Buying an older Travel Trailer - RV-Dreams Community Forum

jdelaneyh · RV-Dreams Community Member

Buying an older Travel Trailer

thebearII · RV-Dreams Family Member

http://www.rvsearch.com/findrv/index.cfm/a-d/tc-36261/vid-499072/

Here's a great floor plan. I'm a big guy and this trailer was laid out with me in mind. We had a TT with this floor plan made by another Skyline company, Nomad. Ours was a 1978.

We puleed it with a Dodge Ramcharger which had less weight capacity than your 1500 pickup.

These trailers were mid-range in price and build quality when new.

www.rvsearch.com is a great website to find trailers that will work with your truck.

Watch out for roof leaks, rusted out frames, rodent droppings, dry rot...shoddy repairs.

-- Edited by thebearII on Friday 11th of September 2009 01:57:55 PM

jdelaneyh · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks for the tip on where to look. That is an interesting floor plan.

Here's the info I got off the door of my truck:

It's a 1993 Chevy Pick-up, 1500 work truck. 4.3 Liter V-6. Standard cab, 2 wheel drive. I do have a fiberglass cap on the bed for extra storage.

GVWR - 6100
GAWR FRT - 3150
GAWR RR - 3686

In the owner's manual it states a trailer should never be over 13,500 pounds. Is that for real? (Yes, I still have the owner's manual, I bought the truck brand new with only 6 miles on it!) Only four more years and it'll be considered a classic!

jdelaneyh · RV-Dreams Community Member

I'm still a bit confused about this whole weight thing.

The owner's manual states a trailer shouldn't be over 13,500 pounds. That means with all our gear loaded into it, right? Because the GVWR for most of the trailers I'm looking at are around the 4000 to 5000 pound range.

So how does this figure with the truck's 6100 GVWR? Help!!!!!

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

jdelaneyh wrote:

I'm still a bit confused about this whole weight thing.

The owner's manual states a trailer shouldn't be over 13,500 pounds. That means with all our gear loaded into it, right? Because the GVWR for most of the trailers I'm looking at are around the 4000 to 5000 pound range.

So how does this figure with the truck's 6100 GVWR? Help!!!!!

You are correct that what the owner's manual means is that the trailer with all of your stuff, plus water in the tanks and propane in the propane tanks, and any other things added should not exceed the 13,500 pounds. Without seeing your manual, does it state something to the effect of "Gross Combined Vehicular Weight" should not exceed that weight of 13,500, or does it refer to the trailer only?

If it is trailer only, then the GVWR of the trailers you have been looking at shouldn't cause you to exceed your weight ratings. Gross Combined Vehicular Weight considerations would include the towing vehicle, full of gas, with passengers and whatever else one puts into it PLUSs the trailer with all the stuff.

So, if your truck was to be loaded to the 6100 pounds and you added a trailer weighing 5000 pounds with all the stuff in it, you would only be at 11,100 pounds GCVW. That would be well below what many consider an acceptable weight comination.

Many trucks are listed in brochures with ratings for the truck capacity alone (truck GVWR), towing capacity (trailer GVWR), and combined weights (GCVW). When calculating weights, keep all three in mind.

When towing travel trailers, you will want to make sure that your truck has good brakes. There are occasions when trailer brakes may not work for some reason, and you want to make sure that your truck can handle stopping everything safely.

However, with your crafting ambitions, always keep in mind the weight and space that your materials and equipment will take up. Always figure that into your weight calculations as well.

I'm not sure what your finances are, but if you are able to buy from an individual instead of a dealer, you may get a better deal. However, you really need to know what you are looking at on a used trailer to insure that you don't end up with a loser. In some cases, an older couple may have gotten where they are uncomfortable with towing trailers and are selling theirs simply because of that.

Terry

TrishsTravco · RV-Dreams Family Member

jdelaneyh wrote:

I'm still a bit confused about this whole weight thing.

The owner's manual states a trailer shouldn't be over 13,500 pounds. That means with all our gear loaded into it, right? Because the GVWR for most of the trailers I'm looking at are around the 4000 to 5000 pound range.

