Travel Trailer Information

[rainbow]

We are thinking about getting an rv travel trailer. Never had one and wanted to see what some of you may know about them. What to watch out for, size to buy, features, etc. Any help would be appreciated.

[Dutch]

What type of tow vehicle do you have? Are you looking for a bumper hitch or a 5th wheeler?

[rainbow]

Dutch, looking for a bumper hitch type. No 5th wheel or popup. Tow vehicle is a Z71 chevy with a 350.

[Dutch]

With the proper hitch you should be able to pull somewhere around a 30' with no problem. I pulled a mid 20s for years with a 1/2 ton 350. The farthest I pulled it was on a 500 mile trip with no problems. It weighed around 3500 lbs empty. You probably should check your manual and see what the pulling capacity and load capacity is. It will probably drop your bumper by 6" or more.

If you get a trailer with slides you will greatly increase the load.

[flyfshn]

Rainbow, I have a 2002 Z71 and a 2003 28' Keystone Hornet (no slides). It weighs approx 5000 lbs empty and do not have any issues. Pull it from STL to Taney several times a year at 70-75 mph....little slower on the long steep hills. Your owners manual will probably tell you that you can tow 7800lbs. You will need a weight distributing hitch and a sway bar (don't let anyone tell you that it is not needed). It does not have a slide, but it is big enough for the 5 of us. I would suggust finding a used one since it will be less expensive (just like a car). We purchased it in 2004 for approx $11k. Not sure where you live, but we purchased ours from Byerly in Eureka, MO and I can provide the salesmans name and number if interested....purchased 2 pop ups and the TT from him (great guy that you can trust). The only negative thing I can say about it is the gas mileage (or lack of it) you will get while pulling it. I get about 9-10 miles to the gallon, but I push it hard up the hills and that does not help. You will also want to get molded mirror extenders for your truck. They allow you to see around the sides of the camper while pulling it, so you can change lanes safely. It is really nice to leave it stocked so you can hook up and go. Let me know if you have any additional questions.

[bojack]

rainbow;

we have a 2003 dutchman 26rl(26ft.) with a 14ft slide. weight is +/- 6500lbs dry. it's a great trailer with the full glass windows in the rear so when your eating or on the couch you can see what is going on outside and lets in a lot of light. we pull it with a 97 tahoe with tow pkg. oil cooler 350ci with 250hp. 373 rear end and that is the max for our tahoe in fact we may be a little over weight. it pulls it well but you know it's back there. went to the smokies 2 years ago and it did well~~bogs down on the hills. the slide makes all the difference in the world, but there is a trade off with the weight. i'm looking to upgrade my tahoe with more HP. my brother has a 2 or 3 year old 26ft. sunline that he has just decided to sell, in fact he selling it way below book value. if interested let me know and i'll put you in touch with him. i don't know that much about it except he really needs to sell it now. we enjoy ours and are very happy with it. we got ours from bourbon rv and they beat byerly and 2 other rv people. good luck.

[flyfshn]

Good recommendation bojack....I forgot to metion that I had an oil cooler installed on my Z71 for added protection. It wasn't real expensive to add and well worth it.

[rainbow]

Bojack, thanks for the info. PM me the details of your brothers rv and location. I have looked at a lot of them and it can make you dizzy (actually started that way). Appreciate all the input guys.