Just bought the truck, now for the trailer

Greetings all,

I'm a RV noob, but a camping junkie.  Growing up, my dad and I camped in everything from backpacking tents, a Coleman pop-top, VW campervan, and occasionally, a borrowed travel trailer.  When we met, my wife hated the idea of camping.  Her idea of roughing it was a hotel room without wifi.  However, my twin girls came to my rescue because they wanted to go, and my wife and I love doing things as a family and creating memories together.  So we got a tent, some sleeping bags, and some basic equipment and started tent camping.  However, I'm not as spry as I used to be, and sleeping on an air matress has become much more uncomfortable.

So, my wife and I have been going back and forth for several months now on our options for outdoor adventuring.

1) We keep the old tent, sleeping bags, etc, and get camp beds (and I get a 5.0 liter Mustang)
2) We buy a small class C and trade in the mini-van for somthing small and cheap (and no Mustang)
3) We buy a travel trailer and trade in the mini-van for the truck (and no Mustang)

Guess which one we went with? (3) Oh well, at least the truck is a V8.

Anyway, after a month of research and three weeks of trying to locate a Chevy 1500 with a 3.73 rear end and the max tow package with the GVWR cranked up to 7600, we finally got the TV.  It's an LT (Minimal electric equipment and other whistles and bells to break).  And the only color we could find was red.  Bright red.  Not maroon, but fire-engine, stop-light, oh-my-god-my-eyes-are-bleeding red.  I've named her "The Crimson Horror".  But that's ok, because we live in Nebraska and we blend in with all the die-hard Husker fans around here.

So, here we are, looking for some good advice on TT hunting.  We're constrained by a hard 10000 lb max on the trailer (Neither I, nor my wife wanted a 3/4 ton with the attendant worse gas mileage and bouncy ride, especially since I drive 20 miles each way to work, and this is my daily driver).  So the truck is a done deal.

The girls want a bunk room, but I like my bank account, and the Crimson Horror might get overtaxed pulling an extra room about, so we've compromised and agreed to bunk beds.  So, that means bunk house.  My wife wants a sliding living room, because it's going to be the four of us, plus our two fur-babies (Daisy, our lab-mix, and Lily, our Boston terrier), so narrow equals cramped.  My wife also likes the stick-out counters for extra counter space, and a door from the outside to the bathroom.  So those are our big criteria.

My wife is currently pounding the keys on my other computer, looking for bunkhouses that fit, and I'm getting into this forum to see what others have discovered before us.  So any advice is welcome, because I feel like Odysseus, sailing out with his men and thinking this will be a short cruise....

Happy Camping to all of you.

So, is that 10,000 the max tow rating for the truck? And where did it come from, i.e. a sales brochure or specific to that exact truck (placard on door jamb or other official number)? And remember, that tow rating assumes a truck that is empty except for a 154 lb driver. When you add family and gear to the truck, that tow rating goes down by the same amount.

10,000 lbs will get you a pretty sizable and nice TT, but the half ton lacks adequate payload for a 5W. Stick with travel trailers.

Good luck with your 1500... a 2500 would have been a better buy IMO.

Gary, thanks for responding; I appreciate the input.

So, is that 10,000 the max tow rating for the truck?

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No, the manufacturer's documentation states 10900 max tow weight.  That's with a GCWR of 16700 and GVWR of 7600. 

And where did it come from, i.e. a sales brochure or specific to that exact truck (placard on door jamb or other official number)?

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That number comes from http://rvtowcheck.com/rvtc_calculator.html with the following inputs: GCWR: 16700, GVWR: 7600, GVW: 5334 (Max stated for that model, I need to weigh it to tighten that up), and 900 pounds cargo in addition to 150 lb driver and fuel, and 13% TW, rounded down to 10k for a bit of margin.

10,000 lbs will get you a pretty sizable and nice TT, but the half ton lacks adequate payload for a 5W. Stick with travel trailers.

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Yeah, a fifth wheel is a little beyond our needs at the moment.  The trailers we're looking at all hover in the 7000-8000 range, fully loaded.  I'm looking mostly at 29ft to 31ft bunkhouse style conventionals.

legrandnormand,

Thanks for the reply.

Good luck with your 1500... a 2500 would have been a better buy IMO.

