Under 3,500lb is a minefield for a newbie!

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by cooper_man

This is all incredible advice people! Thank you for your honesty and being so straight forward.

The good news is, all is NOT lost :-)

So my wife's car is due for replacement in May (she has a Tiguan) we were considering replacing with a Q7 or a Atlas both of which have towing capacity of over 5,000lb.

However, given your feedback, I think it would be wise to stick within the same weight range of 3000-3500. We will have the dog, bikes, a small grill, bedding, BEERS etc. Before you know it we'd be up at 4,000?

I'm going to take a look at extendables and hybrids. I've been conscious of the comfort in them, am I wrong?

Any thoughts on the preliminary list?

I can see myself getting addicted to this forum lol

Now you are talking sense!

Lots of good advice above and I see you are open to recommended alternatives.

Pay particular attention to the advice too ignore the travel trailer "dry weight or unloaded weight".

For planning purposes use the "Maximum Gross Vehicle Weight". Salesmen often cite the dry weight and sometimes try to hide the MGVW. They get paid commission on sales and bigger TT's provide bigger commissions.

Note: The 5000# maximum towing limit is indeed the maximum. Never try to tow more. However, you will probably be more limited than that. It only applies as the tow vehicle left the factory. Weight of everything added after market will reduce towing capacity. A rule of thumb is not to try to tow more the 80% of rating. Actual weights are what matter. You will probably exceed cargo capacity before you get near the max tow weight.

Also, tongue weights are fictional. Of course tongue weight will vary depending on where you put the loads in the TT. But even dry, tongue weights can easily be more than double the published weight. Both of my TT's came in more than double the published weights.

Only actual weights matter. Two dealers refused to allow me to weight the tongues on the sales lot.

Buying a new travel trailer is similar to gambling. You never know what you are going to get quality wise. Some brands have much higher frequency of good outcomes. And, yes, they tend to cost more.

I particularly like the Forest River RPod's. The smaller models are easier to tow due to the small width and the rounded front and rear. Quality is average. Get one with a slide out for use with three people.

Note: Generally most small TT's are not useful when temperatures are below freezing. Plumbing freezes up. Don't pay any attention to advertising about "All Season". It is all deceptive.

Moisture accumulation in cold weather can also be a problem, so temperatures below 50 degrees require careful ventilation practices.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

[pedwards2932]

You know I hear that continually but not everyone is like you and may have different requirements. I am 500 lbs under GVRW and quite happy with what I can carry. All I am saying is you need to know what the exact dry weight not from a spec sheet then you have an idea of how much payload you can handle and if your TV can handle it.

[Roy-c]

Buy a F250 at the minimum ( Dodge or Chevy 2500 ) and then go get a trailer. DO NOT put your family or anyone elses at risk with too little tow vehicle. Look through this forum and you will find the same question over and over about a tow vehicle. Always the same answer.

[pedwards2932]

So you are saying nothing with less than a 15000 lb towing capacity will work......unbelievable.....guess everyone with 5000 lb towing cap are just crazy?

[Freqz]

Originally Posted by cooper_man

This is all incredible advice people! Thank you for your honesty and being so straight forward.

The good news is, all is NOT lost :-)

So my wife's car is due for replacement in May (she has a Tiguan) we were considering replacing with a Q7 or a Atlas both of which have towing capacity of over 5,000lb.

However, given your feedback, I think it would be wise to stick within the same weight range of 3000-3500. We will have the dog, bikes, a small grill, bedding, BEERS etc. Before you know it we'd be up at 4,000?

I'm going to take a look at extendables and hybrids. I've been conscious of the comfort in them, am I wrong?

Any thoughts on the preliminary list?

I can see myself getting addicted to this forum lol

This is good. Read everything. If you find yourself justifying, back up and consider carefully,

The good news is a-frames, hybrids, pop ups, etc. can be A LOT of fun. Seriously. Your kids and fur-kids don’t care about the trailer— they care about bike rides, walks in the woods, fishing, marshmallows on the fire, and just spending time with you guys. They’re plenty comfortable in decent weather and short-short/medium trips. I wouldn’t do 3 months to Alaska and back but a couple of weeks should be doable.

[tpaul]

Minimum F250? Really? There are plenty of smaller trailers that can be towed safely without having to buy a beast. Just have to watch the numbers and give yourself a little leeway and drive at a reasonable speed.

My family towed Airstreams with IH Travelalls and Suburbans for decades. Month long trips all over the US. I've towed a Salem with an Expedition and an Escalade. Now an Outdoors RV with a Yukon. All safely within the limits. And never over 65.

[tuffr2]

Once spring gets here you will be able to visit dealers and look for yourself, there will be dozens of 3,000 - 3,500 campers. Check out T@B 400, big pop-ups, big A-Liner type campers with two dormers.

I see you like uppity vehicles. There is not a more uppity vehicle than a Ram 1500 Limited, or the new Ford F-150 Limited. These trucks ride like cars plus can tow better/more than a short wheel base SUV. Again, I believe these uppity trucks compete very well with uppity SUV's. I believe the Ford F-150 Limited with have massaging seats. The 2021 F-150 can be ordered with a built in generator.

I just wanted to point out that they make bigger pop-ups, bigger A-Liner type, and bigger teardrop campers. I think I have seen an 'A' frame trailer with a bike rack in the front. These trailers will have a shower and bathroom. There are big pop-ups that have 3 areas that pop-out.

