Bought my truck back in february and longed 8,000 miles on it. Wife wants a camper to take to the deer lease, etc. The camper we're looking at is a 2006 32 foot with 2 slide outs that has a dry weight of 9,000 pounds. I do Not have the big tow, nor do I have a trailer break. Should I have trouble pulling or should I upgrade to a truck with the big tow or a HD truck?
can i tow it/should i upgrade?b
maisweh
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The hell are you talking about? The reason I registered and started this thread was to find out how much exactly this truck could tow and not go over it, and what would be able to tow my needs.
I See you're from Kentucky, so your reading comprehension may not be the best, but I asked how towing capacity of the truck and what's the largest I could tow. Nowhere did I say I'm going to be putting a 5th wheel hitch and pulling a 39 foot toy hauler. i stated the size camper I need and asked what size could I safely pull and if I should upgrade my truck to pull it.
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In a gentler way. I think what he means is if you crash due to exceeding your weight you'll be at fault. Towing over your weight is illegal. Insurance will back out on you. Even without an accident if you go by dot they will stop you dead and prevent you from going further due to safety. If it were once and not far I may take the risk but you need a bigger truck.
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Thanks for noticing. Have fun with your towing.
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Yeah, if you are going to have to pull it alot then unfortunately to be safe & legal your best bet will to plan on not pulling it with a 1/2 ton. Besides the obvious that heavy of trailer would be a white knuckle tow. I had a 1 ton dodge and I pulled a bumper pull toyhauler that weighed around 12k & that trailer was miserable to pull even with that big truck
I'm a CDL holder and pull some 80k loads so it's not like don't have some experience behind me. .
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Better call Saul
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There are a lot of trailers out there that wll fit your capacity, but also have the size you need. Start looking at manufacturer sites and look for floorplans that have specs, there are a few 26/27/28 footers with slide outs, out there that weight in the 5000-6000# range dry weight. Gotta look for the ultra lights. Once you find the floorplan, start looking for used ones at dealerships.
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I was watching a show with my wife the other night, showed a small cabin up in the mountains on a lake, bedroom, bathroom, living room, kichen, loft, nice covered porch overlooking the lake. I told my wife, "you know, I could live in something like that, all you really need", she said, "well good luck and have fun", thought to myself, hmmm, well ok, see you later....then it came to me, sh1t, no garage, where would I park my Titan? Well I'm still here.
I understand what OP is saying about the wife being happy.
I understand what OP is saying about the wife being happy.
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Definitely upgrade.. to a wife who sleeps in a tent or stays at home while you hunt...Tell me your wife is a hunter.. and insists on the fancy camper.. and I'll call BS.
I don't get it anyway.. since when is dragging a house behind your truck..CAMPING?
If you travel all over the continent constantly, Or stay out of civilization for weeks or months at a time, I get it, but weekend warriors with these huge elaborate set ups?.. Grow a pair or stay home!
All my gear..ALL of it for 7 ppl (Incl toddlers and a pregnant wife) and 2 dogs fits in a Datsun-bed utility trailer that fully loaded weighs less than 3K and goes places the 'luxury campers' don't even know exist. Not enough? FYI we camp as much as reasonably possible between may and November over 8K elevation.
Maybe I'm just being an A$$, but IMHO if you need a camper that size and trim level for HUNTING CAMP,...Hunt for meat at your local grocery store, and leave the outdoors-stuff to folks.. who go outside more than a day or two a year. (Not that I know your lifestyle, or am judging you, OP.. I'm on a tangent here TYVM!)
When working out in the Styx for weeks on end, we use a camper similar to what Carbeaux has posted.. this is all season, up to -40's in Jan and Feb. And it serves as office, tool storage, sleeping, meals, downtime for up to 4 guys at a time.
For that sort of set-up in the OP, you need more than a half-ton, and TBH if you shy from the ridiculous overprice of the 3/4 and 1-ton market offerings, you're not monetarily prepared to be a Kush-Camper... It says either that your budget is too small for unneeded luxury, or your common-sense is too high to dish out the cash for same. Either way, it just don't fit.
Good luck and enjoy what you have, it's in all likelihood, all that you need
I don't get it anyway.. since when is dragging a house behind your truck..CAMPING?
If you travel all over the continent constantly, Or stay out of civilization for weeks or months at a time, I get it, but weekend warriors with these huge elaborate set ups?.. Grow a pair or stay home!
All my gear..ALL of it for 7 ppl (Incl toddlers and a pregnant wife) and 2 dogs fits in a Datsun-bed utility trailer that fully loaded weighs less than 3K and goes places the 'luxury campers' don't even know exist. Not enough? FYI we camp as much as reasonably possible between may and November over 8K elevation.
Maybe I'm just being an A$$, but IMHO if you need a camper that size and trim level for HUNTING CAMP,...Hunt for meat at your local grocery store, and leave the outdoors-stuff to folks.. who go outside more than a day or two a year. (Not that I know your lifestyle, or am judging you, OP.. I'm on a tangent here TYVM!)
When working out in the Styx for weeks on end, we use a camper similar to what Carbeaux has posted.. this is all season, up to -40's in Jan and Feb. And it serves as office, tool storage, sleeping, meals, downtime for up to 4 guys at a time.
For that sort of set-up in the OP, you need more than a half-ton, and TBH if you shy from the ridiculous overprice of the 3/4 and 1-ton market offerings, you're not monetarily prepared to be a Kush-Camper... It says either that your budget is too small for unneeded luxury, or your common-sense is too high to dish out the cash for same. Either way, it just don't fit.
Good luck and enjoy what you have, it's in all likelihood, all that you need
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You said in the original post 9k dry. Dry is without gear, occupants in your can, water, etc. Even at 9k you're maxing out from the get go. But trust me you will be well over 9k.
It's to much weight and dangerous for your family as well as everyone else on the road.
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I understand. That's why I wasn't planning on towing with this truck.
lolz. It's not JUST for the lease. We do go to other campgrounds. As far as hunting and outdoorsy goes, I hunt every weekend usually from November to February, for ducks, this deer stuff is new to me.
I never said I needed something that big, just the wife doesn't want a tiny beater camper.
fyi, we were also looking at used campers, and for $5,000, that big ole set up was a pretty good deal, but its sold now.
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Hey,there are some of us in the same situation as you with the non tow or offroad gears.The bottom line is the 7200lb limit we have to deal with when it comes to TT choices.And if you think upgrading gears will fix the problem it wont.Insurance companies will look at your vin to see what the limits are of your T and then youre screwed.There are many TT out there that will suffice,check out my garage pics check out what im pulling.
how much did your helper bags run you?:
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The camper in my AV weighed in at under 6,000lbs dry and was 30ft long with one large slide and slept 8. My 2009 Prowler weighs in around 6500lbs dry, is 28ft long, has one large slide and sleeps 10. Look at ultralite models and look at the max GVWR for the camper not the dry weights. The dry weights are never correct as they are not including propane, batteries, AC, awning........ Stuff that is includeded on pretty much all campers but they don't count towards dry weight. Newer campers will have a sticker in the cabinets generally stating the "as equipped" weight that is much more accurate. Bear in mind that if it gets below freezing where you are during hunting season, you will lose many amenities unless you spend more time cold weather prepping and run a generator. Even insulated models will run through alot of propane to keep warm and even though holding tanks are heated, dump valves are not.
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