Quote:
Originally Posted by wired1236
Hey! New guy here. Just bought a new 31BHKWE. Technically our 1st RV but I’ve been around them all my life. We’re currently towing it with a F150 eco boost but likely upgrade to a 3/4 ton as soon as the market settles (sometime in 2030  ). Anyway, we’ve been a boat family for a long time but figured it was time to add to our hobby and go RVing. Haven’t taken it out yet but plan to ina few weeks to see how it goes and figure out all the stuff we need but just haven’t thought about yet. See you all out there. |
Weights have been touched on. I've been in your shoes with the 1/2 ton and large trailer (larger than yours a bit). It wasn't fun even though it was "doable" as long as nothing crazy happened. Some things to do while waiting for that new truck and trying to camp;
1) Change your truck tires to LT. That in and of itself will help much of the push/pull and sway. Your trailer looks like it comes with LRE tires which is good and probably all the wheels are rated for to that's done. 2) Make SURE you have a
good 4 point wdh/sway bar. I used an Equalizer and would highly recommend one. 3) Be aware of what you are putting in the trailer/truck and what it weighs. I had to load/unload various items before each trip to only carry what was needed for that specific trip because I was already 200lbs. over gvw. It's not fun. It's irritating. I invariably found that on any given trip I was looking for/needing/wishing for something I had last trip that had been taken out. You need to be carrying tools, jacks etc. I carry that in the bed of my truck. That comes off the payload. I kept it all covered with a hard, folding bed cover; the weight of that comes off the payload. 4) Due to all the problems I installed air bags. The air bags do not provide extra weight carrying capacity, in fact they diminish it, but they helped with the sag AND stiffened the rear end helping to further reduce sway and wallowing.
Load it up (truck and trailer) then scale it to see where you are and either how much you have to take off or how much you can add. I never liked being near gvw. With a bunk house I assume you have children so be sure and take things that they will like. Going forward you will want them to be excited to go camping with you in the RV. There's quite a bit of storage room so just keep that weight in mind.
Beyond that there are a lot of basic items and tools that you will need to get started. Highly recommended at the top of the list are an EMS (electrical management system - not surge protector) and a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). Both provide a lot of safety for you and yours. There are many other things so just post away and ask questions.
In the meantime it is possible to have a safe trip and lots of fun until you get that 3500. Just watch those weights, drive slowly and carefully and, more than anything, have fun!