Rockwood 2604ss

Arizona Garry · 09-05-2010, 01:39 PM

Hello everyone,
Presently we have a Class C Forester 23" and we have decided to get a TT we have done a lot of research on our own , but have now decided to get some expert opinion.
We have a 2006 Ford F150 4x4 300hp 365 Torque, short bed(138.5 wheel base) with the tow package, and will be using a WDH Reese dual cam, and a sway bar, and Prodigy brake controller. Maximum loaded trailer weight is 7400 with automatic tranny.
2604SS Rockwood
The 2604 Dry Hitch Weight 629 lb.
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 5,228 lb.
GVWR 6,629 lb.
Exterior Length 29 ft. 3 in.
Does anyone see a problem with this or should I go to a smaller TT

NWJeeper · 09-05-2010, 04:14 PM

Garry,

As a general rule of thumb many of the more knowledgable and experienced RVrs here that tow TTs do not like to exceede 80% of the towing capacity of their TV with the trailer loaded for a trip.

Also, since pulling a TT is not like pulling a flatbed trailer with a load of steel (All weight is not created equal) it is highly recommended for safty and handling in adverse or emergency situations that you do not pull a trailer that is longer in feet than your TV wheelbase divided by 5.

Therefore your truck with a wheelbase of 138.5 would be much safer if you didn't go over about 28' worth of trailer. The reason behind this is because unlike other forms of "weight" you could pull and still be under the capacity of the TV an RV is a huge billboard or sail that the wind and gusts from passing semi's can push very easily. It doesn't take much for the tail to wag the dog. Those here that are old pros at towing will attest to that fact.

Very rarely is there ever a problem with a TV towing the "weight" it's in buying too long a trailer for the given wheelbase that is a real concern to safe handling.

Just wondering though why if you have a Class C you are considering a trailer? Most make a move up to a slightly larger Class A in these situations.

Pa-cj5 · 09-05-2010, 04:36 PM

I pull a 2604SS with my 2005 F150 S-Crew with no problems. I did replace my shocks with Bilstein Gas shocks. My truck did not have a tow package so I added the hitch, trans cooler and HD shocks. Pulled the mountains in Vermont without a problem.

We like the layout of this trailer, ordered an optional counter ext for the kitchen which gives it plenty of work space.

One thing that I just found out this past week is that the shower drains into the 38gal. black tank. The gray tank is only for the sinks. So far with 35 days of camping since June this has not been an issue.

Our trailer came in weighing 6129 lbs so we only travel local with a full tank of water

Arizona Garry · 09-05-2010, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Garry,

As a general rule of thumb many of the more knowledgable and experienced RVrs here that tow TTs do not like to exceede 80% of the towing capacity of their TV with the trailer loaded for a trip.

Also, since pulling a TT is not like pulling a flatbed trailer with a load of steel (All weight is not created equal) it is highly recommended for safty and handling in adverse or emergency situations that you do not pull a trailer that is longer in feet than your TV wheelbase divided by 5.

Therefore your truck with a wheelbase of 138.5 would be much safer if you didn't go over about 28' worth of trailer. The reason behind this is because unlike other forms of "weight" you could pull and still be under the capacity of the TV an RV is a huge billboard or sail that the wind and gusts from passing semi's can push very easily. It doesn't take much for the tail to wag the dog. Those here that are old pros at towing will attest to that fact.

Very rarely is there ever a problem with a TV towing the "weight" it's in buying too long a trailer for the given wheelbase that is a real concern to safe handling.

Just wondering though why if you have a Class C you are considering a trailer? Most make a move up to a slightly larger Class A in these situations.

Our Class C is only 23' which is small for my wife and me and we have a very large dog (Neo Mastiff) and we can not tow our truck 4x4 shift on the fly.
For the life style that we want traveling the USA a TT will fit our needs.

NWJeeper · 09-05-2010, 05:23 PM

Off-topic here but where in AZ are you? My mom lives in Benson and my wifes uncle lives in Willcox. We are planning a trip down next September if I can get the time off work.

Arizona Garry · 09-05-2010, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NWJeeper

Off-topic here but where in AZ are you? My mom lives in Benson and my wifes uncle lives in Willcox. We are planning a trip down next September if I can get the time off work.

We are in the Phoenix area, Benson and Wilcox is about 150 miles from the valley. Guess you know that it is hot here 109 today, not to hot as it is beginning to cool off. It is a dry heat, but as my wife says hot is hot.

Arizona Garry · 09-05-2010, 05:34 PM

PA-CJ5,
Do you have a short bed 150 or regular bed?

NWJeeper · 09-05-2010, 05:34 PM

My mom used to live in Yuma, visited there a couple of times around this time of year. 110 degrees and more. Wow, it really wipes you out. I'm with your wife on that. Hot is Hot. I much preferred the Wilcox area as it was a bit cooler (that's relative I know).

