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Old 05-08-2014, 03:35 PM   #1
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Question Flagstaff Super-Lite 26RLWS help needed

Does anyone on this forum have any experience with or knowledge of the Flagstaff Super-Lite 26RLWS? We are planning on the purchase of this unit if all goes well and there are no inherent major issues. We are absolute newbies, never towed a travel trailer, and are trying to eliminate as many issues as possible before towing. We have a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab 5.7L and 3.55 axle. I've been told and my research seems to confirm that this is more than enough truck for this TT but I'm unsure. I don't know anything about trailer brakes or hitches needed for this kind of tow. Also, we are trying to find out about delamination problems with this model, if any, and what sort of problems occur with vacuum bonding if it is holed by a rock or something.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. We are recently retired and want to spend a considerable amount of time traveling/camping. Thanks
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Old 05-08-2014, 09:12 PM   #2
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We bought the 27RLWS and were towing it with a 3005 Dodge 1500 Hemi 5.7 4X4 crew cab. The TT weighed in dry at 6333 with 7500 max. It pulled it well but really wasn't enough truck sober traded up to 2013 Dodge 2500 4X4 crew 6.7 Cummings. Pulls great now with no issues. The 26 is lighter. You will need a transmission cooler and a brake controller. Mountains could be an issue. Your coming at at 5895 lbs dry. Do you had a tow package on your truck?
No delam issues just minor stuff like in buying a new house. To buy a TT you should be handy at fixing stuff which is with any make and model. Read through the forum an you will find several threads that are more than helpful. I would buy another Forest River again.
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2014 Flagstaff Super Lite Classic 27RLWS Emerald
2013 Dodge 2500 4x4 Laramie Crew
Equal-i-zer 1200/12,000 4-point WDH
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Old 05-08-2014, 09:31 PM   #3
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Unfortunately that's not enough information to know your exact towing capacity. You can find this out at Home | Dodge Body Builder's Guide. In my spec, my Ram 1500 has a towing capacity of 8300 lbs. My 2012 Flagstaff Super Lite Classic 29QBSS dry (per the yellow sticker) is 5538 lbs so you'd think I'd have plenty of room to load it up right?

Nope.

The big limiting factor in the 1/2 tons is payload. When it's just me and the trailer I'm under my Ram's 1150 lbs of payload. But when I have the wife, kids and dogs with me I'm over. So much so that I theoretically should be towing something 1/2 the size that I am. And it shows. Huge differences in how it handles with or without the family.

One of the other member's on here (ependydad) runs a website with a very good calculator that can show you what all the various numbers do your ability to tow. He's got it available at Towing Planner - towing capability calculators.

I recommend you look up your exact spec truck on the rambodybuilder, then go plug your information into the calculator on towingplanner to see what you think you'll want to safely tow.

If the 26RLWS is still in range, great. If not, well, that might still be fine. It'll be up to you, but at least you'll be knowledgeable with where you sit and can adjust to the situation.
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Old 05-10-2014, 03:55 PM   #4
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I assume you meant the 27RLWS. I would not think you have enough truck. Judt because the tongue weight and empty TT weight are within the specs of your tow vehicle, you have to think about fully loaded weight. We are currently on a 1600 mile trip with that model. Our vehicle is a Ford F250 Super Duty/Crew cab with a 6.2 liter engine plus tow package and camper package. Need both. The TT pulls easily when fully loaded, but our milage is between 7.5 to 9 mpg. Granted this was across the Appellacians on I-64 and I-70, but with a smaller engine your vehicle would likely do worse while putting a lot of hard pulling miles on it.
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Old 05-10-2014, 04:06 PM   #5
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My DW stills says I agreed on the 27ELWS cause I wanted a new truck. Well I didn't think about it at the time but I got the new truck. We are both enjoying the TW and the TT. Camping in it as I type and do so about every other weekend.
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2013 Dodge 2500 4x4 Laramie Crew
Equal-i-zer 1200/12,000 4-point WDH
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Old 05-10-2014, 04:10 PM   #6
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I am truly appreciative of the information and of the planning guides but using them has left me highly confused. I plugged in the numbers from my sticker using the Cargo Carrying Capacity and by the time I filled in the approximate weights for the rest of the fields in the Towing Capability Calculator I came up with some extremely unreasonable numbers. With only passengers (weighted accurately) and other cargo inside and in the bed the loaded trailer weight estimate was less than that of a boat and trailer. I am totally shocked that my truck supposedly cannot pull even a boat adequately.
HELP!
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Old 05-10-2014, 04:27 PM   #7
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Flagstaff Super-Lite 26RLWS help needed

My dealer researched my 2005 Dodge Ram Hemi 5.7 4X4 crew can with the tow package and it can up with towing 8550. Based on that, we bought the 27RLWS with a dry weight of 6333 (weight differs per trailer) and a max of 7500. I did the same thing with the calculator and found out that it would be difficult to tow a jet ski. So...we upgraded to the 6.7 2500 with 11,000 tow capability. I did that calculator but I too found the numbers ridiculously off to the lowest terms. We pulled that TT with the 1500 just fine but on limited hills an short distances. I have seen people pulling 5ers with 1/2 ton trucks and huge TT's. We opted for the bigger TW rather than risk the white knuckle ride as others put it. I would rather have more TW than TT. If we opted for the smaller Micro Lites I would still have the 1500. We liked the floodplain of the bigger TT with the knowledge of a bigger TW.
Based on that calculator we would need a huge Kenworth to pull our TT.
Hitch weight is a big thing as it based on your load. It's not just how much it can drag down the road. Then stoping at the bottom of the mountain pass comes into play as well.
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2013 Dodge 2500 4x4 Laramie Crew
Equal-i-zer 1200/12,000 4-point WDH
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Old 05-10-2014, 09:34 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Intrepid Travelers View Post
I am truly appreciative of the information and of the planning guides but using them has left me highly confused. I plugged in the numbers from my sticker using the Cargo Carrying Capacity and by the time I filled in the approximate weights for the rest of the fields in the Towing Capability Calculator I came up with some extremely unreasonable numbers. With only passengers (weighted accurately) and other cargo inside and in the bed the loaded trailer weight estimate was less than that of a boat and trailer. I am totally shocked that my truck supposedly cannot pull even a boat adequately.
HELP!
Intrepid Travelers

Unforunately, that's the reality of it. My 1500 has the exact same payload capacity as my wife's minivan. They're not quite the workhorses we're lead to believe. Plugging my numbers in with the family and travelling comforts I shouldn't even be pulling a pop up. It doesn't stop me from towing though. Even though I'm over on payload, I'm still within pulling / stopping capacity. The difference is that I'm aware I'm over on payload. Because I'm aware I pay more attention when towing than I did the first few times I towed. I watch my speeds, I do more to avoid bumps, potholes. I'll take the longer route to avoid gravel roads that can be rough on suspension, etc... And I've ended up getting a lot better ride out of it. Before I learned about this I used to have some bad sway issues. By shifting my loads around and changing my driving style I don't have those same kinds of issues.

And the biggest thing is I don't expect the truck to last as long. Being constantly over the payload is putting more stress on the frame and suspension, so this is where I'm keeping an eye out for issues. Does probability state they are more likely to fail? Yep. Will they fail? I don't know.

As I said, all of this doesn't stop me from camping though, and you shouldn't think it has to stop you either. Just go out, have fun, but now you have the knowledge to help you also be safe.
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