Hi. New here.

[Octopus Prime]

Hi. I'm new here.

I don't actually own a travel trailer yet; we are looking and saving money.

We recently purchased a truck for when we are ready to purchase.

We want something that is small as we can get it and still be comfortable; there are 4 of us.

[rmac04401]

Make sure you trailer you are looking at is within the towing and payload specs of your truck.

[Wattsworld]

Welcome to the forum from Missouri. We thought we would like to buy a camper years ago, but wanted to save up for one. That all changed when I visited an RV dealer with my sister when they went to pick up a new motorhome they bought. My sister told the dealer he might be able to sell me a TT as I am thinking about buying one. The dealer said I have a deal for you and showed me a new left over year model with a price I couldn't pass up. I didn't even have anything I could tow it with and used their truck to get it home. I kept that first RV for 12 years and built a lot of memories with it.
Good luck in which ever way you go. Have safe travels and happy camping.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Octopus Prime

Hi. I'm new here.

I don't actually own a travel trailer yet; we are looking and saving money.

We recently purchased a truck for when we are ready to purchase.

We want something that is small as we can get it and still be comfortable; there are 4 of us.

Originally Posted by rmac04401

Make sure you trailer you are looking at is within the towing and payload specs of your truck.

Here are some "quick and dirty" specifics:

1. Read your trucks owners manual to find out the actual towing capacity. My 2009 Silverado 1500 listed 99 (yes- ninety-nine!) permutations based on bed size, engine, transmission, cab, etc. that ranged from 4,000 lbs to 12,000 lbs. Not all 1/2 tons are created equal. Make sure you know the rating of YOUR specific truck.


2. Open the trucks drivers door and look at the sticker that lists your payload. This payload number has to include the tongue weight of your trailer, wife, kids, dogs, and "stuff" you put in the truck. If you have a weight distribution hitch (WDH), and you should, add another 50-75 lbs for that. Here's a pic of my 2009 Silverado's payload sticker:

Note that USUALLY you will exceed the payload rating before you exceed the towing capacity.

3. When shopping for your trailer, ignore dry weights. Dry weights are for suckers. The travel trailer (TT) will never again weigh the dry weight once it rolls off the assembly line. Look on the left front of the trailer for the (usually) white sticker that shows the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). That's the max allowable weight the TT can weigh. Make sure the GVWR is less than the towing capacity you figured out in item #1 above. Below is the sticker from my Mini Lite 2503S:


4. Tongue weight is usually 13-15% of actual weight. Since you can't really weigh the tongue until you buy the TT and load it up, take a calculator with you when your shop and assume a tongue weight of 13-15% of the GVWR. Then take this tongue weight, add the weight of the wife, kids, dog, stuff, and WDH and make sure it's less than the payload you found on your door frame in item #2 above. You can usually move the "stuff" into the TT rather than the truck, provided it doesn't put you over the GVWR.

Many people feel they need 20-25% margin to the towing and payload ratings to feel comfortable. On the other hand, there are folks who exceed the ratings and seem to be proud of it. But it's your wife and kids, so you'll need to decide what makes you comfortable.

Good luck.

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good info here. Only thing I would have done differently is looked at various tt you are considering then buy the tow vehicle that will handle the tt you want. good luck. Later RJD

[Twice]

Welcome and Happy 4th of July from California's Central Coast!

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by aceinspp

Welcome to the forum. Lots of good info here. Only thing I would have done differently is looked at various tt you are considering then buy the tow vehicle that will handle the tt you want. good luck. Later RJD

X2!

Unfortunately, speaking from experience, most of us don't do that when we start out.

In fact, it's usually just the first mistake we make; we end up making a LOT more!