?Travel Trailer weght/Length for 04-08 F150
05-18-2019, 04:54 AM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Camano Island, Washington
Posts: 397
Likes: 0
Received 113 Likes
on
86 Posts
If I were to replace mine, it would be with this one, http://www.forestriverinc.com/rvs/tr...f/26DBH-L/4038
It uses the wasted space under the kitchen sink for the outdoor kitchen. A bit smaller than what is in the back, but better balanced for travel as that kitchen adds tail weight. It has an ice maker instead of a small fridge. What we liked about it is that the fixtures inside are higher quality than what you see in all the others, and of the three I looked at, the build quality was consistent, and seemed pretty good. We also liked that the bathroom is accessible while traveling, which a lot of slide out trailers are not.
BTW, Jayco, Cherokee(the wolf series) AKA Forest River, Dutchmen (who makes the Coleman I have) and many others are all made by Thor Industries. https://www.thorindustries.com/brands
It uses the wasted space under the kitchen sink for the outdoor kitchen. A bit smaller than what is in the back, but better balanced for travel as that kitchen adds tail weight. It has an ice maker instead of a small fridge. What we liked about it is that the fixtures inside are higher quality than what you see in all the others, and of the three I looked at, the build quality was consistent, and seemed pretty good. We also liked that the bathroom is accessible while traveling, which a lot of slide out trailers are not.
BTW, Jayco, Cherokee(the wolf series) AKA Forest River, Dutchmen (who makes the Coleman I have) and many others are all made by Thor Industries. https://www.thorindustries.com/brands
Forest River Inc is second only to Thor Industries, as far as largest RV manufacturers.
05-19-2019, 11:18 AM
#32
Ugh can't trust everything you find quickly on Google. Looks like Warren Buffett owns FR, the quick search had me thinking both were owned by Buffett, which is not the case. OOps.
That explains why the Alpha Wolf had nicer fixtures than all the others. The cabinets OTOH were identical in quality, if you can put RV cabinets and quality in the same sentence, this is it. On my list of to-dos, fix the cheap shoddy cabinet under the sink where everything is just stapled together with no glue. I pressed too hard on the shelf when installing the sink and if fell off. I had to Gorilla Glue the edge trim on the counter too as it popped off. The trim on the uppers is cut short so that both ends have particle board exposed. This is on my trailer, BUT I saw the same on brand new ones, regardless of model and price. In fact in one $120K 5th wheel, one of the cabinet doors in the master bedroom fell off.
When shopping, check these items out closely, you will quickly see that high end trailers have the same crappy cabinets as the low end ones.
That explains why the Alpha Wolf had nicer fixtures than all the others. The cabinets OTOH were identical in quality, if you can put RV cabinets and quality in the same sentence, this is it. On my list of to-dos, fix the cheap shoddy cabinet under the sink where everything is just stapled together with no glue. I pressed too hard on the shelf when installing the sink and if fell off. I had to Gorilla Glue the edge trim on the counter too as it popped off. The trim on the uppers is cut short so that both ends have particle board exposed. This is on my trailer, BUT I saw the same on brand new ones, regardless of model and price. In fact in one $120K 5th wheel, one of the cabinet doors in the master bedroom fell off.
When shopping, check these items out closely, you will quickly see that high end trailers have the same crappy cabinets as the low end ones.
05-20-2019, 09:08 AM
#33
My 2007 pulled like a dream. Sure, it was thirsty, but towing was effortless. 5 people and a dog in the truck with a weekend full of stuff, pulling a 23' boat (near 6000 lbs) with cruise control set at 72 and one hand on the wheel. Fast forward to my 2017 and towing has become an experience. It does not handle the boat anywhere near what the '07 did. The new truck feels squishy and floaty in the back end. The powertrain is incredible, but the suspension sucks! I wish I could get the powertrain from the 2017 and the stability of the 2007. I never expected to go backwards.
Congrats on the camper. I had no hesitations pulling pretty much anything with that generation of truck. I miss it.
Congrats on the camper. I had no hesitations pulling pretty much anything with that generation of truck. I miss it.
The following users liked this post:
nathan3306 (05-22-2019)
06-17-2019, 11:05 AM
#34
nathan3306
Thread Starter
Loaded up with family, gas, some fluids in the tank, and gear.
Hand written chicken scratch is the door jam limits.
