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looking at a travel trailer

10K views 40 replies 19 participants last post by  echo7tango 
#1 · (Edited)
Have a 2014 Overland Hemi QDII, factory tow package, rated at 7200lbs.
Looking at a Winnabago 2500RL, dry weight 5160lbs, max GVWR 7000lbs...27'-11" bumper to tongue.
https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2017/minnie/floorplans

Just my wife and I, and 3 small dogs (under 400lbs for the occupants).
Obviously going to need a brake controller and quailty wd/sc hitch.

So, too much trailer for the Jeep?

I've trailer-ed my mustang (car and open trailer at approx. 5000lbs) behind the Jeep, and it was a breeze... but add 2000lbs and box trailer... ???

Reason I ask...
When I was a kid, my parents had a pop-up trailer and we traveled all over eastern and central Canada, and all over New England. They upgarded to a 21' travel trailer (thiw was the 70's, so it was likely rather heavy) and... it was such a pain to tow, we ended up going only local places, often times Dad would use his 3/4 work truck to tow the trailer the day before, then we would go the next day as a family... sometime take 2 vehicles... work truck and family car (full size station wagon) then they sold the trailer... did no camping... they now have a pop up again, and travel all over.

I don't want to get into a situation where towing is so stressful I end up not using the trailer, and, having just paid off the Jeep, I really don't want to go buy a truck, just to go camping.
 
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#3 ·
Not looking at a pop-up, sorry if my post is confusing... I've shortened it to the essential question here...
Have a 2014 Overland Hemi QDII, factory tow package, rated at 7200lbs.
Looking at a Winnabago 2500RL, dry weight 5160lbs, max GVWR 7000lbs...27'-11" bumper to tongue.
https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2017/minnie/floorplans

Just my wife and I, and 3 small dogs (under 400lbs for the occupants).
Obviously going to need a brake controller and quailty wd/sc hitch.

So, too much trailer for the Jeep?
 
#4 · (Edited)
I don't know, I pull a 21' toy hauler that weighs ~3,400 unloaded, then I put a 600lb Harley in the back plus all our stuff. I do this with a 2015 3.6 w/ factory tow package rated for 6,200. Personally I think it's fine, long hills get tiring and I don't use cruise control for any climbs but it doesn't feel overloaded. WD hitch is required. Vehicle Transport Car Trailer Property




Edit: I keep our rides to within ~4 hours, I would probably upgrade if I was going cross country.
 
#5 ·
I keep our rides to within ~4 hours, I would probably upgrade if I was going cross country.
Thanks for all the info., I too will only be venturing ~4hrs from home... this will be a weekend, maybe 4 days max. type of activity for us, no multi week cross country adventures.
 
#6 ·
The unit you're looking at is at least streamlined which will help, but that's still a pretty long trailer for the wheelbase of the JGC. That would be my primary concern..."tail wagging" despite being properly balanced by the WDH simply because of the potential effect of cross-winds.
 
#7 ·
Ya... I hear you.
Will continue searching.
Went to the dealer looking at the Winnabago Micro-Mini 2106ds;
Dry weight 3705lbs, max GVWR 7000lbs...21'-11" bumper to tongue.
https://winnebagoind.com/products/travel-trailer/2017/micro-minnie/floorplans
I had no concerns about towing that...
Salesman had to show my wife the larger/heavier model... then tell her the GC "is rated to tow it"... grrrrrrrrrr.
 
#8 ·
Mike,

Tell the wife everyone on this forum said you will be crazy to even try and tow the more expensive trailer she wanted (unless you want it to in which case of course you can) it would be too close to the limits and not responsible of you to even consider. Heck invite me over for coffee and I'll help you convince her that sales person is an outright crook ;)
 
#9 ·
Not to state the obvious, but the difference between towing a pop up and a self-contained full size travel trailer is that you are towing a wall into the wind. Fuel mileage suffers tremendously because of this, and it puts MUCH load on the powertrain. RV salespeople ALWAYS focus on the amount of weight your vehicle is rated to tow...but that is only a calculation of HP/Torque, vehicle weight, tranny gearing, and other mechanical considerations. They NEVER, in my experience anyway, give any consideration to wind resistance, etc.

My recent example...before my JGC, I used a 2007 GMC Sierra CC 4x4 5.3L pickup (EXCELLENT vehicle BTW) to tow my 25Ft, 4500lb camper, and also my 7x12 v-nose all aluminum cargo trailer, empty weight of only 845lbs. Towing either caused my mileage to drop to 10-11mpg...conclusion being that the overall weight is only one of two major concerns when towing...you must account for the wall of wind you are pushing.

FWIW...I don't necessarily agree that the wheelbase is too much of a limiting factor for the size of TT you're considering. If it were, then a full size pickup ought not tow anything above a 29foot camper, yet we routinely see them towing 30-35 footers. A good WDH and decent AntiSway unit will take care of 99.5%. If your are driving in extreme crosswinds to the extent you feel you are in danger, then pull over no matter what your towing vehicle!
 
#10 · (Edited)
"Salesman had to show my wife the larger/heavier model... then tell her the GC "is rated to tow it"... grrrrrrrrrr"

Has your wife ever heard how to tell when the salesman is lying? His lips move. :D

A person might compensate for trailer length with a good sway-control hitch. Trouble is, one of those would add to the hitch weight. And frankly, I think you would be over the Jeep's max hitch weight with that trailer. Yes, I know the 2200SS has 575 lbs dry hitch weight... emphasis on the word DRY. Once you add a battery, LP tanks, water (I bet the fresh tank is up front, right?), and various other gear, it will probably weigh more like 750-800 lbs. Add 75 lbs for an Equal-i-zer hitch... ouch.

