RV Question Please bear with me

Hi all! First off let me say that I have searched and searched on this topic and watched YouTube videos to determine how to get the right RV to Safely tow with my 2020 1794 4X4 Crewmax.

I am not looking at this for camping. My wife is retiring next summer and she wants to visit all 50 states, (luckily we have already been to Hawaii). We want to take the dogs with us so that is why we are looking at an RV. I am continuing to work so the trips would be about 2 weeks each till we head west.

I thought about a Class A or C but then I have to get a little tow vehicle.

This is what I have gleaned - I think:

Stay under 6K dry weight
Stay under the GVWR counting me, wife & 2 100lbs Rotties ~ 7500ilb counting the tongue weight of the TT.
Keep the total trailer length under 30'.

Anything else I am missing?

Thank you in advance as I am new to possibly the RV life.

 

https://www.bigfootrv.com/

Not sure how quick you're looking to buy. But many of the everyday RVs you see have numerous quality control issues.

Check these out if you wanted a quality built set up for your trailering adventures in retirement.

Happy hunting.

 

You are on the right track. 30 feet is getting big for a half ton pull but many do it. Personally I think 26 feet is about right for half ton trucks but it may be difficult to get all you want in a trailer that size.

30 footer is doable however. Watch the tongue weight, that is often a sticking point with half tons and larger trailers. WDH, trailer tongue weight, passengers, dogs and all you carry take away from the truck payload so it is easy to be way over suggested limits quickly. Trailer tongue weights listed by Camper manufacturers are often low- based on dry weight and sometimes do not include added options on the trailer, also they dont include propane, water, or anything you carry in the trailer. Taking the trailer to a weigh station is a good idea to know where you really are. Also try and talk/chat with others that have that trailer so you can get an idea of what a weights they are seeing in actual use, loaded.

Need WDH of course, with sway control. Tundras squat and if you have the black shocks those are marginal at best, towing or not. They are soft and wallowy in turns. Suggest the rear TRD sway bar and you may want to look into RAS (activesuspention.com). I think RAS is a better choice over airbags personally, install and forget it, less chance for failure, better ride when unloaded.

 

and this is a good read https://www.tundras.com/threads/tundra-trailer-comb.101113/

 

The Tundra lost the external cooler for the transmission in 2019. I would suggest adding a cooler if you're going to tow a lot.

You should be shooting for under 6k WET weight, not dry.

Your GVWR is probably closer to 7200 than 7500.

You'll want a WDH. They're heavy and count against your payload rating, but if you're towing over 5k lbs. you really should look into one.

I'd shoot for a trailer no longer than 24 feet. The wind will be your enemy and the bigger the trailer the more leverage it has to work against your truck.

 

With two 100# dogs plus you and your wife you are gonna have a hard time payload-wise no matter what you are towing.

Many disagree and I am sure they will all chime in about it but numbers don't lie.

You can either choose to believe them or not.

SPP

 

I would pay close attention to tires and gross weight of trailer. Many I have looked at will have tires equal to trailer loaded capacity or slightly lower and will exclude the tounge weight as it is carried by tow vehicle. To me that is cutting it too close and feel a more robust tire is safer, for instance the Arctic Fox has a tire rating of about 2k above the total capacity of trailer. I never had a tire issue or flat and there's many lonely miles in the west.

 

Yanking the rear seats immediately scores you an additional 114.5 pounds of payload. Even then it's going to be a little tight for two hundred pounders.

 

The quality on many travel trailers was dismal before the Rona but now it's much worse. We bought a new 21 Gulfstream Vintage Cruiser 23RSS that took me about a month of checking and fixing many items before we used it. Even then three weeks into the maiden voyage the power went out. The internal wires inside the twist lock plug were never properly tightened. I think these are designed well but assembled poorly.

Here's something to consider: If you plan to travel the county instead of parking it for months at a time like snowbirds, look for the smallest, most aerodynamic trailer that suits your needs. Unfortunately the best aerodynamic trailers don't usually have slideouts and those are very handy for dogs. Our TT has one small slideout which has the jackknife loveseat where our Lab sleeps.

 

We have one of these, it's perfect for travel camping due to the ease of towing and minimal impact on fuel economy (12-13mpg in 2008 Sequoia). It sets up in about 10m or so now that we have done it a bunch. Good luck on your search.
https://trailmanor.com/2720-series/

 

You can always rent a couple of different options and see what size suits you. I am of the opinion that smaller is better. We have a 22' toy hauler with no slide outs and it is more than big enough for my wife, 2 90# pups and myself.

 

Thanks everyone for the inputs. "IF" my wife is serious about this then she either lets me get a bigger truck or a Class A or C for our traveling adventures! We shall see what next year brings when she retires.

 

We looked into traveling for over a year before buying our Tundra and TT. Since our daily use vehicle was a very good condition 2011 Element buying the Tundra and selling the Element wasn't an unreasonable option. Buying a used gasser class A got most of our attention but most had that dreadful Ford V10. Dealers were asking outrageous prices and private sellers all got 10 MPG at 70 MPH and didn't have service records.
Our use was going to be a split of living in this trailer in a RV park over winter and traveling across the country in the summer so a balance between large for the winter and small for driving each day and camping that night was our goal. We both agree that living in this thing since Thanksgiving 2021 has been very easy and towing it 5,000 since Oct 1st 2021 has been better than expected. Even one day with 35-40 MPH crosswinds.
You have year to make your choice. That's helpful.

