Travel trailers

[skyking]

I always suggest buying used. We've had 3 5th wheels and one tent trailer. My personal preference is 5th wheel for how it tows, but a conventional trailer is fine if set up properly.
Every RV we have had was private party. It is always buyer beware out there, and I was confident of my ability to evaluate what was in front of me.

 

[Sukhoi]

I'm not sure if they come quite that small, but some toy haulers have a neat feature where the back ramp is held horizontal to act as a deck with a railing around it, and then a big screen with a smaller screen door in it covers the opening. Seems like it would feel a lot bigger inside.

 

[BoomerD]

Build quality from the factory has been terrible over the past few years. The workers are in such pressure to get them out as fast as possible, way too many things get over-looked...and they depend on the dealer to fix things...things usually no one notices until it's been sold and you are out camping with it...and things go to shit.

I second SkyKing's recommend of buying a decent used one...not so much for the cost savings, but because USUALLY the previous owner has found and corrected all the defects it came out of the factory with.
You say your truck will tow 9,000 lbs. Make sure you research that VERY carefully. Just the manufacturer's "towing sheet" will only give general towing capacity for the year, make, and model, without any deductions for equipment or actual payload capacity. (and never trust an RV salesman if he tells you, "Oh sure, your truck can tow this, no problem." They only want to make a sale...they don't give a damn if your truck can actually tow it safely.)

 

[olds]

^^^ Good points

More info:

 

[Greenman]

Build quality from the factory has been terrible over the past few years. The workers are in such pressure to get them out as fast as possible, way too many things get over-looked...and they depend on the dealer to fix things...things usually no one notices until it's been sold and you are out camping with it...and things go to shit.

I second SkyKing's recommend of buying a decent used one...not so much for the cost savings, but because USUALLY the previous owner has found and corrected all the defects it came out of the factory with.
You say your truck will tow 9,000 lbs. Make sure you research that VERY carefully. Just the manufacturer's "towing sheet" will only give general towing capacity for the year, make, and model, without any deductions for equipment or actual payload capacity. (and never trust an RV salesman if he tells you, "Oh sure, your truck can tow this, no problem." They only want to make a sale...they don't give a damn if your truck can actually tow it safely.)

I've been towing a dump trailer for the last 19 years, so I have a pretty solid grasp of what my truck can tow. I've hauled loads that were at the limit of it's ability's, and absolutely wouldn't consider doing it for more than 50 miles or over steep hills. 5k lbs is my dry weight limit on a travel trailer.

 

[skyking]

I've been towing a dump trailer for the last 19 years, so I have a pretty solid grasp of what my truck can tow. I've hauled loads that were at the limit of it's ability's, and absolutely wouldn't consider doing it for more than 50 miles or over steep hills. 5k lbs is my dry weight limit on a travel trailer.

It is good practice. I also have way more truck than I need. Towing to the limits reminds me of work. I go traveling to get away from work.

 

[Greenman]

It is good practice. I also have way more truck than I need. Towing to the limits reminds me of work. I go traveling to get away from work.

It is work. It's stressful, it's watching every gauge and feeling every odd vibration. It's constant worry that something is going to break, or there is going to be an emergency stop that you won't be able to make.

I'll skip the entire thing before I'll go through that.

 

[skyking]

My 3500 Ram is rated at 15,900 pounds towing capacity, but the most I have towed with it is my sister's 12K 5th wheel she is living in while they are building her new home.

It rides fine, better than my 9K trailer does. Of course I did not have to climb any passes with it, just a short 5 mile run from town. I have had our trailer all over Washington Oregon California and a little bit of Idaho.

 

[Greenman]

Goose neck helps a lot, puts the load over the axel where it really needs to be.
Beyond my needs though.
It's already looking like the only difference retirement will make is that while I won't have to go to work every day, I'll end up working every day, as it appears that I'm going to have to buy a house and remodel it to get what I want. The south seems to be in love with popcorn ceilings, fiberglass showers, and shoe molding. All things I hate. They also seem to be pretty stuck on a fireplace being the central element of the family room. A design choice that makes absolutely no sense to me.
On the plus side I'll have an excuse to build a shop and buy a sliding table saw for all the built-ins the wife will want.

 

[tynopik]

(video deleted, apparently charging storage fees for an RV undergoing warranty work was a 'misunderstanding')