13 or 16 ft standard scamp which to buy?

[steve dunham]

I recently retired and Wife and I are looking to buy our first Scamp trailer .We have a 1999 dodge ram 1500 pickup 3.9 ltr. v6 ,automatic, 3.55 limited slip rear end and no tow pkg. Truck is rated 2000 lbs. no tow pkg , rated 3200 lbs with tow pkg , actual vehicle weight 4800 lbs. and rated 7600 GCVW. I have added tranny cooler ,rear overloads, changed,transmission fluid & filter ,flushed & filled cooling system and changed rear end and power steering fluid to synthetic (per owners manual) 13 ft will have front bath ,16 ft. will have side dinette with front bath .Both trailers will have electric brakes ,dual propane tanks, refer ,battery pack, furnace, water tanks,water heater, awning ,(NO AC) and roof fan . The reported weights for these trailers are all over the map, and according to Scamp I can tow either trailer with a golf cart. Which trailer (13ft. or 16ft.) can I safely tow around Minnesota ,Wisconsin and Michigan (Not many mountains) and not destroy my truck. I thought of buying new tow vehicle but truck is only used to tow, runs well, and it only has 60,000 miles on it. THANKS STEVE D

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I recently retired and Wife and I are looking to buy our first Scamp trailer .We have a 1999 dodge ram 1500 pickup 3.9 ltr. v6 ,automatic, 3.55 limited slip rear end and no tow pkg. Truck is rated 2000 lbs. no tow pkg , rated 3200 lbs with tow pkg , actual vehicle weight 4800 lbs. and rated 7600 GCVW. I have added tranny cooler ,rear overloads, changed,transmission fluid & filter ,flushed & filled cooling system and changed rear end and power steering fluid to synthetic (per owners manual) 13 ft will have front bath ,16 ft. will have side dinette with front bath .Both trailers will have electric brakes ,dual propane tanks, refer ,battery pack, furnace, water tanks,water heater, awning ,(NO AC) and roof fan . The reported weights for these trailers are all over the map, and according to Scamp I can tow either trailer with a golf cart. Which trailer (13ft. or 16ft.) can I safely tow around Minnesota ,Wisconsin and Michigan (Not many mountains) and not destroy my truck. I thought of buying new tow vehicle but truck is only used to tow, runs well, and it only has 60,000 miles on it. THANKS STEVE D

In my opinion you can tow either trailer with ease. If you regularly read this site you know I tow with a Honda CRV and have been all over the USA and Canada without issue. My Honda has 140,000 miles on it and it runs great.

My Scamp 16 weighs 2045#s empty and probably will weigh about 2600#s loaded. This will be virtually invisible behind your truck.

Norm

[Darnelle]

If it helps, I tow a 16' Scamp side dinette (no bath no AC, but loaded with junk, 2 propane tanks, water tank full) with a Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 straight 6. Factory tow package, rated at 3,500 lbs. Lots of weight margin and I tow with ease. Used to tow with a 4wd Ranger, 4.0 V6; again no problem.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by honda03842

In my opinion you can tow either trailer with ease. If you regularly read this site you know I tow with a Honda CRV and have been all over the USA and Canada without issue. My Honda has 140,000 miles on it and it runs great.

My Scamp 16 weighs 2045#s empty and probably will weigh about 2600#s loaded. This will be virtually invisible behind your truck.

Norm

My truck weighs 4850 lbs.(full gas tank , no passengers) add 300 lbs for 2 passengers , + a 2600 lbs trailer ,+80 lb dog = 7850 lbs. Thats 250 lbs. over my trucks GCVW rating and thats if I haul no food , no gear , no water, no nothing! and I have no tow package .
I called dodge and theie biggest worry was rear axle weight and GCVW
I was warned by both dodge and my insurance not to exceed any of the truck ratings THANKS STEVE D

[Greg H]

Well lets look at it this way, How much do you love your wife? The extra three feet could be a lifesaver,If your going to have a front bath 13' er you can never get away from her.LOL

