RV for a Nissan 4 Liter V6, 6500 lb tow cap - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-02-2012, 09:03 AM   #1
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Name: Doug
Trailer: Class C
Florida
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RV for a Nissan 4 Liter V6, 6500 lb tow cap

I am looking for suggestions for an RV, I can tow with a Nissan Frontier. It
can tow 6500 lb. I feel I need 23 feet of space, to avoid the cabin fever problem I experienced in the past. RVing in my Chevy Van/Class C (only 14 feet of
space + the over cab bunk). My 20 yr old Class C has seen better days. So, it
is time for a new RV.

So, I feel dry weight should be a max of 4000 lb. This needs to be an accurate
number. I have heard some makers, do not give accurate figures in their
brochures. I'm wondering if any Fiberglass RV will work for me.

I'm also wondering what kind of MPG, I will get when towing a TT. I get 20 MPG
on the hwy, while towing no load.
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Old 07-02-2012, 09:38 AM   #2
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Most of the f/g trailers discussed here on the forums range from 13-19' with an occasional
Bigfoot 21 foot. Are you interested in little f/g campers or some other brand?
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Old 07-02-2012, 09:51 AM   #3
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We are towing a 19' Scamp Deluxe (wood interior) 5th wheel with a 2011 Frontier (short bed crew cab). We get about 14-15 towing.
But that might be too small for you....
Fran
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Old 07-02-2012, 09:57 AM   #4
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Real world... You would probably find that a 17ft Bigfoot would be about optimum and appropriate for your truck, and still allow you to avoid that "cabin fever" problem. That trailer gives a spacious feeling which must be avoided by those suffering from agoraphobia!
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Old 07-02-2012, 10:28 AM   #5
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As mentioned, this is primarily a site for Lightweight molded fiberglass trailers and I don't know of any that will meet your length requirement. I suggest that you try to find a few for sale and try them for size before giving up on something in the sub 21 foot range. A good floor plan can more than make up for less length, just as a poor one can waste that extra space.
And you will find it difficult to stay under that 4000 lb figure in a conventional construction 23' trailer.



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Old 07-02-2012, 10:30 AM   #6
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You might wish to start by taking a look at the Real World Weights list here. Most of these trailers were weighed at a trailer meet so they were loaded for camping. Your correct it is hard to get a good idea as to how much a trailer will weigh based on dry weights supplied by the manufactures as most do not include any optional items such as awnings, ac, or fridges or even a battery or propane tank in their listed dry weights.

Another trailer that may interest you is a Escape 19' There was a used one for sale here a few weeks a ago but I cant seemed to find the post.
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Old 07-02-2012, 01:08 PM   #7
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Bigfoot made (makes?) a 25 ft. It's not lightweight, but it might work with a 6500 lb tow limit.
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Old 07-02-2012, 03:37 PM   #8
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Hi: Dog Father... Here's a pic. of our Escape 5.0 with our Frontier as towed. It's 19 1/2 ft. and weighs about 2800-3000 lbs. ready to tow. Our tow cap. with the 4ltr V6 4X4 is 6100 lbs. We've had the trailer for 5yrs. now and enjoyed it thru many rainy days traveling.
Check out the floor plans at Escape Trailer Industries > Home
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:46 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob Miller View Post
And you will find it difficult to stay under that 4000 lb figure in a conventional construction 23' trailer.
DF... We too wanted a glass egg and looked at many. Loved the Bigfoots. Then we found out we could get a larger trailer with more room and still tow it easily with our Nissan 3.0 & 3.5 V6 vehicles.

This is what we ended up with. A 1973, 23' Airstream. Dry weight 3,500lbs. Low cost if you find a vintage one 20 to 50 years old. Like the eggs they will hold or grow in value if you maintain and take care of them.

If you can't find an egg big enough this is just another alternative.
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Old 07-02-2012, 05:49 PM   #10
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ah, the Jaguars of the RV's. They are pretty, but 4000 rivets scare me. Good luck and good travels.
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Old 07-02-2012, 06:01 PM   #11
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ah, the Jaguars of the RV's. They are pretty, but 4000 rivets scare me. Good luck and good travels.
Hummmm, Not enough rivets? How about a Jaguar with 6,000 rivets.....

Can-Am RV :: Jaguar towing 34' Airstream
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Old 07-02-2012, 06:42 PM   #12
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British Columbia
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Even more than overall length, you will find the floorplan is the single most important thing. I have been in 20 footers that feel twice as big inside as my 21, and I have also been in some that were way over 25 feet that feel WAY smaller than my 21.

