expand...

Warranty is usually only a year anyway....that gets the factory bugs out, and then you can do anything you want with it.

On the subject of ultra-lites, last summer we were up in the mountains and a "neighbor" in the campground was admiring our trailer, and how much he wanted one just like it.....he had a first gen Tundra, and commented that since it's an ultra lite, he could pull it with the Tundra easily.  When I told him it grosses near 8000 lbs he was stunned....and in the 10% grades and high elevations out here, it would bring the older Tundra to its knees.  Even a new Tundra would have it's hands full....I told him out here you really need a 2500 series truck to pull it comfortably, and to control it in crosswinds.  Poor guy seemed a bit deflated which wasn't my intention, but I didn't want some fast talking salesman to con him into buying something he can't safely pull either. 

Ultra lites are great for their intended purpose and get you a lot of space for the weight....whether or not you can full time in it (in my mind anyway) comes down to how well you want to maintain it. 

I drive a little Nissan Frontier. I pull a little forest river Coachman Viking 14R.  It's plenty big for my wife and I. I reversed the axle on it and just a few mins ago put a new step to compensate.