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Old 09-30-2010, 10:51 PM   #1
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Name: Bruce
Trailer: Own a PUP and looking for a Boler
Alberta
Posts: 8
Which trailer to buy.

Hello everyone.
This is my first post here but I have been lurking for a few days just reading everything I could.
Love the site. I belong to several RV sites and find this one to be one of the most informative and friendly.

I have owned several different RVs over the years from tents, a class B, a class C, back to tents (currently own about 4 of them) and finally a Tent trailer.

My TV is a 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe with a 2.7 auto. I love this vehicle and will not replace it anytime soon but, My better half has decided she no longer wishes to camp sans bathroom.
Frankly, My progressing arthritis is also making me dislike the idea of setting up and taking down the whole shebang.

I don't have the money to afford anything too new at the moment and would actually like to do a bit of restoration work on an older Boler or similar.

My question is. What would be a decent older trailer with a bathroom that can sleep 3 (mother may come along at some point in the future) and be tow-able with my current TV?

I should add that when I say bathroom, I mean a toilet. No shower required. (we do bathe but normally stay at campsites with facilities)

Thanks in advance for any advice offered.

Bruce.
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Old 09-30-2010, 11:58 PM   #2
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Bruce, Welcome to our lil slice of glass heaven! I agree, I too belong to a few rv forums and there really are a great bunch of informative, friendly egg owners here.

It would be helpful if you posted the towing capacity of your Santa Fe. You should be able to find the manufactures recommendations either in your owners manual or on the driver side door stickers.


I do believe there are a few Santa Fe owners pulling trailers. But if I remember correctly your tow cap is limited. So an older smaller trailer is probably a good bet for staying within your tow cap.
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Old 10-01-2010, 03:48 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin G View Post

It would be helpful if you posted the towing capacity of your Santa Fe. You should be able to find the manufactures recommendations either in your owners manual or on the driver side door stickers.
Here
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Overview | GL 2.7L Specs | Auto123
it says towing capacity of the 2.7 2005 Santa Fe is 1225 kg which is 2700 pounds.

Brian
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Old 10-01-2010, 10:49 PM   #4
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Name: Bruce
Trailer: Own a PUP and looking for a Boler
Alberta
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brian Van Snell View Post
Here
2005 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD Overview | GL 2.7L Specs | Auto123
it says towing capacity of the 2.7 2005 Santa Fe is 1225 kg which is 2700 pounds.

Brian
Thanks for that Brian.

Seems a little heavy. I can feel it now when I tow my 2000 lbs. Bonaire tent trailer.

I don't think I would want to go higher than 2000 lbs.

Of course I should say that the BA-700 has no brakes.
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Old 10-02-2010, 08:56 AM   #5
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I was thinking the same thing, Bruce after he posted it. But then again I don't own a Santa Fe so I don't know.


Brakes are a huge help, so no matter what you may want to put them on.

Your gonna need to stay in that 13/15 ft range, which there are several options that should work for you. Just realize that the weight of the gear, passengers, all adds too/decreases your towing capacity (read your owners manual as it will tell you, for every passenger and 100 pounds of gear you have to subtract some tow cap. So keep the trailer as lite as you can. Then pack as lite as you can.

Honestly recommending any manufacture to you would only make you crazy! Personally I would suggest looking at glass that came up for sale that might fit your camping needs. You will know, when you find it.

I can only recommend weighing any trailer you are serious about purchasing. Don't just go by the Manufactures weight, they are not always accurate. You might want to check out this link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-42610.html It's posted by Frederick when ever he does a trailer weigh in at a rally. If you search you may find several. It just gives you an idea of what people are pulling around. My assumption is that all the weights are including gear on board. But who know's how individual's pack their trailers. So it really is just an estimate. Again, weigh any trailer your looking to purchase. Best of Luck! Enjoy the search for your perfect trailer.
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Old 10-02-2010, 09:40 AM   #6
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Be sure to download and take the Buyer's Checklist with you when checking out any trailer: http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/d...sChecklist.pdf
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Old 10-09-2010, 09:42 PM   #7
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Donna, I clicked on the above link and it says it can not be found.
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Old 10-10-2010, 12:51 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Karalyn View Post
Donna, I clicked on the above link and it says it can not be found.
The download center was revamped recently, so the link probably changed. Try here:


Fiberglass RV - Document Center - Buyers Check List

Regards,

Matt
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Old 10-10-2010, 10:21 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin G View Post
You might want to check out this link. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ing-42610.html It's posted by Frederick when ever he does a trailer weigh-in at a rally. If you search you may find several. It just gives you an idea of what people are pulling around. My assumption is that all the weights are including gear on board.
The weigh-ins that I conduct at rallys show trailers in their as-packed-for-the-road condition. What you get from the Manufacturers of most vintage trailers is a "Dry" weight or "empty" weight. I have seen brand new trailers that have more informative labeling that included:
  • Dry Weight
  • Load, or Cargo Capacity
  • Maximum allowed total
You might also be interested in this link:
Trailer Weights in the Real World
In that discussion I show a comparison chart of all of the trailers that I have personally weighed, plus a description of how the weighing was done.
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Old 10-11-2010, 11:21 PM   #10
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Trailer: Casita 17 ft Liberty Deluxe
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I towed a 16FT Casita SD, lightly loaded, for about 3 years with a 3.0L Mitsubishi Montereo.
I wasn't the fastest thing on the road, but I didn't have any trouble maintaining 60 - 65 MPH. Of course in the mountains of the West I would frequently slow to 45 MPH, but that was mainly because I didn't like to rev the engine past 4000 RPM for any length of time.

