Need help deciding on TT for cross country trip

I hear ya. I have seen the larger lance but not the 2185. The 2285 seems like a nice trailer,but I need the bunks. Have you pulled it many miles and how does the Tundra handle it? What wdh are you using?

That is monster! I would guess you are at the trucks tow limit but still doable obviously. What kind of wdh are you using?

 

A friend of mine gave me harbor freight one. I'm most likely gonna get Equal-i-zer though

 

Yeah, I hear ya. Think you are right. That is a nice trailer!

 

I would estimate around 4,000 miles towing the lance... (had a smller trailer for 12 years). Everywhere from the beach to the eastern sierra.. truck does great... no concerns at all... equalzer wdh...

 

Super nice rig. So much space. Ill take a look at Coachmen.

Awesome. The dry hitch weight is less for the 2285 (for some reason) but the overall weights are pretty comparable. This is a big confidence booster in the Lance. Any issues with workmanship? Nothing used out there right now and they are kinda spendy new, but they look bullet-proof.

 

Been towing a 28’ Airstream with 940lbs tongue weight and 1325lbs of payload for 5 years now. BTW, I have a family of four, 75lb Lab, Camper Shell and four bikes that travel with me. Trailer weight is 7000lbs camping ready. I am just under rear axle ratings & pack lite in the bed. I made several visits to the CAT scales & dialed everything in with a level trailer. Airstreams tow great due to aerodynamic design. I’ve been in 29 states & logged over 25K towing over the Rockies & back twice. My only suggestion is to avoid 10% grades at 10,000’! I made it over the Teton Pass, but it was not pretty! The whole sea level/non-aspirated engine thing is for real...look it up.
IMO, the 25’ Airstream is almost the perfect match for the Tundra. I have 178K on my 2008 CM with the tow package. I don’t want to tow much more, but am very comfortable with my set up. I’ve added Bilsteins, “E” rated tires, rear sway bar etc. All have helped but the sway bar has been the most help. The published tongue weight for your Airstream is a pipe dream, plan on it being in the 900-1000 lb range.

Safe Travels!

P.S. I could sell my Airstream for more today, than I bought it for used. Try that with brand X, Y, or Z. Just saying...

 

Man I know they hold their value. These become like family heirlooms. We looked at them in Santa Barbara a couple months ago and wife fell in love with them. Your rig setup looks great! Thanks for all the info.

 

I went to RV shows and decided on a lance before I even knew which model.. Heard good things about them... I hve only had one issue and it was a broken cable on the TV antenna..

 

So my wife and I just completed a 15 day 5,656 mile trip from GA through the southwest about 2 weeks ago. Stayed everywhere from 90 degrees during the day (Southern Utah and northern Arizona) to 22 degrees overnight in the Rocky mountains. We did it in a Trailmanor 2720 which is incredibly light and towed like a dream. No issues with heat or cold. Great trailer if you are looking for something light.

We enjoyed the trip so much, we upgraded and sold the Trailmanor on Friday, exactly 1 week after we got back and bought a 2018 Lance 2375 the following day. I immediately loaded up the Lance and took it to the weigh station. I had 350 lbs of extra gear in the bed; the owner gave me his Curt WDH and a 1 piece mudflap that I threw in the back along with all my tools (I had my own Fastway WDH hooked up to the trailer). The next day, I drove through the weigh station with the fully loaded Lance, my wife (we are about 350 lbs combined.). I had a full tank of fuel (38 gallons) and we had put all our gear in the trailer. The Fresh water tank in the trailer was full (about 45 gallons). Grey and Black tanks were effectively empty. My significant after markets are a TRD Pro rear sway bar, Tyger T3 Tonneau, and Tyger Star Armor Steps (about 200lbs combined).

So our real world numbers were as follows:

Steer Axle: 3,560 lbs
Drive Axle: 3,760 lbs
(7,360 Tow Vehicle total)
5820 on Trailer Axles
(Gross Weight 13,140 lbs)

My 2018 4WD Platinum CM (with aftermarket spray-in-liner) has GVWR of 7,200lbs and Maximum tow of 8,800. (16,000 lbs combined).

So, I was about 3,000 lbs under the GCWR and 160 over on payload. But I will be taking out 350 lbs of extra WDH, one piece mud flap, and tools from my truck bed and replacing that with two little dogs that total 45 lbs. So I'll be right on with the Lance, and if it gets too close, I'll take off the Star Armor steps before I travel next. We decided on Lance over the Airstream after researching and just felt the comfortability and versatility of the Lance suited us better, but man do we love the Airstreams too.

 

Here is a copy of the scale results with the truck loaded with fuel, myself, my wife and our two dogs in the vehicle unloaded a few months ago, and then with the Lance attached. And pic of the Lance 2375 attached to Tundra with Fastway E2 hitch.

 

WOW what a beautiful view, where is this, is it a campground or out in no-mans land

 

Great explanation of what you are towing and what your weights were. Beautiful trailer, one that i am looking at when i trade in my 25' KZ Spotsman.

 

After our South Dakota trip last month my wife's started to talk about possibly getting a travel travel. Our Biggest concern is we need and I mean need a King size bed...
So I'm on the Hunt for a Tundra towable TT with a King bed. Since its just the two of us and possible our KarZy Kats we don't need a Huge amount of room.

 

Eleven Mile State Park west of Colorado Springs.

 

Hey thanks for the detailed breakdown. I have been researching each wdh and how much they take off the pin/rear axle. It would seem many people like to add 100lbs for the hitch, but do not take off enough rear axle weight after properly set up (leverage). Your numbers really show that being the case.

What is odd is that even though the 2375 is heavier unloaded, the hitch weight is significantly less. GVWR (according to there general specs) are the same.

We have looked at used Lances but they have been so far pretty well used, would like something newer but there is shit all for inventory across the country right now. Pretty hard to find anything atm. Small bunkhouse models must be very high demand as no brand has much in stock new or used.