tow advice

Over the weekend my wife and I decided that we will stick with the travel trailer type instead of the fifth wheel. We just dont want to give the bed up. Now the plan is to get a leer cap for the truck to store the race bikes and then we will upgrade the travel trailer to one slightly bigger to give us a "living room" area. Currently we have no place to sit except the dinette. Depending on what size TT we go with we might go with a Propride hitch to make the towing a more relaxing experience.

Step-son had a 2021 Grand Design Imagine 3250BH that he bought new. Very nice and plenty of room. He had a Toyota Tundra so I towed it back from the dealer for him the day he bought it. We scaled it at 9300lbs with 1100lbs tongue weight. My 2018 2500 6.4 towed it beautifully. Could hardly tell it was there. The fresh water tank was filled with 53 gallons in that 9300lbs as the dealer filled it and didn't tell us for some reason but the TT was 100% empty aside from that since it was off the lot. He sold it as it was too big for his Tundra and they decided camping wasn't their thing

There's no comparison between a 5th wheel and travel trailer. Fifth wheels tow so much better than a travel trailer. They handle so much better. No swaying. My 30 ft.5th wheel is about 3000 lbs overweight but it tows fine. Went from Northern CA to WA and down to AZ. No worries...

drtumolo said:

Over the weekend my wife and I decided that we will stick with the travel trailer type instead of the fifth wheel. We just dont want to give the bed up. Now the plan is to get a leer cap for the truck to store the race bikes and then we will upgrade the travel trailer to one slightly bigger to give us a "living room" area. Currently we have no place to sit except the dinette. Depending on what size TT we go with we might go with a Propride hitch to make the towing a more relaxing experience.

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I used to have a Rockwod Mini Lite 2506. FYI Rockwood and Flagstaff are near identical and come off the same production line so our Mini Lite 2506 is the same trailer as your 25FKS other than brand badging. We were in the same boat as you as far as wanting something bigger but sticking with a TT for various reasons. We moved from the Mini Lite to an Ultra Lite 2608 - ultra lite being the next step up in size/features. The eqivilent Flagstaff would be the 26FKBS. We really love it. It's a front kitchen rear bedroom and is essentially just like what you have but bigger, with room for both the sofa/theater seats and a dinette or table and chairs. Our Gas engine 2500 tows this great and could easily tow the bigger TT's in the line but we wanted to stay under 30' and ours is 29' 8".

Weight: we have table and chairs in place of dinette, 12v compressor fridge, second AC, dual pane windows and second solar panel. Actual weight on a CAT scale on the way home from the dealer with full propane tanks and two batteries but nothing else loaded was 7,034# and tongue weight 914#. Note our tongue weight is actually less than the manufacturers spec of 946. We think this is because the second AC is in the back, behind the axles and the table and chairs in front of the axles is liter than the dinette. Our truck pulls this with ease as would probably anything in this size/weight class.

Potential issue: you dry camp wich we don't so fresh water is t an issue for us. The probl3m with this trailer is that the 54 gal fresh water tank is behind the axles so full, that would be 448# out back. We have never towed with water in the tank so I can't vouch for that. But your current TT is the sme way so you might know better.

drtumolo said:

I currently have a 2020 Ram 2500 CC 4x4 with the 6.4 Hemi. I am looking to upgrade camper that we use to travel weekends up and down the east coast to BMX races. We dry camp 90% of the time so tank capacity is very important. My wife and I both would like a larger camper then we currently have (Flagstaff 25FKS). I am thinking of possibly a 5th wheel since I have been told how much better they tow but have no experience with 5th wheels. If you tow a camper with a similar truck let me know what your towing and the truck handles the load. Thanks

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5th wheel tows better, but then no room for your BMX stuff, and higher overhead clearance on 5th wheels to factor in

Being a retired truck driver, and now a full time RVer, here is my 2 cents:
5th wheels tow better, period! I’m 32,370lbs going down the road. I have a 3500 dually, 6.7 HO Cummins. My GCVW is over 39,000lbs, so I’m well within specs. You need to check your specific truck specs for GCVW (that it your total weight of truck, trailer and all your stuff and passengers) also you will need to check for cargo capacity and towing capacity. All of this can be found on the web along with definitions of what each of them are. Knowledge is the key to safety here. To know your axel weight go to a truck stop with a Cat certified scale. If you dont know how it works, go inside and explain to the fuel desk what you want and they will help you. Easy peasy and you get a certified weight print out.

drtumolo said:

Over the weekend my wife and I decided that we will stick with the travel trailer type instead of the fifth wheel. We just dont want to give the bed up. Now the plan is to get a leer cap for the truck to store the race bikes and then we will upgrade the travel trailer to one slightly bigger to give us a "living room" area. Currently we have no place to sit except the dinette. Depending on what size TT we go with we might go with a Propride hitch to make the towing a more relaxing experience.

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Cool, sure you will get a good one. One last suggestion from me, forgo the slide out on the door side. It reduces the useable area there as well as shortens the awning coverage. Enjoy!

I just placed an order for a Leer 100xq cap. 5-6 week delivery time. Bike storage problem has been solved.

Ratman6161, you are correct about the effects of the freshwater tank being full when towing. The next camper I buy will have a larger freshwater tank located in front of or over the axle. Not behind it!

drtumolo said:

Ratman6161, you are correct about the effects of the freshwater tank being full when towing. The next camper I buy will have a larger freshwater tank located in front of or over the axle. Not behind it!

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Unfortunately, the exact location of the tanks is something you really have to dig for. It's not something the manufacturers seem to include in their specs.

drtumolo said:

...Depending on what size TT we go with we might go with a Propride hitch to make the towing a more relaxing experience.

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I can highly recommend the ProPride hitch. A truly great hitch and a great company to work with. The owner is very hands on.
-Ken

Had nothing but fifth wheels on purpose. There is a significant amount of storage in most fiver plans, so loosing the bed of the truck isnt that big of a deal for me anyway. Did NOT need a slider hitch. Most of the newer fivers have the 88 degree clearance style front caps.