Soon to be first time TT owners, need advice

[KiterTwin]

Hello, My girlfriend and I are looking for our first TT. I will be using my 2013 Ford Edge AWD V6 as the tow rig. My limit to tow is 3500lbs, so I am having to look at something a little smaller. We have narrowed our choices down to the 2014 Jay Flight SLX 185RB or the 2014 Jay Flight SLX 195RB. Here are my questions.

1) Do you think that my rig will have any trouble towing either of those?
2) Does anyone on here own either of them, and if so how do you like it so far?
3) I noticed when I laid in the 185RB I noticed I had a bigger bed then the 195RB. Are they same or different on the bed size?
4) How hard is it to upgrade either bed to a thicker and better mattress?
5) Would one of those distribution hitches be worth it over the standard hitch?

I have many more questions, but those will do for now.

Thank you so much,

Mike & Connie

[WayneG]

The only question I can help you with is regarding the bed. We just bought the memory foam mattress cover at Costco and love it. Great improvement.

[SteveT]

Mike. Newbie myself, but for what its worth.. My TV is a '13 Taco v6 +w/tow package rated for 6500#. TT is an 18D hybrid weighing in at about 4,000#. With family and gear, I'm at about 90% capacity! Eleven MPG, but enough power for highway towing. Tekumsha P3 brake controller for stopping. Love the hybrid! All three bunks are 80 x 40 queen size without taking up any floor space. Lots of mattress upgrades, but can get as pricy as what you'd pay for a home mattress. Lastly. After our first very close to home trip I came back and ordered a weight distribution hitch (Equalizer 8K) Hope this helps.
Steve

[Rustic Eagle]

Welcome to JOF

IMO there is a high probability that both the 185RB and 195RB may max out (or exceed) your Ford Edge's weight limits if you are trying to stay within it's specified weight limits...., depending on your personal loading habits.

Please note that vehicle Tow Ratings don't take into account passenger and cargo weights, so these weights have to be subtracted from the Tow Rating. http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3866

The published Jayco UVW's (web site, brochures, etc.) don't reflect the actual ship weight UVW from the factory. If your dealer has any 185's or 195's on his lot look for the yellow sticker for the actual UVW......, may be 100lbs to 150lbs higher then the published UVW. My thought is that do to the limited cargo carrying capacity of the 185RB and 195RB you may be fast approaching the TT's GVWR of 3,500lbs once loaded for camping.

Also, keep in mind that the Ford Edge has a maximum 350lb tongue weight limit, and the tongue weight of the TT can't be less then 10% (15% max) of the TT's loaded weight for proper towing.

I hope this information provides a little insight on what to consider when looking for a trailer for your Ford Edge.

Bob

[RossCecil]

The 185RB mattress is 58.5 inches wide and 78.25 inches long. A "standard" queen size mattress is 60 by 80 and it will fit. We tried a memory foam mattress pad - probably not way well go long term. Upgrading the mattress should be easy. We haven't had any problems sleeping on it!

We're just using a standard Class-III hitch on the Escape and have had no problems towing the 2800 pound 185RB. I simply may not have gotten into situations where a weight distributing hitch would be effective but I've tried towing our little beast through major cities, down freeways in crosswinds, and twisting rural roads with out problems.

[RedHorse1]

We picked our first TT with an eye to the weight. Tho I was well below the max trailer weight I found that I was close to max on the rear axle. The max trailer weight doesn't tell the story. If you visit a local CAT scale you can weigh your TV and know how much tongue weight you can add. Figure abt 100# for the hitch and the tongue will be abt 15% of the trailer wt. Be sure to fill the gas tank and take some "stuff" to approximate what you will pack. I count on "worst case" and figure I'll load to GVWR. Don't calculate on the published wt of the TT which is empty.
Welcome to JOF! You can't ask a bad or dumb question here (I've tried).

[Mspooley]

I have a Ford Edge although it is a 2007 model with 59k miles. Love my Edge!
While your Ford will tow either TT you're looking at, MOST DEFINITELY you will need a WDH system with anti-sway. I wouldn't even consider not having one.

Coming from towing a 10' popup where I barely noticed the trailer behind me, I definitely notice the 16xrb behind me. I think the difference is the wind drag and extra 1,000 lbs compared to the popup I had. The anti-sway keeps the TT steady when big rigs blow past me, among other things.
I looked at the models you're interested in and was concerned that I would max out my tow rating.

The Edge tows mine fine, I take it slow and easy and on inclines it doesn't bog down too much. I do notice the gas mileage difference.
I don't overload the TT with "stuff" which I think helps alot in performance and safety.

Here is the Equilizer hitch-click on the photo to get an enlarged view


I

[yrralrellim]

My TV is a 2012 v-6 Tacoma which has exactly the same towing capacity (with towing package) as your 2013 Edge (with towing package). I had a rough time towing on any Interstate until I installed my WDH system. I'm still hesitant to make long trips even with my WDH system. TT is 2012 Jayco Skylark with dry weight of 2950 and a 320 tongue weight. From my personal experience, I'd strongly suggest a WDH system if in fact either of your TT choices does not actually exceed your weight limits per suggestions of RedHorse1.

For WDH, I'd suggest you pick your desired make and then check directly with a factory rep for their specific recommendation. I chose Reese.

