Question Help me pick our trailer?

[cooper_man]

Hi all,

I'm living in NJ and looking to buy our first trailer. It will be for myself, my wife and daughter (and occasionally we'll bring our miniature schnauzer if the neighbors don't want to keep him!)

Ideally, we want a queen bed and either another bed (permanent) on one side or a bunk perhaps. The prerequisite is that it needs to be under 3500lbs because I will be using my wrangler to tow it.

I guess I'm looking for advice. I've seen so many online that fit the bill but I can't determine what's going to be the best option. Things I've looked at so far -

Sonic Lite SL 1469VUD (the con is that I can't find a dealer near me to check one out!)
Winnebago Micro Minnie 1700bh (Quality looks good, but it looks very small?)
Starcraft Autumn Ridge 171RD (again this looks like good quality but without the slide out is it very tight?)
Shasta 18BH (I'd never heard of these until I started researching, considering the low price I'd be nervous of quality?)
Jayco 184BS (I've seen this brand around a lot but dont know anything about them)
Salem FSX 179 (I like the idea of the murphy bed and the double bunks. It gives us the option at night of pulling down the bed or crawlin into sleep with our daughter and makes daytime much larger? Or am i missing something)

Then there is Forest River, who seem to have LOADS of brands that would work. On a strange scale we have the E-Pro which doesn't have bunks but a full size queen at one end and a convertible large dinette at the other, which could work? Flagstaff E-Pro E19RD | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes Or the Rockwood G19 (Rockwood Geo Pro G19BH | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes)

I have seen a couple of models which come in at just 3513lbs UVW. However, that is over the recommended 3500lbs from Jeep. Does this matter from a safety and insurance POV?

Finally I was drawn to the NOBO range, but I think it's just because they look cool. The 16.6 satisfies the need but is it good? No Boundaries NB16.6 | Forest River RV - Manufacturer of Travel Trailers - Fifth Wheels - Tent Campers - Motorhomes

I know this is a terribly long post but with the closest RV centres about 50-100 miles away, and in addition they only stock certain items I'm really at a loss. Where the heck do I start? What am I not considering? Any advice

Thanks in advance, I'd appreciate all the guidance.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

I hate to be the bad guy, but all of the trailers you mentioned weigh more than can be safely towed by your Wrangler. The 3,500 tow rating for the Wrangler is for a fully loaded trailer. Don’t be fooled by the UVW (unloaded vehicle weight) or “dry” weight; that’s what the trailer weighs with no propane, water, pots & pans, clothing, food, etc. aboard. The CCC (cargo carrying capacity) shows what will be added to the weight under normal conditions.

At a minimum, you need to add the CCC to the UVW. A better weight indicator is to use the GVWR (which many manufacturers of “ultralight” trailers don’t make easily available because it shows the true weight).

And, the generally accepted rule of thumb is to not exceed 80% of the tow vehicle’s rated towing capacity. That gives you a bit of a safety cushion. In your case, that means the loaded weight of a trailer (GVWR) you can safely tow should not exceed about 2,800 pounds...maybe 3,000 if you want to push the limits; something I don’t recommend. And, sadly, many trailer sales people will tell you that your vehicle can tow whatever they are selling, even if the weight rating numbers say otherwise.

You might want to consider either upgrading your tow vehicle or looking for a trailer with a GVWR under 3,000 pounds. I feel bad saying this as I like to encourage folks who want to get into RVing. However, you asked for “guidance” and I wouldn’t feel good about giving you some that wasn’t based in fact.

TJ

 

[Germanrazor]

I had a 2017 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and when we decided to enter the camping world, sold it as much as I loved it, and bought the F-250 Super Duty for safely towing.

You will find it hard to find a TT that the Jeep will tow if any other than a pop up.

I too hate to be a buzz kill also but reality is reality on the matter. I did not want to spend more money either but had to in order to enter camping safely.

I even spoke to a guy who had the new Gladiator that has a higher rated towing and I assume payload and he had to sell his because he tried towing a trailer and it was difficult. Wranglers are made for being a great snow driver or off-road vehicle if you invest in making it such. They just aren’t much on towing unfortunately.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

Welcome @cooper_man glad to have you here. In the past Shasta made well built tt's. Going back to canned ham tt days there were many under 2000 lbs. Note that none had slides. The answer back then was a tent room attached to the door side.