So how does this figure with the truck's 6100 GVWR? Help!!!!!

First, that V-6 isnt' real powerful. But, then it depends on where you're going.
I wouldnt' cross the Rockies with it. I wouldnt' try to do more than 50-55 towing with it, either.

Look for an old Avion.
Yeah Yeah... I know, all of you know. I am "stuck' on Avions.
But we had one for 25 years and it was a dam* good trailer.

When I say "old," I mean under 22-ft and pre-1964.
They're very light (empty, our T-20 was 2,100 or something equally disgustingly low) and extremely easy to pull. At 16, I towed it the length of Michigan.

What you will not be able to do is carry any water supply with you.
Empty your black /grey tank before going on the road every time.
Use 1 30-lb propane instead of 2. Those bottles are heavy.
Dinnerware and pans -- best go with a convection microwave and plastic or aluminum pans.
Don't laugh, plates weigh.

Keep looking. You want someone's cream puff.
Good luck.

flyone · RV-Dreams Family Member

I ,like Terry, think that the 13,500 lb must be the GCWR, that means tow truck (loaded) and TT (loaded) cannot weight over 13,500 lbs. The way to get this right is to load the truck with everything you will be traveling with in your truck, including passengers fill the truck up with gas go to a scale probably at a truck stop (they may charge a few dollars) and get it weighed. Deduct that from the 13,500 lb and you have the max weight of the trailer in its loaded state that you can tow. Most TT list their empty weight behind a cabinet door inside the TT but this is probably prior to some add on's , (canopy- AC) so keep that in mind. You might want to add 10% to the TT weight to be safe. The safest thing would be to weight the TT, this may or may not be possible prior to buying it. For safety sake try and stay 10% to 15% below max TT weight in its fully loaded condition. I think (just a guess)you are looking at around 5500 lb of fully loaded trailer. Make sure your truck has a good hitch mounted to the frame, don't rely on a bumper hitch. Keep good tires on the truck and TT and keep them all inflated to max air pressure that is stated on the sidewall of the tire. Hope this helps, thats the way I see it, but of course I'm not a professional, seek professional help from your truck manufacture to confirm that I'm correct.

Flyone

Richard Mondavi · RV-Dreams Community Member

I don't know about the '93 chevy, but a 2008 chevy pickup 1500, 2WD, standard cab has a maximum tow limit between 4800 to 5300 lbs. If you have a rear axle ratio of 3.73 the max is the 5300 lbs.
That maximum means the weight of your trailer as it sits with all your gear onboard.

jdelaneyh · RV-Dreams Community Member

Okay...here is exactly what the Owner's Manual states:

"Weight
Weight of the trailer

How heavy can a trailer safely be?

It should never be more than 13,500 lbs, (6125.6 kg) But even that can be too heavy. It depends on how you plan to use your rig. For example, speed, altitude, road grades, outside tempurature and how much your vehicle is used to pull a trailer all are important. It can also depend on any special equipment you have on your vehicle."

So that is exactly what the manual says.

My daughter and I went to a local RV dealer to look at trailer's yesterday. He advised us to stay below 4,000 pounds for a trailer to tow with our truck. That makes sense...however...YUCK!!!!

I have never seen so many truly ugly and unlivable trailers in all my life! I can see why they're still sittting on the lot! Who designs this new stuff? The small ones have less room than a friend's dad's old Pick-up camper from the 60's! As for the "decorator fabrics"...well one of them neither of us could even go into it was so "fugly". The smaller stuff is so badly set up and laid out that two people would have difficulty spending a three day weekend in them, but they all have microwaves, sterios and one even had a corner fireplace with a HDTV installed above it! Of course there is no room to move around each other but who cares! Right? Also Skye and I are both tall, if it wasn't for the sky light in many of the showers we'd never be able to stand up in them at all.

I realize this was just one dealership and other manufacturers may have better floor plans and styles, but WOW that was eye opening!

To sum it up...I'm glad I can't afford a new one!

So...what do y'all think about a cheap old Motorhome to tow our truck with?