Buying an RV, towing questions.

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    Welp I've decided to buy an RV, move down to the Gulf coast only problem is that I really don't know a whole lot about them.

    I went & looked at some yesterday at a local dealership, I found a regular hitched type travel trailer that I really liked, I believe it was called a Sandpiper, anyway it was huge, almost as big as some of the goose-neck trailers, I really liked it, I could definitely live very comfortably in it, but my truck is a 95 Chevy Silverado 1500 so it's only rated for 7500lbs & the Sandpiper weighs over 9000 I think.

    Do I need to buy a new truck? or is there a way I can make this happen with my current 1500? (5.7ltr)

    I am guessing that my 1500 wouldn't be able to pull one of those big goose neck trailers without burning out the engine/transmission on the 1300 mile trip down there, so I haven't really gave them much thought.

    But if I need to buy another truck anyway, I could step up to a goose neck I guess.
     

    mrjarrell

    Shooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 18, 2009
    19,986
    63
    Hamilton County
    Totally unrelated to the trailer, (about which I know next to nothing) but where you thinking of moving to? Florida, Alabama, Mississippi or Texas (there's not really a lot of coast in LA, just swamp)?
     

    RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    Corpus Christi is my first stop, I'll probably stay there for a couple months & then check out some other beaches and stuff in & around Texas before moving up the coast.
     

    mrjarrell

    Shooter
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jun 18, 2009
    19,986
    63
    Hamilton County
    Nice enough place to start. I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we still make trips down for vacations. Even with the devastation of Katrina it's a great place to visit, they just need to hurry up with the rebuilding, (too much government red tape involved). Hope you have a good time. Are you going to keep Indiana as your primary residence (for LTCH purposes)? The Coast is a good place to carry, there is a decent amount of crime down there.
     

    indytechnerd

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Nov 17, 2008
    2,381
    38
    Here and There
    The half tons do not have the heavy duty engine and transmission cooling and suspension to do much in the way of towing large loads. 3/4HD or 1 ton is the way to go. I'd skip the 5th wheel or gooseneck in favor of a standard hitch trailer. Putting a 5th wheel hitch in eliminates your truck bed entirely. Get the biggest engine you can and keep to about 75% of your max towable weight, since going up hills drops your efficiency pretty significantly.
     

    RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    Nice enough place to start. I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we still make trips down for vacations. Even with the devastation of Katrina it's a great place to visit, they just need to hurry up with the rebuilding, (too much government red tape involved). Hope you have a good time. Are you going to keep Indiana as your primary residence (for LTCH purposes)? The Coast is a good place to carry, there is a decent amount of crime down there.

    Yea I might keep Indiana as my primary residence, that'll keep my Indiana LTCH (life-time) valid, but I'll probably also get a FL LTCH while I am down there in addition to that.

    The half tons do not have the heavy duty engine and transmission cooling and suspension to do much in the way of towing large loads. 3/4HD or 1 ton is the way to go. I'd skip the 5th wheel or gooseneck in favor of a standard hitch trailer. Putting a 5th wheel hitch in eliminates your truck bed entirely. Get the biggest engine you can and keep to about 75% of your max towable weight, since going up hills drops your efficiency pretty significantly.

    That is sort of what I was thinking too, I'd probably ruin my 1500's engine/transmission trying to pull that big of a travel trailer with it, especially trying to pull that heavy of a trailer 1300+ miles.

    I wouldn't mind giving up some truck bed space for the goose-neck hitch, if I got more storage space and stuff inside of the trailer itself but either way it still looks like I'm going to have to trade my current truck in for something a bit heavier-dutier if I want one of those really big trailers.

    Which sort of sucks because I love my truck!
     

    longhuntr

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    you might want to think about buying an rv down there,instead of towing one from here.It would save you a lot of gas money.I have family that lives on the gulf. you see trailers down there for sale all the time. people retire and buy one, then end up hating it, or getting sick and have to sell.just a thought.
     

    RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    you might want to think about buying an rv down there,instead of towing one from here.It would save you a lot of gas money.I have family that lives on the gulf. you see trailers down there for sale all the time. people retire and buy one, then end up hating it, or getting sick and have to sell.just a thought.

    That was my original plan, mostly because it would save some money on fuel costs of hauling it down there.

    However after I got to thinking about it ... if I did that, I would have to stay in motel rooms on the way down there & while I shopped around for an RV, with all of my belongings packed unsecured in the back of my pickup truck & I'm guessing some or all of my stuff would probably "walk off" while I was sleeping.

    Sad to think that that's the sort of world we live in but I'd rather double my fuel costs than risk just one of my guitars, amps or firearms or something being stolen.
     

    RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    Since I'd have to buy another truck anyway, I'm thinking about Class C motor-homes instead, my local dealer doesn't have any of them though so I'll have to head over to Tom Raper or something this weekend.

    This should be a pretty cool adventure though, essentially I'm "bugging out" but instead of heading deep into the wood's or up into the mountains I'm headed to retirement/vacation/beach spots.

    I've got a wireless hotspot feature on my smartphone so I'll still be able to get online with my laptop, I'll have to write up a "10 do's & don'ts of RV living" or something after I get settled into my new lifestyle.
     

    jblomenberg16

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    67   0   0
    Mar 13, 2008
    9,920
    63
    Southern Indiana
    The truck would pull it, but you'd have a few problems:


    1) Stopping it: 1/2 trucks don't have the brake systems to stop that type of load over and over and over again, especially down hill from interstate speeds. You run the risk of overheating your brakes and having a brake failure in the worst case, and in the best case you'd be replacing pads and rotors frequently.

    2) As mentioned, engine and tranny are not built to pull that kind of load. Worst case you have an engine or tranny overheat and go out. Best case is you end up wearing both out prematurely and have to replace or get a new truck anyway. Oh, and you won't be happy with fuel mileage either as the engine tune is for grocery getting, not daily hauling.

    3) A 1/2 ton truck will probably not have rear the suspension to handle the load. Best case is you'll have a lot of squat in the rear suspension, making your truck look like it is running up hill. Worst case you'll run on the bump stops and lose a lot of the control you have by having full range of movement in the rear suspension. You'll also have less weight on the front end, meaning you have less traction for turning and breaking.



    Point 3 really depends on tounge weight more than anything though. If the tounge weight is right, you may not see that, and just see 1 & 2.


    Now, you also don't need to go out and buy a 1 ton dually to pull this either. A 3/4 gas or diesel truck will do really well. Since you're going long haul, think about a 2wd version, as those will actually give you a bit better fuel mileage when hauling. The truck will have a more robust drivetrain, brake system and suspension designed to deal with those loads.
     

    RichardR

    Master
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Aug 21, 2010
    1,764
    36
    Thanks Jblomenberg, after getting educated on some of this stuff I definitely don't think that I'll try to use my 1500.

    *sigh* anyone want to buy a 95 Chevy Silverado? LOL

    I'm probably going to sell off some of my firearms and other stuff too, there isn't a whole lot of storage room in an RV so I'll probably just keep a couple of handguns & one of my AR's or one of my shotguns.

    I just don't see how in the world I'd be able to fit my gun safe or ammunition locker in any of them, so I'll probably have to go with some sort of locking system like this; Santa Cruz Gun Locks Complete Home Setup for the one long-gun I am going to keep & maybe a small pistol safe like: Cabela's: GunVault Deluxe 1000 and 2000 for my spare handgun.
     

    Arm America

    Expert
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Jan 26, 2009
    1,381
    38
    West of Greenwood
    Don't sell your truck short. You stated it has the 5.7 liter engine.
    Not many more available ponies than that.
    Your transmission is matched to it.
    You can have leaf springs added to the rear,
    Add an auxiliary trans cooler if you don't already have one,
    Purchase the elect. brake unit for your truck.
    (u-haul will provide and install all of the above)

    Based on the weight of the trailer, it's going to have 2 maybe 3 axles
    just be sure your trailer purchase includes elect. brakes which
    I'm sure any trailer of that weight would have.