We had 23.5' Rockwood with slide, listed hitch weight was 380 lbs dry. Towing with a 600 lb hitch capacity 2000 Mercury Mountaineer and Equal-i-zer hitch, it bent a rear spring. 30 gallon fresh water tank right below the head of the bed didn't help things. And towing that TT was not pleasurable. You feel it every time a truck goes by, you feel the gusts on a windy day.

Since selling it I've stuck with 16'-17' trailers, no WD hitch or sway control, easy to maneuver, and I can get into small Natl Forest campsites and boondock locations I could never have taken the Rockwood. That's just my preference... but my advice is to consider: just how much trailer space do you really need? If your group size requires many beds, you'll probably be better served with a regular popup or a Trailmanor hardside popup. Let's face it, anything that gets you out camping and shelters the gang overnight will work; the rest is frills.
 
#11 ·
Max tongue weight...including the hitch...is 720 lbs for a V* or EcoDiesel 4x4 JGC. And that 720 lbs also comes off the available cargo weight of the JGC.
 
#13 ·
Subscribed, I am (distantly) considering a TT. One idea is to rent first, to try it out. Ideally, find a TT you like and see if the place offers rent-to-own. Do they do that?
 
#16 · (Edited)
Just a suggestion but there are hard sided "pop-up" trailers like my TrailManor 2720SL. Closed it is just under 20' long but expands 43" on each end with a slide. Pentastar pulls at and accelerates to freeway speed with no problems. 17-18 mpg at 65 mph.


With both a 50lb generator and 200W of solar I can have AC (Florida) and coffee in the morning. Plus is bear proof. Am biased.
 

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#17 ·
I would love a small (tear drop size) trailer with a roof tent. Just for camping trips... but ive always wondered based on the amount of usage you give your camper trailers and the "abuse" you put your DD through, investment wise... would it be too much to invest in an RV?

Sorry dont mean to hyjack, i think the question goes with the topic.


Sent from my iPhone using JeepGarage
 
#22 ·
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#21 ·
I've also been considering a trailer with a JGC. One concern I have is the width of most travel trailers is something like 90 inches or more. The mirrors on the Jeep are only 85 inches wide. Seems like this would create a big blind spot. On a full size truck the mirrors are wider than the trailer (over 90 inches) and that allows the driver better visibility behind the trailer.

Does anyone with a JGC and a trailer use those clip-on mirror extensions?
 
#23 ·
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#24 ·
You might want to consider the fiberglass "egg" campers, such as Casita (what we have), Escape, Oliver, Scamp, and maybe others.


Casita is the same width as the JGC and comes in 13', 16' and 17' lengths. Think of a small white fiberglass airstream. Main selling point is easy pulling due to light weight (~2200-2400# dry, up to 3000 or so depending on how many extras you add, such as generator, etc.) Jeep is limited to 55 sf frontal area so a Casita works well in this regard. Casitas have almost a cult-like following with high resale values; check out casitaforum and other sites.


TM
 
#26 ·
When the Vixen was here I had a Little Guy teardrop as a "second bedroom". Also had a hose to duct the AC from the RV to the auxiliary.

However today the Jeep is a lot more versatile and when pulling the camper also solves the issue of how to get abound once the campsite is set up. Finally the yearly cost of a '06 camper is A Lot less than an '86 RV (fortunately being a cult vehicle it also sold for more than the trailer cost)

One final comment: If I were pulling a trailer with a turbo diesel, there would be a quality EGT gauge on the dash. One parameter used to determine towing speed and whether to idle for a bit when stopping should be the Exhaust Gas Temperature. Cheap insurance.
 

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#28 ·
Lance has an excellent owners group with honest comments and critiques. Also some great assistance and ideas :

Lance Owners of America

We are very happy with our Lance. After 2 years and 18000 miles, only a couple of issues, one was with an Atwood furnace which was not Lance's fault and the other was a problem with the fabric blinds. Which they immediately replaced.

We shopped around and compared trailers for 2 years before we pulled the trigger. We previously owned a Class A motor home and had some experience with RV's.
 
#31 · (Edited)
I have nothing intelligent to contribute because I do not have a trailer nor have I researched purchasing one before. But a few months back, the Australian made BRUDER X trailer captured my attention. Or maybe it was the optional equipment that captured my attention. I am not entirely sure now.

It is made for off-road and long duration travel, designed for the self-sufficient adventurer.

Here's the photo gallery:
Gallery | BruderX

The hot blonde is part of the optional equipment.





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2VvmqADlrY
 
#35 ·
Personally I've been looking for lighter ones such as the Forest River R-Pod which comes in several great floorplans, with or without a slide-out. There have been some nearly identical knockoffs lately, such as the Winnebago Winnie Drop and Jayco Hummingbird. Not sure how long those 2 will be around though, as they are pretty blatant copies and the companies are being sued by FR. They already successfully stopped the Heartland MPG which was the first knockoff to hit the market. It's a winning formula of weight, size and space though.
 
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#36 · (Edited)
Once consideration is that with a folding trailer like mine:

Pro
- MPG (I get 17-18 at 65 mph when towing. Without 20-22 at 70.
- Easy towing, no noticeable sway or wind effect


Con
- 15 minute setup (includes levelling jacks and awning
- Cannot just stop and use the potty

Also with a canvas trailer there is a sharp teeth and claws consideration but mine is all hard-side.

So is just a matter of what you want.


ps why do I have to hit edit twice to get into the editor ?
 
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