New to the forum but not camping!

[MFamRC]

Hello from Central Wisconsin!

We are hopefully picking up our new Keystone on Tuesday and can't wait to get into a little better quality!

We have both been camping all our lives, since little on. We have been tenting for many years together and decided next year we were going to buy a camper.... 2 years later, we purchased our current camper .

Fast forward through 2 summers, we decided we need something a little different.... I am still in absolute love with our current camper, hubby not so much. We have a bunkhouse (which the kids love) with outdoor kitchen now, but master is smaller than the bunkhouse, there's no storage space and the main living area is cramped. Plus, the quality is just not there. Mom and dad said this time around, we are catering to us, not the kids

Looking forward to our new COUGAR!

[Northofu1]

Hello and to the forum.

Good luck with that TV / TT combo
Sorry, thought it was a 5th wheel. It's still a big hunk of trailer behind a 1/2 ton.

[sourdough]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new trailer!

Not meant to be a downer but with a family you need to review the weights of that trailer vs the capability of a 1/2 ton pickup. It comes in at 10,500 gvw. and is 36' long. The truck itself will probably be overloaded and unless you have changed the OE P rated tires to LT it's not going to be an optimum towing experience. Look at the yellow sticker inside the driver door and post the payload number to see where you are.

[MFamRC]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new trailer!

Not meant to be a downer but with a family you need to review the weights of that trailer vs the capability of a 1/2 ton pickup. It comes in at 10,500 gvw. and is 36' long. The truck itself will probably be overloaded and unless you have changed the OE P rated tires to LT it's not going to be an optimum towing experience. Look at the yellow sticker inside the driver door and post the payload number to see where you are.

Yes, thank you for you concern. We did our research and we are well within the ratings of our truck. We do have E rated LT tires as well. This new TT is very similar in wt and a foot shorter than the one we have now.

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by MFamRC

Yes, thank you for you concern. We did our research and we are well within the ratings of our truck. We do have E rated LT tires as well. This new TT is very similar in wt and a foot shorter than the one we have now.

Not trying to dampen your enthusiasm, but you might want to double check the payload number on your 1/2 tons drivers door jamb.
That's a 10500lb GVWR - 36' long rv with a tongue weight in excess of 1300lbs + 100+/- lbs for the hitch + the family & all all their stuff.
Just FYI, the max tow rating of your truck compared to the dry weight of that rv mean absolutely nothing in the rv world.
Sorry to repeat the last few posts, apparently we were all typing at the same time. Just concerned with your safety & that of everyone on the highway with you!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by MFamRC

Yes, thank you for you concern. We did our research and we are well within the ratings of our truck. We do have E rated LT tires as well. This new TT is very similar in wt and a foot shorter than the one we have now.

You are/were most likely overweight with the current or "old" trailer. Not trying to pile on here. Folks that have been around a long time have seen many, many folks use the wrong published numbers to calculate the weights. This is a very common mistake that even some "seasoned" RVers have made.

Most folks here have made those mistakes are just trying to help others not make the same mistakes. The easiest, most truthful info you can get is to drive over a scale. Take the trucks GVWR and subtract the scale weight. The remainder is the available payload.

The trailer tongue or pin weight (if unavailable to weigh) you should figure the GVW of the trailer multiply that by .13 for travel trailers (13% of GVWR) and by .23 for fifth wheels 23% of GVWR). Then add the weight of the hitch, typically about 120 lbs for a goor WDH or anywhere from 100-300 lbs. for a fiver. If those results are greater than the available payload of the truck you have a problem.

[MFamRC]

Thanks!

We pulled our Zinger with our 2018 Silverado and it was pretty sketchy, hence the upgrade to the 2020 with the Max Trailering pkg. Just went 3 hours north 2 weeks ago and couldn't even tell the TT was behind us. Our new truck pulls trailers like a dream.

[wiredgeorge]

Not familiar with Chevy trucks... what is the RST package and what does the Max trailering package include? Sounds like a great trailer, btw.

[TimC]

Hello from Southern WI!!

I grew up in North Central WI (Merrill), so I’d imagine probably not too far from where you’re at.