Help me buy a travel trailer, or give up!

[Ace]

So after posting in the "buying a travel trailer thread", and then taking that advise and narrowing down my trailer selection I thought I did a great job selecting potential new travel trailers for my tow vehicle. I was just about to pull the trigger, and then decided to post my potential selection on an RV forum to get the 'experts' opinion...we'll now i get the impression that those guys want you to have a 1 ton to pull anything. The issue that has now arose is trailer length... Is this really a problem for me?

I think I need the balanced (but correct) opinion from CP!!

Here is my TV:
2008 Yukon Denali
The manual says I have:
-7900 lbs tow capacity
-Axle Ratio 3.42
-GCWR 14000 lbs
-max tounge weight 600 lbs or 1000 lbs with a weight distributing hitch.
The sticker on my TV says:
-GVWR 7100lbs
-GAWR FRT 3550lbs
-GAWR RR 4100lbs
I have a "towing package"

I've narrowed it down to the following four trailers (for now)
-Rockwood 2702SS
-Rockwood 2907SS
-Shadow Cruiser S260BHS
-Shadow Cruiser S280QBS

Some side notes, I came to these trailers because when I used the calculators and the feedback from CP I felt I had to keep the trailer under 5500lbs dry weight. Most of our camping is done up the QE2. But i'd still like flexibility to go to BC.

Would YOU buy any of these with my Tow Vehicle, or am I back to the drawing board. Are these really too long for me?

[burn_this_city]

I think you're good to go. If you're worried, get synthetic tranny fluid and see if there is a larger transmission cooler available in the aftermarket. I don't think length is an issue because you'll have sway bars anyhow.

[pylon]

Go with the Rockwood.

Makes a great adult film stage name. "Johnson Rockwood."

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by pylon

Go with the Rockwood.

Makes a great adult film stage name. "Johnson Rockwood."

But is length an issue?

[pylon]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

But is length an issue?

Length is never an issue for Johnson Rockwood.

[Ironhorse]

I wouldn't go more than 27' on a short wheel base 1/2 ton such as a Yukon. The problem becomes one of leverage; that trailer is a huge windcatcher and it will wiggle and sway from crosswinds and passing semi trucks. You don't want the tail wagging the dog.

I also recommend that you get yourself a good stabilizing W/D hitch such as the Reese Dual-Cam. It is a bit more pricy than a bargain W/D hitch with an anti sway bar, but having towed the Airstream both with the system that came with it and with the new Dual Cam that I installed, it was comparing night and day (and Airstreams tow very easy; I'd hate to have towed a straight sided trailer with the original setup).

[Tailgator]

I agree with Ironhorse but you'll want to be careful. A trailer of that length will create a lot of sway with a Yukon, and once you load up a trailer and a tow vehicle, your weight adds up fast. Also, a 3.42 rear axle will cause you anger going uphill and might get you the stink eye from the Feds in BC.
I used to tow a 27 foot trailer with a half ton pickup, but it had a 4.10 rear axle, which makes a big difference. When I went to a heavier trailer, but the same length, the half ton wasn't enough and the tail was wagging the dog a lot more, and found a 3/4 ton was the solution.

[Madman]

Really great points in the last two posts.

I would honestly be hesitant buying any of those trailers you posted. The length and weight of them all is a worry, but combined with the towing capabilities, (not just weight capacity), of your Yukon would lend me to the side of saying no to them.

[Ace]

What about the trailer with the best specs in this list 28'8" & 4600 lbs. For weight this really should have me way under. This is 58% of my vehicles towing capacity (I'll be well below 76% loaded).

So now for length let's say I "could" tow a 27 foot trailer, is the extra 1 foot 8" a deal breaker, is the extra couple feet going to cause me that much trouble.


Thing is I just can't find a smaller trailer than this that will fit our use, this is why it's close to the "give up" point for me...

Is there anyone on CP towing a long trailer with a similar vehicle. I'll spend money on the "best" hitches, etc...

