ChrisNavy

The wife and I are toying with the idea of a camper. I have pulled a trailer 2 times in my life an 8 ft low boy trailer with some lawn furniture and a 30ft gooseneck when we moved (used a friends 3500 Cummins) both times I was comfortable towing them 45 min drives on familiar roads. My uncle-in-law has offered to let us borrow his camper for a trip at the end of the year. His camper is a 30usbh trail runner unloaded weight of 6783 and gvwr of 10368. I really like the idea of using the trip as a test run to see if we like this whole camping with a travel trailer thing. With a payload of 1873 (3.5 Eco 3.31 rear, fx4 screw) can I safely tow this with my wife and baby and minimal stuff in the truck and be under all limits. Or is this thing really just to big and close to the limits for a comfortable trip. His camper is heavier and longer than I would want but at the same time I was thinking it might be good to use it since it is probably at the top of the trucks ability in the trial to see if I am comfortable with it. The trip will be about 300 miles round trip through the Texas hill country not exactly through the Rockies but it won't be flat. Also the trip we will be on the road 26 Dec and 31 Dec so I'm assuming there will be quite a bit of traffic.

PawPaw

That over 10K gross wt. would scare me. My truck also has the Eco and 3.31's and my max towing wt. is 9200 lbs. Guess if you keep the trailer loaded lightly it won't be too bad. If not you'll be fighting it on the highway.

smokeywren

Estimated minimum weight of the wet and loaded trailer ready to camp is about 8,000 pounds with tongue weight (TW) of 1,040 pounds, plus at least 60 pounds for the required weight-distributing hitch for a total minimum hitch weight of 1,100 pounds.



Maybe, but only if both you and DW are willing to follow some rules. With 1,873 payload and hitch weight of 1,100 pounds or more, that leaves only 773 pounds or less for you, DW and Kiddo.


1. Haul absolutely nothing in the pickup but you, DW and Kiddo. No tools, jacks, firewood, nothing that weighs more than a napkin.


2. Extreme minimum weight in the trailer. No fresh water, nothing in the holding tanks, no dishes other than paper, no pots and pans, no canned goods or drinks. (Stock up on camping supplies AFTER you arrive at the campground and drop the trailer.)

3. Don't even think about trying to drag that trailer without a good weight-distributing (WD) hitch. Uncle-in-law probably already has it installed on the trailer, but if not then don't tow that trailer unless you install a good WD hitch first.


4. After you get loaded up for the trip, drive to a truckstop that has a certified automated truck (CAT) scale, fill up with gas, then weigh the wet and loaded rig. Add the weight on the front and rear axles of the tow vehicle and compare to the GVWR of the tow vehicle. Then and only then will you know how much unused payload capacity you have left for any additional weight in the truck. If you followed the rules, then you should still have a coupla hundred pounds of unused payload capacity available.


In the Hill Country, CAT scales are few and far between. There is one on I-35 south of Austin at Buda. (10700 South Highway 183, Buda, TX 78610)
https://catscale.com/cat-scale-locator/map/

ChrisNavy

Hmm... My uncle does have a WDH setup. Maybe to close for comfort for me. I didn't not think about the total hitch weight 1100 lbs would be an idealized weight and more than likely I would exceed that. This also is the maximum my factory hitch can carry per the specs. I will have to pass on towing this trailer.

humblerb

For a newbie, I believe 150 miles with that trailer wouldn't be fun for you.
When you say unloaded weight are talking about weighed on a scale?
Or are you talking about dry weight?
You will typically add about 1,000#-1,200# to a trailer for camping. If it is dry weight you're going to be about 7800# - 8,000# probably.


Since this is not your trailer, you might not add that much as you won't have your permanent camping gear in it. We recently towed 7200# through the hill country. (I was shocked at how windy it was over there.) I'm at about my maximum personal comfort weight at 7200#. Our first trailer weighed 8400# and was not fun. I traded it off in less than a year and took a $10k hit on it just because I wasn't enjoying our trips.

Jus Cruisin

Shoot..... Hook it up and see what it looks like. Take it for a spin and see how it feels. If that feels ok then go for it. You're only going 300 miles, not across the country.

HacksawMark

I would say no. That trailer is too big. Need to think smaller to be safe.

Nighthawk87

He'll be fine. I have practically the same truck except I have slightly more payload. I'm towing a 6100 pound trailer that is probably about 7100-7200 loaded. While I'm not no f250 when towing, it tows pretty good for a half ton.

I'd recommend trying it. Your in a better position than most by getting to test tow. I wanted to do that but never was allowed.