[honda03842]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

My truck weighs 4850 lbs.(full gas tank , no passengers) add 300 lbs for 2 passengers , + a 2600 lbs trailer ,+80 lb dog = 7850 lbs. Thats 250 lbs. over my trucks GCVW rating and thats if I haul no food , no gear , no water, no nothing! and I have no tow package .
I called dodge and theie biggest worry was rear axle weight and GCVW
I was warned by both dodge and my insurance not to exceed any of the truck ratings THANKS STEVE D

Steve, I'm no expert in this area but it seems to me that the payload capacity of a truck like this is at least 1500 #s, giving a GVWR of around 6700#s. The towing capacity is in addition to this number.

For example a 2011 Dodge 1500 has a payload capacity of 1700#s on top of the truck's dry weight. In addition to this it can tow 3,500 #s minimum and 10,000 #s max with an appropriate tow package.

The following Dodge web site shows that a Dodge 1500 is capable of towing a 3500# trailer as long as the payload capacity of the truck is not exceeded.

2001 RAM Pickup Payload and Towing Charts

Norm

[Greg H]

The newer Dodge 1500's have coil springs on the back, he has leaf springs and I would expect the leaf springs will carry more weight.

[Carol H]

I tow a 16' side bath with a Subaru outback and loaded it comes in at around 2500lbs (including tongue weight which ranges from 200 to 240 depending on how much propane and water etc Im carring and how I stow it) - no ac and only one propane tank and one battery. Have noted that some of the newer scamps seem to come in heavier.

[Kevin K]

13' and 16' Standard Scamp rear bed only 46" wide.
16' Scamp Deluxe rear bed 54" wide.
If I had the money I would buy a 15' Escape plan B Trailer.
Bed 54" wide.
15 Foot Escape

[steve dunham]

Truck gvwr= 6400 lbs- gcwr= 7600 lbs. Trucks actual scale weight =4850 lbs 76oolbs - 4850lbs = 2750lbs if the trailer weighs 2600 lbs that only leaves 150 lbs for passengers, cargo, and fuel. I have tried to find the dry weight of this trailer with options as listed to see how much of the 2600 lbs is cargo and how much is trailer no luck i called scamp and they couldn't or wouldn't tell me. i was hoping if i packed super light i could swing 16 ft but i needto know dry weight

[Greg H]

I think that you could put the trailer on a diet, and I wouldn't worry so much with a full size p/u truck. Actually I wouldn't worry at all.

[Donna D.]

My 1988 16' Deluxe, with food/clothing for one person for three days... no water, all waste tanks dry and no A/C, weighs 2100 lbs.

[Lizbeth]

2000 lbs/3200lbs? Really? That seems very low. More like a car than a pickup. I guess that's the 1/2 ton thing my hubby talks about, a truck on a car chassis.

Basically you have to decide what kind of camping you do and what you expect out of the trailer. I'm not real of fond of the 13 fter with the front bath but know someone who has one and loves it. My biggest gripe is the 48" wide beds in most trailers. I also know that a lightly packed 16 footer can weigh about the same as a loaded 13fter. Depends on what you think you need to take with you!

[Sheryl M]

Originally Posted by Greg H

Well lets look at it this way, How much do you love your wife? The extra three feet could be a lifesaver,If your going to have a front bath 13' er you can never get away from her.LOL

ha ha! We have a 13' scamp without a bath. If you can tow it, and can afford one, I'd get one with the bath, just because it will save you the trip to the bathroom, and at some point you'll wonder why you didn't get it to begin with? That being said, we do well in our bathroom - less scamp. I just try to find a site closer to the bath house so we don't have to walk 1/2 mile to get there.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by lizbeth

2000 lbs/3200lbs? Really? That seems very low. More like a car than a pickup. I guess that's the 1/2 ton thing my hubby talks about, a truck on a car chassis.

