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Old 06-20-2015, 09:30 AM   #1
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The new 2104S

Picked up the new, dropped off the old, and what a difference! It towed pretty well up the 50 miles or so on I-5. It is about 1,000 lbs heavier that the I-18 that I traded in (both dry and loaded) Friends and family came around for the 50 cent tour and I heard nothing but good comments about the looks, room and construction.

Found a couple of glitches - the sofa was badly scuffed on the inside arm (dealer is replacing) and the TV Antenna had been left up and had folded over. This was found during the walk through, but no word on the fix. spent one night in the driveway. Mattress is very good, A/C good enough to hang meat in. I do see some pinched digits pending when folding out the Murphy.

I have some concern with my 1999 Tacoma V6/SR5/TRD and how it will tow when loaded. Truck lists tow capacity @ 5,000 and the trailer's max is over 4,800. I have added a good trans cooler, Reese receiver hitch with weight distribution bars and friction anti sway bar. I even went a little nuts and boxed the rear frame. The truck stays level when the trailer weight is added, but not a loaded trailer. BFG All Terrain LT11.50/32/R tires and recent Bilstein shocks. I was getting about 11.5 mpg with OD off at 2,800 rpm with the prior trailer, but this one sits MUCH higher. So, before I add any more truck upgrades, I load it up and run it for a while. The 2d gen Tacoma's have a factory tow package @ 6,500 lbs with a few more HP.

So far I am VERY happy (as is my wife) with the 2104S!


Joe R.
SW Washington
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Old 06-20-2015, 10:36 AM   #2
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Congrats on the new camper. I am spending the first weekend in my 2104S as I type. I have a Hummer H3 Alpha with the V8 5.3L and was please with how it towed until I got on the highway. Water temp rose and after about 45 mph it was painful. My Hummer is rated at 6,000 tow capacity. I would be really curious what you find after towing it more.
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Old 06-21-2015, 08:29 AM   #3
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Congratulations on the new unit. I don't want to be a downer, but I'll share my experience.

We bought a Mini-lite 2306 in March of this year. Dry weight = 3850#. I had a 2006 Tacoma, V6, manual transmission at the time. As you mentioned, that truck had a tow rating of 6500#.

I towed the camper twice, both local trips (30 miles or less). After the second trip, I realized that I just wasn't comfortable towing with that truck. I bought a Tundra and haven't looked back.

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2015 Rockwood 2306
2006 Toyota Tacoma
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Old 06-21-2015, 05:08 PM   #4
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We'll be taking it out in a couple of weeks for a short tow and a 4 day weekend just to test everything out. Will get weights and have a better feel on how the Toyota will do. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the info - it all helps!

Joe R'
SW Washington
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Old 06-21-2015, 09:52 PM   #5
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I traded in a 2008 limited tundra 4.7 crewmax on a 2015 tacoma 4x4. I pull the exact same trailer. My tacoma actually pulls it better than the tundra powerwise. Geared lower I guess. You just need to get a good weight distribution hitch and a brake controller. I hated that Tundra because it was just too big. I still love my 2000 tundra with 250K. I use them both.
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Old 06-22-2015, 06:36 AM   #6
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Just came back from our 2104s maiden voyage. Pulled great 11mpg, would like better but okay.
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Old 06-22-2015, 02:52 PM   #7
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We have a 2104 and tow with a '12 Tacoma with tow package. The trailer, at camping weight, is a little under 5k pounds. I know it's back there when towing but I cruise along at 58 mph or so and it does fine. We have the WDH, friction sway control, brake controller and air bags in the rear of the truck to level it all out nicely. It struggles some up-hill but rarely gets below 45 mph. I get around 11.5 MPG when towing.
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Old 06-22-2015, 03:02 PM   #8
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Congrat on your new rig. Later RJD
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Old 06-23-2015, 09:12 AM   #9
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I can see where the added height of the 2104 may be an issue as my prior trailer was about a foot lower and had an aero front wall. Of course, the fiberglass "nose cone" on the old one wasted much space. We will be going east on I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge in a couple of weeks. It's a pretty flat drive but there can be wicked east/west wind gusts. We shall see....
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Old 07-17-2015, 01:24 AM   #10
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I'm in the same boat with a Nissan Frontier (factory tow package) that has essentially the same towing specs. I'm seriously looking at a 2104s and will keep a close eye on this thread.
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Old 07-17-2015, 08:04 AM   #11
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Just some advice from my very recent buy. GET YOUR TV FIRST!!!! I had a Hummer H3 Alpha rated at 6000lb towing. I searched and searched for something light to tow that I liked. Everything I loved was too heavy. But I found the 2104S. So I bought one. I have had it about 2 months. It weighed in at 4100lbs so I should be more than good right. WRONG. It was painful towing. So what did I do, I went out and bought a brand new Ram 1500 rated at a little over 10,000.... So now I have a TT I like, don't hate it, but don't love it either. If I had to do it over again I would have bought the truck and then shopped for my camper.

