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Old 04-21-2003, 08:11 AM   #1
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lightest trailer of all?? which one!

2000 lb tow limit
Hi,

I was just reading the post below as I am in the same situation. I have a 6cy Jeep Wrangler. My engine is the same used in the Cherokee/Grand Cherokee but due the short wheel base of the Wrangler I am limited to 2000 lb and a 300 lb toungue weight. I have been looking over the different fiberglass trailers and thought the scamp was the lightest for it's size. (16'/1750lb?) Any comments or suggestions on the right trailer for me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Kathy G
loid@attbi.com
-----------------------------
K.G.



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Old 04-21-2003, 09:20 AM   #2
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Hi
That might be ok ,but are you going to load it with food and clothes and stuff.Before you know it you are overloaded.:)



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Old 04-21-2003, 10:30 AM   #3
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Well I do plan to pack food/supplies etc. for my family. (husband, son & myself) and I realize it will all add up. That is why I am looking for THE LIGHTEST camper out there. My husband is not a fan of regular pop ups and thinks 13' is to small (I have seen quite a few people trading up from 13' to 16' on this site too) So the 16' would be best but I'm not sure what type/mfg. to get. It seems they vary form year to year also and that is not helping me narrow the lightest 16' model down.

Thanks for your reply!
Kathy G



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Old 04-21-2003, 11:06 AM   #4
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Towing with a Wrangler

Kathy, from everything I have read, I think the best you can hope to tow behind your Wrangler is a 13 (or the occasional 14) foot. It's not the towing capacity that is the key here, but the length and weight of your tow vehicle.

There is one person who comes to mind that tows a 16 footer with his Jeep Wrangler. Augie Burgoon. Somewhere (and I cannot locate it right now) I remember reading that someone was asking about it. His response was 'Don't do it.' Evidently, it is quite a challenge even with an experienced person at the wheel.

Hopefully, we can get him to address this point.



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Old 04-21-2003, 02:12 PM   #5
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Suz,

Thanks, I searched for Augie and was able to e-mail him as well. He has not made a post for some time (10/02) but I look forward to hearing what he has to say. He has a homesite listed tellig of his travels and in it he mentions how nice his trailer tows?? Wonder if he his kidding around! Well I hope to find out.

Thanks for your information and reply.
Kathy G



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Old 04-21-2003, 02:22 PM   #6
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Kathy

I don't think he was kidding. I think, for him, it works very well. I just think the person that was asking didn't have any towing experience and he felt like it was more than they should tackle. I don't want to put words in his mouth nor misquote his intentions, so I hope he answers you.

I tow with an '02 Envoy. Having towed my 16' in some substantial winds on hilly and winding two lane highways, I can tell you that I wouldn't want to tow it with a Jeep Wrangler even though my '89 is lighter weight than some of the newer versions. My tow vehicle did great, but I wouldn't have wanted to go with anything smaller.



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Old 04-21-2003, 07:52 PM   #7
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lightest

Kathy:

I vote with Suz...... a 13' standard (no bath). The fewer options the better. Options is where the weight difference come from, not so much the manufacturer.

Casita or Scamp or whatever.

Don't believe the published 'dry weights' of either (any) manufacturer. They have nothing to do with 'curb weight' or your actual travelling weight.

Yur still gonna be in for some white nuckle driving. But Jeep folks are tough that way. :)



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Old 04-22-2003, 07:33 AM   #8
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Well I managed to get opinions from two Jeep Wrangler owners. Briefly this is what I have found out for any others interested on the board:

One (Hans) w/6cy 3 speed automatic advises to say with the 13' - the lighter the better.
The second (Augie) w/6cy 5 speed manual tells me you can do a 16" w/concentration and makes several suggestions: (added leaf springs, sway bar, replacing transmission fluid w/synthetic oil and NOT to use a weight distributing hitch.) He also points out that the 2000 lb. limit is not the legal limit, it is the suggested limit that, if stayed within will not negate the warranty.

I would like to thank Hans and Augie again for all their information and for taking the time to help me out with all my questions.

Kathy G.



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Old 04-22-2003, 07:55 AM   #9
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Kathy

I'm really glad that you got two opinions based on first hand knowledge and experience. We can all hypothesize all day long, but the best way is to hear from those who really know.

I'm glad you were able to get two opinions. That should help.



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Old 04-22-2003, 01:17 PM   #10
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Kathy,

I have the I6, with an auto in a 99 wrangler TJ. I pull a 13' boler (73') and its rated on the trailer at just under 1000lbs. I still over heated the transmission on my jeep once it came to hill climbs. So I would recommend no matter what trailer you get that you have a transmission cooler installed.

They are not that expensive to have done and make for cheap insurance.

Ryan



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Old 04-22-2003, 03:38 PM   #11
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If you read the fine print on the tow limits, you will find that they are for reasonable speeds on reasonably level roads in reasonable weather. Experienced tow-ers usually recommend not towing more than 75-80% of the manfacturer's limit (Not dead sure about this but I believe truckers are held to the manf limits, so RVer's might be also -- If you lose control and have an accident, you would certainly be leaving yourself wide open to liability consequences). In this case, that's 1500-1800 lbs, which you will easily exceed just by filling the water tank...