[mcfarmall]

I think you need a bigger TV or go back to a popup. Either way if you don't have a tranny cooler you better install one. I have coolers on all my vehicles even the ones I don't tow with.

Unless your Edge has an actual ladder frame under it you probably shouldn't attempt a WDH. The Unibody design of most vehicles today don't have the strength to bear the stresses applied by a WDH.

[gpmilliken]

Originally Posted by WayneG

The only question I can help you with is regarding the bed. We just bought the memory foam mattress cover at Costco and love it. Great improvement.

Yep. Agree 100% the Costco memory foam makes the bed nicer than my home mattress.

[Roadkill]

There's an ongoing debate about TV capacities - my brother pulls a 2100 lb tent trailer with their Kia minivan (rated to 2500 lb) and blew by me pulling our 6,000 lb Jayco 267BHS behind a Ford F150 Lariat (8600 lb rating), so try yours and see but don't trust what the dealer says. I'd definitely put the tranny cooler on regardless. As for the mattress, the factory foam is crap and a mattress topper or entirely new mattress are well worth the money spent. Have fun!

[RossCecil]

The key thing to know about TV capacities is that main TV manufacturer's do not currently use the SAE towing capacity standard; they all say they will in the next few years. That means it's really hard to get it right. I've found that if I stick to the basics and test, test, test it generally works out OK. I learned, just this week, that the previous owner of my SLX 185RB was towing it with a Traverse - and reported all kinds of towing problems. I'm pulling it behind a 2012 Escape and not having problems at all. I didn't get to see the previous owners setup so I don't know if it was simply wrong or what. All I can say is give it a try, take it slow and easy at first, and be ready to adapt and update as needed.

[phipp]

I have a 185RB that I used to tow with a 08 Escape that had the tow package which said I could tow 3500#. The escape towed it fine until we hit a head wind, then a head wind going up hill, needless to say after a year of towing the 185RB with the Escape, the Escape is no longer with us.

Here is the true to life rundown on the 185RB loaded with 2 peoples stuff for the weekend. The trailer weighs in at 3264, that is with a full propane cylinder and 6 gal of water that is left in the water heater after using. Now we are going to Walt Disney World for a week and here is the true weight of the 185RB 3397#. Now the tongue weight is a little over 400 pounds. Oh yeah forgot to add the weight of the WD hitch 50 -75 pounds depending on which one you go with.

Don't get me wrong you can pull the trailer with any SUV you want, but the thing that cause the Escape its untimely death was a combination of the tongue weight and trying to pull the trailer up a hill with a head wind while gravity is trying to take t back down.

Hope this helps.

[DocBrown]

Some will say a particular combination tows great. Others will say it doesn't. Its all about expectations. What are yours?

Are you OK climbing hills at slower speeds? Are you OK with "packing light"? Are you OK with limiting your travel distance and terrain?

Do you want to go into a head wind with little effort? Do you want to go up hills and not struggle to do so? Do you want to travel long distances and tow in mountains?

How you answer questions like these will help you set your expectations.

Over the years I have twice towed very close to my rated capacities. Both times I knew what I was getting into and what the limitations would be. The first was a 3500# hybrid with a mini-van (summer of '03). The second time was with our X20E (4750#) and a Chevy Trailblazer (summer of '13). I would describe both experiences as adequate. Both times I knew that towing in mountains would be out of the question. However I was setup properly and never felt unsafe or had "white knuckle experiences". In the case of the mini-van we replaced it after the first season for 2 reasons, we really hated owning a mini-van, and we wanted to tow on long trips, and in mountains. We just sold the Trailblazer because it had 160k on it and I really didn't want to spend any money on it anymore. In both cases, prior to towing close to capacity we towed trailers with those same vehicles that were well within capacities and with plenty of spare capacity.

That said, there is a definite difference between towing up to your limit and having spare capacity. I've heard in the past that some people use "the 1000 lb" rule. That is, for maximum flexibility and towing "pleasure", tow no more than 1k lbs less than than your towing capacity. There is a lot to be said for that rule.

[Norrell]

I have the 195RB Baja and tow with a Nissan V6 pickup with the same tow limits as yours. I've had no problems. I did add an auxiliary transmission cooler and a anti-sway/weight distribution hitch (Anderson). I recently went through eastern Utah on a fairly long trip, with lots of steep climbs. On my return to Idaho, I was driving into very strong north winds (around 30 mph) and that was not fun and my mileage plummeted. I don't think I will push my truck in winds like that again, but it got me home fine.

The water heater in the 185 is under the bed, while in the 195 it is around the axle. That makes the tongue weight on the 185 bigger. The 195 bed is smaller, but a standard queen memory foam pad fits.

[ooginal]

We have a 2013 185RB and our biggest issue is the undersized air conditioner.. It is just too small for the area it needs to cool. We looked at newer 185RB models and noticed that Jayco is putting a larger AC unit in them... ALSO, two things about the mattress... 1. A memory foam topper made a huge difference... 2. We pulled the mattress away from the front wall by about 8 inches... Then, we filled the gap between the mattress and front wall with a round foam cushion... We sleep with our heads to the front wall and our feet are pointed to the bathroom... Doing this has made our bed bigger (wider) than a King and one does not have to climb over the other when leaving the bed....

[ooginal]

Oops, one more issue about our 185RB is there is no connection outside the trailer for cable tv coax. One would have to install their own inside/outside connector or cut a hole in the trailer to run the cable through...