[Sliver]

This may be a stupid question, but will any of the trailer dealerships let you take one out for a test drive? If you're way under all your capacities (weight, tongue weight, etc.), and the only concern is length, I think it's time you try it out. I've towed probably 25 trailers in my time. Everything you posted would be of zero concern to me.

[Tailgator]

I sympathize with you, Ace - it's really frusterating. You can't get a straight answer from the car dealer, because they want you to buy the truck, and you can't get a straight answer from an RV dealer, because they want you to buy an RV. I found the best answers and most to the point came from a mechanic - especially one with no affiliations. If you're in Calgary, there's a little shop on Edmonton Trail called Hobo Camper Country. Doesn't look like much, but they really know there stuff there and they have nothing on the line so you should get a staright answer.
When a vehicle rating and specs gives you towing capacity, it's often talking about the most ideal conditions, which you'll rarely be driving in. Even with a tow package, a 3:42 rear end will cause you grief - even a 3:73 would be iffy for any of those RV's you listed. Problem is, you won't notice until you get to a hill. Engine power and transmission won't be a problem for you here I don't think, but the rear ratio and sway could make for some white knuckles you don't want.
I would try the guys at Hobo and see whay they think - it could be that you're fine and we're all over-thinking it for you.

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Sliver

This may be a stupid question, but will any of the trailer dealerships let you take one out for a test drive? If you're way under all your capacities (weight, tongue weight, etc.), and the only concern is length, I think it's time you try it out. I've towed probably 25 trailers in my time. Everything you posted would be of zero concern to me.

Excellent, thanks for your opinion. I certainly want to have a safe set-up, certainly the vehicle I have has enough power to do the job, Interestingly enough one dealership I asked had no problem letting me tow around a couple of their trailers, however I'm left thinking what's the point. First off a 30 min test tow is not likly going to give me any indications about major sway, Second in order to do the test tow properly i'd have to have to get my fancy weight distribution and anti-sway hitch installed, so testing without is kind of pointless.

What I'm left thinking is that I make an offer on the trailer that I like conditional on a satisfactory test tow. This way I will go ahead and buy a new fancy hitch, get it installed as if i'm taking the trailer, then drive it around. If it doesn't work then, I suppose i'll be out the cost of the hitch, but at least not the whole trailer. Problem is I don't want to go through the hassle of haggling out a price if the length is absolutly going to be an issue.

Re: Axle Ratio, if i'm well under the manufacturers towing capacity and GCWR would Axle Ratio even be a concideration? Wouldn't this be part of the towing capacity number? Does All Wheel Drive factor into this at all?

[Madman]

Prior to my current setup, (which is a 35' 5th wheel and F-350), I had a 28' bumper pull with an F-150 - so towing a 28' trailer with that type of vehicle is very easy and not totally my concern. I'm just unsure of your Yukon. Sure, it may technically be a half tonne, but I wouldn't ever compare it in total towing capacity to a similarly equipped Chevy 1500.

I totally missed that your truck is a Denali, I honestly think that puts an entirely new light onto things.

That has the big 20" wheels and tires on it, and there is no way those are LT tires of any capacity - they will be a P rated cushy tire with small sidewalls. Tires have a weight restriction as well and are not factored into the manual or body sticker at all.

You've also just mentioned the AWD - I honestly don't know enough about towing with a modern AWD system, but I would have to think that would put a decent amount of strain on it.

Rear suspension - that will for sure be a comfy set up and might even have air ride on it, I would do some looking into it as well.

Axle ratio - with 3.42s it will be a dog off the line and on the hills. Even that big 6.2L will be working with a tall highway gear ratio like that.

A guy up the street from me hooked up his 29+ foot bumper pull to his Denali last year and it did not look safe at all with the amount of sag it had. (and he had a distribution hitch to boot)

Not trying to rain on your parade, just want to make sure you are happy with what you buy and you and your family are safe.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Sliver

This may be a stupid question, but will any of the trailer dealerships let you take one out for a test drive? If you're way under all your capacities (weight, tongue weight, etc.), and the only concern is length, I think it's time you try it out. I've towed probably 25 trailers in my time. Everything you posted would be of zero concern to me.