Also, the published weight of the trailer is often in error, usually on the low side -- My '91S13 weighs about 1,700 going down the road with my stuf in it and I have few heavy appliances like reefer, water heater, toilet&tanks, a/c, converter, etc.

You might describe your probable appliances to the group and get some real world weights from owners.

Pete and Rats



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Old 04-22-2003, 10:08 PM   #12
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Ryan Tuomi

Kathy,

I have the I6, with an auto in a 99 wrangler TJ. I pull a 13' boler (73') and its rated on the trailer at just under 1000lbs. I still over heated the transmission on my jeep once it came to hill climbs. So I would recommend no matter what trailer you get that you have a transmission cooler installed.

They are not that expensive to have done and make for cheap insurance.

Ryan
Hi Ryan, I`m curious whether you ever scaled your boler with all in it that you travel with? I own a 74 13ft. and it scaled at 1464 lbs. And I don`t have air or furnace. The weight totally floored me. .....Benny



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Old 04-22-2003, 11:45 PM   #13
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Jeep Wrangler

Kathy... My Mom just picked up her new '03 Wrangler Sport. I asked the sales rep about the towing, as I really want one too. He said he tows a 13 foot Shadow Cruiser. It's not the weight that is the big problem, but the stance and wheelbase of the Wrangler. The longer the trailer the more unstable it is (the Jeep). He suggested that if I wasn't extremely experienced in towing in all sorts of conditions to not go over a 13 footer. He was really interested in the Scamps. He had never heard of them before. Happy Camping! Here in NY the season is almost here.



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Old 04-23-2003, 07:51 AM   #14
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Way to go Eric, bringing those new people. :thumb
I keep thinking I need to carry cards with fibergalssrv.com on them :lol

So Benny, when you say **1464 lbs. And I don`t have air or furnace. The weight totally floored me. ** You did not expect that much? It's less then Pete's **My '91S13 weighs about 1,700 going down the road with my stuf in it **



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Old 04-23-2003, 08:35 AM   #15
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Benny K

Hi Ryan, I`m curious whether you ever scaled your boler with all in it that you travel with? I own a 74 13ft. and it scaled at 1464 lbs. And I don`t have air or furnace. The weight totally floored me. .....Benny
I haven't scaled it but I assume with all my gear and such that I am in around 1500lbs... I have no air.. but for now I have a furnace. It is coming out this summer.

I'll have to look into where I can get the trailer weighed.. I don't think it will fit on my bathroom scale.

:D



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Old 04-23-2003, 06:07 PM   #16
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Hi Ryan, guess that you can call Ontario Highways Dept. and get the nearest scale location to you. Here in Winnipeg they are at the entrances to the city on the Trans canada and on major gravel truck routes. There should be no charge. And I don`t think that it would fit on my scale either....pretty close though..heh..heh... Also Jan, I thought that it would be closer to the advertised weight of about 950 lbs. or whatever. I also care a lot of stuff in the back of my truck that some people would carry in their trailers although I don`t know where. Another problem is that the GVW for my trailer is 1250 Lbs. on the manufacturers tag in the cupboard. So if you subtract my tongue weight from my total trailer weight I`m still about 50 Lbs over my GVW. , which can be a problem if I get pulled over for a weight check...Benny



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Old 04-24-2003, 05:09 PM   #17
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weighing in

My 1981 trillium 5500 17 footer weighs in at 2450 lbs with both propane tanks full, battery in, all holding tanks empty.

I had it weighed at the local dump on their scales



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Old 04-29-2003, 04:53 PM   #18
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And then there is Jeep camping...

Quote:
Orginally posted by Kathy Guay
I have a 6cy Jeep Wrangler. My engine is the same used in the Cherokee/Grand Cherokee but due the short wheel base of the Wrangler I am limited to 2000 lb and a 300 lb toungue weight. I have been looking over the different fiberglass trailers and thought the scamp was the lightest for it's size. (16'/1750lb?) Any comments or suggestions on the right trailer for me would be greatly appreciated.
You might also consider a teardrop trailer instead of a full travel trailer. If, of course, you don't mind cooking outside, not being able to stand up inside, and having no toilet. :sick Teardrops are lighter than eggs and some models are designed with more ground clearance for rough roads. Off-roaders like 'em because you can get to places a normal travel trailer can't. In my state a teardrop wouldn't even need to be registered because it's considered a small utility trailer. For a few more amenities, there are hard-wall, A-frame pop-ups designed for rough roads.



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Old 04-29-2003, 05:15 PM   #19
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maybe one of these
Quote:
Originally posted by Dena Foster

<img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3de97ec03eeedtrailer1w.jpg/> <img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3de97ee2386f5trailer2w.jpg/> <img src=http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/uploads/3de97f024a4e2trailer3w.jpg/>
looks like it would be plenty light. don't remember the weight
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/board/read.php...?TID=739&page=1



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