About to purchase and go full time!

[smoothy]

Please don't take this wrong but.....

1460 is not a whole lot. Let's look at some numbers.

Dry hitch weight
760

Occupants (add or subtract as you know this better then i)
300

2 30LB propane tanks
110

Hitch
30

We are at 1200 so far.

Now let's add some stuff to the front storage compartment

Tools (full timer needs these.)



I assume you will put items in the bed of the truck? Do you have a truck cap. Might be nice to have if you don't for security. Will add to weight. Keep in mind you do not have a garage and you will never know who your neighbors are.

My 1/2 ton is 1866LB and I would not want to pull that trailer.

I am not a full timer but I have camped with a few and by nature they are minimalists. They have to be. But they do have to carry "stuff"

Have you put together a list of "stuff"

Can some full timers chime in on what they carry?

Overloading a vehicle with people or cargo strains the brakes, suspension, tires and other components and can impair handling and stopping ability.

[BigJohnD]

Here's my few comments having done it before with 2 small kids. Buy the rig, and use it awhile "before" hitting the road. We found out the hard way. We got displaced from our "home" 3 times for major repairs that I couldn't do onsite. 2 complete cap change outs and a rotten slide floor where the factory forgot to seal behind a T-molding. Nobody plans on that. As for warranty and such, most dealers or anybody else doesn't care. Our rig wasn't a "full time" rig per manf, but service and warranty never asked. As far as they're concerned, you're taking a very long trip. You can full time in anything, so pick what you like. Show me a full time rig and I can still freeze it up, wear it out and so on. Unless you're building a house, a Rv is an Rv. I don't care what they say. Most have 2" walls and a 5" roof on average. You get most of the full time features in a entry level rig, same products. Not all, but most are just marketing things to me. Heartland is a good example. Entry level rated at "full time". Mostly same construction and products across their line.

I'm sure you have, but research research research. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you get hit with surprises. Feel free to comment or PM, I could go on and on about our experience doing it, and why we got out of it to continue conventional camping, which to some appears to be full timing. We stay in our rig more than our house. Half timing we are? Maybe.

[Blipe27]

Originally Posted by smoothy

Please don't take this wrong but.....

1460 is not a whole lot. Let's look at some numbers.

Dry hitch weight
760

Occupants (add or subtract as you know this better then i)
300

2 30LB propane tanks
110

Hitch
30

We are at 1200 so far.

Now let's add some stuff to the front storage compartment

Tools (full timer needs these.)



I assume you will put items in the bed of the truck? Do you have a truck cap. Might be nice to have if you don't for security. Will add to weight. Keep in mind you do not have a garage and you will never know who your neighbors are.

My 1/2 ton is 1866LB and I would not want to pull that trailer.

I am not a full timer but I have camped with a few and by nature they are minimalists. They have to be. But they do have to carry "stuff"

Have you put together a list of "stuff"

Can some full timers chime in on what they carry?

Overloading a vehicle with people or cargo strains the brakes, suspension, tires and other components and can impair handling and stopping ability.

Yes, we are adding that up and recognizing the very close call. I'm going to take the truck to get weighed tomorrow. We are looking at lighter trailers to play it safe.

So do you exclude fuel in the payload? I keep hearing conflicting answers. I was adding it in, but looks like you weren't.

[Blipe27]

Originally Posted by BigJohnD

Here's my few comments having done it before with 2 small kids. Buy the rig, and use it awhile "before" hitting the road. We found out the hard way. We got displaced from our "home" 3 times for major repairs that I couldn't do onsite. 2 complete cap change outs and a rotten slide floor where the factory forgot to seal behind a T-molding. Nobody plans on that. As for warranty and such, most dealers or anybody else doesn't care. Our rig wasn't a "full time" rig per manf, but service and warranty never asked. As far as they're concerned, you're taking a very long trip. You can full time in anything, so pick what you like. Show me a full time rig and I can still freeze it up, wear it out and so on. Unless you're building a house, a Rv is an Rv. I don't care what they say. Most have 2" walls and a 5" roof on average. You get most of the full time features in a entry level rig, same products. Not all, but most are just marketing things to me. Heartland is a good example. Entry level rated at "full time". Mostly same construction and products across their line.

I'm sure you have, but research research research. Just when you think you've got it figured out, you get hit with surprises. Feel free to comment or PM, I could go on and on about our experience doing it, and why we got out of it to continue conventional camping, which to some appears to be full timing. We stay in our rig more than our house. Half timing we are? Maybe.

Thank you for your comment.
What was your first trailer? Part of the train we were looking at the wrote hawk is because I have been convinced that jayco is better constructed. We can get a very similar layout in a much lighter trailer with coachmen, but they sound like they are riddled with problems.

And I hear you... We've been through so many "this is the trailer!" We're getting annoyed with ourselves! But I agree that we need to take our time in selecting. Any other tips you have, especially regarding traveling with kids, I'd love to hear. Thanks!!

[Blipe27]

2 30LB propane tanks
110

Hitch
30
Don't the propane tanks add into the hitch weight?

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by Blipe27

2 30LB propane tanks
110

Hitch
30
Don't the propane tanks add into the hitch weight?

The weights published by Jayco online and in brochures do not include propane, however the yellow sticker on the actual trailer does. So if you are using published weights in your estimates then you need to add propane, if the weights are coming from the actual trailer yellow sticker no need to add.

Regardless of where the number comes from you will need to add in battery weight. Neither published nor yellow sticker include battery(ies).

