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Old 11-17-2016, 08:57 PM   #1
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23BHM or 25BH?

Hi,

I'm new to this forum and am trying to decide between the feather 23BHM or the 25BH. My TV is a 2015 Dodge Durango RT with class IV tow package (7200 pounds w/750 max tongue wt). I live in IL and my wife and I have two boys and a lab that travels with us. We plan on doing a lot of three and four day trips in the vehicle with a few longer trips interspersed.

I like the floor plan of the 25BH more, but can't get a good read on if it is too heavy at a GW 6750 pounds. There is a lot of information on the internet and I've read that I don't want to push the maximum weight of the TV. The 23BHM is several hundred pounds lighter, but doesn't offer as much storage as the 25BH. Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 11-17-2016, 10:02 PM   #2
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You will get a lot of great advice here. I am sure others will chime in. In my honest opinion that he 25BH you mention is too heavy at 6750 pounds; if the specs on your Durango are correct. With 7200 max and the trailer at 6750, that is only 450 pounds. Average load for a trailer and all cargo is closer to the 1000 pound range.
You are better off to stick with the 23BHM. Though it too may be a bit much for the Durango.


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Old 11-17-2016, 10:11 PM   #3
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I might have not been clear on my post. The dry weight of the 25BH is around 5300. So with it fully loaded I would be at 6750, so within 500lb of the max towing capacity of the Durango.
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Old 11-18-2016, 11:16 AM   #4
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What seems to be the magical tongue weight of 12%~15% of you stated 6750 pounds exceeds the Durango's tongue weight you posted.
The only way to be absolutely sure would be to load it fully and take a trip to the scales. Yet, I know the dealership is not going to let you do that.


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Old 11-18-2016, 11:27 AM   #5
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Good point. Thanks for the advice.
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Old 11-18-2016, 11:59 AM   #6
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For what it's worth, it's not really a good idea to be pushing the upper limits of the tow vehicle. Just because it can pull it, doesn't necessarily mean that it should for a long trip.

We towed a 3200 lb popup with a 2014 Honda Ridgeline. The trailer was well within the 5000 lb towing specs for the truck, but there was no doubt that we had a big load dragging along behind. It's far more comfortable towing our new Jay Feather X213 (5500 gross) with our 2016 F-150 SCrew 3.5 EB 4x4, rated at around 11,000 lbs. Maybe I'm too cautious, but I like a good safety margin.
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Old 11-18-2016, 06:34 PM   #7
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I recommend you go for any trailer without the Murphy bed. If you can tow it safely, I vote for the 25BH. Our next trailer will have an island queen for sure.
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Old 11-18-2016, 06:47 PM   #8
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I recommend you go for any trailer without the Murphy bed. If you can tow it safely, I vote for the 25BH. Our next trailer will have an island queen for sure.
Would you share why you prefer not to have a Murphy bed... storage, comfort, or ??
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Old 11-18-2016, 08:15 PM   #9
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Would you share why you prefer not to have a Murphy bed... storage, comfort, or ??
For both of those reasons. With the Murphy bed we don't have the pass thru storage that comes with a queen island as well as the under bed storage. I could really use that extra storage. Comfort wise, the bed is just ok. I would rather have a real residential mattress to sleep on since I have back problems.
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Old 11-22-2016, 07:36 AM   #10
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We have a Murphy bed and it is "a real residential mattress".
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Old 09-19-2017, 10:43 PM   #11
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We have a 23 mbh.. we got it because of the second entrance in the back towards the bunk beds as we have two kids. As far as the Murphy bed, I'm 6'0 and really have no issues with the comfort and I do like the fact that during the day is a sofa that by the way does flatted down if you want to use it for a quick nap of the kids or you. I have a 2011 Yukon Xl 5.3 v8 and I pulled my trailer with no problems up to Northern California. About an 8 hr drive one day. I would suggest that you lean towards the safer side on how much your vehicle can tow. Specially if you have to tow in a hot day or hit a long or tough incline you don't want to be worries about timbering close to the max. I decided to go for the lighter 23 mbh because to me having the separate bedroom was not as important but that is just a personal preference. The trailer is around 4500 lbs and adding 1000 lbs of wight still gives me close to 2000 of buffer that my Yukon can tow. You know.
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Old 09-20-2017, 06:35 AM   #12
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What seems to be the magical tongue weight of 12%~15% of you stated 6750 pounds exceeds the Durango's tongue weight you posted.
The only way to be absolutely sure would be to load it fully and take a trip to the scales. Yet, I know the dealership is not going to let you do that.


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Exceeding the tongue weight goes along with the payload of your TV. You may run out once you load the family and anything else in the TV.

I like to have a greater margin of safety and would lean towards the lighter 23BHM and not because we have the 23BHM. Earlier this year, we traveled with the two grandkids and a dog and found enough places in the TT to pack everyone's gear. I like the Murphy bed as well and the DW & I find it comfortable but everyone is different.

Best of Luck in your decision.
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Old 09-22-2017, 09:00 AM   #13
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We also have a murphy bed and love it. We added a 4 inch memory foam topper and it is very comfy. As a family of 5 with a 90lb lab its nice to have that extra floor space during the day when the bed is up and only have to tow a trailer that is 27 feet long!

We have found storage to be ample, we still have storage that is unused!
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Old 09-22-2017, 10:14 AM   #14
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Ask yourself this, during the day hours will the unused space of the bed be a detriment, or would you rather have the usable space a Murphy bed can afford to you? On our lot, Murphy beds are definitely in the minority though,,,not as much call for them.
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Old 09-22-2017, 10:22 AM   #15
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Our 22BHM is the first Murphy Bed trailer we have owned. Absolutely love it. I've never liked people sitting on the bed to begin with. Now, it is out of the way and we have the floor space and sofa during the day. For the minute or two it takes to drop or raise the bed, it is definitely worth it.
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Old 09-22-2017, 06:36 PM   #16
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I ended up going with the 25BH. Put 5000 miles on it already this year. It came down to storage space, but I saw pros and cons of both floor plans.
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Old 12-28-2017, 10:50 PM   #17
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Our 22BHM is the first Murphy Bed trailer we have owned. Absolutely love it. I've never liked people sitting on the bed to begin with. Now, it is out of the way and we have the floor space and sofa during the day. For the minute or two it takes to drop or raise the bed, it is definitely worth it.
How many people use the 22 BHM in your family? We looked at one today. We really liked it a lot, but I found the lack of storage disappointing.
We LOVED the murphy bed and the fact that it allows for more floor space for kids to play while we all get ready for the day or preparing for bed at night.
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Old 12-29-2017, 03:25 AM   #18
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How many people use the 22 BHM in your family? We looked at one today. We really liked it a lot, but I found the lack of storage disappointing.
We LOVED the murphy bed and the fact that it allows for more floor space for kids to play while we all get ready for the day or preparing for bed at night.
4 total. My wife and I and two girls.
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Old 12-29-2017, 08:09 AM   #19
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4 total. My wife and I and two girls.
How do you make clothing storage work?


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Old 12-29-2017, 08:14 AM   #20
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How do you make clothing storage work?


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Clothes go in the two front wardrobe cabinets by the Murphy Bed. Anything extra needed (extra jackets, etc.) goes in the big storage area under the rear bunk.
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