Help Needed! evaluating a trailer I found

[OTW]

Hi there-
Wrong title - this is about towing and I haven't been able to change the subject line on edit.

I ran across a TT that I really like. I would have to sell my minivan and get a tow-capable vehicle. My question is what size truck would I need to tow (and stop) this trailer??

It's 26.4 ft. long (don't know if that includes the hitch V or not). Its UVW is 4,854 lbs. -- that does NOT include 40-gal freshwater (332 lbs. if full), propane (has two 30 gal. tanks) or anything in the grey/black holding tanks. Anything I put in it would be additional weight. Its GVWR = 7,000 lbs. just for added info, not that I'd fill it to that, however I don't know the realities of that claim if I were to live in it.

The person who owns it tows it with an SUV using a weight distribution hitch and anti-sway bars which come with it (not the SUV, but the hitch stuff). So also, how hard is it for an older 5' 4" woman to connect/disconnect the weight distribution setup?

PART ABOUT EVALUATING: This unit may not have an air conditioner or may not have a generator. I see a unit on its roof but don't yet know what it is. How important is the generator? (Air conditioner I can probably do workarounds.)

[Colliemom]

Okay gal. Let's take this one area at a time. The unit on the roof is probably an Air Conditioner. If it's kind bit and wide, usually white. The trailer probably has a vent in the ceiling that can be opened, so that will be up there too, but they are usually low and not very big. As to Generators, trailers do not come with them and are not a necessity unless you are planning on spending a lot of time off the grid, boondocking as it's called. Have you been inside the trailer? Go through it thoroughly. Make sure it's what you want in a floor plan. If it looks clean and everything looks good, it was probably well maintained. Be sure to ask the owner how old the tires are. Trailer tires wear faster than vehicle tires and 7 years is about their max. Look around outside and check the seams to see if the caulking is good. What is the make and model of this trailer by the way?

Now as to truck. You need a heavy duty half ton truck to pull that big of a trailer or a 3/4 ton truck. My truck is a Chevy Silverado, half ton, equipped with trailer package which It is capable of towing up to 9,500 pounds. Chevy has what is called a Max Trailering package which adds more trailering stuff to the truck and with that it can tow 10,000 to 11,500 pounds depending on the rear axle size and the engine, which I would not go below a V8. In fact, if you are planning to full time and will be doing any mountain or steep hill climbing, a 6.2 V8 is better. Now that's the Chevy line, I don't know about Ford or the other brands. But you need to remember, a trucks towing capacity is reduced for every pound of weight you add to the truck. You, the cargo you carry in the truck bed etc., so you need to pay attention to the trucks GVWR. When you get into the 3/4 ton trucks, then you are talking bigger towing capacity like 13-15,000 pounds properly equipped.

As to the weight distribution hitch. Whether or not you can hook it up is up to you. I have no issue, some others do. Some people can pick up a bar which can weigh a few pounds and others can't lift a broom. If you get an electric jack on the trailer or maybe it has one, it will do the work for you other than the actual hooking up. What you need to remember is that after you have that trailer hooked to the truck, to use the jack to lift it up about as high as it will go or a little less. This takes the pressure off the system and when it's at the right height, you can attach the bars and hook up those chains and lock them in place with little to no effort. It's a trial and error thing and you need to get a feel it.

There's a thread under General Talk here, called "How Did You Choose" that MIckie started as she and Mary are doing the same thing and a number of us have piped in on it. There's some information in there about trucks and trailering and I'm sure that Melissa will add to this also. When you get a chance, look into it. Anything else you want to know, don't be afraid to ask. Hope this isn't too confusing. And one more thing, don't listen to the sales people at truck dealerships about how much their trucks can tow. Do you own homework. They want to sell a truck and half of them don't know anything about towing trailers.

[IrishIroamed]

Ditto everything Sue said. She & Melissa are great at 'the math stuff'. I've driven both of them slightly crazy asking questions I'm sure.

Sue also built herself a little gadget for her hitch (maybe find the thread Sue?). They are heavy so consider any back issues if you have any. Right now for me the hardest thing is lining up to hook up, but the truck I have has a backup camera which is helpful. The rest is a snap (weight distribution bars, chains, etc), but I still take forever making sure I didn't forget anything.

[OTW]

Colliemom, thank you! That gives me some much appreciated guidance as time may be of the essence on it. I heard about it through local grapevine and they're planning on listing it. As for layout, I think it's perfect for me from what I understand. Tomorrow will tell, but I'm operating as though I want to be able to pull the trigger if I love it and the price is okay.

