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School me on buying a Travel Trailer

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    #16
    Originally posted by Sackett View Post
    My $.02 on a couple things:

    MOST importantly, I don't care what half ton truck you have or how it's geared/rated, it will hate life and be borderline dangerous towing the trailer in the link. 900 lbs tongue weight when dry is going to be well over 1000lbs loaded. Factor in gear loaded in the truck and you will be way over GVW. Don't ever listen to a camper salesman on what your truck can/should tow.

    Like others have said, campers/RV's, boats, etc...are items A TON of people buy every year thinking their going to use them, only to pay $100/month on storage fees for a year or two before they realize it ain't being used as much as they intended. You should EASILY be able to find a similarly equipped camper to what your looking for at HALF the cost of new and still get a good finance rate, if you are financing.

    X2. The dry weights listed are bare bones without any of the added options. Add the options, 400lbs of water, your gear and the weight is going to soar well past 8k. I know that some of the newer 1/2 tons are rated for 10k+ but only with the lowest rear end gear ratio available which most dealers won't stock. Even then the components are at their limits and it going to really suck towing, especially if you go to the mountains.

    One thing most people forget is you have to maneuver and park this beast. Many state and national parks have very limited availability for anything over 30 feet and just wait till you have to make a sharp turn, City driving is particularly fun, not only do you have to clear the corner when turning but you have 10 feet behind the wheels that can side swipe the cars in the lane next to you.

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      #17
      After having one, my advice is don’t.

      Unless it’s for extended stay, but not long enough to rent a house. Sucks to pull, sucks to set up, sucks to unhook.... I’d get a tent and/or stay in a motel.

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        #18
        Go online and look at as many manufacturer floor plans that you can and pick out several that you like . Check review on them but remember just about everything has some bad reviews. If it is a common problem on the reviews then I may shy away from it. Once you decide on a model you want go to rv trader and search for the model you want. They will give you a better idea of what the prices should be or at least what is a fair price. once you decide what you want and how much you want to spend look for dealers that have that model in stock to look at. A picture cannot give you a feel of how the space is laid out and how useful it will be. Whether you buy from that dealer or not at least walk in it and check out that companies construction. Once you have all this worked out and decide on a new rv enjoy it . Yes a motel may be cheaper but I cant park my boat behind a motel without taking it out of the water. enjoy

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          #19
          Find a floor plan you like and go shopping. New, used , I think everyone has given their thoughts. Metal sided trailers have a higher probability of rottening at the corners. Caulking will eventually go bad and leaks will happen. Swap out your tires every couple of years. A blow out will mess up a trailer. Trust me, I know. If going big, long, get a diesel. Most salesmen will say , sure your truck will pull it. Yeah, right. Being in Texas, most trips are a couple of hours. That gasser will get you there , but it won’t like it. Just my 2 cents. Good luck and have fun.

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            #20
            That is one big trailer. I currently pull a 33 foot toy hauler bumper pull with my half ton Nissan Titan. It has plenty of power with the 400 HP motor, but loaded is 700 tongue weight and about 10,500 pound. That's with full water, 30 gal of gas and my 2016 Kawasaki Teryx UTV. We sent up for a week to a month at a time, and it is no problem at all. My MSRP was $54K, and we paid $35K.

            You should be able to do 28-30% discount on new, more if you are good at bargaining. I would never by a stick and tin trailer, only steel floor, aluminum frame and laminated sidewalk. Will Last lots longer and hold re-sale value better.

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              #21
              Over a thirty year career, I have seen literally every trailer brought out to the ranch turn into worthless Leakey piles of garbage, the same for the ones brought to the coast
              IMO trailers require huge amounts of maintenance, most people don’t have time for
              One small leaking seal on a slide out and now you have a molding problem or a good cold snap and things get all kinds of wonky with plumbing and electrical issues
              And storage for them is very expensive and you still need to do monthly maintenance

              Sorry I didn’t pull any punches on a rv but they are worse than boats as money pits, when you buy a used trailer you’re just buying someone else’s problem, buying new you are invested in heart ache
              Last edited by S-3 Ranch; 05-06-2019, 09:57 AM.

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                #22
                As others have said, that is a lot of trailer. Especially for a 1/2 ton. We are on our third one. First was a 30 ft.fifth wheel, second a 36 ft bumper pull toy hauler, and the current one is a 21 ft Rpod. My advise would be smaller is better. we spend very little time inside ours. Its basically a place to sleep and ****. The one we have now only weighs 2600 lbs dry and has a tongue weight of 330lbs. I can hook it up and be gone in 5 minutes. Its also really easy to find a spot to park it. It much easier to maneuver as well I do feel a little undersized when I park it next to a 40 foot toyhauler sometimes.

