Towing Camping Trailer

[man n black]

We have a Coleman 215BH 4400lbs dry weight 26’ length. 2014 RAM 1500 5.7L (6 speed). Stock rear. LT Load range E tires WDH and Echo Trailer brakes. We started with a Keystone Passport GT at 29’ 10” 5400lbs dry weight. I went on a Forum (not this one) and the gang ridiculed my 1500 so bad I was scared to go anywhere. We did eventually go camping with it on about a 400 mile round trip. When we got home we traded the Passport for the Coleman. 1000 pounds lighter and 4 feet shorter.

Last October we went on a 500 mile trip one way to see the leaves in North Carolina. After that trip we resolved to camp close to home on local traffic highways when possible. The sensation of being sucked in to an 18 wheeler passing you on the interstate gets old quick. Shifting manually is the best way with a 6 speed. In 4th at 55 mph we run at 2k rpm and truck is happy. In 5th at 55 mph we drop to 1500 rpms and it like it’s lugging.

Were we to do it again, it would be a 1 ton diesel truck at the git go so we had some room to go up on the trailer. Shame on the dealers who take advantage of the Newbs putting them in a bad way. 2 Years of hard experience has taught us to keep our own council when it comes to towing and trailers.

I suspect that the majority of the "big TT - WD - 1500 is fine" proponents have this very experience and to me the whole point of having the TT is reaching out to places that are too far away from home to do easily..All in style and comfort with the whole famdamily (kids, pets and relatives included)

I know theres a few of your 1500 guys out there doing it totally right, traversing the country seeing the sights because I've seen you out there on the highways hundreds miles away from anywhere, but that is a minority.

LOTS of arm chair quarterbacks said I was wrong for NOT regearing my truck when we went to 18" wheels and 37" tires, but we have had no problems along the way (even offroad) attributed to not regearing..only fuel mileage bonuses.

We stretched and bought the truck we did because we didnt want to fuss over maths when loading or worry about "would our truck be enough" (for regular high mountain towing no matter what we hooked up to the hitch). Bonus it works awesome on the flats and is an AMAZING comfy long distance traveller unloaded too.

I can only share my experience enjoying this great country (and Canada) towing a long and big TT without white knuckling along the way. We would advocate any new folks to towing do the same, solely for peace of mind, (what if you have a tire blowout?).. and of course that next "bigger" unit upgrade down the road ;-)

Cheers and happy camping
Ch

 

[Tulecreeper]

I suspect that the majority of the "big TT - WD - 1500 is fine" proponents have this very experience and to me the whole point of having the TT is reaching out to places that are too far away from home to do easily..All in style and comfort with the whole famdamily (kids, pets and relatives included)

I know theres a few of your 1500 guys out there doing it totally right, traversing the country seeing the sights because I've seen you out there on the highways hundreds miles away from anywhere, but that is a minority.

LOTS of arm chair quarterbacks said I was wrong for NOT regearing my truck when we went to 18" wheels and 37" tires, but we have had no problems along the way (even offroad) attributed to not regearing..only fuel mileage bonuses.

We stretched and bought the truck we did because we didnt want to fuss over maths when loading or worry about "would our truck be enough" (for regular high mountain towing no matter what we hooked up to the hitch). Bonus it works awesome on the flats and is an AMAZING comfy long distance traveller unloaded too.

I can only share my experience enjoying this great country (and Canada) towing a long and big TT without white knuckling along the way. We would advocate any new folks to towing do the same, solely for peace of mind, (what if you have a tire blowout?).. and of course that next "bigger" unit upgrade down the road ;-)

Cheers and happy camping
Ch

What model Cougar is that?

 

[man n black]

Its a 2015 Keystone Cougar High Country 31RLT with the cold weather package. We added extra battery and propane capacity.

We sold it a few years ago. It was a nice trailer....not great build quality like higher end models, particularly in the cabinets which we ended up reinforcing, but she took us all over the northern half of this continent in comfort with few hiccups.

If I were to do that again I would've gone with the 5th wheel High Country Cougar makes in a similar floor plan.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Its a 2015 Keystone Cougar High Country 31RLT with the cold weather package. We added extra battery and propane capacity.