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Can you elaborate?  I know a 2500 will feel more stable, but if I'm within weight with the half ton, are there other considerations?

welcome to the forum- I would load the truck up with all the  "stuff" you plan on putting in the bed of the truck, top off the tank, take the family and dogs and get  it weighed.  then I would add for the hitch and gear you are putting in the camper and will you travel with water?  then redo the weight calculator.
ask lots of questions- this forum is great for help

the very first thing you need to do is open the drivers door and look on the B pillar for a yellow tag that states "MAX PAYLOAD CAPACITY MUST NOT EXCEED XXXX" this is going to tell you how much weight you can load  you the wife the twins add it all up whatever is left is going to be what you max weight for the trailer is that a 10,000 lbs trailer is going to have a tongue weight of between 1000-1500 lbs. That tag will have a number and it will be less than 1800lbs so as an example all of you weight 800lbs combined you cannot pull a 10,000lbs trailer - sorry whats that number on the decal - its small maybe 2"x1" it will likely be between 1200-1500lbs

cheers 

the_coder_wookie said:

Yeah, a fifth wheel is a little beyond our needs at the moment.  The trailers we're looking at all hover in the 7000-8000 range, fully loaded.  I'm looking mostly at 29ft to 31ft bunkhouse style conventionals.

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I'm in pretty much the same situation...but (mostly) window shopping at the moment.  I have the truck (F150 shortbed EB with max trailer tow for work) and am considering trailers that fit this truck.  I'd rather have a 250 or 350 for towing but I also have to live with it as a daily driver so the superduty is out of the question. (I live *in* the city and parking spaces are tight enough with a 1/2 ton).  I really like this site for browsing through floorplans.

The good news is there are about 40000 options in the 25-30ish foot range for bunks...the bad news is there about 40000 options for floorplans in the 25-30ish foot range for bunks.

I think if I were buying today I'd just head down and pick up one of these.  A similar floorplan is available from many manufactures across many lines with different bells and whistles and finishes.  Two boys 12 and 9 here.

the_coder_wookie said:

Can you elaborate?  I know a 2500 will feel more stable, but if I'm within weight with the half ton, are there other considerations?

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2500 or 3500 would be more stable like you said and given you much more options.  Also gave you room to upgrade and grow trailer size down the road without also needing a new tow vehicle.
That being said, sounds like you did some homework and are comfortable with your limitations.  Besides, you already bought it, so enjoy it and move forward.  Like you said its a done deal.
Just do yourself a favor and consider your towing experience.  If you are not experienced, the last thing you want to do is be pulling an extremely long trailer and pushing max towing capacity of the truck.

steveblonde said:

the very first thing you need to do is open the drivers door and look on the B pillar for a yellow tag that states "MAX PAYLOAD CAPACITY MUST NOT EXCEED XXXX" this is going to tell you how much weight you can load  you the wife the twins add it all up whatever is left is going to be what you max weight for the trailer is that a 10,000 lbs trailer is going to have a tongue weight of between 1000-1500 lbs. That tag will have a number and it will be less than 1800lbs so as an example all of you weight 800lbs combined you cannot pull a 10,000lbs trailer - sorry whats that number on the decal - its small maybe 2"x1" it will likely be between 1200-1500lbs

cheers

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Steve, I think those tags are only on Canadian vehicles.  I've never seen one on an American market vehicle.

lone_star_dsl said:

Steve, I think those tags are only on Canadian vehicles.  I've never seen one on an American market vehicle.

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  it should be on all vehicles although the placement may change it comes from the factory i have had several posters on this thread find it and they were all in the great US of A look on yours you should see it

MMW said:

I'm in pretty much the same situation...but (mostly) window shopping at the moment.  I have the truck (F150 shortbed EB with max trailer tow for work) and am considering trailers that fit this truck.  I'd rather have a 250 or 350 for towing but I also have to live with it as a daily driver so the superduty is out of the question. (I live *in* the city and parking spaces are tight enough with a 1/2 ton).  I really like this site for browsing through floorplans.

The good news is there are about 40000 options in the 25-30ish foot range for bunks...the bad news is there about 40000 options for floorplans in the 25-30ish foot range for bunks.

I think if I were buying today I'd just head down and pick up one of these.  A similar floorplan is available from many manufactures across many lines with different bells and whistles and finishes.  Two boys 12 and 9 here.

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What is your maximum towing capacity? Steveblonde, explained earlier how to get it from the door's sticker.
A lot of this forum members recommend buying used because of the depreciation. So you might want to consider that. Even buying from CL, it could save you lots of $$$.
Those 40000 options for floor plans, are probable not available so it's a waste of time to check that site IMHO.

Those yellow tags are on NEWER US vehicles.

This method always works:
Load the truck ready to go camping including passengers, pets, Truck cargo, etc and get it weighed.  This is the true truck weight.
Find the GVWR on the driver door.
GVWR  -  true truck weight  =  Remaining payload  = Max weight of a hitch (WD) and tongue weight.
Subtract 200# for a hitch.  Multiply result by 8.  This is the MAX TT  GVWR you can pull.