1/2 ton truck "with tow package?" I'd be looking only at used trucks. Is tow package common to find? Would 1/2 ton without tow package work given a weight distribution package, or would I have to go to a 3/4 ton? The reason I ask that is because I bought a very heavy pop-up in 2005 (StarCraft Centennial 3606) which weighs over 3,000 lbs. (slide-out dinette plus two slide-out king beds) and the weight distribution setup allowed me to pull it with a Honda Odyssey minivan. Towed like a dream. Without the WD package it would have put my minivan on the ground. That's what I thought wt. distribution setups accomplished.

[OTW]

Sue also built herself a little gadget for her hitch (maybe find the thread Sue?). They are heavy so consider any back issues if you have any. Right now for me the hardest thing is lining up to hook up, but the truck I have has a backup camera which is helpful. The rest is a snap (weight distribution bars, chains, etc), but I still take forever making sure I didn't forget anything.

Gadget? I love gadgets! Gadgets make things easier, lol. Mostly my back issues are from inactivity and consequent muscle weakness, that can be probably fixed with some working out, which I don't do at all currently. I do have a valid shoulder/arm issue but it's reaching limitations, not lifting. The bars might be easier than they are on my pop-up because I watched a video on WD hooking up and the guy did have to lift the bar but it fit into a housing horizontally. Mine on the pop-up has to be lifted, held into place, then yanked straight upward with neither end of it captured by a housing to hold one end of it. (If I'm wrong then the salesman didn't know about the holding part which wouldn't surprise me). The one on the video looked like it would be hard, but not as hard as the one I have. Also, I learned my lesson that before you unhook some part of it, you have to take pressure off another part of it because I didn't, and that bar flew out of my hand with such force that had my leg been in the way it would have been smashed in half (literally). So WD hitches have my respect. And hopes that whatever kind I had was either wrongly explained or has been improved upon.

[IrishIroamed]

The weight distribution bars are pretty easy to do, even tho a bit heavy. One snap and they're in. I would recommend tho stay away from the Blue Ox system.

Blue Ox is a very reputable brand for towing, but for my little TT, and the size you are looking at, something that beefy & expensive is not needed. And they're dangerous because instead of pulling up to lock into place, you would pull forward (or backwards - I forget) and I actually got my hand caught between the bar & propane. Thankfully, I had someone else there to help get me unstuck. On my 1st GTG in Indiana, I had them swapped out. Sue can confirm the problems I had. She saw it first hand. So during my trip at the GTG, I spent a day with Sue down by a dealer getting my Blue Ox replaced. I think the kick back is usual on any WD system, which is why you have to take the weight off.

[gingerK]

Towing packages usually include larger battery, larger alternator, heavier suspension, increased transmission cooling and heavier rear ends. and some include extendable towing mirrors built in. I wouldn't want to tow without these. Also it's not always how MUCH you can tow, it's can your truck STOP your trailer. I prefer a 3/4 ton myself.

[OTW]

Good to know! Thanks! I think his setup is Reese, but will check when I see it. Getting your hand caught would NOT be a good thing so I appreciate that heads up.

[gingerK]

Another thing to consider, if you're in the colder part of the country make sure this tt has been winterized properly. If it has, you might not be able to check out all the systems to rule out any possible leaky water or sewer lines unless they are willing to de-winterize it for you.

[JudyJB]

My advice is to slow down. A couple of days ago, you said you had decided on a Class C, but now you are excited about a big trailer.

One question--no matter how good a condition and the price, do you really want or need something that big? I know you want to full-time and you have owned a popup before, but that size could be cumbersome, depending on the kind of camping you want to do.

[MelissaD]

Its UVW is 4,854 lbs. Its GVWR = 7,000 lbs.

Unit on roof is AC. Never seen a generator mounter on a roof they are to heavy.

As for towing you have a couple of options. You need a good "1/2 ton or 3/4 ton" towing platform. This can be a van or a pickup. Since I am partial to Ford I will give some Ford examples but Chevy, GMC and RAM have their versions. The Vans E150, E250 and E350 are all built on the respective pickup truck frames of the F150, F250 and F350's. So if you want a van instead of a pickup you might find a used E250 of E350 passenger van which if you check the numbers might be a deal. Have dealer run vin# to verify the tow capacity and actual spec's of the vehicle. You can have inside storage and tow capacity. Otherwise a newer F150 pickup should handle a 7,000# trailer. WARNING: not all 1/2 tons aka F150's (1500's) are created equal. Looking at the 2017 F150 it varies from 5,000# to 12,000# trailer depending on options. You need to see how each truck is spec'd. http://assets.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/assets/2017_Ford_F-150_J1/NGBS/Nameplate_SpecificationLiteDoc/Nameplate_SpecificationLiteDoc_136B520B-9CB8-67B4-2AD1-2EC42AD12EC4.pdf

