RV Ownership and Towing

I just got my '01 Tundra 10 days ago, so of course I am day dreaming of an RV to tow.

If you have an RV, I was wondering what you have and what led you to buy it?

Personally, I like the Fiberglass RV's, such as the Escape or Scamp or Oliver.

My 01 has the two package on it, so I assume, barring all the extras I have on the truck (deer guard, bed shell) that I can tow about 5500 GVWR. Is that about right?

Thanks,

- Stephen

 

Great idea!

 

I've never towed with my truck so I'll just say that I wouldn't want to tow a camper unless it has trailer brakes. Your 01 and my 02 both have the weaker front brakes. I'd make sure your front and rear brakes are dialed in before I did any towing. We have some members that tow regularly that should be along to give advice.

 

I use a Tekonsha P3 Brake Control and the Trailers stop just like they are supposed to.

 

Why a Castita? Do you like it? I watched an online video of some couple that "loved" theirs, then ripped it's quality apart. Door knobs were a thing for them, as well as swelling cabinets. They moved on to an Escape fifth wheel.

 

I have had Trilliums,Scamps Fiberstream and a few Casitas and they are all much more alike really than they are different.

In fact if you look at the pics again I posted both a Scamp 16' and a Casita 17' there.

There is nothing about the Casita to "Rip Apart" at all?
Door Knobs? Swelling Cabinets???
Easy to replace the Knobs and the Cabinets are all Fiberglass except for the doors so I am not sure just what Swelled on theirs?
I guess the doors could be nicer and I have replaced mine on most rigs that I have had but I just like the look and finish of the real wood better than particle board but I have also just painted those before too and they have been just fine.

I think the Casita are actually put together better than the others that I have had for a while overall and yeah the Escape and Oliver might be better units all around but the difference in price is not worth it to me at all. I do my own work and mods and would rather buy well used and improve and restore them than spend bigger money for newer that will devalue faster from what I have seen.

I guess I have had 7 or 8 Eggs so far and a few non-fiberglass trailers as well including a few Cargo Trailers that I converted to campers and I just keep flipping them and getting nicer ones until I decided that the one I have now is just about exactly how I like it!
OK the one or two or three maybe?

Are you a member at Fiberglassrv.com?
If not you should probably there join and learn!

 

@ ezdog,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viVkk9VN3ks&t=1498s 11:13 into the video is their breakdown of THEIR Casita. I am a member at Fiberglassrv.com! You have a lot more experience with trailers than I do, since at 60 I just bought my first ever truck and can now start looking. I appreciate the info!

 

OK so I sat through as much of that video as I could stand and these people are clearly new at the RV life as they readily profess.
I did not hear or understand any single big deal that they talked about the Casita that is not easily and cheaply addressed if it bugs you too much,all were little piddly things that are really subjective and could not really be a surprise to a buyer I would think if you do a little research before buying?

I have a lot of experience owning,using and improving a lot of different small Trailers,mostly Fiberglass and the Casita is maybe the easiest to work on and the most reliable of all of the ones that I have actually lived with in the end which is also why I still own one!

I would also be perfectly OK with any of the other trailers that I used to get where I am now but one develops 1footitis pretty predictably the longer you are in the FGRV camp it seems and I know that I did for sure.

SO my Casita is the Freedom Deluxe version with the Captains Chairs instead of the bench Boxes across from the Kitchen and to me this feels a lot more open and flexible than the SD which I have had or Liberty with the big ass bed but no separate side seating area which the couple in the video have.

I also still have the first Cargo Conversion that I did as it is exactly as I wanted it as I made it able to convert instantly from an RV to a Cargo trailer and it is roomier than the Casita since it is a square box instead of the rounded fiberglass Egg style rigs.

I have a bigger and lighter Aluminum Cargo Trailer waiting to be converted as well to up the game there some but I could be happy with the one I already have too if I decide to just stop there.

In a lot of ways the most simple FGRV are the best if they have the older Jalousie Windows as the more open window the more comfy a small trailer will be to camp in.

But again the Eggs are really more alike than different I think and I have never met one that I did not like and want to buy probably!?

 

I’ve an 03, and sometimes pull a trailer, up as high as ~5000 lbs.

Brakes, brakes, brakes.

My Tundra is a great truck, but the brakes are inadequate for towing. By about 2,000 lbs, in the mountains, you will find yourself having troubles if the trailer doesn’t have brakes.

There are some threads about upgrading the brakes to larger front calipers and rotors. Probably worthwhile if you tow.

Gas mileage of course tanks when towing, but that’s not surprising.

 

Not sure how much brake fluid plays a part on our brakes, but from studies it seems that a higher boiling point helps cool racer guys on track racing so maybe it should help towing a little. I put this El Fluido Supremõ in a few months back. Haven’t had the opportunity to test it in mountain towing.

Regardless, I keep my towing under 4k lbs.

 

Can any of you with over sized tires comment on what your tow experience is like? 4spd? 5spd?

 

I'm on 285/75/17 tires, stock 3.92 gears I've towed my car (2900 lbs) with my car trailer (can't remember weigh, but not light). It's an 04 so 4 speed auto. around town it's not bad, but I do take it easy. on the hwy i usually stick to 90, I'd like shorter gears for pulling hills, as sometimes I had to slow to 75-70. never had any heating issues, stops ok. but trailer brakes are on my list of upgrades next summer. I'd rate my overall experience as not bad, but recommend trailer brakes if your hauling heavy. hope this info helps.

 

285/75/r16 Michelins with A340f transmission tugs over its fighting weight, but I’d limit the payload to 4k pounds due to brakes.

Trailer brakes help tremendously as mentioned if towing heavier.

 

Hope you mean 90 KPH, vs towing at 90MPH!

 

Probably, on the other hand I could just be an absolute mad lad

but yeah, it's 90 km/h

 

I think trailer brakes are required on all travel trailers. I tow 3k pounds and can have as much as 1k in cargo. I think 285s would make this a dog. I am looking at either a 31 or 32. I tow in the ozarks all the time and the mountains about once a year.