Can somebody school me on RVs?

[SharpStix]

Thinking about a bumper pull bunkhouse type trailer for use at the lease during season and then to tug around to different parks and whatnot during the spring and summer. I've never owned one, I'm sure they're a lot like boats and there is always something to fix.
I'm curious about builders to avoid. Some of the prices on these new ones seem really cheap and I imagine the build quality is reflective of that. On the same token I'm not looking to pay a premium for accent lights and a wine refrigerator.
Thoughts on pulling a 30', 7,500# (loaded) trailer with a 1/2 ton?
Thanks for the input.

[bps3040]

If you think they are cheap now, wait a year or two. They are getting top dollar now. Wait till next year and by a gentle used one. I think there will be a bunch on the market
I have a Keystone Sprinter and we love it.


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[captainsling]

There will be complaints on every brand out there. They all have problems, and are literally thrown together in a matter of hours on an assembly line. They will all have kinks and bugs to work out. The industry standards and assembly issued came around 2008 when there were several brands that went under or just got bought out are now super builders, like Forest River.
An RV is kind of like a house that is rolling down the highway at hurricane speed. It will always need some sort of maintenance and repair. Just expect it.
That being said, we have a Prime Time Breeze by Forest River, and love it. We have had a few issues and all been repaired under warranty.
Make sure you are not over loaded for your vehicle. Ours is only 7500 GVWR and I went to a 3/4 ton from half ton just because I didn't like the way the 1/2 felt loaded down. Not because the truck wasn't rated for it, I just feel safer in the 3/4 ton with weight and stopping power.

BIGGEST ISSUE IS RESEARCH YOUR DEALERS SERVICE DEPARTMENT.

[Button]

I can tell you all about relief valves

[Triple 000 Buck]

We have a Jayco , 6500 lbs, 25’ bunkhouse sold my 1999 1/2 ton suburban after using it a couple of times pulling the trailer and bought a 2006 duramax and it pulls it no problem. The suburban topped out at 12 mph going up a hill in the Concan area and that was when we bought the diesel.
The Jayco spends its off time under a barn and we have not had any issues with it.

[jwstrother]

Just bought our first travel trailer this summer. It is a 37' Grand Design Imagine 3170BH (GVWR: 9495lbs). We chose GD over other brands because of smaller details that might not matter to others but like previous posters have stated none of these trailers are bullet proof doesn't matter if you spend over 100K things are going to break.

A group of us just got back from a week trip to Big Bend. Below are some of the issues/annoying things that happened to my buddy pulling his 34' 8400lb trailer with a half ton.

He struggles going up hills ( one hill in particular he started going up at 60mph once he got to the middle of the hill he couldn't get above 40mph)
Fuel mileage is terrible
Stop every 2 hrs to fill up
He has to be careful on how much weight he puts in the bed of his truck and in the front of his trailer.

You can pull his size camper with a half ton but he even said he would feel more comfortable doing it with a bigger truck. If you keep your trips short the half ton will be fine, if you plan on doing a lot of trips like the one we did to Big Bend I would either go with a lighter trailer or get a bigger truck.

Good luck with the search it isn't a great financial investment but it does create invaluable memories for the family.

[TexasMood]

I pulled a similar size bumper pull with my 1/2 ton for 2.5 years and it did fine for short to medium trips biggest gripe is it struggled when we got onto any type of incline. A good weight distribution/sway control hitch is a must. Owning an RV is kind of like owning a boat. A couple trips and you'll have to figure out its bugaboos but once you do you know what to expect and things are usually a pretty quick fix with access to an RV parts place.

Just made the switch to diesel and it was pretty nice to lock in cruise and never look back on our last trip.

[sbushee]

This will be short and easy...rent one when you need it. Can get one for $100 a night. That’s what I do.

[PondPopper]

I can tell what I was told, when I was debating purchasing one, by a good friend who manages the maintenance dept. of a very large RV center..

His words:
"DO NOT buy one. They are all junk. None are built to last. Rent one and when you are done take it back at let someone else deal with the problems"....


I bought one and have since sold it... I should have listened... He was correct..

[EZ-10RANCH]

Check out Grand Design. I’ve owned four campers throughout the years and my Grand Design is a much better built camper.

[gingib]

I can tell what I was told, when I was debating purchasing one, by a good friend who manages the maintenance dept. of a very large RV center..

His words:
"DO NOT buy one. They are all junk. None are built to last. Rent one and when you are done take it back at let someone else deal with the problems"....


I bought one and have since sold it... I should have listened... He was correct..

Words of the wise right here.

Depreciating "asset" with a high interest rate and nothing but $$$$

[Hunter98]

I regret mine

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[PlanoDano]

Check out Grand Design. I’ve owned four campers throughout the years and my Grand Design is a much better built camper.

This is what I run. Still a few problems but overall good experience. They are more expensive for the size and heavier for the size but they work for me.

[MikeyG]

I bought a 2021 37’ grand design reflection 31mb 5th wheel back in July. We are doing a trip a month and love it. It’s a lot of work, but we are making some great memories with our 3 kids.

I had to move up from an f250 to a f350 and a different hitch- all was an expensive learning lesson, but I got a new truck out of it!

Still learning lots about everything, but we really enjoy it. Consider it a new hobby!

Please PM me if you have any questions.


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[sneaky freak]

I can tell what I was told, when I was debating purchasing one, by a good friend who manages the maintenance dept. of a very large RV center..

His words:
"DO NOT buy one. They are all junk. None are built to last. Rent one and when you are done take it back at let someone else deal with the problems"....


I bought one and have since sold it... I should have listened... He was correct..

I would agree. They all seem to get roof leaks then they really turn to junk, when I needed one for lease I'd buy old ones 80's and older for cheap or free, that's when they were built to last and heavy, I still have a 66' model that doesnt leak! If I were going to spend some money on something nice I'd buy a cargo enclosed trailer and build it out with full size crapper and shower, built to last.