Absolute perfection.
holy cripe.....one good road bump on the front end of that truck, the steering goes light (if not airborne) and those two women will be white knuckling it straight into the ditch.
how can any sane person think that's a properly hooked up trailer?
haha well thanks guys for helping me avoid a similair situation! that trailer looks dangerous AF.
That looks like no WDH/ or poorly setup WDH, and a trailer too heavy for the truck. thats level 99 scary right there. I really hope when they hit the ditch, they don't take anyone with them.
They also had a pair of propane tanks in the back of the truck behind the rear wheels, bigger than 20 pounders for sure and if full that would just upset things even more.
To my inexperienced eye, it just looks like way too much trailer for that truck. I would've liked to have gotten a closer look but it just wasn't possible without being obvious.
I'm not the trailer expert that @ExtraSlow is but it appears to be an early-mid 1990's Dutchmen Classic, probably about 35 feet long, gross dry weight just under 6,000 pounds, gross dry hitch weight at about 900 pounds. I really can't say what year/type of Dodge Ram it was other than being a 1500 series but the appearance of the whole setup would seem to indicate too much trailer for that truck.
Last edited by speedog; 05-01-2018 at 07:49 PM.
Will fuck off, again.
That is straight up terrifying.
Took the family and trailer out for the first time. Only thing missing from the trailer was firewood and 30 gallons of water. It looks like I will be right at the limit with those added in. Crazy to think that I started out with a 3500 lb trailer. Guess my payload is somewhat limited especially once you add in the tonneau cover and running boards. I think the F150 has higher payload but I have to think there are tons of guys out there running over the limit. Drove back from Brooks yesterday with some serious wind and everything was great.
Last edited by dirtsniffer; 06-13-2018 at 10:09 AM.
Sure you are up against payload and gvw, but that's actually how most guys with half tons end up. Yiur steering axle weight looks good, and you say it pulls good, even in wind, so I wouldn't worry too much.
Glad it's going good, enjoy these memories, it's my favourite family activity.
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just looking at your weights, it seems like alot of tongue weight for a trailer of that size?
assuming that the truck weight without trailer is with you and your gear, family, etc. the trailer added on almost 1200lbs and the trailer axles are carrying less that 4000lbs.
"Make Canada a better place, punch a Canuck fan in the face" - Jim Rome
I bought a used trailer recently and discovered that the PO had cut all the wires to the brakes. I can only assume he did so because the brakes were seizing. Now it's in the shop and I'm expecting a hefty bill to replace the wiring plus service the brakes.
I decided to post, however, as I thought it was pretty funny: As soon as the guy at the RV place came out, he's like... "You drove it here like that?" "Yup... I did". The reason he mentioned something is because the trailer was already riding way too high on the hitch and with a recent lift I put on my Grand Cherokee, it was at least 6" if not 8-9" too high in the front. I'm not going to lie... it felt like crap to tow, and when I went over bumps it was real unstable. So in addition to the brakes, I'll now have to pick up a really long drop shank to get the trailer even.
Pay to play.
I want to pics of this towing
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With just me in the truck and the trailer empty the tongue weight was ~500 lbs. Still had full propane and battery on the tongue. I will definitely be shifting some things from the truck bed to the trailer. That said, the trailer is definitely tongue heavy, from my understanding that can be a benefit for stability?
Also, the camp chef stove is great. I had buddies wanting to use it every morning haha.
Last edited by dirtsniffer; 06-13-2018 at 10:18 AM.
At least keep the heaviest items ahead of the axle in the truck.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
All my trailers had the bulk of the storage space pretty far forward, so it ends up as extra tongue weight AND rear axle weight.
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Hope you don't mind me piggybacking on your n00b thread OP.
I'm close to pulling the trigger on Desert Fox toyhauler if everything checks out. This trailer is 7800 lbs empty with a max weight of 13,000lbs.
According to Ford my F150 has 2534 lbs of payload, and 10,600 lbs max trailer, I'll probably pick it up dry with my half ton and see how it is.
Luckily I have easy access to heavy duty trucks which might be the way to go...
My biggest concern is making sure the trailer is in good working order with no problems.
I've never bought a trailer trailer before, so would any one care to enlighten me on their used travel trailer purchasing routine?
There is already some good advice here regarding batteries/propane tanks/tires/bearings. What about fridges/furnaces/air conditioners/water pumps/stoves/ovens/holding tanks...?
Toy haulers are insanely nose-heavy when there's nothing in the garage, so count on 20% tongue weight. Also if that 7800lbs is a published "dry" weight you will be several hundred pounds more than that before you add and cargo, fluids or toys. Get a real scale weight.
Loaded down, that trailer is too much for ANY half-ton. Even empty it'll be borderline. You will almost certainly be over the truck payload
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^^^ i agree, i would not pull that with a 1/2 ton. My trailer is 5800 dry with a max of 8200 it is boardline for my truck.
Damn 2500 lb payload. Jelly
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I have to admit I am not a f150 expert but I don’t think any screw will come close to that payload... it would have to be a 2wheel drive base model truck with 6.5 foot box min ...
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Mine has the heavy duty payload package (HDPP) which gives 7850#GVW and upgraded tires/rims/springs/frame/gearset/3.73 ratio/... The only one in Alberta I could find at the time.
Fully loaded, no doubt I will use a Duramax to pull it around. With just fluids and some cargo I would be tempted to give it a go if I'm within the Ford published limits (IDK if the company would be happy if I took a truck to Shambhala).
As ExtraSlow suggests, if it all works out, I will spend some incremental time at the scales.
Can anyone suggest any other threads with travel trailer buying advice?
Last edited by stillworking; 06-13-2018 at 08:13 PM.
not much to check, if it works when you do the walk-through and nothing leaks, it's all reasonably reliable.This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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