Buying a travel trailer

I'll have to jump on my laptop, my thumps are tiring.

 

So looking at the online brochure, there is a few conflicting numbers, but what is on the drivers door panel is what matters. You will run out of capacity long before trailer weight issues.

So your capacity is 1212-58=1154 lbs
Your maximum tongue weight is 1010 lbs (according to the brochure). This could change if there is another sticker on your door stating otherwise.

I am not sure if it will be just you and the wife, or kids, or dogs, etc. Estimate all those weights and add them up.

170 male
125 female
295 total

1154-295=859 lbs maximum load capacity/tongue weight.

Now that you have this made up number, now go look at campers.

So I pulled up the cheapest and lowest line of Keystone camper that is reasonably sized, 24'

http://www.keystonerv.com/build-my-rv#

This camper has an advertised hitch weight of 600lbs. Put propane on the tongue, battery, electric jack...etc. Lets put that up to 670lbs to be safe.

So 859-670=189 lbs of capacity. As long as the tongue weight and whatever you toss in the bed isn't over the 189lbs, good to go. There are smaller campers such as a 23', or 20' that would really be the sweet spot for the Tundra. Now understand that the shipping weight and actual weight is totally different. I found this out the hard way and will explain with my camper, and this was the demise of my 12' Tundra CM 4x4, which had better load ratings than your 2016.

My Keystone Outback 280RS, would be a different story for you all together. Here is what happened to me. Power was never the issue, it would pull the load. I may have been floored, but it did it. Now controlling this camper at speed and stopping was always a little sporty coming down mountain passes like Vail Pass, Wolf Creek Pass, Monarch Pass. I hit them all in CO and some real ass kickers in New Mexico.

http://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2013-keystone-outback-toy-hauler-floorplan-280rs-tr13901

Dimensions
Length

32.08 ft. (385 in.)

Width

8 ft. (96 in.)

Height

10.92 ft. (131 in.)

Weight
Dry Weight

6,597 lbs. So this weight is the shipping weight. I took my trailer to the scales with nothing in it at all, half propane and I scaled 7200 lbs. Well hells bells, were did all this extra weight come from? Propane, electric jack, extra battery, bigger propane tanks, options inside the camper...etc.

Payload Capacity

1,603 lbs.

GVWR

8,200 lbs.

Hitch Weight

725 lbs. This was off due to the total weight being off as well, plus options on the tongue that were added. If I remember correctly it was a little over 820 lbs. I was using a 1000 lb WDH as well.

So my Tundra had a load capacity of 1325 lbs/ 9000 lb trailer tow rating.

200 me
125 wife
60 lbs kid #1
34 lbs kid #2
90 lbs dog #1
60 lbs dog #2= 569 lbs

So I had 756 lbs of capacity left. So by the Keystone website, I would most likely be over, but not much....or so I thought. Now start adding in all the food, clothes, we put the dogs up in the camper front (toy hauler) so they would be comfortable and have room to move about.

I was already 64 lbs overweight. after adding all the crap we took on our two week trips, holy hell, it seemed like a weigh distribution hitch wasn't used. My tongue weight was getting pretty heavy. My load range E tires were at 70 psi in the rear, sometimes 80 if carrying water, 55-60 psi in the front. I also have LR E tires on the trailer.

My generator is 76 lbs. plus 5 gallons of fuel, now I am estimated 171 lbs overweight. I never got a total load weight when ready to go, and I should have. It was heavy. Not as heavy as my flatbed equipment hauler and Jeep, but close.

Now, I just don't even worry about it.

So in closing, this is probably clear as mud, but it will come down to tongue weight for what camper you buy. A tongue weight scale will be a very good tool to invest in when shopping. I would tow with the camper as well, if they will allow you to. If not, definitely get a scale number on the tongue. Depending on where you plan to go, this matters. On the flats, towing my camper, most times at 60-65 mph I could be in 5th and 6th gear just tugging along. The mountains, 2-4th was used exclusively. Mostly the 2-3 gears.

The power of the Tundra was pretty impressive, even at max loads. For a 1/2 ton V-8 truck, you purchased wisely. I wouldn't buy any other 1/2 ton on the market today, and I am not going to feed you a bunch of bullshit. I don't own one anymore, and only come on this site for the people and the good times.