Basically you have to decide what kind of camping you do and what you expect out of the trailer. I'm not real of fond of the 13 fter with the front bath but know someone who has one and loves it. My biggest gripe is the 48" wide beds in most trailers. I also know that a lightly packed 16 footer can weigh about the same as a loaded 13fter. Depends on what you think you need to take with you!

the 2000 lb , 3200 lb limits are from the chart in the owners manual. Same truck with 5.2 liter v8 has 2000lb, 8000 lb tow rating

[Mike Magee]

Steve, it sounds like you have added the things that would have been in the tow package. It seems very unlikely that a 16' Scamp with all your gear would exceed 3200 lbs. And the 16 will tow through the air just about the same as a 13 would, because they are pretty much the same profile. The extra length adds weight but not wind resistance. IMO your truck should do just fine with either trailer. A great many people here on the forum are happily and successfully towing these trailers with much less than your pickup.

[Jane P.]

I'd seriously consider a 17' Egg Camper. Egg Camper builders have gone out of their way to design this trailer for light weight towing. Plus this is wider and taller than wither the Casita or Scamp! You may be pleasantly surprised to find that your truck can easily tow this camper. The same for the Casita 17.

If your research narrows the your tow limit to the 16 or 13, I'd go with the 16 foot trailer.

If you look into a Scamp 16, be sure to bypass the deluxe model as it has lots of wood panels; more wood = more weight!

Good luck!

[Francesca Knowles]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Truck gvwr= 6400 lbs- gcwr= 7600 lbs. Trucks actual scale weight =4850 lbs 76oolbs - 4850lbs = 2750lbs if the trailer weighs 2600 lbs that only leaves 150 lbs for passengers, cargo, and fuel. I have tried to find the dry weight of this trailer with options as listed to see how much of the 2600 lbs is cargo and how much is trailer no luck i called scamp and they couldn't or wouldn't tell me. i was hoping if i packed super light i could swing 16 ft but i needto know dry weight

Scamp specs
13 ft. (1200 lbs dry) :
Scamp Travel Trailers: 13 Foot Specifications
16 ft. (1750 lb. dry:
Scamp Travel Trailers: 16 Foot Specifications

[Roger C H]

Hmm. Trailer Life Tow Ratings for 1999

http://www.trailerlife.com/images/do...owingguide.pdf

show

Ram 1500 3.9 V-6 3,600d,g - Your Model

dRequires 3.5/3.9:1 axle ratio - Your tranny is in this range

gWith five-speed manual transmission. - Weird - no auto tranny.


Do you still have your owner's manual? What does it say?

If you get the 13', you may be able to stay under 2K#. We are.

[Jane P.]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I recently retired and Wife and I are looking to buy our first Scamp trailer .We have a 1999 dodge ram 1500 pickup 3.9 ltr. v6 ,automatic, 3.55 limited slip rear end and no tow pkg. Truck is rated 2000 lbs. no tow pkg , rated 3200 lbs with tow pkg , actual vehicle weight 4800 lbs. and rated 7600 GCVW. I have added tranny cooler ,rear overloads, changed,transmission fluid & filter ,flushed & filled cooling system and changed rear end and power steering fluid to synthetic (per owners manual) 13 ft will have front bath ,16 ft. will have side dinette with front bath .Both trailers will have electric brakes ,dual propane tanks, refer ,battery pack, furnace, water tanks,water heater, awning ,(NO AC) and roof fan . The reported weights for these trailers are all over the map, and according to Scamp I can tow either trailer with a golf cart. Which trailer (13ft. or 16ft.) can I safely tow around Minnesota ,Wisconsin and Michigan (Not many mountains) and not destroy my truck. I thought of buying new tow vehicle but truck is only used to tow, runs well, and it only has 60,000 miles on it. THANKS STEVE D

Got this off the Egg Camper web site:

HOW MUCH DOES IT WEIGHT?

*************** 1900 POUNDS BEFORE OPTIONS

*************** 250 TONGUE WEIGHT
**************
*************** 2500 GROSS


WHAT VEHICLE CAN TOW IT?

*************** CHECK YOUR VEHICLE MANUAL