Low towing trailers. Do you bottom out?

[sixisenough]

Are there any benefits to towing a travel trailer that is lower to the ground then most? All of my friends that own a trailer have about 3 steps to enter into the RV. I looked at a used RV today and it seems very low. We are nervous to purchase since it appears it will be extremely easy to bottom out and possibly cause damage to the trailer. Would love some feedback/advise please.

Thanks
Kim

[JimM68]

Why not get down under it and look for shiny spots?
If it has been bottoming out, it will show.

[sixisenough]

Thanks Jim.....We didn't notice anything when looking but I was hoping someome that currently tows one would offer some advise. It's so much lower then others so It worries me.

Thanks
Kim

[CD]

Yes they tend to drag. Going in & out of gas stations is one type of place. Any drive way that goes up quickly. We had a 23' prowler TT that did those things. It had 2 steps. If it has been dragging you should see marks on the under side of the rear bumper. The longer the trailer the worse. A short TT may not be a problem. I have seen where people have used casters under the rear bumper.

[sixisenough]

Thanks Cliff. My husband didn't notice any damage but I thought it was odd and seems impossible to NOT bottom out. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it. Still not sure what to do, but we are going to keep looking.

Kim

[IC2]

We has a 29' Sunline that tended to do some "agricultural and highway" plow work with the rear-of-chassis skids - those 'V' shaped devices welded on at the rear of the frame. I found that the only solution to that was the Dexter over-under axle mod which raised the entire chassis 5-6 inches. You may pay a price for that as some trailers will tend to wag their tails necessitating one or two friction sway controls. If you have any other manufacturer's axle, you will have to check if they have a similar fix as Dexter.

[Randy the sly old fox]

Lower to the ground will add to the aerodynamics - unless you are towing with a 4x4 or lifted truck - then it won't matter too much. All of my previous TTs only had one step - my current Arctic Fox has two - and sits about 6" higher than the others did. BTW with the other TTs I had to watch driveways etc - even then I scraped the two "bumpers" on the back of the frame - and these were 15, 20 and 21' TTs.

[HoboPals]

I have a short trailer with only one step up, but I haven't noticed any bottoming out. I'm careful where I pull in and out of places, but assumed the triangle things in the back were to keep from damaging the trailer IF I bottomed out.

[bigeasy]

If the jacks in the back are new then yes, it drags. I am a campground manager and have seen a lot of this. some people reverse the axel or add a lift kit to raise the body.

[pthomann]

We have a 30' Terry Dakota that sits lower than most TT, towed with a chevy 2500HD truck. The only time that I have a problem is when I park the trailer in our driveway - the receiver that I use for an add-on bike rack tends to drag and/or scrape at the lower end of the driveway when I back up the trailer. It doesn't really hurt anything, it leaves a scrapemark, but doesn't dig into the asphalt. As for towing, I like the way this trailer tows behind the truck - it stays true at all times, even in heavy winds. With normal care when entering/exiting most gas stations and park sites, you shouldn't have a problem. Good luck!

[KTM Guy]

I had a travel trailer that was too low. It scraped in my driveway and at low spots at intersections. The axle brackets bolted to a 3-inch wide steel channel frame. I pulled the axle bolts, jacked up the frame and slid some 2X3" square steel tubing in between. After drilling some holes and bolting everything back together, I had a solid 2-inch lift. I was able to bolt my axle brackets both vertically and horizontally to the frame and inserts, so there was no chance for movement. It cured my scraping problem.

Good luck!

[sixisenough]

Thanks for all the responses. We have decided against purchasing this RV. With our driveway the way it is, we think it will be an issue. Not to mention, the seller seemed "fishy" to me. I didn't get a good fibe from him when he answered my questions. Still looking.

Thanks
Kim