Like many of us, when where newbies we got bit by the weights too. Our 2012 26BH once loaded had a tongue weight ~800 lb. It really shocked us that a < 30' no slide trailer could reach that level since the published tongue weight was ~500 lbs.

1500/150 class trucks are absolutely more capable now than at anytime in the past. However they still have the fatal flaw of low cargo capacity limits. I don't endorse exceeding limits, however in your case of planning to full time with a small child that implies you will always have more "stuff" than a weekend camper. Spending the time to do your due diligence now and make a purchase that meets your needs and is a good match with your tow vehicle will worth the effort.

[Blipe27]

Originally Posted by clubhouse

The weights published by Jayco online and in brochures do not include propane, however the yellow sticker on the actual trailer does. So if you are using published weights in your estimates then you need to add propane, if the weights are coming from the actual trailer yellow sticker no need to add.

Regardless of where the number comes from you will need to add in battery weight. Neither published nor yellow sticker include battery(ies).

Like many of us, when where newbies we got bit by the weights too. Our 2012 26BH once loaded had a tongue weight ~800 lb. It really shocked us that a < 30' no slide trailer could reach that level since the published tongue weight was ~500 lbs.

1500/150 class trucks are absolutely more capable now than at anytime in the past. However they still have the fatal flaw of low cargo capacity limits. I don't endorse exceeding limits, however in your case of planning to full time with a small child that implies you will always have more "stuff" than a weekend camper. Spending the time to do your due diligence now and make a purchase that meets your needs and is a good match with your tow vehicle will worth the effort.

Yes, thank you, we are definitely going by yellow sticker weights and adding in battery weight (and solar and generators!). We are absolutely putting in our due diligence, which is why we're probably going to go down a notch in trailer size. We've been all over the map between our options, and every time we think we've found "the one", we change our minds.
The TV however is a done deal. I definitely don't want to make short sighted calls and pay for it once we're on the road! Hopefully things start to become clearer! Thanks for your thoughts!

[smoothy]

No need to add fuel as it is already included. But passengers are not. Some people think that 150 driver is added but how can one guarantee a 150 pound driver. Heck I am like 195

[smoothy]

That right a battery. What do those weight? I have 2 in different sizes. I carry the bigger one when I am boondocking but when I do I do notice a difference

[ALJO]

I would take "a well looked after and owner already upgraded TT" over a new one. But then I'm handy and have insight in repairs. New TT warranty you pay for, it is included in the price. I have towed with a Dodge Ram 1500 Crew 4x4 5.7 Hemi 3.92 rear axle a 30 ft. older TT (8700lbs) a couple of times (for a friend) with a Pro-series 1200lbs WDH with dual sway bars against a heavy head wind without any problems. I felt comfortable and would take it anywhere across the land. Be sure to distribute the weight properly in the TT and also be sure the TT rides level. Also move the Hitch shank as far in the receiver as possible and drill a new 5/8 hole. How closer the ball is to the TV axle, how less is the sway. Keep the speed around 60 mph. Your weight ratings will be very close or slightly over. The main things is who ever does the driving has to be comfortable with the combo. If never done so rent a TT that size for a weekend and pull it with a half ton. Mechanical things can break down, but when using good maintenance and common sense things will go a long way. I wish you guys good luck with this new challenge

[BigJohnD]

Originally Posted by Blipe27

Thank you for your comment.
What was your first trailer? Part of the train we were looking at the wrote hawk is because I have been convinced that jayco is better constructed. We can get a very similar layout in a much lighter trailer with coachmen, but they sound like they are riddled with problems.

And I hear you... We've been through so many "this is the trailer!" We're getting annoyed with ourselves! But I agree that we need to take our time in selecting. Any other tips you have, especially regarding traveling with kids, I'd love to hear. Thanks!!

We full timed in a 40' Cedar Creek bunk house w/4 Slides. After having done that, I could full time in a shade smaller rig really. It was nice, but did have it's fair share of problems. Our present rig is our 8th, having owned all in all, 2 fifth wheels, 3 bumper pulls, class A motorhome, class C motorhome and a popup somewhere in there. They were not all in this order. We've covered them, and in the end, prefer the bumper pull for all uses. Bang for the buck per say, and doesn't cost over $100k.

[Griswald One]

Hey Blipe,

Sounds like an amazing adventure in your near future. My 2 cents worth is to have a long hard look at construction techniques. Our last TT was a 34ft Sunset Trail Reserve. It was a beautiful rig, with what I would consider a high end trim level. It was very similar in size and weight to the trailers you are describing.

After 18 months of part time use, we traded it in. One of our main concerns was construction techniques. The methods used to make the guts of your trailer "Light Weight" ofen means inferior materials and construction techniques. The plywood in your benches can be too thin to support full time use and they often use staples instead of screws to fasten the materials resulting in seperation at the seams. Also look at things like the drawer slides, did they use good quality or go with inferior light weight equipment which will not stand the test of time.

As others have noted you do not want to find yourself trying to do major renos or repairs on your "home". Particularily when you will not have access to your regular household workshop.

I will chime in breifly on the truck issue... We pulled the Sunset with a Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L... 95% of the time it felt great. 5% of the time it scared the crap out of me. I think in retrospect one of the problems is the 1500's don't have a long enough wheelbase to accomodate a trailer of that length wether you are within weight or not.

No matter what you decide to do... I look forward to hearing stories of your full time adventure!

[Hattie]

Here's a great article in CampingWorld about RVing with a toddler: Tips For Traveling & Camping With A Toddler - Camping World