Community Forums

EleclineMM · 07-01-2006, 04:49 PM

Hi Everyone, We are in the market for a travel trailer. We have a Dodge Dakota V8 4x4 and live in mountainous New England. There are so many options out there...does anyone have any suggestions and more importantly are there any to stay away from???

Thanks for your replies!

EleclineMM · 07-01-2006, 04:49 PM

Hi Everyone, We are in the market for a travel trailer. We have a Dodge Dakota V8 4x4 and live in mountainous New England. There are so many options out there...does anyone have any suggestions and more importantly are there any to stay away from???

Thanks for your replies!

LouRobin · 07-01-2006, 05:30 PM

First of all Welcome to iRV2.com. I am sure you will find all the opinions and information you need here.
I am a Motorhome person, but today I was wandering around an RV dealership and saw a line of Travel Trailers I had not seen before.
www.Ameri-Camp.com is there website. they had what I thought a very impressive light weight travel trailer, that might serve your purpose to climib those mountains with that Dakota. I also drive a V-8 Dakota.
Just thought you might want to check them out, and prices seemed very reasonable.
If you have trouble finding them up north let me know and I will hook you up with the dealer down here in FL....don't you need an excuse to visit Disney World, pick up your new trailer and stay a few days at Ft. Wilderness !!!! What a deal.

TXiceman · 07-02-2006, 08:11 AM

Welocmeto IRV2.

You need to get the tow rating for your particular engine and axle before looking for a trailer. The Dakota is limited in towing capacity and the 4x4 does reduce it.

Manufacturers tow rating are based ona base model, no option, no hitch, no cargo and ONLY a 150# driver. So for every pound you add to this base model, you reduce the towing capacity by thesame amount. Use no more than 80% of the manufacturers tow ratings for a loaded trailer weight. Forget about using brochure weights and "dry weights" or UVW (unloaded vehicle weight).

And number one rule of RV shopping is...
NEVER BELIEVE THE RV SALES PERSON.

Number 2 rule is
RV sales people lie.

You need to understand the ratings an do your own homework as the RV dealers job is to sell trailers, not keep you safe.

Have fun shopping and ask any question s you have here. The only stupid question is the one you did not ask.

Ken

Tail_gunner · 07-02-2006, 10:08 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">And number one rule of RV shopping is...
NEVER BELIEVE THE RV SALES PERSON.

Number 2 rule is
RV sales people lie. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I have to take objection to that "Rule".

I work in the parts department in a RV dealership. Until they give me reason to suspect otherwise, I consider ALL of our salespeople to be honest and trustworthy.

I have never lied to a customer, nor will I ever do so. I have had however, a few customers who hear what they want to hear, and not what I'm trying to tell them.

Case in point: We recently sold a 4,000+ lbs travel trailer to a customer with a pickup truck. After he buys the trailer, he brings in his Pontiac Aztec to have a receiver hitch installed. When he comes to take delivery of the camper, he shows up with the Aztec. We tell him the Aztec doesn't have the towing capacity for the trailer and can't be used with a weight distributing hitch either. But he doesn't care, he plans on towing the trailer with the Aztec anyway. We had him sign a waiver ackowledging that we recommended against it, so when he fries his tranny, engine or breaks one of those pencil thin driveshafts, he won't come back and try to blame us.

The point is, many people have problems later on because they misused the product and try to misplace the blame from themselves to the "dishonest" salesperson.

EleclineMM: my advice is to be an educated consumer, be aware of what your Dakota is capable of towing and stay within those limits. If the RV salesperson says otherwise, you still only have yourself to blame for having "eyes bigger than your stomach".

TXiceman · 07-02-2006, 01:40 PM

Tailgunner, I provide the two "rules" tongue in cheek. I have been in technical sales now for over 30 years now and it is a real slap in my face for the technique used by too many of the Rv and auto dealers. The sales people are not trained in any thing but the "art of closing" and they only care to make the sale and get the commission.

I don't know how many times I have looked at RVs and the first words out of the sales persons mouth when they see my diesel truck is, "Man, you can pull anything we have on the lot with that beast!". Last week they were selling cars, not RVs.

Some of the dishonest delaers need to displined for letting some of the people off the lot with the rig. While in Tulsa, at the leargest delaer in the area, we saw them hitch up and doing a walk through with a young family of four on a 30' high profile 5er and a 1/2 ton truck...yes, a 1/2 ton truck.

Very few of the RV sales people understand GVWr and GCWR so you need to educate your self and forget listening to most of the RV dealers. I know of at least one in this area that does hold clinics for potential buyers to try and give them some knowledge of the terms and requirements for trailer towing.

So the buyer needs to protect himself from the less than homest delaers since they are few and far between.

""EleclineMM: my advice is to be an educated consumer, be aware of what your Dakota is capable of towing and stay within those limits. If the RV salesperson says otherwise, you still only have yourself to blame for having "eyes bigger than your stomach".""

In my years of Rving, I would estimate that for every honest and knowledgable Rv dealer, you will find 2 or 3 that will sell you anything to make a sale.

Ken