Tongue wt  X  8  =  Trailer weight, assuming 12.5% tongue weight.

Ignore the dry wt the salesman pushes.  NOBODY travels with an empty trailer.  Sooner or later, you will be at (or above)  TT  GVWR.

Assuming a 1600 payload  - 800# of people and cargo  - 200# hitch  = 600# tongue weight = 4800# TT.

Using their style numbers,  1600 payload - 150# driver - 100# hitch  = 1350#  Assume 10% tongue wt  = 13500# TT

SMR said:

welcome to the forum- I would load the truck up with all the  "stuff" you plan on putting in the bed of the truck, top off the tank, take the family and dogs and get  it weighed.  then I would add for the hitch and gear you are putting in the camper and will you travel with water?  then redo the weight calculator.
ask lots of questions- this forum is great for help

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SMR, thanks for the advice.  I did just that today and came up with 6120 lbs for the weight of the truck plus gas, us, and the dogs, and RV Tow Check give 10.4K as the max trailer weight.  The calculator doesn't have a spot for the cargo in the trailer; I'm assuming as long as the cargo doesn't exceed the GVWR of the trailer, or the GCWR of the rig, I'll be fine.

steveblonde said:

the very first thing you need to do is open the drivers door and look on the B pillar for a yellow tag that states "MAX PAYLOAD CAPACITY MUST NOT EXCEED XXXX" this is going to tell you how much weight you can load  you the wife the twins add it all up whatever is left is going to be what you max weight for the trailer is that a 10,000 lbs trailer is going to have a tongue weight of between 1000-1500 lbs. That tag will have a number and it will be less than 1800lbs so as an example all of you weight 800lbs combined you cannot pull a 10,000lbs trailer - sorry whats that number on the decal - its small maybe 2"x1" it will likely be between 1200-1500lbs

cheers

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steveblonde, thanks for your input.  I found the sticker on the door.  It says "combined weight of occupants and cargo must never exceed 2097 lbs".  I'm budging about 900 lbs for me, the wife, kids, dogs, and miscellaneous crap.  The rest of the cargo will go in the trailer.  So, 2097 - 900 = 1197.  Should be good for the 31ft bunkhouses we're looking at.  I haven't seen one that grosses over 9000 lbs yet.

Derby6 said:

2500 or 3500 would be more stable like you said and given you much more options.  Also gave you room to upgrade and grow trailer size down the road without also needing a new tow vehicle.
That being said, sounds like you did some homework and are comfortable with your limitations.  Besides, you already bought it, so enjoy it and move forward.  Like you said its a done deal.
Just do yourself a favor and consider your towing experience.  If you are not experienced, the last thing you want to do is be pulling an extremely long trailer and pushing max towing capacity of the truck.

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Derby6, for experience, I drove an 90,000lb rig around for the USAF (satellite terminal, maintenance shelter, and antenna storage, all mounted on a 60ft flatbed, and yes, it was overweight), but I think this is going to be whole different experience.  I'm most apprehensive about the wind, but I'm thinking a 31ft trailer will be manageable.  In any case, thanks for your insights, sir.

lone_star_dsl said:

Steve, I think those tags are only on Canadian vehicles.  I've never seen one on an American market vehicle.

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Mine seems to only have the capacity of the truck, it says nothing about trailer weight.  I found the manufacture's max capacity in the Chevy 2015 trailering guide, then checked it with RV Tow Check

the_coder_wookie said:

Mine seems to only have the capacity of the truck, it says nothing about trailer weight.  I found the manufacture's max capacity in the Chevy 2015 trailering guide, then checked it with RV Tow Check

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You probably mentioned it and I missed it....

Are you towing mostly in flatlands, or in the Mountain West?  Big difference in how your setup will perform.  I have a 30' "Ultra-Lite" by Forest River....and it's still a portly 7850 lbs.  I tow it with a 2014 Ram 2500 Crew Cab Cummins, if that tells you anything.  Granted, I tow exclusively in the Rocky Mountains up and down steep grades and at elevations nearing 10,000' above sea level.  On flat land at sea level, I wouldn't need as substantial a truck as I have.


You can find a lot of ultra-lite trailers that gross in the low to mid 7000 lbs range, so I think you'll be OK weight wise.  My concern, which you touched on as well, is how will a 30' trailer (which is a giant sail) perform in a crosswind scenario with a 1500 pulling it?  Out here, 20-30 MPH crosswinds can hit suddenly on an otherwise calm day.  For the first two years I had the trailer, I used to tow with a 1989 F250 ...which was about the same rating as a new 1500, and after a few white knuckle experiences (one of which was a sudden crosswind that put me in the opposing lane on a 2 laner) I went truck shopping.  The 2500 manhandles the trailer.  But if you're a flatlander that lives at 800' elevation, you would probably be OK as long as the gross weight of the trailer and loaded truck doesn't exceed your GCWR. 