Oh, I have a friend that take their grandson camping so they bought a trailer with bunk beds. The 9 year old boy did not like the bunk area and sleep on the dinnette made into a bed. He said the bunks were too cramped.

Here is a 'A' frame camper with two dormers.

[Dave Pelletier]

Good call on the decision to avoid towing with the Wrangler; it really can't do much more than maybe a small tent trailer and I'd pass on even that.

Make sure to do all your homework, consider the trailers GVWR as the actual weight and stick well under your TV's maximum GCWR/tow ratings. Actual weights are required for anything even remotely close.

Certainly there are a great many trailers that can be safely towed by a half ton truck.....and there are many trailers that are pulled by half tons that shouldn't be! be safe.

There is a repeating theme to almost all of these discussions; usually the OP comes on and askes about a particular combo that he/she is interested in.....the reason for the question suggests that they know or suspect their combo is borderline. Many of these people are looking for confirmation that what they'd like to do is OK.....and, unfortunately many ignore the comments to the contrary and cherry-pick the comments they are looking for - confirmation bias is a dangerous thing. Luckily the OP on this thread seems to be taking all the advice in stride.

Most people will dispense good advice based on thier experiences; unfortunately some are mostly trying to justify that their F150 is just fine for their 10,000 lb trailer or that the money they spent on an F350 is justified because anything less shouldn't be used under any circumstance. .....most of us are navigating in-between.

I will say that these forums are littered with stories of people who tried using an inadequate tow vehicle and were forced to upgrade after their experiences were much less safe and comfortable than they imagined. Manufacturers play a big part in this problem as they throw out huge "tow rating" numbers to try to help sales and compete with brand X but, as we know, those numbers don't tell the whole story and in many cases are "best case" numbers.

Keep your eyes and mind open and error on the side of caution.

Cheers,
Dave

[cooper_man]

Thanks for all of the advice guys, really appreciate it!

Yes, in relation to the Wrangler, I totally take this on board. The interesting thing is that the same vehicle, with the same spec has a 5,000 limit in Europe and Australia which is crazy. I assume from a compliance/legal point of view it must be lower?

That being said, the reality is - if it's not suitable I completely understand too.

Strangely conversations changed a little at home last night. My wife loves the Wrangler but it has always been 'my car'. Maybe she makes it her car and I'll buy a Ram or a F150 lol

Anyway, as it stands we are leaning towards the R Pod 190. Seems like an adequate unit but I'm heading out over the next few days to see some Geo Pro, Jayco, R Pods and a few hybrid units. Open my eyes to whatever is out there.

Whilst we have the itch to get out on the road, the New Jersey weather is still really cold and icey, as such it's perfect timing for us to not jump to anything quickly and really decide slowly on what we need.

[astrocamper]

Figure out what you want to tow. Buy the vehicle appropriate for safely towing the trailer. Don't believe any sales person telling you that you can tow it just fine with what you have. You are the person who will be responsible for keeping your family safe. Do your research first.

[Danattherock]

I would definitely look at the pricing at couch RV in Ohio on the No Boundaries line, that's where many people choose to buy No Boundaries from including myself. We bought ours from them and they delivered it to our house here in North Carolina a few days later. We had a very good experience from start to finish.

We have camped over 70 nights in ours in the last 11 months and are very happy with it. We got the 19.3 which is a tandem axle 24 ft 4200 lb travel trailer. Azdel composite walls, aluminum framing, cold weather package standard, pre-wired for solar which we added, so many features that we really appreciate.

With over 10,000 mi towing ours, no major issues of any kind. Mostly state parks on the weekends and we did take a 22-day 5,700-mi trip to South Dakota and Colorado last August. Will be taking a 22-day trip in July to Colorado and Utah.


Dan
NC

Blue Mesa reservoir near Gunnison CO..

[ardvark16]

I see you are looking in New Jersey. Be very careful with purchasing anything from the dealers here. I have only found one to be reputable. The rest of them were totally shady with me on pricing. I would not buy from any dealer north of Williamstown. Fine to look, not good to buy from.

[lifeisbear]

Originally Posted by Roy-c

Buy a F250 at the minimum ( Dodge or Chevy 2500 ) and then go get a trailer. DO NOT put your family or anyone elses at risk with too little tow vehicle. Look through this forum and you will find the same question over and over about a tow vehicle. Always the same answer.

^THIS EXACTLY^


I ended up buying the snake oil and getting a TT that was "within maximum tow capacity"(dry) but when you actually computed all of the numbers I was well over payload, and super close to GCVWR. I made an expensive mistake that had to be corrected by getting a bigger tow vehicle. It was a happy mistake now looking back on it since we love our RV and I got a F250 out of the deal... however it was a very expensive mistake that could have been avoided.


SAFETY for your family and for others is the most important part of all of this.

[Tiguan Tow r]

If you're looking at used SUV's consider a VW Touareg V6 gas or diesel. Towing capacity is 7700 lbs. The SUV curb weight is 4900 lbs with an 8 speed tranny so it is a solid vehicle.

We tow a Venture Sonic Lite 168VRB. Specs are UVW is 2950, Dry Hitch Weight is 300# and GVWR is 4000#.

Our Touareg easily and safely tows our 21 footer VRB.