I had a full bath, toilet and shower, and the water heater to make the shower nice.

Good luck on your choice.
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Old 10-12-2010, 06:47 AM   #11
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Trailer: 13 ft Scamp Deluxe 2007 and 40' Allegro Bus
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I'm certainly no expert on all the layouts of 13-14' fiberglass trailers. However, it would seem to me that sleeping 3 and having a toilet that's private/semi private might be a tall order in this sized trailer! I know, a port-a-potty can be stored in a cabinet, but where do you put it when you want to use it if there's 3 people present? I guess the other 2 could go outside in the rain or at night but is this really very practical? Just something to ponder.
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Old 10-12-2010, 01:44 PM   #12
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Name: Cyndi
Trailer: 2010 Scamp 5th Wheel/2019 Toyota Tundra
Iowa
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I have a self erecting porta potty tent. No poles, just stake it down.
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Old 10-12-2010, 02:36 PM   #13
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Hey Cyndi---how do you like using that potty tent??? Is it accepted at most camping spots or more for out in the boondocks? I was thinking about getting one, but then wondered how my "neighbors" would feel about it. I have the Pett Toilet already.
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Old 10-12-2010, 02:57 PM   #14
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Name: Cyndi
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Iowa
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I thought it was great to use because it was easy to put up and down and stores flat. I figure if people can put up two or three screen tents I can put up my little tent. I have an indoor toilet finally but I still keep my Pett Toilet handy just in case I can't use the other one.
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Old 10-12-2010, 03:00 PM   #15
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Thanks! So do you have the Pett brand, or a different one?
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Old 10-12-2010, 03:29 PM   #16
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Bruce, I just weighed my 16' Scamp SD with the bath and it weighed 2400 pounds on the nose. Thats with a full water tank, full dual propane tanks, clothing and bedding and no A/C.
It's ready to go camping except for food in refrigerator and other odds and ends.
When it's fully packed I would guess the total weight will be no more than 2500 pounds at the most.
I tow with an automatic transmission 07 Toyota Tacoma with a 2.7 L rated at 159 hp. and rated to tow 3500 pounds. It's very rare when I cannot comfortably drive the speed limit or a little faster.
Last month I took a 3800 mile trip from Central California to Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP. The only time I could not maintain the speed limit or close to it was over the Teton pass which was a 6 or 7 mile 10% grade to the 9000 Summit.
I don't know how your 2.7 L vehicle compares to mine but maybe this will give you something to think about.
John
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Old 10-12-2010, 03:40 PM   #17
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I think it's the Pett Brand. Folds up and you put that funky stuff in it that turns into jelly.
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Old 10-12-2010, 07:13 PM   #18
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Name: Jesse
Trailer: 1984 Scamp 13'
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Originally Posted by brslk View Post
Thanks for that Brian.

Seems a little heavy. I can feel it now when I tow my 2000 lbs. Bonaire tent trailer.

I don't think I would want to go higher than 2000 lbs.

Of course I should say that the BA-700 has no brakes.
I just wanted to comment on this: You should be able to "feel" the trailer back there. Any tow vehicle will accelerate slower and take longer to stop with a trailer in tow. It will feel bouncier and handle differently. This does not indicate a problem... it is just the nature of towing. The new VW Golf is rated by VW to tow 3,300 pounds. I'm sure your Santa Fe can handle at least its rated capacity. My subcompact Scion xD is rated to tow about 1,600 pounds... and I tow a Scamp that weighs about 1,400 pounds once all of our gear is in it. I wouldn't want to drive through the Rockies all the time... but we don't have a problem keeping up on the highway in most conditions. I just went on a 200+ mile camping trip and got 26 MPG. Even in A/C weather, it wasn't even stressing the little 1.8 liter engine enough to run the cooling fan very often. In fact, it usually only came on when I was stopped in traffic (and I did hit some nasty beach traffic on Friday).

Watch the tongue weight, though... a lot of the floor plans have the bathroom in the front of the trailer, which tends to make them quite front-heavy.
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Old 10-13-2010, 08:11 PM   #19
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I can't feel a thing.
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Old 10-13-2010, 08:55 PM   #20
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I would like to add that I did notice our 13' Scamp was "back there" when it was loaded heavy on the Tundra. We took my son and his friend to the Scout Ranch for the summer and loaded the packs into the trailer. You could feel the weight and I felt sorry for the Little White Hamp getting it's nose pulled. You have to be from Iowa to understand that one.
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