Looking To Buy My First Travel Trailer

[RobD70]

But in this particular case, you having a 1/2 ton truck had nothing to do with the accident.  Somebody parking their car in the back of a travel trailer at a high rate of speed would have the same effect if towing with a heavy duty truck like a 3/4 or even a 1 ton.  I am guessing it  went worse for the woman driving the car.  Nobody wants to end up in the position you did, that's for sure,  but that was the fault of somebody who felt the need to drink and get behind the wheel, not yours or your tow vehicle. 

your welcome . I only wanted to post in this thread because like I said..been there..done that !. I had that 29 ft nomad loaded close to max, another 1k in the bed of my truck ( mostly tools ), WD hitch, new tires, everything checked before I left Arkansas headed to AZ, I-40 was the route. was told I would never get this TT out of the state pulling it with my 1/2 ton ?, well..yes..i did..and it was fairly easy ( cept fuel..lol ), got just west of Albuquerque,NM. and some drunken gal doing wayyyyyy over the speed limit decided to park the car she was driving ( not her car ! ) in the back of my trailer !, jack knifed me, wound up in the middle of the median , truck was damaged pretty bad, trailer was really bad on the side , she had no insurance, no DL, and here I am wondering what the heck just happened ?. yeah..that left a very bad taste in my mouth to say the least !. I will never..EVER..pull anything like that again..some things you just learn from !. just trying to pass on what I have learned from..just because you think it can be done ?..DOES NOT MEAN IT CAN BE DONE SAFELY '' !. .

 

[alan6051964]

But in this particular case, you having a 1/2 ton truck had nothing to do with the accident.  Somebody parking their car in the back of a travel trailer at a high rate of speed would have the same effect if towing with a heavy duty truck like a 3/4 or even a 1 ton.  I am guessing it  went worse for the woman driving the car.  Nobody wants to end up in the position you did, that's for sure,  but that was the fault of somebody who felt the need to drink and get behind the wheel, not yours or your tow vehicle.

true ^^ !. my point was..never underestimate the unknown !..lol.

 

[Rob&Deryl]

One thought...

Postpone purchasing the WD hitch until you are buying the trailer. That way you know you have the right hitch for the situation.

 

[Gizmo100]

One thought...

Postpone purchasing the WD hitch until you are buying the trailer. That way you know you have the right hitch for the situation.

What he said.......You want to take the time to read the installation instructions carefully to make sure the WD hitch will be able to mount to the trailer you end up buying.

My first WD hitch for my cargo trailer was within 1/8" of not working due to the length of the load bars.

 

[RobD70]

Yeah, I  had thought of that. The Andersen hitch I am looking at uses chains and in watching videos they are quite long and you can trim them if to long.  Also, this one has 3 different size brackets for mounting to the trailer frame.  But yes, I will probably wait for this hitch, in case I don't get a travel trailer  for awhile. The suspension upgrades could be used either way.  I need to stop looking at the campers online as it is making me want it more, when I may end up having to wait a year to make it easier money wise.  I guess if I have to wait, I have to wait,  and will have more time to look at them and check them out. 

What he said.......You want to take the time to read the installation instructions carefully to make sure the WD hitch will be able to mount to the trailer you end up buying.

My first WD hitch for my cargo trailer was within 1/8" of not working due to the length of the load bars.

 

[grashley]

I feel your pain about window shopping!  Did it for 2 years!  On the good side, I continued reading threads here and learned an awful lot of stuff I could apply to the purchase process and needed options.  Do not buy until the money is right for your situation.  Who knows, you may find the perfect camper used, at a price you can afford sooner than you thought!

 

[drewtk]

I had a 33? travel trailer that the manufacturer rated as having a 900 lb tongue weight unloaded.  Well that turned into 1200 lbs loaded up.  I was fine because I have a 3/4 ton and air bags.

Honestly, unless you?re doing short trips on flat land, I would stick with a TT under 30? if you?re towing with a 1/2 ton.  If you decided to proceed, I suspect you?ll need airbags for the models you?re considering.

