Shopping for a travel trailer?? First time buyer help.

[VA10]

I have been researching travel trailers for a while now. I will use it mostly for fishing/hunting trips w/ buddies. As well as some basic camping trips with the wife.

Current truck - I currently have a 2014 RAM 5.7 HEMI crewcab outdoorsman with the 6'4'' bed w/ 3:92s.

Directly from MOPAR UCONNECT SITE using VIN
Max Payload
1409 lb (639.11 kg)

Max Towing
10050 lb (4558.6 kg)

I am think trailer specs need to dry weight of 3k to 4k with a paylaod of up to 1k = a trailer weight of 4k-5k lbs GVCW.


I know the realistic towing capacities of this truck are rather limited. RAM says this truck will tow 10k+ lbs but I know with safety margins , cargo and a WDH. I am really looking at less than half that 10klb number. I really would like to make sure I have more truck than trailer. Should I upgrade to a 2500 knowing I could safely pull more trailer options? It seems this would open up wayyyy more used trailers for me to consider. My concern about a 2500 is it being my daily driver. Particular the rare occasion of parking garage or urban parking environment for work. I would be pulling this trailer through mostly the entire state of VA. Some parts of WV, NC, and possibly Maryland. Point being mountains need to be taken into consideration.

That being said. I am having trouble finding trailers that are used in good shape that fall into my towing capabilities / budget. Anyone have experience buying new vs. used? Based on what I have been seeing it seems that the trailers made in the last 10 years seem to have the best weights for 1/2 ton trucks.

Any suggestions on trailer brands? Models? I been looking at Forest River trailer brands the most.

 

[clay282]

We camp all summer and I've seen a lot of different campers. We also rented many types of campers before we (family camper) picked ours. That helped us figure out what suited us the best. I don't know how much of a handyman you are but if you buy used, you can make changes and make one yours. There's pros and cons to new and used. If it's just you and your wife, I'd look for a single slide rear living room.

I think your selling your 1500 short. The Hemi, the gears, crew cab with a long bed, trust me, she'll pull better than you think. 5000-6000 will work her but she'll be fine. As long and you have a good weight distribution AND sway control hitch, you'll be surprised. We've changed trucks over the past 2-3 years but... we've drug our 6000+ lbs of Cherokee Grey Wolf up and down interstates, hills and everywhere in between with a 2001 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3 that was far less powerful than the HEMI and I also pulled it with my 2011 Silverado with a 4.3 V6 in a pinch and they both were fine. The main tow vehicle now is a 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 which is a HUGE upgrade but my point being, your not giving your truck enough credit.

If you were hauling that camper weekly on long trips I would think a RAM 2500 might be in order but if it were me, I would find the camper I wanted that was within reason. Spend some extra cash on a GOOD weight distribution / sway control hitch, because you'll need it regardless of the truck and give her a chance to pull it. Thing is, you can always upgrade the truck later if needed.

 

[VA10]

Thank you for the input Clay282. Very helpful.

 

[clay282]

Welcome... While I'm on a roll lol... when I was saying a GOOD hitch I mean something like a Hensley or a ProPride. Those RV dealers will throw in some basic friction sway hitch and make it sound like it's a great deal = JUNK! If you get a good hitch and set it up right the first time, it makes a world of difference. When set half a$$ed with junk equipment, the trailer will fight you and you'll have to work to drive. When you get it right, the truck will pull and the camper will just follow.

 

[BlkZrx]

Floor plan is everything on a trailer. Especially if the wife is involved.. You take a huge hit in depreciation buying new. A lightly used one will have all the bugs worked out, for the most part. I've had 2 new Forest River trailers in last 10 years and both needed dealer fixes right from the factory. I pulled a 25 ft with half ton Chevy for years, but over that I'd go to 3/4 ton truck.

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[Bldrinker]

Not a fan of forest river customer service.
All trailers are built like crap. Buy something 2-3yrs old somebody has fixed the problems by then lol.

Here is my setup 6,400lbs empty around 32’ tongue to bumper.