I'm under on GCWR 15K pounds
Over truck GVRW 280lb
Over front axle by 130lb
Spare 250lb rear
Trailer GVWR spare 1200lb
06-18-2019, 01:43 AM
#35
Alright.... So we are currently torn between the Jayco 224bh and the Jayco 264bh. I think we both like the 224 a little bit better but the additional sofa in the 264 would be nice. Stepping up to the 264 would add length but not much weight so it's still a contender. I have since stumbled upon the cherokee grey wolf 23mkse. It seems like a really nice trailer with a ton of additional features compared the Jayco 224 except it lacks the outside kitchen. That's not a deal breaker but one of the things we'd like to have. I have no idea how those Cherokees are built or if the are on the same playing field as Jayco.
I just want a trailer that will last us 8-10 years with little to no fuss. Maintenance and upkeep is one of my obsessions so as long as the trailer is not built like a turd, I will be able to keep her going like it should.
I just want a trailer that will last us 8-10 years with little to no fuss. Maintenance and upkeep is one of my obsessions so as long as the trailer is not built like a turd, I will be able to keep her going like it should.
06-18-2019, 01:56 AM
#36
Your hitch is adjusted too much and is levering too much of the weight onto the front axle. Readjusting is needed. Load some cargo from the truck to the camper, over the axles, or slightly towards the rear of the camper, to fix the truck's GVWR.
06-18-2019, 07:07 AM
#37
nathan3306
Thread Starter
I'm very new to all of this especially weight distribution so any input is greatly appreciated.
Truck w/fuel & me//// loaded w/everything
steer-3640 ///////////////steer-3880
drive-2860 ///////////////drive-3600
trailer-0 ////////////////////trailer-4800
Trailer dry weight per factory sticker 4755 but I have no way to measure the tongue right now.
Departure I had zero water in the tanks. The tail wags a little bit but this was the first real test for me and very new/cautious. It could've been a lot of anxiety but I was constantly watching the trailer. The only time I felt like I was about to hit the trailer brakes is when we got a little blast of wind. Of course semis and fast moving cars pulled us some and I near $het my pants going over a very tall bridge used for extremely tall sailboats/ cargo ships or something.... dumbest bridge ever. anyways that was a pucker factor but it did just fine.
On the way back I left about 1/8th of tank of water (in front of the trailer's axles) to experiment. I don't know if it was pulling better or I was just becoming more comfortable with the whole setup.
I'm running the E2 weight distribution hitch with 1K bars. Before we left I had five washers in the head and the truck was sitting a little nose high and trailer nose down. I added another washer and it brought everything to darn near perfect. The trailer is sitting just a wee bit nose down now but the hitch is pretty darn loud, with the popping and creaking noises.
Meant to add the only additional weight we had in the truck was the Coleman grill, half case of water, and three bikes in the bed. I tried to pack lite since I knew weight was going to be an issue with my truck.
Truck w/fuel & me//// loaded w/everything
steer-3640 ///////////////steer-3880
drive-2860 ///////////////drive-3600
trailer-0 ////////////////////trailer-4800
Trailer dry weight per factory sticker 4755 but I have no way to measure the tongue right now.
Departure I had zero water in the tanks. The tail wags a little bit but this was the first real test for me and very new/cautious. It could've been a lot of anxiety but I was constantly watching the trailer. The only time I felt like I was about to hit the trailer brakes is when we got a little blast of wind. Of course semis and fast moving cars pulled us some and I near $het my pants going over a very tall bridge used for extremely tall sailboats/ cargo ships or something.... dumbest bridge ever. anyways that was a pucker factor but it did just fine.
On the way back I left about 1/8th of tank of water (in front of the trailer's axles) to experiment. I don't know if it was pulling better or I was just becoming more comfortable with the whole setup.
I'm running the E2 weight distribution hitch with 1K bars. Before we left I had five washers in the head and the truck was sitting a little nose high and trailer nose down. I added another washer and it brought everything to darn near perfect. The trailer is sitting just a wee bit nose down now but the hitch is pretty darn loud, with the popping and creaking noises.
Meant to add the only additional weight we had in the truck was the Coleman grill, half case of water, and three bikes in the bed. I tried to pack lite since I knew weight was going to be an issue with my truck.
Last edited by nathan3306; 06-18-2019 at 07:15 AM. Reason: adding the things to the stuff