                If you decide to go that large, make sure it has 2 AC units. One will not cool that large of a space in Texas. I'm sure others disagree with this, but you asked for opinions. Good luck in your search.

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                  #23
                  Lots of good advice so far; thanks !

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                    #24
                    Whatever you buy new or used keep it under cover when not in use. It will save you a lot of headaches down the road. Ten years from now the trailer will still look new.

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                      #25
                      Travel trailer considerations

                      I tent camped and did hotels extensively on long trips for many years. RV's/travel trailers offer great convenience since hotels and dogs are a difficult mix and you can't leave them unattended. We like to hit restaurants and local attractions when travelling so the TT is a great option.

                      I bought my first one used last summer and it works great for our crew. Wife and dogs. It's a smaller trailer @ 25'. According to everyone's opinion that offered council, very easily 1/2 ton towable! I bought used here on TBH and had a great experience with the seller. For the record, I'm happy with the purchase and it's already de-winterized this season and we were out for several nights over the long Easter weekend.

                      Dry its ~4900 (ultralight class according to manufacturer), and fully loaded we're never over 6000 on scale at the truck stop. Pulling with OBS 2007 Classic 1500 Silverado. 5.3L/3.42 rear ratio.

                      All that to say, util you actually hook up and pull that tin can down the road, no amount of opinion or expert testimony can tell you what how it's going to feel. Too many variables with truck/trailer and driving style.

                      All the specs seemed to line out easily for my rig at 7500 towing/<7500 truck weight, but nobody mentioned that I'd get down to 7mpg and often times be pulling up grades at 45/50 mph in 2nd gear. I limit myself to 3rd so as not risk buring out gears with the truck hunting/shifting when in 4th. You likely have more truck, and definitely more trailer at 32', so on paper, the numbers may work out. My seat of the pants experience didn't live up to my expectations or anyone's "educated" opinion.

                      Wind seems to be the biggest factor with my rig. So I slow down and take things easier. Often at 55 and never over 65mph. I make sure the front/back weight ratios are optimal with weight forward balance on the tongue. I have a sway bar attachment that definitely helps the side to side movement when trailering.

                      All this to say, I'm looking for a much bigger truck now for ease of towing and more capability when behind the wheel. I'd also like to travel to the mountains, but won't consider it until I have more truck.

                      A couple last notes, you'll be much better off if you're mechanically inclined. If you depend on dealers or remote mechanics, it can get very costly and time consuming. You should know that maintaining the thing is just part of the lifestyle. Cleaning, dealing with hitches, electrical, plumbing, truck upkeep and more, are critical when you're towing a house bending you.

                      Sorry so long winded, but there's alot to cover with this hobby. I thought I was educated on RV/TT since I've been around them for 25+ years. My dad is a full timer. I have learned a great deal in a short time after my purchase. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have.

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                        #26
                        My opinion from experience...38' is way too much for any 1/2 Ton no matter the weight of the trailer. That 38' is like a billboard going down the road the wind it collects in a slightly breezy condition will put you in the ditch or worse.
                        Also, I'm on my third travel trailer. I bought the first two new and third used. My first was 38' and I had a 1/2 ton. Bad Idea. My second was a trailer with pop out beds. Didn't like setting up the beds. Now, I have a 3/4 Ton truck and a 28' trailer with bunk beds, two entrances, laminated walls that I bought for 22k.
                        If I could start this whole thing over, I too would stay in a Holiday Inn.
                        Last edited by Lonestar Hunter; 05-06-2019, 11:10 AM.

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                          #27
                          from what I've seen almost every RV manufacturer uses the same stuff inside... the furniture, faucets, stabilizers/slide motors... it's all the same stuff.

                          no idea why that one is nearly 40K, looks like a 24-26K trailer to me that would be worth about 17-18 in 2 years.

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                            #28
                            I am probably less experienced than most of the others commenting on here - I've owned one travel trailer, a used 26 footer. Mine was bought just to be used at my deer lease - I have only moved it twice (from where I bought it to the lease 11 years ago, from the lease to home when I lost the lease last year).
                            My main thought was that I had no idea trailers even had 'half bathrooms'. But there is no way I would waste precious footage on a half bath. On wet weather hunting trips, my trailer got real small real quick. Dedicating even the small footage of a half bath would be a waste to me.

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                              #29
                              If you buy used, I would check, or have someone check, ALL the plumbing in it. Never know if someone left water in the lines all winter and they froze and busted until you go to use it.

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                                #30
                                Never buy a new RV or boat unless price doesn't matter...

                                Too many great deals out there on used ones...people buy them and don't use them like they had planned....

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