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Old 10-24-2017, 03:00 AM   #1
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Also New From So Cal - 2011 Coachmen Apex REX17 Quesions

Hello,

I live in Riverside, CA. My wife and I are done with tent camping/tent trailer camping. We are looking into various hybrid trailers such as the Roo 183 and similar popouts to tow behind our 2013 4Runner Limited. I am really curious about the 2011 Coachman Apex Rex 17. My biggest issue is the wide variance between the Dry Weight of the trailer and the GVWR. The trailer looks to have a Dry Weight of 3,800 lbs with a GVWR approaching 6,000 lbs. I like the trailer because it is shorter but the dry weight alone gives me concern but I also can't imagine what more options could be added on that would throw the trailer weight up over 5,000 lbs even before fluids are accounted for. Even with airbags, factory tow set up and WDH my gut is telling me this trailer isn't for us. Was wondering if anyone had any experience with these trailers and knows what they actually weigh? I am going to look at a private sale and I am going to ask the owner if we can meet at a scale so I can weigh it. Happy to be here and looking forward to some discussions.
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Old 10-24-2017, 04:35 AM   #2
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Hello, Your right that does sound like a large cargo capacity. Anyway I have almost exactly the same set up. 2014 4 Runner towing a 19’ Roo dry weight 3500 loaded around 4200. I would be hard pressed to load a ton of gear in this. Your issue you will find is the tow vehicle. We love our 4 Runner but it needs an 8 cylinder. We live in Florida and have never left the State so pretty much flat hauling. It tows great at 50 I hardly notice the trailer but at highway speeds if you get behind a Semi in a headwind forget it. I probably tow faster than I should 65 to 70 and if you need to pass there is nothing left. I would be extremely reluctant to tow in any kind of Mountains or even large hills. Our next tow vehicle will be a p/u. Even larger SUV’s don’t have tremendous towing capacity and they’re unibody. Somebody else can chime in here but I think it is good practice to stay at around 80% of towing capacity as a safety factor. Good luck with your search!
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Old 10-24-2017, 06:44 AM   #3
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Welcome from SW Ohio ,enjoy your Apex !
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Old 10-24-2017, 07:40 AM   #4
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Welcome from San Diego. We tow a Roo 19 with our 2006 Tacoma and have not had any problems. Last summer we took it through the Sierras to Sequoia, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. I never felt uncomfortable during that trip, but we had to be very careful with what we packed and we certainly knew it was behind us the whole way. We are within our weights, but if we could afford it, there would already be a Tundra in our driveway just so we could have some better safety margins.
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Old 10-24-2017, 08:27 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by SDPadsfan View Post
Welcome from San Diego. We tow a Roo 19 with our 2006 Tacoma and have not had any problems. Last summer we took it through the Sierras to Sequoia, Yosemite, and Lake Tahoe. I never felt uncomfortable during that trip, but we had to be very careful with what we packed and we certainly knew it was behind us the whole way. We are within our weights, but if we could afford it, there would already be a Tundra in our driveway just so we could have some better safety margins.
Wow I just looked up the specs and the 2006 Tacoma, properly equipped, has 30% more towing capacity than my V-6 4 Runner! Go figure. Used my F-150 to pull the ROO to Gainsville a couple weeks ago and it towed like a popup. That truck has the 6.2 L in it however. Can't use a lot cause its a Company truck. There just built for it.
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Old 10-24-2017, 12:10 PM   #6
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Wow I just looked up the specs and the 2006 Tacoma, properly equipped, has 30% more towing capacity than my V-6 4 Runner! Go figure. Used my F-150 to pull the ROO to Gainsville a couple weeks ago and it towed like a popup. That truck has the 6.2 L in it however. Can't use a lot cause its a Company truck. They’re just built for it.
Fixed spelling
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:32 AM   #7
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Just bought our first RV - 2011 Coachmen Apex 17REX

Got to go on a nice road trip to pick up and test out our new trailer. Really excited about the trailer and looking forward to many new adventures.
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Old 10-26-2017, 04:15 AM   #8
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Welcome to the forum from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Congrats on your new rig.
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Old 10-26-2017, 04:43 AM   #9
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You might want to check out our Hybrid section of the Forum.
There's a Coachmen sub-forum there.
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Old 10-26-2017, 10:03 AM   #10
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Thanks....I will take a look over there.
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Old 10-26-2017, 10:18 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I030426 View Post
Got to go on a nice road trip to pick up and test out our new trailer. Really excited about the trailer and looking forward to many new adventures.
Your trailer looks nose-high in your pic. I think you need to lower your hitch ball. Nose-high increases possibility of sway. (Hopefully you have a good weight distribution hitch with built-in sway control, such as an Equalizer, as well.)
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:22 PM   #12
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Yes it was very nose high and even being new to towing it didn't look right. I talked to the seller because he gave us the WDH and I need to either just drop down on the current bolts which may drop it around 3 inches or I'll just flip the hitch entirely. Even with that it still towed straight as an arrow but I didn't like having more weight on the back axle and off the hitch. We also have the suspension airbags and I probably should have lowered them a bit more. Thanks for pointing that out and it will be corrected before going out again.
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Old 10-26-2017, 01:42 PM   #13
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Congratulations! It looks nice! Enjoy your new fun machine.
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