 

[cuttymcgavin]

Yeah the 3.92 gears and that hemi have plenty of power to tow. I had a 2016 with that set up and towed our first camper 30ft 6K dry weight, I used a weight distribution hitch and no sway bar and it towed like nothing was back there. Upgraded to a 37ft 8400lbs dry weight camper, I did upgrade my weight distribution hitch to a husky with the built in anti sway and it still towed with no issues. It did squat in the rear alot though which an airlift 5000 system or HD springs would correct. Like was stated by another member floor plan is what its all about, dont be afraid to look at campers up to 8K-9k dry.

 

[deanoldo]

I tow a 23 foot box, 27 foot tongue to bumper, Aspen Trail. It's a rear kitchen with the fridge and a love seat in a slide out. Dry weight of 5200lbs, GCVW of 7600lbs and at around 6500lbs when we camp. Don't trust the sales guy... When we bought it, we had a 2001 Yukon with the 5.3 and the old 4 speed. Thankfully, it had the 3,73 rear end. The sales guy was like "no problem, you can tow this anywhere with that"... Well, it worked, mostly, but climbing hills in 2nd gear going 20 on the freeway wasn't my idea of adequate towing power. We bought the Ram for towing this thing and it works awesome. We have a Blue Ox sway-pro WD hitch and the trailer just sits back there like it should. I wouldn't hesitate to go pretty much anywhere now.

 

[spoon059]

Your biggest issue is going to be your PAYLOAD. Travel trailers (or any trailer with a high front wall) will require more tongue weight than a flatbed style trailer. A TT requires 12-15% tongue weight to avoid having sway. A 6500 lbs trailer will have about 845 lbs of tongue weight (13%). Add another 50 lbs for weight distribution hitch and you are at 900 lbs. That leaves you with 500 lbs of available payload left over.

Wife, kids, bikes, firewood, alcohol, anything else that you plan to load into your truck for camping counts against that 500 lbs.

Now, think about the people saying you can tow a 9000 lbs DRY camper. Dry weights don't include batteries, propane or any personal items. Lets just pretend you are going to pull the trailer empty though. At 13% tongue weight you have 1170 lbs on your hitch. 50 for the WDH puts you over 1200 lbs. You have 209 lbs left for EVERYTHING ELSE you want to put in your truck. That's not going to work, plain and simple.

Bottom line, if you want to stay safe and comfortable pulling a travel trailer with a half ton truck with less than 1600 lbs of payload, you want to keep your trailer under 7000-7500 tongue weight. Even at 7500 lbs you are cutting it close (975 lbs tongue weight). Again, the specific numbers depend upon your family and how you load your truck. Looking for a 5000 lbs trailer, the half ton will work great for you. The problem is that people usually upgrade their first trailer pretty quickly and get something bigger and heavier. Driving in the Appalachain mountains will put some stress on your truck and you as the driver. Lots of curvy downgrades will want to push around your truck and will take a toll on your braking system.

A 2500 is a vastly better truck for hauling a trailer. Everything is bigger and heavier and allows you a greater margin of error. The physical differences in size between the 1500 and 2500 aren't that significant, but fuel mileage will be because the 2500 is about 2000 lbs heavier. That 2000 lbs heavier gets you better brakes, a stronger suspension, a more rigid frame and a better ability to absorb the push/pull of the trailer.

A 1500 will work fine for occasional towing of TT's under 6500 lbs. I wouldn't hesitate to tow an appropriate sized trailer with it. I pulled a 6500 lbs Nash trailer for several years with my Toyota Tundra (5.7 V8 with 4.30 rear) and it was great. Bought a new trailer that was heavier and had another kid and the Tundra quickly ran out of payload. Handling suffered as a result. I now own a Ram 2500. It tows much better and I am not worried about every thing that we pack for trips.

Good luck. Please do your research (and it sounds like you are) before you buy. Look at the numbers, do the math. Don't trust someone who tells you that you can pull a 9000 lbs TT with a regular half ton truck. Get to understand terms such as "frontal area" when towing. Be smart, get a trailer you can comfortably pull and ENJOY vacations... rather than buy something too big and being full of dread when you are planning your trips!

 

[Skubasteve!]

