New Travel Trailer question

I have a 2018 Tundra Platinum 4x4

so I just sold my clasa A motorhome and want to get back in to camping. Biggest problem we had with the motorhome is that we always had to rent a car or drive a second vehicle.

We dont boon dock so tanks will never hold any water or solids while traveling.

So now we are looking at a 2020 Heartland Mallard M32BH.

Specs:
Length
34.79 ft. (417 in.)
Width
8.04 ft. (96.5 in.)
Height
11.33 ft. (136 in.)
Interior Height
6.83 ft. (82 in.)

Weight
Dry Weight
6,926 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,642 lbs.
GVWR
8,600 lbs.
Hitch Weight
670 lbs.


I’ve been going through the forums and looking at tow weight and hitch weight and I can’t figure out if I can legally tow this travel trailer.

I plan on adding airbags this weekend to help with the sag. I run bilsten shocks and a coachbuilder shackle and it squats with 200lbs of salt not happy with that at all.

Thanks

 

That's a mighty long trailer for a Tundra to handle in my opinion.

SPP

 

I had an 08 Zinger 32QB which is 33’ give or take and it towed great. But I dont go across country with it. Just local camps and within 2hrs from home

 

You’re probably going to be over on payload. The hitch weight doesn’t include battery, propane, etc so that 670 lbs is closer to 800-900 realistically. Factory in people, cargo in the truck you’re probably way over payload. For a trailer that size you’re crossing into 3/4 ton territory imho. It will pull it. But I would look at a trailer in 25ft range for a better towing experience.

 

I'd look for something at least 5 feet shorter and 1000-2000 lbs lighter.

 

Just because you *can* doesn't mean you should. Hitch weight noted is probably without a battery or propane and empty with no options on the trailer. Beside being too long you almost certainly overload your Tundra. Look at the sticker on the door jamb to find just how much your particular truck can carry. Just remember this number doesn't include driver or passengers, cell phones, insurance cards, big gulps and even collect dirt under the truck. You'd be shocked at how much our vehicles gain weight after we own them for a while.

 

My TT is 26' and 6500 lbs loaded, with about 800 lbs on the hitch. I feel that it is the largest I can comfortably tow with my Tundra.

 

I tow a camper of similar size and weight with my 2019. As others have stated, pulls fine, the 5.7, 4.30 rear end, tow haul mode and S4 do a nice job of motivating it. Trailer is equipped with electric trailer brakes, once adjusted the rig stops fine. It’s the actual driving it around experience that’s less than ideal. Long box catches the wind. I don’t drive interstates with it much, mostly highways at 55-60mph. When loaded for camping I promise you I’m at or over my 1200# payload. The truth is it’s just too big. But we lived in it for a short period of time and needed the space. I likely won’t ever tow it farther than a couple hours. I would downsize a bit but we got a smoking deal on this one brand new and likely couldn’t replace it for any cheaper.

 

Weight aside, I would only tow that short distances with no wind in a Tundra. 35' long by 11' high would not be fun on windy days. Where do you live and where would you travel?

 

So I’m out side of Boston 26 minutes and on the border of New Hampshire 15 minutes. We mainly go to New Hampshire and Maine some areas in mass down by the Cape we did go to Lake George New York, which we loved.

I am getting what looks like a good deal but weighing out my options. I planned on getting a bigger truck in the future but my tundra has done everything ive asked it to.

ultimately i want to be safe for my family and others on the road. I know if I asked 30 people I get 30 different answers.

 

If safety is your biggest concern and you want to increase that margin of safety, as most here will probably advise, 24-25 foot or so at 5,000 pounds or so is the biggest most would comfortably pull with the Tundra.

 

What kind of trailer do you have?

 

This beast. Outback 292URL. 29’ box with 33.5’ overall length. Dry weight around 7100#. Probably sits closer to 8000# with our stuff and propane and a battery. Tongue weight around 1000# I would imagine. Haven’t scaled it. With the WDH setup close to ideal it squats the truck to level.

 

How do you like that TT?

 

Love it. Coolest floor plan. Like an apartment.

 

That’s definitely a nice layout but I need bunks.

I’m looking at trailer with a bunkhouse for the kids in a big living room slide. That way if the kids want to be in the back, they can hang out there at night or when it rains. Anything smaller than 34 feet the bunks are in the hallway next to the bathroom.

 

I wouldn't tow a trailer with a bunkhouse with a Tundra.

 

This layout is a “couples” layout like a 5th wheel. Definitely not a bunkhouse like our last one. We had a 28ft. Bunkhouse trailer before.

 

The trailer specs is a bunkhouse that its in the original post. Bunkhouse or couples its just layout.

 

I towed my 28ft. Heartland 28FQBS single slide bunkhouse trailer with my 2000 Tundra. Dry weight was 6300# on that one. Probably every bit of my 7100# towing capacity when loaded.

 

How was your heartland trailer? When I go onto the forum, I read a lot of reviews on the sub floor rotted out. Any big problems with it?

 

This guy…..

 

nope

 

You’re lucky you caught it early people said it goes all the way underneath the kitchen some of the slides.

did you find out why it was leaking? Or where it came from?

Is that why you guys got rid of it?

 

Sold it when the kids got older and we weren’t camping in it. They aren’t well built, but to be fair, I paid a whopping $12.5k for it brand new. Sold it for $8500 after about 5 years.

The rot is due to the most commonly overlooked part of RV maintenance, yearly inspection and waterproofing. Every window, every door and the entire roof. Gotta walk it and apply sealant where needed. This was the over the door sealant that failed. We weren’t using it much and I neglected it. There ain’t no marine plywood in these either. Straight up OSB flooring.

 

This was my 32’ camper with single slide out. I towed it with my 2012 DC. Camper is around 6000lb dry. Not bad towing to local camping within 2 hours. Use highway preferably. You definitely feel it in high cross winds. I was definitely overloaded every time. But overall it was doable. A bunkhouse I don’t think I would feel as safe or confident in pulling with a tundra. Good luck.

 

This is ours, but it sounds like it's smaller than what you are looking for.

 

A “bunkhouse” is just a layout, nothing more. Doesn’t change the weight or profile of the camper. Mine had a twin over full “bunkhouse” in the back. Some have a full bunkhouse room with bunks on both sides and the bathroom somewhere in the middle of the camper. My buddies 33’ was that way. I’ve seen them in 28-29ft floor plans as well.

 

I realized after posting that I wasn't very clear. My trailer is also a "bunk house" in that it has bunks in the back next to the bathroom. My meaning was that I haven't seen a trailer with a separate room for the bunks that I think is within the Tundra's capability and it sounds like that's what OP is looking for.

 

Very similar to ours but we have a real bed in front that's separated from the rest of a trailer with a wall.