Comfortable travel trailer weight?

I am shopping for a travel trailer and looking at camper size options.

My truck is a 2023 SR5. My door says something like 1300# payload.

I know that load distribution and things like a weight distribution hitch play into the details, but for those of you who actually tow with your gen 3, would you feel comfortable pulling a ~6500lb camper 3+ hours once or twice a month? I was originally looking at trailers topping out around 5000lb but wondering if I am limiting myself unnecessarily.

Assuming reasonably well sorted out weight distribution and not being stupid what do you think a comfortable limit is for these trucks. My family of 5 would be in the truck with most everything else in the trailer. Safety far outweighs having the biggest possible camper and I prefer it to feel like not much is back there when I tow. I don't want to be sweating bullets if I head into Appalachia.

 

mine is just shy of 6k# dry. I have a family of four, and by time I load everything up I’m basically at max payload. Wish I got a 3/4 ton sometimes. That being said I haven’t had any issues and I’m not white knuckling it. It actually tows great.

 

Thanks for the heads up, that is a good reference point. It’s hard to tell what the tounge weight is going to be until I actually roll up to a scale and I don’t want any nasty surprises.

 

I recently towed my race ready 24' trailer (prolly 4K lbs alone) with a 1965 Chevy Nova in it, with tools and generator. My 22 Limited did wonderful and I hardly knew it was back there. I was probably sitting close to 8K lbs. I towed similar load behind my 2005 Excursion with a 6.0 Powerstroke. The Excursion had a smoother ride overall as it was built as a passenger vehicle. I will be pulling a 5500 lb dry camper hopefully all over the southeast soon, and don't fear using my Tundra.

A couple of notes here. Experience is a key factor, how much and often have you towed before? Proper equipment is required for safe towing. A good hitch with WD and a sway control device is very helpful. The tires on our Tundras are generally not a 10 ply E rated tire. Any and all help for side to side control is beneficial. Tongue weight is essential to know and understand. You want to be at 10% or a little higher for your total trailer weight. When you get less, you have more chances for the trailer speed to affect and cause severe trailer sway. There are so many videos on YouTube to learn all these safety factors.

And what I believe is most important... make it a natural reflex to activate your electric brake controller. Practice it location without looking at it. That is the first action to be ready to take when and if your trailer begins traveling off kilter. Slow it down.

Hope to help,
Mike

 

I too am in the market for a camper and I think I'm going to stick to 5k just for the peace of mind. Looking for something 18-23 feet long. Post some campers you're looking at, it's all new to me and there are tons of options.

 

Weight is part of the thing to keep an eye on, of course, but the shape (aerodynamics) is what makes towing campers a PITA.

I towed nearly 7k lbs (Car plus trailer) without much drama and got better gas mileage than i do towing a 5k travel trailer.

That being said, set up properly a 6.5k travel trailer should no problem. From my experiences towing travel trailers: 7' models are nicer to manage than 8-8.5' models, double axles do ride better as well.

Various tows:

 

Lance 1685 Travel Trailer - If you're looking for more living space and storage, the 1685 was made for you.

 

I completely agree with that!! Love our Lance.

Tows small and lives large. Been enjoying ours for over 8 years of trouble free fun.

Only 21' bumper to hitch, 5,500 lbs. wet and loaded, and roomy enough for me, the wife, and three knucklehead dogs.

 

Bring it out to T2S next year...



We'll be over at Sun Outdoors in CV in Aug...

 

We have the 1995 Lance and the Tundra pulls it just fine.
It weighs in at about 4500 lbs

https://www.lancecamper.com/travel-trailers/1995/#specs

 

Patience. We’ll get there.

 

A couple of thoughts.

Make sure to understand the trailer weight the manufacturer is giving you. Usually they do not include batteries and full propane tanks. These can add weight that is usually well forward of the trailer axles so they will influence tongue weight.

Not sure how old the family members are but a couple of teenagers plus a parent is 400-450 of your payload gone right away.

If not already on the truck consider a rear sway bar or the RAS system to help with sway.

 

Worth noting, that 4500 is dry weight.

 

I guess I should have made that clear.
If we're pulling it a long way it's going to be empty.
No reason to haul around 85 Gallons of water and 40 gallons of sh1t and piss.

 

That’s just because I’ve been working where cell service is virtually non-existent for the last two days.. but now that you’ve let the cat out of the bag, it’s no longer marvelous to behold the spaceship-laden tundra in all its majesty and glory. Thanks for being such a buzz kill, Mr TJ

Like @mrlittlejohn said - experience plays a large roll. Honestly evaluate your own experience; maybe find a friend that has more experience and ask the for pointers, help, or maybe ride along with them as they tow.

I don’t mind pulling larger, heavier trailers but that’s not to say I recommend it to anybody and everybody. Monday I was close to 10k pulling through the hills for a couple hours. My truck is setup to tow and has several enhancements to make it more enjoyable, but bone stock these trucks are overbuilt, IMO, and tow very well.

5-6k lbs is very reasonable and doable for most truck owners. Get your hitch setup and dialed in, take it easy, and you should be just fine. A lot of good advice posted already.

@SD Surfer has a nice little setup and would be a good place to start: trailer length and weight are reasonable, but the slide out adds space. I wish my trailer had bunks instead of a larger bathroom, and a living room slide out. But I’m not complaining. It was a good deal and my kids love it. My wife is even gaining confidence pulling it with the sequoia.

 

In my opinion 5,000 is a very comfortable weight for these trucks. The driveline will handle anything that you can throw at them but they are ½ ton trucks. I would say the same thing about all of the ½ ton trucks on the market today. They are just not sprung or damped to be tow monsters.

I have a 7,000 TT and the truck handles it just fine but the suspension is not really stiff enough to love the weight.