 

So let's look at some numbers for a 1794. These trucks are about 6,100 pounds completely stock with no upgrades. Let's say you weigh 200lb. Just for this exercise. So with only you in it, your truck weighs 6,300 pounds with absolutely nothing in it besides you. GVWR is 7,200 pounds, so a basic 1794 with no upgrades you have 900 pounds of payload. Let's build on this.....

Let's add in the wifey (130), 2 Rotties (200) and 100 pounds of coolers, luggage, dog food. That right there adds up to 430 pounds. So now you just ate up 430 pounds of the available 900 pounds to work with. Before you ever hook to the trailer, you are going to tip the scales at 6,730 pounds, so you have 470 pounds left for trailer tongue weight.

Like it or not, travel trailer companies are just as bad as trucks as far as advertised payloads. Toyota advertises 1,800 pounds, come to find out once one gets their 1794 or Platinum home they really only have 1,050-1,100 pounds. Trailers are no different. They are very very aggressive in coming up with their weights and tongue weights.

You always need to factor in 15% of the loaded weight. A 6,000 pound dry weight trailer, but GVWR of 7,500 is going to be in the 1,000-1,100 pound range when loaded. Even with a properly setup WDH.

Remember above, you had 470 pounds left to work with. You will be every bit of 500+ pounds over your GVWR. If that is even important to you.....

Let me give you an example. We got a Grand Design 2500RL almost a 2 years ago and is about same size as what you are looking at. It only took 1 50 Mile trip when we bought it and picked it up to realize if I am going to throw the wife and kids in the truck and take off to Florida, I am way under matched with any half ton truck to be honest, not just Tundra. That trailer is 5,857 pounds bone dry and advertised 581 hitch weight. Not a single thing had been added to that trailer, not even a paper. No propane, water, nothing. It had a properly setup hitch and it came in at 6,100 and 758 hitch weight with a pretty aggressive hitch setup to get weight up in the front wheels of the truck.

Many could care less about GVWR and will gladly pull that camper. If you are remotely concerned about making weight, I would be looking in the 20' range, 24' foot overall. Rockwood Geo Pro 19, Winnebago 1900 or 2100 are just a few examples and you might still be over a few pounds...

 

We have had many campers that I buy damaged, repair, use for a year or two and flip. Started with small pop-ups and graduated to large pop-ups, travel trailers and hybrids. I enjoy repairing them and we love to camp. Each type has their advantages. The last one we had was jayco exp 23b. It was a larger hybrid. We decided it was actually too big for our family (myself, wife and 2 teenage kids) - we don’t want to “glamp”. Just want a place to sleep and get out of the weather if necessary.

We are now in the market for a 17-19 foot camper (preferably hybrid because we do still enjoy the tent ends…..feels like you’re outside if that make sense). The kids don’t want to camp as much and the smaller one will still fit us all if they decide to come.

I personally like the hybrids - they’re typically lighter than a lot of the others in similar size and in extreme heat / cold / bear country you can close the ends and use the large dinette as a bed to have fully enclosed had sides. All other times it gives you the option of fresh air and a “tent” feeling while sleeping.

YMMV

 

Something not mentioned yet is a trailer hitch dolly that will add more moving parts and tires (potential failure points) to the overall pkg. However, it removes nearly all the tongue load and makes sense in some cases. So, Google search and research a trailer TOAD to see another possibility that is readily available and may be more affordable than other options.

 

Another option... if you've got a year to decide, start plotting places you want to go and start researching Air B&B's, cabins, house rentals, etc. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find pet friendly rentals in the majority of areas. You can rent a lot of nights for the $ outlay for a trailer, extra gas, and/or cost of a heavier duty truck. AND you won't have to worry about set up/tear down and maintenance. Travel will be easier and faster.

I totally get the allure of having your own place/camper too. We also thought about it not long ago. Storage when not in use was another stumbling block for us (we are not retired yet, so it would only be used a few times per year, tops). Ultimately, we decided short term rentals were the best route for us. Another consideration for your situation; I can't imagine living with 2 100# dogs in a camper of a size the Tundra could pull (assuming you adhere to the posted weight limits). I like dogs too, but small campers can get cramped quickly, whether it be stuff or bodies.

That said, we have friends that full time in their RV with their dogs and love it. But they have a BIG RV, so I'd recommend doing everything you can to get the "right" RV the first time, even if it means upgrading from the Tundra to a HD truck.

Youtube - there are many channels of RVers describing their life, common RV issues, tips, and tricks. Check them out, a lot of good info to be found. Our friends really liked one called "Changing Lanes". Also, I like Josh the RV nerd (I think Bish RV is the channel now, used to be Haylett RV). He does some good in depth reviews of new RVs and has been giving industry updates throughout covid.

 

Another option would be a park model. My grandparents had one here in a trailer park on a golf course for ~15-20 years. In winter, they would take their F250 and fifth wheel to Arizona. Later, they got a park model there too, sold the truck and trailer and drove their van down.