So anyone want to buy a very gently used (3 nights) 2016 2104S??? :-)
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Old 07-20-2015, 05:11 PM   #12
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Took it on a 150 mile trip (one way) along the Columbia River. Towed fine with a 10.3 mpg result. On the return trip I was heading into a 20+ mph headwind. The trailer moved around a little, but stayed in lane without much trouble. MPG went down to 7.5 though. Once the wind quit it was back to normal.

Would I prefer a larger truck? sure, a 1/2 ton pick-up would be fine.
Do I require one? No
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Old 07-20-2015, 06:42 PM   #13
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I am towing a 2104S with a 2014 6 cylinder Dodge Durango with towing package. It's rated for 6,200 pounds. It's a little slow on upgrades and hills, but I am quite pleased and don't feel unsafe at all. I average about 12 mpg, better on flat highways.
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Old 07-20-2015, 07:31 PM   #14
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Tow a 2104S with a 2013 Frontier 4x4. Recently towed about 650 miles from Oklahoma to Colorado. No problems, but never towed anything with a full size pickup so I don't have anything to compare it to. Averaged about 10 mpg. Always towed out of overdrive. Run about 60 mph at 2750 rpm climbing in elevation from Ok to Colorado. Couldn't always keep up with the others in our caravan, but they were in a Class B van and a Class A bus. 65 to 70 mph is just too fast for me. If I had to do it over again probably would buy a F150 Ecoboost for a TV. Love the 2104s, no problems so far. A little disappointed in the Murphy bed. We put a full size queen mattress on, so now it's pretty heavy to lift up and down everyday. But we sleep great.
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Old 07-21-2015, 03:35 PM   #15
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towing 2104

My 99 Toyota Tacoma, Extra Cab, TRD, SR5, automatic with the 3.4 v6. It runs at 2800 rpm @ 60 mph with 32" tires and the ovedrive off. I got 11.8 mpg with a 3200 lb trailer and 10.3 with the 4200 lb Mini Lite. The mini lite is much taller and does not have a aero front like my I-18 did. Pulling hills, it drops down a gear and will run at 55 mph at about 4000 rpm. I have the Toyota ETC (electronically controlled transmission) on. (Fancy words meaning shift points are raised about 500 rpm) The V6 is rated at 190 hp @ 4800 and 220 ft lbs @ 3600. I don't like running along over 65 mph in case of the unexpected. My WD hitch is adjusted so the truck ride height remains within 1" of the unloaded height and I have a friction type sway control. If I had the $$$, I'd go for that new Dodge 1/2T diesel, but I do have a son-in-law with a Dodge 1T Cummins...... and, then again, Toyota has a blower package for the V6!
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Old 07-30-2015, 05:10 AM   #16
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Simply said the fine print in the vehicle manual will warn of frontal load force that are related to drag. Normally a percentage like 40%.
Have 2109S, I used a 2013 Explorer, for TV, once. A trip to Shasta Lake with 25-30head winds cured me of being close to capacity in tow rating. Now F150 EcoBoost, just breeze, nice having capacity! 😃


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Old 07-30-2015, 06:49 AM   #17
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I have a 2014 Silverado 1500 with towing package and WDH pulling a 2016 2104s. About 11mpg. This truck pulls my trailer excellent. I can keep up with any traffic on the road while climbing and flat road. Of course my MPG changes accordingly. I purchased the TV before the trailer.
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Old 11-30-2016, 03:52 PM   #18
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WDH & Sway bar

Looking for recommendations on WDH & Sway for 2104S. TV is a 2015 1500 Silverado
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Old 11-30-2016, 04:00 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Curt71 View Post
Looking for recommendations on WDH & Sway for 2104S. TV is a 2015 1500 Silverado
I have a 600/6000 Equalizer for my Mini Lite. Worked fine on my 1500 and now my 2500HD.
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Old 11-30-2016, 04:04 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdhreiss View Post
Picked up the new, dropped off the old, and what a difference! It towed pretty well up the 50 miles or so on I-5. It is about 1,000 lbs heavier that the I-18 that I traded in (both dry and loaded) Friends and family came around for the 50 cent tour and I heard nothing but good comments about the looks, room and construction.

Found a couple of glitches - the sofa was badly scuffed on the inside arm (dealer is replacing) and the TV Antenna had been left up and had folded over. This was found during the walk through, but no word on the fix. spent one night in the driveway. Mattress is very good, A/C good enough to hang meat in. I do see some pinched digits pending when folding out the Murphy.

So far I am VERY happy (as is my wife) with the 2104S!


Joe R.
SW Washington
Joe:

A number of folks have reported that the ~1 in round rubber foot on the bottom of the Murphy Bed leg has put a hole in their floor. They (and now I) removed the rubber foot and replaced it with something larger to spread out the weight.

In my case, I simply cut some stick-on felt strips to the same shape as the bottom of the foot, thus the entire area of the foot now supports the bed.

Some folks added a larger diameter rubber foot.

Do whichever you think is best.
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2009 Silverado 1500 Ext Cab, 5.3L, 4x4, 3.73
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