Great post spoon059. Thats some legit straightforward advice right there. Just remember you DONT want to get in accident then have it be your fault because you are overweight and exceeded your payload/towing capacity.

 

[Bldrinker]

Worry about wind more than cargo carrying capacity or ability to stop.

These trucks will pull and stop way more weight than the manufacturer recommends. Do t mean you should.

But a sudden gust of wind is not calculated in your manufactures recommended towing capacity. That will ruin your day way before a over loaded cargo capacity will.

I pull a 32’ 7500# loaded trailer with ease until it gets windy then I merely slow down and take it easy.

 

[billyw]

I also think you're under estimating your truck's capabilities. My 2015 1500 is very similar to yours and drags my 6000 lb travel trailer everywhere with ease. And I mean WITH EASE. I can pass lines of vehicles at or above the speed limit while climbing mountain passes if I have a notion to do so. I live in the northwest and consequently end up in the rockies and cascades among other challenging terrain often. I use an Equal-I-zer brand hitch, as opposed to that high falutin' stuff mentioned earlier. It works flawlessly. The OEM brake controller is totally awesome. I have upgraded the rear suspension just because I don't like how low it rides when hooked up. As long as the P rated tires are aired to max, and everything is dialed in as it should be, this thing is a towing beast. Absolutely stable, even under emergency maneuvers. Of course cross wind is cross wind. Everybody has to deal with it. I intend to upgrade my trailer one of these days. I'm limiting myself to under 30' total length and about 7800 lbs loaded weight. One thing people miss with these half ton Rams is how much fudge factor is built in between GVWR and GAWR. I have over 900 lbs variance between the two, and have no problem loading the bed with generator, etc, even though it pushes me a couple hundred over GVWR.

 

[pilgrim6]

Don't overlook the Pop Up style of trailer. Low weight, and low wind resistance. You can get A/C a toilet and even a shower---but then the weight goes up. Very suitable for a "guys' weekend"--also a chance for your wife to sample the camping lifestyle and see if she like it. Then you will have some experience to help guide you on that next purchase...( there is ALWAYS a next purchase)
Used pop-ups are out there, and the tent material is replaceable,,,if a bit tedious, and not as inexpensive as you might expect.

 

[TruckNut]

We pull a Retro (Riverside RV) 3,750 (Dry weight) 23'8" trailer with our 2017 Laramie 4x4 with 3.92 gears. Truck pulls it with ease and I like the security of a double axle trailer. Your truck will do the job-just keep the trailer weight sensible. Ours new was $17k.

I've bought used and have no problem with that if it was well maintained and parked in a shelter of some kind. Trailers depreciate like crazy so if you can find a nice 24-26' unit you should be good to go.

 

[rotwiler]

I have a 21 foot forest river vibe, 2013 model v nose. Trailer is 4,000 pounds loaded and I put about 500 pounds in bed, 2 dogs and 2 adults and can barely tell I am towing, I have to watch my speeds and I have a 2013 5.7 QC outdoorsman with 3.55s 6 speed.

 

[clay282]

I have a 21 foot forest river vibe, 2013 model v nose. Trailer is 4,000 pounds loaded and I put about 500 pounds in bed, 2 dogs and 2 adults and can barely tell I am towing, I have to watch my speeds and I have a 2013 5.7 QC outdoorsman with 3.55s 6 speed.

just curious... have you pulled a flay nosed trailer to compare? I have heard people say the V nose is easier but if they are, I can't figure out why they don't make and sell more. I almost never see them.

 

[BlkZrx]

just curious... have you pulled a flay nosed trailer to compare? I have heard people say the V nose is easier but if they are, I can't figure out why they don't make and sell more. I almost never see them.

Less space for the money. Not many floor pan choices. Only a few to choose from. I wanted one, spousal unit overrulled it..

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[rotwiler]

This is first I have had. I liked the floor plan is why I bought it, bed in back and bathroom in front in the V area. One I have uses the lost hitch area space for a bathroom, so adds a little more space and has a pullout, so have queen bed in back and a lower and overhead bunk in pullout area. Is a pretty small trailer and is not as wide as normal trailer, so no tow mirrors are needed. Perfect size for a couple.