Pa-cj5 · 09-05-2010, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arizona Garry

PA-CJ5,
Do you have a short bed 150 or regular bed?

I have the 5.5' short bed with 3:73 gears.

We went from a Shamrock 23B hybrid to the 2604 to make it more comfortable camping with our buddies. A 70 lb bulldog and a 65 lb boxer who snores worse then I do.

Arn · 09-06-2010, 08:03 PM

I pull mine with a 2005 F-150 Super Crew. 300hp, 365 foot pounds torque, 3:73 limited slip rear end, 4x4. Towing capacity 9,200 lbs with hitch weight 990 lbs. Depending on the cab & 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive you can tow up to 9,900 lbs again with 990 hitch weight. Your wheelbase is 7" shorter than mine but you should have no worries. True that wheelbase is too often overlooked from a safety standpoint, but given proper loading & proper hitch setup, my opinion is that you have lots of truck for that trailer.

Arizona Garry · 09-07-2010, 01:07 PM

I would like to thank everyone for all the valuable information.
Thank you

MissouriCamper · 09-14-2010, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pa-cj5

One thing that I just found out this past week is that the shower drains into the 38gal. black tank. The gray tank is only for the sinks. So far with 35 days of camping since June this has not been an issue.

Our trailer came in weighing 6129 lbs so we only travel local with a full tank of water

Little off topic, just curious why do they have the shower going into the blk water tank? On our 2603 and our previous rv they both drained into the gray tank. Is this something that all the 2604's have or something being mandated for all rv's? By the way I pull our 2603 which is comparable though a tad shorter with a 2002 F150 Lariat 5.4L with a 6 3/4 bed. Have pulled all over the country with no problems

Hokiehall · 09-14-2010, 09:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissouriCamper

Little off topic, just curious why do they have the shower going into the blk water tank? On our 2603 and our previous rv they both drained into the gray tank. Is this something that all the 2604's have or something being mandated for all rv's? By the way I pull our 2603 which is comparable though a tad shorter with a 2002 F150 Lariat 5.4L with a 6 3/4 bed. Have pulled all over the country with no problems

From what I have read on this issue is that it is a design problem that is peculiar to this model. FR is supposedly working on a new design but for the current ones, watch your black tank levels. You sure don't want it to overflow while taking a shower.

Pa-cj5 · 09-14-2010, 09:14 AM

My dealer told me that it is only on the 2604 and it was because of the center bathroom???

I am going to talk with the Rockwood Rep. at the Hershey RV show on Saturday. I hope this will be corrected for future trailers.

Maxterra · 06-01-2011, 10:11 PM

Not too happy about this! Sure there's no way to re-direct to the other tank either, or they'd done it.

Between the wife & son, grey-water tank full happens often as teh wife & son still can't take a short shower.
All smaller tanks than the last one.

Arn · 06-02-2011, 07:52 PM

2010 2604SS here. My toilet is the only thing that drains into my black tank. Kitchen & bathroom sinks & shower all go into grey.

Affordablerv.net · 06-03-2011, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxterra

Not too happy about this! Sure there's no way to re-direct to the other tank either, or they'd done it.

Between the wife & son, grey-water tank full happens often as teh wife & son still can't take a short shower.
All smaller tanks than the last one.

You should contact forest river it can be retrofitted it's not to difficult it was a design flaw but has been corrected

thull87814 · 06-04-2011, 08:25 AM

We took delivery of our 2604 in April and love it. We use an equalizer sway bar with no problems at all. MY TV is a Chevy Avalanche rated at 7000lb towing capacity. It pulls just fine. We did a lot of research also. Many of the national parks allow a maximum length of 30 feet, so we decided to stay under that length. We loaded up our trailer with power stabilizers, power jack and so on. It weighed in at 5839 dry weight. I travel with about 10 gallons of water to keep the weight down. We just love the layout of it. Hope this helps with your decision. Also, the shower goes to the grey water tank.

DF5.4 · 06-04-2011, 09:08 AM

On our 2011Tracer 3000BHS the kitchen sink was the only thing going to the gray tank. The bathroom (shower, sink, and toilet) went to the black tank. This is wrong. We went back to the dealer and they fixed it. The fix from Tracer (Forest River?) was to add another 30 gal gray tank in parallel to the existing one and the bathroom sink and shower go directly to it.

PaulandMonica · 06-04-2011, 09:17 PM

We just picked up our 2604 a few weeks ago and drove 3000 miles bringing it home.
We have a 2010 silverado 1500 with tow package and we tried to do as much research as possible before buying. We got a lot of negative advise and some positive on the forums. to make a long story short the truck did just fine but with 50 mph head winds it did have to work hard. Gas milage is, of course, not good.

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