As a sanity check, go to an RV park and look at the size of the TT?s and what people use to tow them.  You won?t see many 1/2 tons for large TT?s.

 

[RobD70]

I have seen 1/2 tons on the road plenty in the summer pulling bigger travel trailers with no apparent problems.  Some of that tongue weight will depend how you load the trailer. I would load more into the rear of the trailer inside  to help keep the hitch weight in check.  I am paying attention to the weights and limits. Whatever I decide on will be within my trucks limits or capacities.  It may be a year or more before I can get one, so I have time to look and get prepared.  I have been through a local camper dealers lot 3 times now, so I am familiar with how big  they are. 


I have ordered some Bilstein shocks to help with stability and bounce, etc...and a air bag system with onboard compressor for the rear suspension help.  I will also have a load distribution hitch with sway control...probly the Andersen 3350.  I found out there is electronic sway control to, which I didn't know was available before, so will check into that.  I will do what I can to help my truck perform its best, while not exceeding its limits.  The only other thing I that may help is heavier duty tires...found some load rating 126 ones.


As of now,  the one I have my eye on the most is the KZ Sportsmen 261RLLE.  I also considered the 241RLLE, but the 261 is my first choice.....I like that one better.

I had a 33? travel trailer that the manufacturer rated as having a 900 lb tongue weight unloaded.  Well that turned into 1200 lbs loaded up.  I was fine because I have a 3/4 ton and air bags.

Honestly, unless you?re doing short trips on flat land, I would stick with a TT under 30? if you?re towing with a 1/2 ton.  If you decided to proceed, I suspect you?ll need airbags for the models you?re considering.

As a sanity check, go to an RV park and look at the size of the TT?s and what people use to tow them.  You won?t see many 1/2 tons for large TT?s.

 

[alan6051964]

just a quick note . you mentioned earlier ^^^ about chains being too long on the bars ?, well..i don't know if you know this or not ?, but it does not matter. when you hook your spring bars to the part that is attached to the trailer ?, this part has a part that flips up, this means the chain loops can slip onto this in any link, this allows you to put the bars on the correct load. then what ever links are above this ?, they just hang down. once you flip the trailer tongue part up, you insert the carter pin to keep this from dropping back down. the extra links always hang down, no reason to cut them off .

 

[kdbgoat]

Some of that tongue weight will depend how you load the trailer. I would load more into the rear of the trailer inside  to help keep the hitch weight in check.

Either way, one still should have a minimum of 10% of the loaded trailer's weight on the tongue. More is better in this case.

 

[lynnmor]

I have ordered some Bilstein shocks to help with stability and bounce, etc...and a air bag system with onboard compressor for the rear suspension help.  I will also have a load distribution hitch with sway control...probly the Andersen 3350.  I found out there is electronic sway control to, which I didn't know was available before, so will check into that.  I will do what I can to help my truck perform its best, while not exceeding its limits.  The only other thing I that may help is heavier duty tires...found some load rating 126 ones.

That is about five band-aids that would not be needed with an adequate truck.

 

[RobD70]

Not band aids and the truck is adequate. None of it changes any limits or ratings. It helps stabilize what is there to make is perform at its best. A heavier truck would be better of course,  but is not needed in every  case. I am well aware of all of my weight limits, size of the trailer and the wind catching it, etc. Alot of 1/2 tons are perfectly capable of towing these travel trailers and doing it safely. The driver and their abilities have alot to do with it also.

That is about five band-aids that would not be needed with an adequate truck.

 

[jboczek]

Alan6051964,  the andersen hitch uses chains and urethane bushings instead of steel bars for the weight distribution. Look at their web site and see how much different that hitch is than others.

 

[alan6051964]

Alan6051964,  the andersen hitch uses chains and urethane bushings instead of steel bars for the weight distribution. Look at their web site and see how much different that hitch is than others.

ah..ok..i was thinking they had the bars like mine. I got the old style with spring bars with the chains and flip up brackets. thank you for correcting me .

 

[TenneseeWannabe]

I am finding this all quite helpful. Especially the above YouTube video on weight distribution. We're a couple years out from getting our trailer I think so I'm doing as much learning as I can now thank you all