[JBsTitan]

So the wife and I went TT shopping today to try and decide what we are going to want. We have decided that we will be purchasing a 2017 Heartland Pioneer QB300 in the next year. Thats our time-frame for buying right now. The trailer specs are 34' long, 6896 lbs dry, the salesmen we talked to today says my truck would pull it no problem. He mention brakes on both axles. I thought the same till i started reading some threads on here. Some say it will be fine others say its a no go. The weight loaded i am guessing around 7500-7800 lbs loaded (1000 lbs of gear, food, clothes, etc). We don't ever plan to travel with full water tanks or a generator as we will only stay at state parks with full hook ups. My 15 Titan is a stock SV CC 4x4 with big tow package. I just have a exhaust installed, before buying any trailer i plan to install a P3 brake controller and Firestone airbags

 

[4mula1fan]

34' will make for a miserable tow, I would guess. That's a lot of camper. The salesman doesn't care if you have a VW, he wants to sell a camper...

 

[4mula1fan]

Dry Weight 6,896 lbs. GVWR 9,000 lbs. Hitch Weight 810 lbs.

 

[JBsTitan]

Thats kind what i figure once i was able to get away from him and actually look at the numbers. might be time to plan to upgrade to a diesel XD or 3/4 ton truck

 

[4mula1fan]

My camper is plenty heavy, and I have 10 ply tires, air bags and a fair WD hitch. I'm looking at the Equalizer WD hitch to replace the one I have. The 9MPG sucks too.

Hitch Weight 780 lbs
Gross Weight 7700 lbs
Dry Weight 5918 lbs

 

[JBsTitan]

how long is your trailer? i dont think the weight would be a problem but the length of the trailer is more of a problem.

 

[4mula1fan]

It's 29'2" bumper to tongue. The camper body is 25'.

 

[JBsTitan]

cool thanks! I will have to tell the wife we have one of two options. 1. upgrade to a new truck (Diesel XD or 3/4) 2. find a smaller camper

 

[HRTKD]

My toy hauler is only 22' long (25' overall) but the dry weight is a smidgen below 8,000 lbs. 1,300 lbs tongue weight dry, 920 lbs with my ATV loaded. It was a white knuckle ride just around town. The fastest I got up to was 45 mph. This was all on the P rated OEM tires. I switched to my Toyo Open Country AT LT tires (load range D) and the ride was much better. But just around town the Titan's transmission wasn't happy at all. I didn't let the temperature get high but it was letting me know that it wasn't going to take much more of that.

I bought my trailer used with the understanding that a 3/4 ton truck was needed. I knew what all I wanted in a trailer and that the Titan, while it's a great truck otherwise, isn't enough to tow the kind of trailer weight I wanted.

Either adjust down what you want in a trailer or adjust up the tow vehicle. Better safe than sorry.

 

[4mula1fan]

I bet you can find one you like that is manageable. The Titan is a towing beast. Good luck!

 

[HRTKD]

The Titan is a towing beast.

The engine sure is! I took it pretty easy since I was running so close to my towing capacity limit but the VK56 engine didn't seem to be bothered by the weight. I'm sure it was sucking fuel like crazy. It was such a short trip for me that it wouldn't have made a huge dent in my MPG but over a full tank I bet the MPG would have been 6 or 7 at best. Too much stop and go driving with hills.

 

[4mula1fan]

Yeah, a beast at the fuel pumps...

 

[HRTKD]

I can pass anything except a gas station.

 

[JBsTitan]

Yea, we mostly wont be pulling the trigger on a TT till next spring. She mentioned giving me the green light on buying a new truck but with just buying this 15 Titan. Gonna take a pretty big hit and have a good amount to roll over on a new one. I will most likely keeping shopping and finding a smaller TT. The main reason we liked the Heartland Poineer is the finishes didnt seem cheap compared to some of the Forest River Salem or Salem Cruiser Lite. If you have any suggestions in a TT more than welcome to let me know. We have about 3 huge different dealerships in the area. Here is a short list of wants in a TT:

1. Bunks for kids
2. Wood doors for master BD/Bunkroom
3. Good amount of living room/kitchen space

 

[HRTKD]

Forest River is one of the higher quality brands. It was on my short list. Northwood, Lance and Winnebago were also on my short list. I found the Winnebago at an RV show. I was impressed by the package they put together and the sales guy was a regional rep from Winnebago so he really knew his stuff.

Of the trailers I was looking at, Lance had the lightest, but some of that was at the expense of a lower cargo capacity. Keep in mind I was only looking at toy haulers, not regular travel trailers.

 

[4mula1fan]

Jayco makes a wide selection, KZ, Keystone, Coachmen...I've heard good and bad things about "Ultra Lites". The quality of our Coachmen seems great, and we have had no issues.

 

[4mula1fan]

The White Hawk from Jayco is a very nice rig. Pricey, but very nice.

 

[JBsTitan]

know of any good RV forums to assist in our search?

 

[4mula1fan]

The RV Forum Community - Index

Forest River Forums - Forest River Owners Community

 

[4mula1fan]

We just kept an open mind, and visited the dealers until we found "the one". Visit them all and see what they offer according to what you require. Don't be in a big hurry and check them all out. It's fun! There are 4 big dealers in our area, and we looked at tons of choices. Also look at new last years models. You can get a smoking deal like we did.