We sold it a few years ago. It was a nice trailer....not great build quality like higher end models, particularly in the cabinets which we ended up reinforcing, but she took us all over the northern half of this continent in comfort with few hiccups.

If I were to do that again I would've gone with the 5th wheel High Country Cougar makes in a similar floor plan.

Thanks, we're in the market for a TT and the Cougar 26RBS is in our top three. It's one of the heavier ones on the market in that size range. I lived full-time in a motorhome and TT a number of years ago and we're planning on doing that again. My rule of thumb is: The heavier the trailer, the beefier the construction. The beefier construction, the longer lasting it will be. The Forest River Wildwood 26RBS is also at the top of the list.

 

[man n black]

Thanks, we're in the market for a TT and the Cougar 26RBS is in our top three. It's one of the heavier ones on the market in that size range. I lived full-time in a motorhome and TT a number of years ago and we're planning on doing that again. My rule of thumb is: The heavier the trailer, the beefier the construction. The beefier construction, the longer lasting it will be. The Forest River Wildwood 26RBS is also at the top of the list.

To be honest I wasn't happy with the build quality of the Keystone Cougar we had. It kind of started shaking apart the more we used it and even with regular care the gelcoating became chalky enough within a few years that I had to restore it.

No way I would consider living in it fulltime which is why a few years ago when we needed to upgrade to something that was more self contained we ended up buying a lightly used 2005 Country Coach Magna. Not without its own set of problems, the build quality is light years beyond what we were seeing in even brand new high end trailer and coach products.

If I were to be buying a TT again I would be looking at Grand Designs units. Lots of YouTubers who are fulltimers say the quality is good but the Grand Designs service is top notch.

Would be smart to browse the iRV2 forums for info on the manufacturers / units you are looking at. They have been invaluable to us in our journey.

Cheers;
Ch

 

[Riccochet]

To be honest I wasn't happy with the build quality of the Keystone Cougar we had. It kind of started shaking apart the more we used it and even with regular care the gelcoating became chalky enough within a few years that I had to restore it.

No way I would consider living in it fulltime which is why a few years ago when we needed to upgrade to something that was more self contained we ended up buying a lightly used 2005 Country Coach Magna. Not without its own set of problems, the build quality is light years beyond what we were seeing in even brand new high end trailer and coach products.

If I were to be buying a TT again I would be looking at Grand Designs units. Lots of YouTubers who are fulltimers say the quality is good but the Grand Designs service is top notch.

Would be smart to browse the iRV2 forums for info on the manufacturers / units you are looking at. They have been invaluable to us in our journey.

Cheers;
Ch

Any and all gel coat is going to oxidize in a couple years if you don't keep it waxed/sealed/coated. If wax do it twice yearly, if sealed with sealant do it yearly, if ceramic coated do it every other year. I've learned this the hard way.

 

[Tulecreeper]

To be honest I wasn't happy with the build quality of the Keystone Cougar we had. It kind of started shaking apart the more we used it and even with regular care the gelcoating became chalky enough within a few years that I had to restore it.

No way I would consider living in it fulltime which is why a few years ago when we needed to upgrade to something that was more self contained we ended up buying a lightly used 2005 Country Coach Magna. Not without its own set of problems, the build quality is light years beyond what we were seeing in even brand new high end trailer and coach products.

If I were to be buying a TT again I would be looking at Grand Designs units. Lots of YouTubers who are fulltimers say the quality is good but the Grand Designs service is top notch.

Would be smart to browse the iRV2 forums for info on the manufacturers / units you are looking at. They have been invaluable to us in our journey.

Cheers;
Ch

Grand Design doesn't make a TT with 50A service. Got to have the 2nd A/C unit.

 

[dhay13]

Grand Design doesn't make a TT with 50A service. Got to have the 2nd A/C unit.

My sons 2670MK has 50A service. He had to buy an adapter to hook up to 30A at campgrounds. He only has 1 AC unit but there was an option for a 2nd. His is a 2018.

 

[man n black]

Grand Design doesn't make a TT with 50A service. Got to have the 2nd A/C unit.

