Possible new camper later this year

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Jimmy Lavoie

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We are thinking of upgrading our pop-up to a 30' ultra-lite travel trailer. The dry weight is 5,500 pounds and the loaded max weight is 7,500 pounds.



I have a 7,500 max tow weight with my ST but the RV dealer seems to think the ST is not heavy enough for towing that weight and length trailer. He states that the ST's trac (width) isn't big enough to keep it from swaying. I would - of course - have a equalizer and electric brakes. I think he's confused with the Gen 1 Tracs' The Gen 2's are longer and wider.



Any thoughts?
 
This is total opposite with an RV salesman. They usually say anything to get you to buy the trailer.



Anyways, I think you will be fine. Your 2007 will have no issues. Maybe he thinks it is a Toyota Sport Trac.





Tom
 
I've pulled a 24ft about the same weight with equalizers and breaks of course, I had no sway problems... Only problem I had was fuel consumption!!!
 
I pull a 32 foot ultra-light. Empty it's 4400lbs. Loaded I'd guess a minimum of 5500 with my 80 gals of water and such. While I wouldn't want to tow it cross-country, it seems to do ok. But I also live at 8500ft altitude and pull it up to 10,000ft camping places. You loose a min of 20-25% horsepower at this alt. And definately use equalizer and sway bars. The sway will come into play if you hit a cross wind.
 
The main cause of sway is improper loading of the trailer!!! You want the trailer to be front heavy.
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The pop-up I tow now has plenty of front weight because of the deck. the thing NEVER SWAYS and totally loaded, it's 5,500 pounds.



Only problem I had was fuel consumption!!!
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Yea, that's gonna be a change for sure. Currently, I get anywhere from 11 - 15 mpg towing. It's 90% highway and flat (Florida).



I pull a 32 foot ultra-light. Empty it's 4400lbs.
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Brad, do you have any pics?



In any case, looking to get something around October of this year. Our camping is over for the summer (Too hot, rainy and buggy in the summers). It's just no fun camping without a campfire.
 
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I have towed my 27' (30' overall length) lightweight over 14,000 miles w/ a gen1 4x2.(pics in lib) .. It'll tow it... You'll know it's back there, and you won't set any speed records.... Do a search on towing over the years, and you'll find lots of talk on this... IMO, the longer the tongue, the better it'll be. A short trailer will tend to sway more due to the short tounge... The length does not play into it as much as the frontal area (80 ft^2 max, gen 1), then the overall weight. I would recommend weighing the rig at the public scales to help you load it right... Of course, you'll need a brake controller, but I would heavily recommend a good anti-sway and torsion setup... It'll fix your sway, if it happens. In the miles I have towed, I have never had a sway issue that got out of control. Buses, and car carriers are bad, followed by box trucks, moving vans, then regular T-T's... IfI see one coming up, I hug the white line, which minimized any buffeting..



What brand are you looking at? I selected the one I have due to the short height, and 7-1/2 ft width, and it's overall lowness to the ground.. Some of these trailers sit really high up, like the Dutchman brand...
 
Pics of the whole setup, or just the camper? I'll have to dig but I may have some.
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I'd like to see the whole setup if you have them.



Here is the Floor Plan and Exterior of the trailer:



[Broken External Image]:

[Broken External Image]:



Sunset Trail



This is what I tow now (shown empty):

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Fleetwood Evolution E3.

 
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looks nice... ours does not have the slideout, as they add 1000lbs to the dry weight.... The extra room they provide is really nice to have...
 
Here's a link to a 2007 version of my 2006. The 07 has some good improvements. We need lots of sleeping room. These are better pics than I would take anyway. The floorplan isn't for everyone, but works for us. Any questions, feel free to ask.

http://www.rvusa.com/dealer_management/includes/inventory_picture.asp?id=680241&picture=11&d=
 
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Nice pics. We don't need the extra sleeping room - just my wife and I. I like the propane tanks hidden.



Here's the link you posted below.
 
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Have you checked out the 27 & 29 foot Evergreen Ever-lites? They weight much less than the one you're considering.
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Are there dealers for the Evergreen's locally? We found this one at Florida Outdoors - near 441/I-595. As you know, it's all about the floor plan.



I noticed you're from Margate. We live next door in Tamarac.



Update: Just checked the website and they are 10K (apples to apples) more then the ones we're looking at. It's out of my price range.



We're watching chat rooms and forums to see what the owners think of the Sunset Trail RV's quality. We have 4 - 5 months to make a decision.
 
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My starlite has the hidden tanks... IMO, they look nice, but are a PITA... They are not in the airstream, so there isn't drag... I would much rather have the slide out tray as depicted in the link above...:supercool:
 
Jimmy, I know we are neighbors. I recently asked you about the upgrade you did on your class II to class III hitch. I am considering replacing my receiver hitch as I know a good welder who will do it. I'm still working on my options. Regarding the Evergreen Ever-lites, the 27 footer has a dry weight of 4,441, the 29 footer 4,992 and 31 footer is 5,273. The retail prices are too pricey, however, the industry is suffering. Check out TropicalRV.net (Ft. Pierce) and Naturecoastrv.com(Crystal River). A 2010 model would be greatly reduced if you could find one. I found a 2010 year model 25 ft. in Connecticut on Google at $21K, that's 20 % less than MSRP. Take a drive to Ft. Pierce this summer and check out one of their rigs. Bob
 
Bob,

The 27 footer is almost 1,000 pounds lighter then the one I'm looking at. A drive to Ft. Pierce? Sounds like a nice day trip.



BTW - I remember you now... sorry. You have any pics of your truck?
 
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No photos yet but I need to do that, its dark cherry metallic. Its like being a teenager again buying stuff for my ride. I hope to make a TT purchase in late October. I am slowly putting together everything beforehand: hitch receiver, hardwiring a Prodigy with a conversion kit (I have the 4-way plug now) and an Equalizer hitch. I've learned alot reading from you folks that have been around awhile. I sincerely appreciate your input Jim and like to know what your research brings you to...Bob
 
Personally, I would NEVER buy a new rv. I paid 50% of new when I got mine and it was less than 2 years old. There are a ton of them for sale. Find what you want and make a trip out of it! Heck I didn't even go after mine. The guy delivered it!
 

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