Shop around a lot.  Make 3 lists;

1.  What the trailer MUST have
2.  What the trailer CANNOT have
3.  What would be NICE to have

Don't waver on lists 1 and 2, or you won't be happy down the road.  Get as much of list 3 as you can.

BTW...the Crimson Horror is a great looking truck!  Here's "Big Red" and my Palomino.  A 30' travel trailer is a BIG travel trailer.

Frizlefrak,

Thanks for the reply!

Are you towing mostly in flatlands, or in the Mountain West?

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We'll be towing mostly in the mid-west, with possible excursions to the Rockies and other hilly areas.  I'm intimately familiar with slow mountain driving; I grew up in Littleton and learned how to drive on an '84 land cruiser that could barely get out of its own way, let alone climb those hills at the speed limit, so I'll be ok with puttering along in the right lane at 45mph.  Hey, camping is all about slowing down and taking it easy, right? 

My concern, which you touched on as well, is how will a 30' trailer (which is a giant sail) perform in a crosswind scenario with a 1500 pulling it?

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This is my big worry; what does your truck weigh?  Mine has a curb weight of 5480 lbs, but it's got stiffened suspension and traction control.  In addition, the truck's brake controller is supposedly smart enough to manipulate the trailer's brakes to keep it from fishtailing.  I'm hoping those factors will mitigate (not eliminate) the effects of the wind.  I know those winds in the Rockies are bad, but they can be just as bad down here on the plains with nothing to break them up.

Shop around a lot.  Make 3 lists
1.  What the trailer MUST have
2.  What the trailer CANNOT have
3.  What would be NICE to have

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That's good advice; we're a little overwhelmed with all the options and floorplans, but I think we've got it narrowed down to a few 29-31ft bunkhouses.

BTW...the Crimson Horror is a great looking truck!  Here's "Big Red" and my Palomino.  A 30' travel trailer is a BIG travel trailer.

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Thanks a bunch; she's growing on me.  My wife loves her.  I like your rig; I drove a Dodge 2500 while we were looking and it's a bulldog of a truck.  That thirty footer looks a bit intimidating; hopefully I haven't lost all my cornering and backing skills...

the_coder_wookie said:

This is my big worry; what does your truck weigh? 

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Truck weighs approx 7800 lbs, so my combined is around 15,600 lbs.  I run pretty close to my gross weight, as I bring everything under the sun and run with full water tanks.  It barely knows the trailer is back there, even pulling the big hills, and it knocks down 14.1 MPG average towing.  Unless I get a particularly nasty crosswind gust, I barely feel the wind.  I can't complain. 

the_coder_wookie said:

That's good advice; we're a little overwhelmed with all the options and floorplans, but I think we've got it narrowed down to a few 29-31ft bunkhouses.

Thanks a bunch; she's growing on me.  My wife loves her.  I like your rig; I drove a Dodge 2500 while we were looking and it's a bulldog of a truck.  That thirty footer looks a bit intimidating; hopefully I haven't lost all my cornering and backing skills...

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Once you get used to watching your mirrors going around right turns and backing it, the rest is a breeze.  It tows like a dream.  That said, with my old truck, I got tossed around a bit.  It was within the truck's specs at about 88%, but a couple of times I almost needed a change of underwear.  Both times were wind related.  The trailer never swayed.....the wind just moved the entire truck and trailer sideways as one big happy (not) unit.  My big oil burner isn't having any of that.  It stays put even when passed by a semi or during a wind event.

My biggest piece of advice is if you're going to get close to the truck's limitations, keep your speed down to about 55 or so.  That alone will make your towing experience a lot more pleasant, not to mention safer.  And if it's a really windy day, stay put until it dies down.  Even with my 2500, if the wind is blowing more than about 25 mph, I park and wait it out.  Out here, 25 steady can mean 40-50 MPH gusts, and those can easily flip a trailer no matter what you're pulling it with.  I've seen some serious carnage before.

Look at as many trailers as you can before signing on the dotted line.  Nothing would suck more than getting one home, and a week later finding THE trailer.  We were close to buying...the salesman got a call and got busy for 10 minutes.  We walked around the lot while he did...and then we found the one that came home with us.  Same model as before, but this one had an outdoor kitchen.  Fate intervened. 

Happy shopping.