    Tell Jimmy Buffet I said "Hey"
     

    Muzzleloaderbill

    Marksman
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 11, 2010
    145
    16
    Ligonier
    Get some sway bars for hitch. They will help distribute the weight between the truck and trailer. Also helps the trailer track behind the truck. When those 18 wheelers go by you on the interstate.
     

    Lancem

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    7   0   0
    May 21, 2011
    395
    16
    North of Ft Wayne
    Well first off, you'll hate towing it with the half ton, I know. Pulling something that heavy you'll need a heavy tow rig. If it's GVW is 9K you're really going to want a 1 ton truck to pull it. I pulled a 7-8K travel trailer with a Yukon from here to Corpus and it was not fun in anyway. I would never do it again.

    Trailers of that size have electric brakes and by law you have to use them along with having break away brake controls. If you are going to need a weight distribution hitch also, with out a doubt. So if you are going to get a new truck I would think 1 ton and then I would think 5th wheel. Easier to hitch up, easier to tow, and more room for your buck since you can haul a longer trailer since 6' of it is over the bed.
     

    Blackhawk2001

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    3   0   0
    Jun 20, 2010
    8,196
    113
    NW Indianapolis
    Make sure you get an RV with floats, especially between August & November. That's hurricane season and anywhere on the Gulf Coast of Texas is fair game. Hurricane Alan had just gone through when we got to Corpus Christi in October of 1980, and Hurricane Alicia went through Houston when we were there in 1983. Just sayin . . .
     

    rv7

    Plinker
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Sep 7, 2011
    15
    1
    elec. brakes, stabilizer bars, brake controllers , all needed for a big bumper hitch
     

    melensdad

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 94.7%
    18   1   0
    Apr 2, 2008
    23,984
    77
    Far West Suburban Lowellabama
    Welp I've decided to buy an RV, move down to the Gulf coast only problem is that I really don't know a whole lot about them.

    I went & looked at some yesterday at a local dealership, I found a regular hitched type travel trailer that I really liked, I believe it was called a Sandpiper, anyway it was huge, almost as big as some of the goose-neck trailers, I really liked it, I could definitely live very comfortably in it, but my truck is a 95 Chevy Silverado 1500 so it's only rated for 7500lbs & the Sandpiper weighs over 9000 I think.

    Do I need to buy a new truck? or is there a way I can make this happen with my current 1500? (5.7ltr)

    I am guessing that my 1500 wouldn't be able to pull one of those big goose neck trailers without burning out the engine/transmission on the 1300 mile trip down there, so I haven't really gave them much thought.

    But if I need to buy another truck anyway, I could step up to a goose neck I guess.
    I've owned a fleet of trucks and some different types of trailers, including a travel trailer so I have a bit of experience.

    First thing is that your truck is way too small.

    Second is that you want to buy a tow vehicle that has at least 10% more capacity the the gross weight of the load you plan to tow. 20% is better.

    Third, get a H.D. transmission, oil cooler, etc (often sold as a "towing package" when you spec out trucks).

    Fourth, the more towing capacity you have over the weight of the load the more the margin of safety you have, further the longer the tow vehicle will last. Basically if your tow vehicle has a capacity equal to the gross load you are pulling the more you will be straining your tow vehicle.

    I'd STRONGLY urge you to get a diesel.

    I'm pretty sure that any trailer over 3500# requires a 7pin trailer brake system installed on your truck, (less than that uses the 4pin system) and I'm not sure if Ford still offers it, but they used to offer an integrated system as part of a towing package.

    Finally, rent a copy of The Long Long Trailer with Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz. Its a funny movie, but there is a lot of truth in that movie. You'll see what happens when you try to pull a heavy load with a tow vehicle that really is not matched to the task.

    [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nxx4ijz3aig[/ame]
     
    Top Bottom