To me that wouldn't be a fair test. You would want to tow with at least 1000 pounds added to the trailer to really get a feel for it.

[browna]

Originally Posted by Madman

I totally missed that your truck is a Denali, I honestly think that puts an entirely new light onto things.

That has the big 20" wheels and tires on it, and there is no way those are LT tires of any capacity - they will be a P rated cushy tire with small sidewalls. Tires have a weight restriction as well and are not factored into the manual or body sticker at all.

You've also just mentioned the AWD - I honestly don't know enough about towing with a modern AWD system, but I would have to think that would put a decent amount of strain on it.

Rear suspension - that will for sure be a comfy set up and might even have air ride on it, I would do some looking into it as well.

Axle ratio - with 3.42s it will be a dog off the line and on the hills. Even that big 6.2L will be working with a tall highway gear ratio like that.

A guy up the street from me hooked up his 29+ foot bumper pull to his Denali last year and it did not look safe at all with the amount of sag it had. (and he had a distribution hitch to boot)

Not trying to rain on your parade, just want to make sure you are happy with what you buy and you and your family are safe.

I would not be concerned, at 4600lbs dry and doing the 10-12 trips at most per year mainly down the major highways, with a Yukon, or Denali setup. We had a Denali XL when we got our trailer a few years back (its 4300 dry), and while I can't remember the tire rating for sure, I was fairly certain the stock tires are rated heavy load. SIdewalls aren't an issue either.

Given the casual weekend camping, having a 3.42 axle, or AWD is not an issue either IMO. These are trucks at heart, and perfectly capable on handing that type of load for our camping months.

The biggest thing that the Denali has is the Air Ride. Hook up the hitch to the ball, and let the truck do its whirring of automatic levelling. then hook up the weight distribution system.

Second biggest thing is the 6 speed transmission. Of course it has tow mode which you're using, but having those 2 extra gears is awesome and totally noticeable in shifting patterns and holding RPM's.

Originally Posted by Ace

What about the trailer with the best specs in this list 28'8" & 4600 lbs. For weight this really should have me way under. This is 58% of my vehicles towing capacity (I'll be well below 76% loaded).

So now for length let's say I "could" tow a 27 foot trailer, is the extra 1 foot 8" a deal breaker, is the extra couple feet going to cause me that much trouble.


Thing is I just can't find a smaller trailer than this that will fit our use, this is why it's close to the "give up" point for me...

Is there anyone on CP towing a long trailer with a similar vehicle. I'll spend money on the "best" hitches, etc...

Our trailer is 27 ft total, including the hitch, and having an XL helps probably, but having never towed anything else, don't know what it feels like to have sway or out of control. But our trailer is ultra efficient aerodynamically, and besides 6 or 7 trips each year down Highway 2 south (with some nasty Crowsnest winds and crosswinds) never a sway problem. We don't usually carry full water (and our trailer carries more water than newer ones), but do hae a lot of stuff. Never weighed to see what our total is, but am sure am in a comfort zone percentage wise.

I've driven to Vancouver Island and back (the Coquihalla was a treat), with a regular 2007 Yukon XL (we sadly decided to downgrade from the 2007 Denali XL the second year we had the trailer), with larger tires than 20" and had less sidewall than the OEM tires. Again, no issues. This is of course with the smaller 5.3L engine with 4 gears instead of 6, no air ride, and had no issues with trans temp (Denali has a seperate cooler for the transmission) or anything mechanical. I don't think we were pushing anything with our limits on what the truck could do.

Hitches cold be interesting for you, luckily the guy that we bought ours off of had an adjustable hitch, which was handy, as the Denali seems to sit higher than other vehicles (?) . He had extra strong distribution/stabilizer bars as well, over rated for what we need, but nice to have.

For 28.8", and that weight, I think you're more than fine. Get a good hitch as you said you are, take it on a few runs before heading out, with water and without and see if that makes a difference. But given the type of towing you're doing, in our weather for 4 months of the year (with that weight, those are not winter trailers), down mainly flat roads, you have more then enough truck with those dimensions.

