Looking to purchase a travel trailer and wondering what I could comfortably tow?

Our main interest is tailgating at sporting events, quick pack and go stays at RV parks, visiting kids when they move away and have kids of their own and possibly some longer travels into state parks.

 

So looking at the specs for a 24 trd pro (don't know if you have sr5, 1794, platinum, 4x2, 4x4,) all towing capacities are within a few hundred pounds of each other... That truck is rated to tow UP TO 12,000 lbs... Plus it has a 1600lb load capacity.. You can do much more than a 6000lb (that's only half the rated capacity) 25' camper... A cautious driver... taking your time... staying alert .. Is more than safe with a heavier load...

 

The 2 happiest days of owning a TT….the day you buy it and the day you sell it. Just kidding…kinda. I have the same love/hate relationship with my RV and boats.

Matt

 

We pull a 22' single axle Airstream that has a GVW of 4.500 lbs and tongue weight of 500 lbs. Even with that load, you can feel the trailer back there. Sure it has tons of power to pull it but the truck as a whole will certainly feel the weight.

I would work backwards to determine how many people and how much stuff you want to put in your truck. Then subtract that from your available payload. That will give you a tongue weight. That value would be ~10% of the ideal loaded trailer weight. If you go with a lighter % on the tongue, you are inviting sway into the setup.

We know that the payload is somewhat conservative, so some owners have gone out and weighed their trucks with a full tank and the driver. Then they subtract that from the GVW of the truck to get a working payload number which seems to be about 200 lbs more than the door sticker.

So if you take ~1,500 lbs payload subtract 200-300 lbs for additional people and another 200 lbs for some camping stuff and 200 lbs for the stuff you add to make your truck your own like bed covers, sliders, skid plates, etc... you will have ~800 lbs of tongue weight available. Then subtract your WDH at ~100 lbs.

If you use 10% as your tongue weight then your trailer will be around 7,000 to 8,000 lbs.

Eventually, we might go to a 25' to get more living space and that will probably come in around 7,000 lbs but hopefully less.

 

Check out Winnebago Micro Minnie 2306BHS (26' & 6k lb GVWR) if you can find a new '22 or '23, that's what we went with earlier this year. It's solid for my family of 5 (wife, 2 kids, plus 45lb dog) I've towed it about 1200 miles so far, have a ProPride WDH, e-rated 285/75 tires and my only issues are the small gas tank in the Sequoia and the need for stiffer springs.

 

Nobody has mentioned the space shuttle ????

 

Marketing numbers are woefully optimistic. The max tow and payload rating you are quoting would be on a 2WD smallest cab, bare bones truck. That is NOT what 95% of the tundras built will do. You need to look at an actual truck rather than marketing materials, because marketing is just lying as legally as possible. Those numbers are not valid.

 

Some people just like camping. Staying in a hotel isn't the same.

 

OP should check the sticker on the inside of his driver's door for his actual payload. 1600 lbs is optimistic for a 4x4 top of the line trim with a bunch of features.

 

Agreed. I've had both and in both instances (for me) it boils down to a math equation > Hours enjoyed versus Hours+$$$ spent maintaining. If you use them a bunch it works out but if they start to sit idle for long they tend to become a straight up PITA.

 

That is a well balanced rig. The only problem I see is there's not a '21 Barcelona Red SR5 connected to that beautiful trailer.

 

Check ATC, a PLĀ 700 2513 would be ideal for towing for a tundra and should have enough sleeping room with the Happijac Bed along with the foldout benches. I have a 2816 and love the quality of the build and use it for manly for weekend motocross races. They are all Aluminum easy to clean and hold it's value a long time.

https://atctrailers.com/products/pla-travel-trailer/

 

even the smallest one says estimated hitch weight 1000lbs?

you cant even get into your truck then without going over for payload

 

Maybe if you don't care about exceeding GVWR.

I'd love to see a 2024 TRD Pro with an actual payload of 1,600 lbs.

 

Sounds like someone needs to go on a diet or grow some balls,

 

Skip all the headache and value-in-the-tank of high volume stick-built trailers and go straight to fiberglass only. There will be no "happy to sell it" day once you have a fiberglass trailer.

I'll happily die on this hill alongside the few other fiberglass trailer owners.

https://escapetrailer.com/

https://bigfootrv.com/rvs/travel-trailers

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/

 

so what is the payload of your tundra then and how much is the hitch weight of your 2816 when loaded?

The link you provided says estimated at 1,250 lbs, is that not right?

 

We love our Imagine 2400BH. Drove it through various landscapes - including mountains - this past summer with our 2023 Limited OR. Pulled great, but probably the max length/weight I would ever want with this truck when driving any steep grades and/or windy prairies. It has a great master room but lots of beds for kids/guests. You would like the little outdoor grill if you like to tailgate. Not as good as fibreglass, but the aluminum frame is a step up from stick-built.

Definitely under 30 feet gets you into all the nicest spots in state/provincial parks.

 

From what I've seen, loaded travel trailers are almost always greater than 10%, my last two scaled at 12.5% & 13.2% while being loaded below GVWR.

I'd say average for a travel trailer is between 12-14% when loaded for travel, a lot depends on the floor plan of the trailer and number of axles.

I wouldn't want to tow a travel trailer that was right at 10% personally. Now a flat bed trailer, sure 10% is probably on point.

 

LOL. I literally said this same thing out loud. Very pronounced, like in Monty Python's the Holy Grail when the rabbit attacks and kills Bors.

 

10% is the minimum recommended. Odds are it'll be a 12-15% tongue weight for most.

 

My Rule of Thumb after towing with 4 different vehicles is to stay below 75% of the max tow rating. That gives you extra margin for wind, hills, tow vehicle loading, etc. For this new Tundra I’ll be limiting it to 8000# max for towing comfort.

 

We were interested in those but couldn't find any used ones and they wanted $60k for new ones up here when we were shopping.

We're really happy with our 2018 Coachmen Freedom Express 25SE. However, I think they changed the new models and they either have a worse layout or weigh 500 lbs more.

 

I know very little about travel trailers, so are these any good in winter/cold conditions? Seems like this is always the limiting factor when I do some looking.

 

We are motocross racers as well... Although we are kinda/semi retired... We come out of retirement every year or so and try to qualify for Loretta Lynns... We made it last year in the 450B limited class and we were second alternate for the +30... Was a full gate so we didn't make that class... It totally sucked as it was a BAD BAD mud race all week...

What classes do y'all ride ?

 

5% tongue weight is possible if you are pulling a boat. I fully agree that 10% for a travel trailer is borderline and would shoot for 12 to 13% which where I am at with the Airstream.

It comes down to how much you willing to push your truck. And of course there is your own risk.