Buying a TT, what should I be worried about?
03-05-2016, 12:03 AM
#11
Opinionated Blowhard
What should you worry about? A sales man that points to the 35' fifth wheel and says, "Sure, your truck will pull that! No problem!!"
It looks like you're aware of the limits of your truck weight wise. While you may not dry camp, I think you are underestimating the weight of your potential load at 1,000 lbs. Chalks, a bottle jack, tools, and a lot of other stuff can quickly add up. You will want to carry some water in your tank and keep your LP tank(s) full, plus that battery adds 35-50 lbs to the hitch as well.
The key to comfortable and safe tow in my opinion is to mind the weights and to make sure your weight distributing hitch is set up right. It pisses me off to see someone towing with 3" of sag in a weight distributing hitch. Not only is it a rough ride, but it is extremely unsafe. My setup is so good that I don't even use a sway bar system of any kind. The trailer is rock steady.
If you aren't certain, make sure to get a hitch weight at the dealer before you buy it. The trailer should be prepped - full LP, battery, hitch components. The dealer should have a hitch scale that will enable you to get a accurate "dry weight." Once you have that and are satisfied that you have adequate payload then add 10-12% of your anticipated load to that weight and voila! you have the high end of your hitch weight. Also, a trip across a scale with your trailer will help you with all your weights.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
It looks like you're aware of the limits of your truck weight wise. While you may not dry camp, I think you are underestimating the weight of your potential load at 1,000 lbs. Chalks, a bottle jack, tools, and a lot of other stuff can quickly add up. You will want to carry some water in your tank and keep your LP tank(s) full, plus that battery adds 35-50 lbs to the hitch as well.
The key to comfortable and safe tow in my opinion is to mind the weights and to make sure your weight distributing hitch is set up right. It pisses me off to see someone towing with 3" of sag in a weight distributing hitch. Not only is it a rough ride, but it is extremely unsafe. My setup is so good that I don't even use a sway bar system of any kind. The trailer is rock steady.
If you aren't certain, make sure to get a hitch weight at the dealer before you buy it. The trailer should be prepped - full LP, battery, hitch components. The dealer should have a hitch scale that will enable you to get a accurate "dry weight." Once you have that and are satisfied that you have adequate payload then add 10-12% of your anticipated load to that weight and voila! you have the high end of your hitch weight. Also, a trip across a scale with your trailer will help you with all your weights.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
03-13-2016, 03:59 AM
#13
Junior Member
How about before you buy a trailer or fifth-wheel, Google payload capacity and enter all your numbers and it tells you the size trailer/5er you can tow. Keep us all safe!
03-13-2016, 08:21 AM
#14
Senior Member
+1 On the word "handle". Do you want to be close to maxed out, worried about how you load stuff, or do want to have an ample "cushion"? Say you want to bring another passenger, your kids bring a friend along, or whatever? Then what?
Myself, I have towed a trailer where it was "marginal", technically it was OK, but on the roads, it was close. Never again! Pulling long grades was a major PITA. I ended up going from a half ton truck to a one ton dually.
FWIW: This was when I was living in Western WA state. Traveling over the mountains in the spring and fall was a VERY common camping trip, getting away from the cool drizzle to warm sunshine. Coming back home up Vantage Pass was a real test of the tow vehicle. On trailer handling, living in Western WA or OR is a good test. Some of the best camping is up in the mountains. And the good weather most of the year is on the other side of the mountains. I would love to hear a report on pulling Vantage with a marginal tow vehicle/heavy trailer.
If you have never owned a trailer, you may find you will use it a lot more than you think. When we lived in WA, we went camping two or three times a month at least, year round. In the winter, we would stick with the coast and Olympic Peninsula, even if it was raining. Once spring came, we were heading east. Outstanding state parks in WA, along with endless primitive forest service camping (where you better plan on bringing water).
This time I took the opposite approach and got a MUCH smaller trailer so I could use my current F150.
Most people out there either have too much trailer for their truck or too much truck for their trailer. I much prefer the latter. Trailer salespeople love selling the biggest freakin trailer they can, and sure, the amenities of larger trailers are oh so much nicer. Too much trailer means difficulty pulling a grade, handling and possibly stopping problems. Too much truck means settling for a smaller trailer, but pulling any grade with ease, handling and stopping is a breeze. Bigger trailers also cut camping options. State and National Parks often have low limits on trailer lengths. Check overall length limits for camping at your favorite national park.
And myself, giving up the truck canopy is a downer. Surely you are going to want to store stuff in the bed of the truck, and keeping that stuff dry/under cover is pretty nice. And once you are unhooked from the trailer, your truck with the canopy will be more useful for shopping, sightseeing, fishing, or whatever. You will miss that canopy.
Myself, I have towed a trailer where it was "marginal", technically it was OK, but on the roads, it was close. Never again! Pulling long grades was a major PITA. I ended up going from a half ton truck to a one ton dually.
FWIW: This was when I was living in Western WA state. Traveling over the mountains in the spring and fall was a VERY common camping trip, getting away from the cool drizzle to warm sunshine. Coming back home up Vantage Pass was a real test of the tow vehicle. On trailer handling, living in Western WA or OR is a good test. Some of the best camping is up in the mountains. And the good weather most of the year is on the other side of the mountains. I would love to hear a report on pulling Vantage with a marginal tow vehicle/heavy trailer.
If you have never owned a trailer, you may find you will use it a lot more than you think. When we lived in WA, we went camping two or three times a month at least, year round. In the winter, we would stick with the coast and Olympic Peninsula, even if it was raining. Once spring came, we were heading east. Outstanding state parks in WA, along with endless primitive forest service camping (where you better plan on bringing water).
This time I took the opposite approach and got a MUCH smaller trailer so I could use my current F150.
Most people out there either have too much trailer for their truck or too much truck for their trailer. I much prefer the latter. Trailer salespeople love selling the biggest freakin trailer they can, and sure, the amenities of larger trailers are oh so much nicer. Too much trailer means difficulty pulling a grade, handling and possibly stopping problems. Too much truck means settling for a smaller trailer, but pulling any grade with ease, handling and stopping is a breeze. Bigger trailers also cut camping options. State and National Parks often have low limits on trailer lengths. Check overall length limits for camping at your favorite national park.
And myself, giving up the truck canopy is a downer. Surely you are going to want to store stuff in the bed of the truck, and keeping that stuff dry/under cover is pretty nice. And once you are unhooked from the trailer, your truck with the canopy will be more useful for shopping, sightseeing, fishing, or whatever. You will miss that canopy.
Last edited by thrifty biil; 03-13-2016 at 09:20 AM.
03-13-2016, 12:46 PM
#15
Senior Member
After looking at your truck and your proposed trailer, I don't see a problem as long as you pack with a little discretion.