I agree that the vast majority or trailers under 19 feet are just too small to be considered "comfortable". (In fact, we're sorta thinking about moving from our 21 to a 25)

If you are going to look at "non-eggs" avoid anything with slides

The fewer number of seams the better (Eggs don't have 'em!)

Balance and handling are at least as important as size.

So long as you stay well within your tug's Tow Rating, balance and handling are perhaps even more important than sheer weight. (You could wind up with a 3,000 lb one that is a nightmare!)

If your Frontier can tow up to 6500 lb, you can look at a well-balanced, good handling one that weighs 5,000 and maybe find it is a LOT nicer to tow than some of the ones in the 4,000 range. (Just my opinion - I am not an "eggs-spert"

My recommendation would be a Bigfoot in the 21-23-25 range.
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Old 07-02-2012, 06:53 PM   #13
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Name: Dave
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we just ordered a 19 ft escape trailer, we are in the process of selling our 25ft stick trailer, we actually found the escape is "roomier" than our 25 ft, i get pretty bad claustrophobia and find the smaller escape a excellant use of space very comfortable. probably why i cant handle fith wheels with the lack of head room but thats just me.
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Old 07-02-2012, 07:56 PM   #14
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DF, I understand because that's how I felt about 8 years ago when we bought a 23' Rockwood 2304s ("s" indicates slideout), about 3400 lbs dry wt. It was nice, but I didn't like towing that much trailer. I'm much happier now with a 16 footer. (But to be fair, some folks find 23's too cramped and move up to 30' or more eventually... however most of us here have gone the opposite direction with size.)
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Old 07-02-2012, 08:49 PM   #15
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Name: george
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I'll throw my two cent in here, since I am towing with a Frontier with a 4.0 and a six speed manual. I am towing a 19 foot "white box" ( not a fiberglass trailer ). It weighs 3780 pounds on the scale. You will be hard pressed indeed to find a 23 (or thereabouts) feet hard side trailer that weighs under around 5K pounds. Remember that the tow weight rating of 6300 pounds is really stated for the weight of a boat. Boats pull easier than big square boxes....so long story short is that pulling a 5K pound travel trailer with a Frontier is probably approaching or exceeding practical limits.

MC1 mentioned an Airstream. For sure, you should include those when doing your homework. The key there from a weight standpoint is that you'll need to get one ( as MC did ) that's a bit older. Airstreams got heavier in more recent years.

It's really a good idea to go and spend some time sitting in different floorplans to get a feel for whether a trailer feels "open" or "tight" to you. Personally I love my slide out room, and I would have a very hard time buying a trailer without a slide. To each his own on that issue.
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Old 04-27-2017, 10:38 AM   #16
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Name: Robert
Trailer: Sonic by Venture
Texas
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Pulling a Venture Sonic behind a Nissan Frontier V6

I know this is an old post but I also have a v6 nissan frontier and we looked at travel trailers for 8 months before we settled. We looked at the 15 and 17 foot cracker boxes and the aluminum "Cadillacs" and for awhile we had settled on a Winnebago MicroMinnie 17 foot box. At the last minute we decided on a 22 foot Sonic by Venture. It weighs 4200 lbs empty and a check at the local truck stop proved that to be the case. Even though it has 2 axles, it only has an 800 lbs suggestion for gear and water. That puts the loaded trailer right at 80 percent of the 6500 lbs towing limit. We have pulled it about 600 miles in the 2 months we have had it and, with a weight distributing hitch (tongue weight is about 400 lbs) it pulls very well and, with a flat road and not much wind, I can get up to 70 with it behind me. I try to stay around 60. When I manage to keep control of my speed and the West Texas wind isn't too bad I get around 11 or 12 mpg. We are pulling about all that little truck wants to pull but we are in the safety specs of the vehicle. A trip to the mountains of New Mexico will probably test the real abilities of our setup but that will not come around very often. I am glad we went ahead and got the extra room. It is a comfortable space to be on those rainy days and there isn't a cabin fever issue. The Sonic line is amazing in what they pack into the weights that we were looking to tow. The one-piece roof and the huck bolt frame are two things that I think we will enjoy for a long time. We wanted a bigger fridge/freezer, a dinette slide out, two axles, black tank flush and a decent sized bathroom. We got all that and more in the sonic. The weight that you see on the Venture website is very accurate to what you get and it includes the expected extras like the ac. If you want to get the most out of what your Frontier can give you then I would recommend the Sonic.
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Old 05-07-2017, 09:40 AM   #17
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Up Date!!!

Hi: All... Here's a pic of our 2014 5.0TA behind our 2010 Fronty. Lots of differing opinions on the ability of our tug. In theory bumble bees can't fly either.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
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