If you were over 6ft you lived with the head room. I think if the folks making retro looking RV's were to put the heart of retro in them, they would not be able to make them fast enough. One company has done a good job at it, that is T@B.

The dream can be a reality, even if you have to reprogram it a little.
The trailer movement started with kits and home builds. I have been there and done that, the project builds family and personal strength and I highly recommend it.

 

[Traveling Tracey]

We too are looking for a first time travel trailer. We bought a Nissan Titan platinum reserve pickup with maximum towing capacity of 9,000 lbs. We've looked at so many TTs that I'm just confused. My husband likes the Envision, and I like the Lance. The difference is in the interior layout for me and he's looking at cost and other factors. We want a 4 season trailer as we would like to visit areas in the north where night time temps can drop below freezing in early fall.

I would deeply and sincerely welcome any quality TT recommendations as we are just getting started on this journey and must make the right choice.

 

[Germanrazor]

We too are looking for a first time travel trailer. We bought a Nissan Titan platinum reserve pickup with maximum towing capacity of 9,000 lbs. We've looked at so many TTs that I'm just confused. My husband likes the Envision, and I like the Lance. The difference is in the interior layout for me and he's looking at cost and other factors. We want a 4 season trailer as we would like to visit areas in the north where night time temps can drop below freezing in early fall.

I would deeply and sincerely welcome any quality TT recommendations as we are just getting started on this journey and must make the right choice.

Besides towing capacity, what is the payload rating for your Titan? That is more key than the towing capacity or might I say equal.

As to a all-weather system, look for a TT that has the under-belly insulated to aid in keeping the pipes more protected to lower temps.

Good luck.

 

[Traveling Tracey]

Thank you so much. The payload is 1620 lbs. Guess we will do the math, however, we get a little confused on the hitch weight, etc. More research before purchasing anything.

 

[Germanrazor]

Thank you so much. The payload is 1620 lbs. Guess we will do the math, however, we get a little confused on the hitch weight, etc. More research before purchasing anything.

Just remember that your hitch weight will more than likely eat up at least half your payload capacity most often, not always but on non-heavy duty/super duty trucks, it does.

Then take into account what else you will pack into the truck, such as, human occupant weight totals; gear; also the extra weight to the hitch weight if your initial weight was dry and unloaded. The hitch weight is best done by placing what you want in the TT and loaded with propane as well then having it weighed officially to get a very good representation of what it will be most often when you do travel.

Then record this somewhere like in a notebook so you can reference it in the future.

I would say most modest TT hitch weights are realistically anywhere from 675 lbs up to 1000 lbs. But that depends on the exact TT you go with and to be honest, that 675 is probably more of a very small TT.

 

[AbdRahim]

I would list (on paper) and prioritize all of the features, and specifications that are important to you, size, floor plan, weight, quality, towing requirements, dealer reputation, ease of getting service, cost of the entire package (if you need to buy a tow vehicle), how you will use it (occasionally on weekends, or long stays), climate in which you will use it most, storage, etc. There will always be some compromise, but you need to make sure you get the important things.

Then I think hands on is important. See it, sit in it, check out the bed, and immagine how it would feel living in it as you intend, with the number of people that will be occupying it. This is an extended process, not a wekend or even one week decision. Take your time.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I really like CAT scales. And all commercial truckers use them to keep legal. I just ran both trucks across the scales to check loading of the truck first and how much payload I had left.

The truck that will haul the cargo trailer just went across the scales with the trailer. The front axle of the truck was lighter than when only my standard payload was aboard, and the back axle was 100# over weight. Hummmm! the trailer was a few hundred over on tung weight and the trailer was 3000# under gvw.

What I learned for 26 bucks was very valuable. My equalizer hitch was not adjusted properly, the toung was to heavy and I could easily carry more weight in the trailer if I balanced it properly, and I will.

The uptake for everyone should be that the numbers only account for part of the story. I suggest you visit a scale if you change the loading on your rig. The scale will not lie about how you are loaded.

This hunting expedition will be repeated with the flatbed and the fifth when I think it is ready. When all my numbers are right I will be ready for my summer travels, not a minute before!!!