In our travels 50A hookups was the norm. It was rare to see only 30A or less so that doesnt make a whole lot of sense for a manufacturing standpoint....

Further, an assemby line TT (or coach for that matter) would be pre wired as its just cheaper for the manufacturers not to buy several different versions of the same or similar thing. I bet many of them are ordered by dealers with 50A capability but no 2nd AC unit..

Ch

 

[Tulecreeper]

My sons 2670MK has 50A service. He had to buy an adapter to hook up to 30A at campgrounds. He only has 1 AC unit but there was an option for a 2nd. His is a 2018.

View attachment 523606

In our travels 50A hookups was the norm. It was rare to see only 30A or less so that doesnt make a whole lot of sense for a manufacturing standpoint....

Further, an assemby line TT (or coach for that matter) would be pre wired as its just cheaper for the manufacturers not to buy several different versions of the same or similar thing. I bet many of them are ordered by dealers with 50A capability but no 2nd AC unit..

Ch

My apologies, I was thinking of another manufacturer. We're in the market for a TT and Grand Design was on the original list because of their build quality, but there are no dealers within a whole day's drive that carry the model(s) we're interested in and I'm not driving that far just to look at something I may not like after I see it.

 

[Jane S]

In our travels 50A hookups was the norm. It was rare to see only 30A or less so that doesnt make a whole lot of sense for a manufacturing standpoint....

Further, an assemby line TT (or coach for that matter) would be pre wired as its just cheaper for the manufacturers not to buy several different versions of the same or similar thing. I bet many of them are ordered by dealers with 50A capability but no 2nd AC unit..

Ch

"In our travels 50A hookups was the norm."

You must stay at upscale parks where Class A MH are the norm.

30A is the norm I see.

 

[Tulecreeper]

In our travels 50A hookups was the norm. It was rare to see only 30A or less so that doesnt make a whole lot of sense for a manufacturing standpoint....

Further, an assemby line TT (or coach for that matter) would be pre wired as its just cheaper for the manufacturers not to buy several different versions of the same or similar thing. I bet many of them are ordered by dealers with 50A capability but no 2nd AC unit..

Ch

A large percentage of the ones I'm seeing on the lots in this geographical area are truly only 30A, some of the models without even the option to upgrade if you ordered one. Not sure why, other than the fact that even those in the area with enough money to purchase a TT still don't have enough for the upgrade even if they could get it. I'm assuming the dealers sell what the market wants.

 

[man n black]

"In our travels 50A hookups was the norm."

You must stay at upscale parks where Class A MH are the norm.

30A is the norm I see.

Cheeky..but no.....

While we do now often stay in swanky MH parks because of our coach; we have stayed all along this great country from the west coast to the Florida panhandle and alot of Southern Canada to boot. In the USA it was rare that we didnt see a 50A hookup unless we were at the race track, on BLM land or boondocking.

@tule your post a few back prompted me to take a look at the Grand Designs website and I didnt see anything about not having 50A hookups or or only having 30A hookups..interesting.

When we were looking to buy our TT I don't remember seeing any that weren't 50A but I do recall almost all had only 1 AC unit but were prewired to be able to easily install a second AC unit. This was in 2014 in the Mountain West and I understand that different regions get different options. Further...the consignment office that sold our trailer for us had said that it would be more dificult to sell because it only had 1 AC unit, even tough it was ducted. In the end we reduced the price enough to cover the buy and install of a second AC for the new owner.

Remembering now...we were told this was called a "Park model" type TT as it had the 50A and only 1 AC. Not sure if thats an industry term or what but you might try looking for those units.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Cheeky..but no.....

While we do now often stay in swanky MH parks because of our coach; we have stayed all along this great country from the west coast to the Florida panhandle and alot of Southern Canada to boot. In the USA it was rare that we didnt see a 50A hookup unless we were at the race track, on BLM land or boondocking.

@tule your post a few back prompted me to take a look at the Grand Designs website and I didnt see anything about not having 50A hookups or or only having 30A hookups..interesting.