Open the driver's door and there will be a sticker listing the vehicles GVWR. It also will give you the axle ratings and tire pressures and vehicle vin#. GVWR - actual vehicle weight = cargo capacity or how much stuff you can load up in the vehicle. The dealer will also give you a magic calculated version of cargo weight in the owner manual assuming a 150# driver and a stripped down version of the vehicle for bragging rights for the salesman. The towing capacity should also be listed in the owners manual. Ford also posts there "Towing Guides" online by year. The others do also, but I find them harder to find. You can weigh the vehicle at any truck stop or scrapyard, cost around $10. Reweights on same day are a $1 or use to be.

Now on a trailer there should be a sticker inside the door jamb (also front left corner) with the vin# and a dry weight when it left the manufacture. It's kind of like our wedding day. We'll never weight that again. So if you want a real weight take it to the scale but most people add 500 - 1000#. So your TT probably weights around 6,000# but to be safe we'll go with the max of 7,000# Since you never want to push a tow vehicle to its limits and you probably want to throw some stuff in the back of your truck/van I'd look for a tow vehicle rated for around 9,000# or better.

See there's a piece that the dealers leave out when they brag about towing and that's hitch weight and you touched on this. About 15% of the TT's weight hangs on the back of the truck/van. Now the WDH helps level the truck/van back out but the weight is still there. The reason they like to show boats in the adds are boats look impressive but they have the lowest hitch weight of 10%. SO... they can up the trailer rating. TT's have a large square front and in the fine print there is a disclaimer about 64 sqft of frontal surface area etc.... Bottom line is you will never tow to the magic number the dealer throws out in their advertisements. So like McD's we want to upsize the truck/van for our safety and make life a little more enjoyable.

7,000# TT x 0.15 idea hitch ration = 1,050# hitch weigh This is going to be the driving force in your search. For the car makes this is a truck/van rated for a 10,000# tow rating. They use 10% hitch weight for there tow ratings. Remember that boat in the picture.

Bottom line I walked you to a van or truck with at least a 10,000# tow rating. As for the WDH load bars get a good power tongue jack. Hook up your ball. Use the power jack to lift the TT/truck. Place the bars in place. Then lower the whole thing down allowing the bars to load. Let the jack to the work. Might have to buy a stronger tongue jack , but let it do the work.

[OTW]

Judy, you have a point. I'm thinking about that. However, Class C's are pretty darned expensive compared to a TT from what I've been able to tell and one of my main criteria is that if I changed my mind (type of RV or whether FTing would even be for me at all), that whatever I buy would be resale-able without a big loss, and without having to sink money into it in the meantime. I think this TT may fit that criteria. So the main question is whether I'd want to have a truck as my vehicle vs. what I have now if the whole idea went south, and I think I would be fine with that. Additionally, this TT is big enough to give me a feel for FTing. Also I do not want to own and pay insurances on two motorized vehicles at any point. So my logic is can I get my money back out of the TT? And also, would I regret switching to a truck as "my vehicle" if I backed out of RVing. Not thinking negatively, but I want the least amount of loss risk at this point. If I did decide, I wanted to FT, then it would be based on something that I "could" live FT in, and at that point I'd likely be looking for Class C with slider. This TT does not have one.

[OTW]

Melissa, thank you for what looks like a hugely informative post, and I appreciate your writing it! I need to take some time to read it and have to do something in the meantime that could take a little while so delayed response, and I didn't want you to think I was being rude, ignoring what you wrote.

[Bethers]

Lots to think about. There are very good deals on used Class C's... I would have paid more for a truck, used, than I did my first Class C which I travelled full time in for about 8 or 9 years. So figure out which you really prefer, don't decide on one over the other because it's available right now. And go look for trucks before you make a decision on the tt... See what you can find for what price with the towing ability you need. Then realize, if you decide you want a different or bigger trailer, the truck you purchase might not be able to handle it.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, but don't want you jumping in on maybe this or that. Figure out what you really think you'd prefer. And if the tt would work for now, go for it.

[snowball]

one thing to consider is that you said you have reaching issues..make sure you can reach the connection
for the black water and gray water so you can easily dump...
lots to think about when we were "looking" took several years to decide on a pop up
then several more to a tt then even more to the 5th wheel that I now have which is 36 ft....
enjoy the journey not only of looking but the traveling ..you are right it will more than likely resell
not much loss there but what about the tow vehicle? will it resell and not leave you hurting?
sheila