Newbie intro and opinions requested

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by busterbrown

I agree 100%. If the OP is looking at keeping his trailer small and light (without the intention of upgrading to a 5th wheel or larger TT), best case would be to keep his current truck. This is also under the assumption that a gulf cart or m/c isn't required. A handful of trips through the year with his current coach and TV should be adequate, safe, and enjoyable. He should take the aforementioned advice and use a quality WDH with sway control though.

If the OP has all the intention in the world to upgrade (sooner than later) to a double/triple axle TH (or coach > 12,000 lbs on the GVW), he should start the process of trading up his TV to a 1 ton variety.

The third senario of him keeping his current TT and increasing payload to support a bed full of toys, a 3/4 ton gasser would be a more than enough TV.

The belief that "you can never have too much truck" doesn't fly (or stick) for many people who KNOW they will NEVER upgrade to a larger coach and have no foreseeable desire to tug their trailer more than a handful of times throughout the year. YMMV.

To me, this post is misleading.


"If the OP has all the intention in the world to upgrade (sooner than later) to a double/triple axle TH (or coach > 12,000 lbs on the GVW), he should start the process of trading up his TV to a 1 ton variety."

This indicates, to me, that the poster advocates that an F150, with a 5.0 and 3.31 gears should not worry unless they are looking at a double/triple axle TH in excess of 12k lbs. Obviously this is just wrong.....really wrong.

As far as all those folks that KNOW, really KNOW that they will never have a larger trailer........well, I'm sure folks can chime in on that.

[busterbrown]

Originally Posted by sourdough

To me, this post is misleading.


"If the OP has all the intention in the world to upgrade (sooner than later) to a double/triple axle TH (or coach > 12,000 lbs on the GVW), he should start the process of trading up his TV to a 1 ton variety."

This indicates, to me, that the poster advocates that an F150, with a 5.0 and 3.31 gears should not worry unless they are looking at a double/triple axle TH in excess of 12k lbs. Obviously this is just wrong.....really wrong.

As far as all those folks that KNOW, really KNOW that they will never have a larger trailer........well, I'm sure folks can chime in on that.

There you go again, attempting to fracture, muddle, and undermine a personal statement by a forum member. It gets old quickly.

[Joe A.]

Originally Posted by busterbrown

I agree 100%. If the OP is looking at keeping his trailer small and light (without the intention of upgrading to a 5th wheel or larger TT), best case would be to keep his current truck. This is also under the assumption that a gulf cart or m/c isn't required. A handful of trips through the year with his current coach and TV should be adequate, safe, and enjoyable. He should take the aforementioned advice and use a quality WDH with sway control though.

If the OP has all the intention in the world to upgrade (sooner than later) to a double/triple axle TH (or coach > 12,000 lbs on the GVW), he should start the process of trading up his TV to a 1 ton variety.

The third senario of him keeping his current TT and increasing payload to support a bed full of toys, a 3/4 ton gasser would be a more than enough TV.

The belief that "you can never have too much truck" doesn't fly (or stick) for many people who KNOW they will NEVER upgrade to a larger coach and have no foreseeable desire to tug their trailer more than a handful of times throughout the year. YMMV.

Everyone has made very valid points, and learned them the hard way and I appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. As much as I would like to go to a larger unit, the physical limitations of where I live make that an issue. the property pretty much dictates the size. My SIL had his 27' boat here last summer and had to back down our dead end street (4 houses) to get in the driveway. making the turn getting out of the driveway was a challenge.
We're both happy with the size of the trailer and it should suffice for a few years at least. A ride thru the dealer lot this morning showed a few left over F250's with attractive pricing. I'll be heading there tomorrow to see if I can work a deal. I agree a larger truck is the way to go, especially if we end up leaving on extended trips over the winter, I would like a bike with me. As long as my wife is happy with the trailer, it seems like it would work in the meantime. I'll be searching this forum for WD discussions. thanks again for sharing your experiences!

[linux3]

Originally Posted by sourdough

To me, this post is misleading.

As far as all those folks that KNOW, really KNOW that they will never have a larger trailer........well, I'm sure folks can chime in on that.

My TV is my every day driver. A 2500 or 3500 just rides harder and gets poorer gas mileage. It's more than sufficient for my TT.

A couple of examples of our STYLE of road trip. Driving East on US 30 we saw a sign for the Jessie James Homestead. Lets go see. Small parking lot off a rural road. Even my rig took some thought and effort to park.

We stopped to see the Lincoln Home and national park. Downtown Springfield and very limited parking.

Ever parallel park a rig? I did when we saw a sign for the "Y" bridge in Zanesville Ohio and thought we'd take a look.

A 19.5 footer with a Murphy bed and a Silverado 1500 gives us all the creature comforts we want while still being handy in tight or out of the way places.

To each his own. Just get out there and see the sights.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by linux3

My TV is my every day driver. A 2500 or 3500 just rides harder and gets poorer gas mileage. It's more than sufficient for my TT....

A 19.5 footer with a Murphy bed and a Silverado 1500 gives us all the creature comforts we want while still being handy in tight or out of the way places.
To each his own. Just get out there and see the sights.

Just an observation of your comments:
You suggest that a 2500 rides harder and gets poorer gas mileage, and that your 19.5' trailer is handy in tight places.

We've been all over the US in our F250, get 16MPG in the city and about 21 on the highway, find that it rides better than our previous F150 and we've never had a problem even in "downtown traffic in Washington DC.

In reality, your 199RB, which you describe as a 19.5' trailer is actually 23'4" long and the Silverado 1500 CC/SB is 230.03" long. By comparison, the Silverado 2500 CC/SB is 239.5" long. You're talking an additional 9.4" in overall length of a 42'+ rig. Even when driving solo, the added length is negligible. So, size and comfort are more a matter of perspective than physical limitations.

To address the comparison to a "properly equipped half ton truck" (which apparently you own) to the OP's F150 which does not have a towing package and is limited by the 3.31 gearing is "apples and oranges". While your truck may do well with the trailer you own, most would agree that the OP's F150 is not properly equipped for towing the trailer he's considering. In the comparison, it's how the OP's truck is equipped, not the fact that it's a half ton truck that makes the difference.

You're right, to each his own, and as long as you're doing it safely, go see the sights.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by busterbrown

There you go again, attempting to fracture, muddle, and undermine a personal statement by a forum member. It gets old quickly.

Not trying to fracture, muddle or undermine anything you said, or have said. If you took it that way I apologize.

I took a statement that, to me, implied something that was inappropriate. Instead of saying the statement was wrong, as in the way I interpreted it, I should have said it was wrong if that was the intent of the statement.