However, do get exactly what you want in your trailer from the very start, especially if brand new. Don't go and say you'll get something small and see if you use it and like it and want to upgrade next 2 or 3 years. Kijiji must have hundreds of pages of trailers year round as people are trying to upgrade. They depreciate worse than a car, and with a flooded market its hard to sort through, a pain in the ass to usually show, there are hundreds that are between that magical price of $14-$30k, as the dealer is offering 50 cents on the dollar for something 3 or 4 years old that people paid $27K for. A buddy has his on for 20 months before selling. They're all in great shape, used 6 -10 times a year, so very hard to pick from, but also very hard to try and offload if you don't have the floorplan or features.

We lucked out, got a vintage one from an original owner, and will have no trouble making our money back if and when we sell. In great shape, but after 2 years, we would like bigger, and each summer when we go out and see our friends rigs, we think about upgrading. Come October, that feeling goes away, as you don't see or use the spanking new trailer you plopped $30K on, for another 8 months at least as it sits blocking wind and collecting snow.

If you can get something on the cheap (under $12K) to see if you'll use it and like it, with the eye to upgrading, it may be easier to sell in 2 or 3 years at $9K, and then you don't take a bath to unload it. Buy a new one at $30 and then in 2 years you want to sell it, the dealer will give you $18k to trade, and you'll be in tough with hundreds of others trying to sell it for $24k.

Good luck. A good place that know's what they're talking about as far as weights go is the Hitch Shop on 42nd Ave SE just off Blackfoot. You'll likely have to go there for a hitch or the brake controller installed, although I guess if you're getting it new, the dealer will do that.

[Ace]

^Huge thanks...this is a great post as I make my decision. I'm leaning towards pushing it and getting what I want. At least then if towing becomes an issue I can trade up vehicles and enjoy the trailer. This will certainly be easier than trading up trailers later. I'd really 'like' the 32' trailer...but I guess I better not press my luck that much.

[ken0042]

Sure- the 32' is likely nicer. But what is your main reason for getting a trailer? If it's to have a mobile cottage; then sure- go big.

Myself, I bought a trailer because I love camping. I want to be able to camp April thru October without worrying about cold temps. I wanted a few extra comforts, and I wanted to stop with the packing/unpacking of camping gear.

I say this, because I have found that I do not like most campsites that accomidate the monster sized trailers. I like to be in amungst the trees; not on a big parking lot. There are a lot more places you can go with a smaller trailer. I'm not saying you need to go down to a 19 footer to enjoy yourself; but don't get too hung up on size and end up with one that is too big.

Like Browna said, get the right trailer for you.

[Top Shelf]

One of the things that I think we are going to do is rent a trailer for a few weekends this year. Then you can get a feel for if you and your family are going to like it, plus get more comfortable with towing.

It's tough to think about dropping 20K on something to have it sit for 340-350 days out of the year. I think renting is going to give us a better feel for it and i'll be more comfortable if/when we decide to purchase.

http://www.affordablerv.com/rentals.html

http://www.rvdealerscanada.com/rvrentals.php#Alberta

[Cuttincircles]

[Mod edit- if you want to sell something use the Buy & Sell forum]

[Ace]

Originally Posted by Cuttincircles

[Mod edit- if you want to sell something use the Buy & Sell forum]

I'm going to assume since this isn't the buy/sell forum it's okay to critique the post above. The problem with a FIRM price of $27,000 on a used trailer is that you can get a whole heck of a lot for that in a brand new trailer, plus you avoid the hassle of havling to have it inspected, knowing how well it's been maintained, how clean the tanks are, etc. One thing I am very aware of in this purchase, I don't buy on the assumption of having any resale value...

It's probably a nice trailer, but i'm likely going to buy new to avoid the hassle, unless I find a smoking deal somewhere I can't pass up. But for me this kind of lines up with why I'm buying a trailer in the first place, to avoid hassle.