When we were looking to buy our TT I don't remember seeing any that weren't 50A but I do recall almost all had only 1 AC unit but were prewired to be able to easily install a second AC unit. This was in 2014 in the Mountain West and I understand that different regions get different options. Further...the consignment office that sold our trailer for us had said that it would be more dificult to sell because it only had 1 AC unit, even tough it was ducted. In the end we reduced the price enough to cover the buy and install of a second AC for the new owner.

Remembering now...we were told this was called a "Park model" type TT as it had the 50A and only 1 AC. Not sure if thats an industry term or what but you might try looking for those units.

I corrected myself earlier. I had been thinking of another manufacturer, but I can't remember which one it was now.

No, not in the market for a park model. Those are not meant for toting around much, they're more of a mobile home style.

 

[Jane S]

Cheeky..but no.....

While we do now often stay in swanky MH parks because of our coach; we have stayed all along this great country from the west coast to the Florida panhandle and alot of Southern Canada to boot. In the USA it was rare that we didnt see a 50A hookup unless we were at the race track, on BLM land or boondocking.

@tule your post a few back prompted me to take a look at the Grand Designs website and I didnt see anything about not having 50A hookups or or only having 30A hookups..interesting.

When we were looking to buy our TT I don't remember seeing any that weren't 50A but I do recall almost all had only 1 AC unit but were prewired to be able to easily install a second AC unit. This was in 2014 in the Mountain West and I understand that different regions get different options. Further...the consignment office that sold our trailer for us had said that it would be more dificult to sell because it only had 1 AC unit, even tough it was ducted. In the end we reduced the price enough to cover the buy and install of a second AC for the new owner.

Remembering now...we were told this was called a "Park model" type TT as it had the 50A and only 1 AC. Not sure if thats an industry term or what but you might try looking for those units.

"In the USA it was rare that we didnt see a 50A hookup unless we were at the race track, on BLM land or boondocking."

Yes, you do see 50A with 30A and 20A on a pedistal.

I'm shocked, shocked I say that you haven't seen hookup while on BLM land or Boondocking.

 

[man n black]

I corrected myself earlier. I had been thinking of another manufacturer, but I can't remember which one it was now.

No, not in the market for a park model. Those are not meant for toting around much, they're more of a mobile home style.

Having now been inside 100s of TT's, motor homes and coaches in our search for something newer, I can clearly say that our Cougar was clearly a normal model in every sense.....except maybe we had 50A power?

IMHO in our search I can say that very few new assembly line built TT's or Coaches for that matter had a better build quality than our Cougar did, most were very similar (sadly) in build quality regardless of price point.

I don't envy the family looking to buy a quality unit nowadays..very frustrating for sure.

Ch

 

[Riccochet]

The cost difference between a low-mid tier model and what they consider "luxury" usually has very little to do with interior quality. It's all the same cabinet construction, just painted different to look more up scale. They may have nicer light fixtures, appliances, shower, TV/electronics. Where most of the cost difference comes is in exterior construction. You'll pay more for Azdel exterior panels, 3-4" aluminum framing versus the standard 2", full aluminum roof construction versus stick and plywood, more insulation and heated underbelly, dual pane windows.

You also see it in how the plumbing and electrical is done. Central manifold hot & cold plumbing with shutoffs for each zone, much cleaner wiring install. My god, take some interior panels off of low-mid tier model and it's a straight up rats nest of wiring.

They're all going to have issues though. Every one of them, doesn't matter what you pay. You can get a lot of years out of a cheap unit, or expensive unit, it all comes down to how well you take care of it. A $300,000 Lux 5th wheel can fall apart in a few years if it's neglected.

 

[Rockyw]

I tow a 32 foot camper with my 1500 Ram but I have 3.92 gears. What is white knuckles? LOL Your supposed to feel what your towing back there.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I tow a 32 foot camper with my 1500 Ram but I have 3.92 gears. What is white knuckles? LOL Your supposed to feel what your towing back there.

Rocky, these are the capacities of the 2023 RAM 1500 pickups. If you fall outside any of these parameters, you're towing dangerously.

 

[runamuck]

those must be older charts. my '19 4x4 ccsb laramie had the 8hp75 8 speed 3.92 . I think the gearing is a little different. I towed our 28' 6000# travel trailer all over the place with no trouble. I got 8-10 mpg at mostly 68-70.