Is it safe to tow this camper

[BoldAdventure]

Hey BoldAdventure, how much you Airstream weight if you don't mind me asking?

After I finish my solar install, and some other mods, and we prep her for full time I'll cross the scales with her. As the weight will obviously be different.

GVWR is 7600lbs, I don't want to cross 7 personally. Want to travel light.

 

[SWJewellTN]

I can't believe guys saying a 30' camper is "nothing". If you encounter semis passing you at 70+mph and/or wind gusts, you're in for one heck of a ride.

I have a 20' (yes, only 20') enclosed trailer for my car (total 7500 lbs), and when truck traffic is light and there's no wind, you almost forget it's there. Wind gusts and heavy truck traffic can turn a 2 hr segment into an interminable pain in the ass. I've never felt like I was in any danger, but the constant monitoring and correction is just exhausting.

Like another poster said, I now plan my trip according to predicted winds and traffic, and stay off the truck-infested sections of interstate.

I think that a major factor that most are not considering is the actualy shape of the trailer relative to weight. My V-Lite has a heck of a lot more flat surfaces to catch the wind then say BoldAdventures Airstream, for instance. Check it out at: http://www.forestriverinc.com/TravelTrailers/VLite/ to see for yourself. It is also long which creates more leverage on the hitch than a shorter travel trailer would have. The other guy's 5th wheel would also be dramatically different over a travel-trailer considering it sits over the rear axle rather than 5' back on a hitch.

I hold to the idea that just because your truck can tow the trailer doesn't mean that you should tow said trailer. I hope my decision to trade for a 2500 was a good one. I will find out in Mid-October when I go camping for the first time since making the trade, but I'm not going to regret the decision because I love my 2500 more than the 1500.

 

[toofart]

I hold to the idea that just because your truck can tow the trailer doesn't mean that you should tow said trailer. I hope my decision to trade for a 2500 was a good one.

I fully agree, and if I were you, I'd sleep easier at night knowing I had a 3/4 ton to tow such a large wind sail of a trailer.

 

[audio1der]

^ I 100% agree with both points above. We've never owned a truck or trailer before, and now realized we got talked up into a larger trailer than we should be towing, but are facing a 50% loss on the trailer value to get into a smaller unit and upgrading to a 2500 just isn't in the cards unless I get a better job.

 

[NYCruiser]

Your truck can tow that trailer. Just be prepared to take your time with it until you get some hours experience pulling it. Don't worry about people behind you and make sure someone guides you from behind whenever you back it up. Going is never as much of an issue as stopping. The slower you go, the longer your reaction times and emergency stops become much less likely.


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[NYCruiser]

Also make all your reverse articulations to the drivers side so you can easily see the back of the trailer you are maneuvering


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[NHguy]

I hold to the idea that just because your truck can tow the trailer doesn't mean that you should tow said trailer. I hope my decision to trade for a 2500 was a good one. I will find out in Mid-October when I go camping for the first time since making the trade, but I'm not going to regret the decision because I love my 2500 more than the 1500.

I just went from a 1/2 ton to a 2500 and I have a 32' OAL trailer (6500-7000lbs).
You will love it.
Lot of good posts from 1500 owners here, I had ALOT of those same experiences. I would be stressed out most of the time driving.
Now I cruise at 65mph with one hand on the steering wheel, with a grin on my face. I was almost gitty after my first trip.

I would get annoyed by the 3/4 ton guys saying "just get a 3/4 ton", but now I get it.

 

[PippinAin'tEasy]

After I finish my solar install, and some other mods, and we prep her for full time I'll cross the scales with her. As the weight will obviously be different.

GVWR is 7600lbs, I don't want to cross 7 personally. Want to travel light.

What batts are you running to back your solar? Sorry for the hijack but I think we've all learned you can haul a ****load with a 1500 and we should all be fortunate enough to own a 2500. Just curious because if BldAdvntr wants to keep it light solar will make that difficult (pun intended, sorry).

 

[audio1der]

^ Great question!
If it were me, a pair of 6Vs would be in there. Love mine, and with a solar charge, would keep us going indefinitely.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

This just got more interesting. I'd love a solar setup. Paying attention now...

 

[StevoTee]

I have a set of 6Vs, back up is a Yamaha 2400 inverter to recharge.

You should be fine towing that trailer. We have a 31', 7400lb GVWR trailer with a tongue weight close to 600lb (approximation).
I would recommned using tow/haul mode (does increase MPGs), but more importantly, it helps with going down grades. I see lots of guys using their brakes to descend a hill, which to me makes no sense. I would much rather use the truck's engine to slow the trailer down, with a little help from the brakes (if needed).

 

[audio1der]

Istill think we're too caught up on weights, and haven't talked at length about how LONG that mother is, for a 1/2 ton to pull with full control.
Or maybe it's just that we pull where it's often windy so I have a "worst case scenario"... I think 30+' is too long for a half ton.

 

[PippinAin'tEasy]

Would love to go solar as well. 6v's are heavy but heavy isn't always bad. Anyone who has/is going to haul any kind of length does/should know the relationship between two things: placement and distribution. Do I think 30+ is too long for a 1/2 ton? Yep. 'Specially if it's a short bed. I got the 6'4" box because I wanted all the **** a 1500 had to offer. Numbers off my last weigh slip were a perfect example of how not to set a WD hitch. Totally operator error. Moved some load to plant the rear end and forgot to compensate with tighter chains. Official CAT numbers were SA 2940 DA 4040 TA 7780 and GCVW 14760. Got some fixing to do but let me tell you, with the butt planted that hard I felt the least bit of sway of any of the hauls so far. Even with the Gummy Goopyears. A little more porpoising maybe but sh*tty South Carolina backroads are notorious for that anyway. Drivers need to pull what drivers know they can pull. "Too long" in my opinion is a semantic arguement until it becomes universally unsafe.
As an aside I'm reading a lot of tongue weights approx. this and approx. that. Are ya'll going by sticker, inference, new math, tongue scales? People I've met with 3 6v's on the tongue with a couple lp bottles are pooping themselves when they see scale numbers after they're camp loaded and ready to go. And we're talking 26 & 28 footers here. Not even the "maybe we're pushing it" lengths like me and 1nder have. I'll stop now and, yes, I've been drinking. Doing my best to keep it honest. *hic*