Low weight fiberglass RVs

[rdickens]

Debbie,

I would suggest attending a rally, going inside trailers, and asking the owners lots of questions.

There will likely be over 100 fiberglass trailers at Green Eggs & Ham next week at Gunter Hill SP near Montgomery. (Last year I think there were 113 rigs there.)

About a month ago, there were 45-60 rigs at Highlands Hammock near Sebring.

A couple of days at a rally might provide more insights than months of internet research.

Roughly, where are you located in Florida?

Best of luck in your search!

Ray

[Byron Kinnaman]

I currently own a 13' Scamp that weighs 1700 lbs loaded for camping. No bath, shower, AC.

[Byron Kinnaman]

I suggest reviewing this page, on this side. Trailer weights in real world.

[Debbie in Florida]

Hello Ray. I did go to the Highland Hammock rally. It was my first and really great. As a result I was leaning toward the Casita until I called with questions and it was suggested I get a TV rated at 5,000 pounds. So, I am rethinking. What do you use for a TV on your SCAMP? Was going to try to get to the Montgomery event but will not be able to make it. But, next week there is a rally at Silver Springs State Park near Ocala. So, I will get there at least for a full day. I live in the Melbourne Florida are, just south of Cape Canaveral. Thanks for your advice. I am learning so much from this website and other people.

[tractors1]

A fiberglass trailer will far outlive a tow vehicle. I had a 3500 lb rated 4 cyl Tacoma and spent hours in the mountains (Rockies) at 4200 rpm towing a 17ft Casita in low gear. Mileage sucked. Wifey whined more than the transmission, too.

My V6 Tacoma has no issues zipping up and down mountains, rated 6400 lbs, towing a 4200 lb Escape. Wifey is also happy (yay!)

[Raz]

There's currently a 13' Casita Patriot being advertised here that might work for you?

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...0-a-84234.html

[k0wtz]

Your first trailer you have some big decisions to make I would look for the lightest trailer I could find for your first trailer. there are trailer clubs around maybe call a dealer for that information.


Weight figures are all over the place our 13f scamper weights out at 1k. my tongue weight is 100lb. I have had them weighed we don't load our trailer up with extra stuff just some clothes and a few food items.


good luck in your search


bob

[rdickens]

Debbie,

For our earlier Scamp13 (1300 lbs?), we originally used a 2011 Honda CRV (rated to tow 1500 lbs). We then switched to a 2014 Ford Escape FWD 2.0L Ecoboost (with factory tow package) that was rated to tow 3500 lbs). With the Ford Escape and Scamp13, we averaged about 22mpg and had plenty of power to cross the Rocky Mountains on our
way to/from California.

Knowing that we wanted to eventually upgrade to a 16/17 foot trailer, we replaced our 2nd car with a 2016 Ford F-150 XLT Supercab 2.7L Ecoboost RWD.
Highway mileage without the trailer is/was 27+ mpg and in town mpg is 20-22mpg.

Last year, we sold our Scamp13 and bought a Scamp16 Deluxe Layout A (with a no charge swap from the front dinette to the front sofa/bunk-beds (2250lbs).
Towing the Scamp16D-A with the F-150 at 60mph, we typically get around 20mpg.
My wife enjoys the Ford Pro Trailer Backup Assist feature for backing
Into camp sites.

Ray

[Carl Pa]

If you stick to a V6 tow pkg, or the new ones 4 cyl. with that ecoboost thingy and have a 3500 towing capacity. you should be fine with a scamp 16' with most options. There are a lot of people towing larger fiberglass trailers using thier smaller suv's. When I was getting my rav serviced, the salemen tried to sell me a upgrade for good $$$. He brought out a loaded with option hylander, the suv was much larger then mine. not for me, a one car owner. It had all the bells whistles, and a big price tag. My 2012 just tuned 50000 mi and is paid for. If you only have one vehicle, you have to think, do you really want that large one to puddle jump around town. Just something to think about.

[Debbie in Florida]

Thanks Ray, Carl and Bob. It is so helpful to hear about specific experiences and examples and about weights and TVs. There is so much to think about. Just getting started I think I might start smaller but then I think --- everyone seems to upgrade to something bigger so maybe I should get a bigger towing vehicle! But it is all so new, I am now leaning toward starting smaller. I can upgrade as money and desire allows.

[Joe Romas]

Debbie

I bought our used 17' 1999 Casita SD in 2007. I'm on our third tow vehicle.
The first was a Jeep Liberty CRD (diesel engine) and we towed 5 years with it.
It had a bumpy ride, constantly shifted up and down and we arrived worn out.
I convinced my significant other to let me have a used pickup. It was a 2007 double can Silverado half ton truck. We arrived relaxed but the truck even with a V8 down shifted a lot in mountains. After 5 years, truck was then ten years old rust was starting so I asked to buy a brand new truck and had a white, her color, leather heated and cooled seats, her choice again and she obliged.
We've only towed with it for a year but the 6 speed transmission and current technology engine the constant shifting is a thing of the past and it gets the same MPG as the diesel jeep.
Something no one has mentioned is my GMC is the same width as the Casita so if the truck will fit so will the Casita.
I'm not recommending you get a truck but get at least something like an Ford Explorer. You'll get there more relaxed with a capable vehicle.

Joe

[Rzrbrn]

Just as a possible counter point.

I have a 17'Casita Spirit Deluxe, with a 150 lb generator mounted on the tongue and 2 propane tanks, and a fairly light weight WDH hitch. Total weight about 3600 lbs, rounding up.

I pull it with a 2011 Toyota Tundra, dual cab, 4x4, 5.7L engine, camper shell, and bed slide. I don't think I carry much: Elec 30 amp cables, water hoses, hydraulic jack, scissor jack, tool chest, Calm shell canopy, 4 folding chairs, 2 aluminum tables, chocks, Coleman gas stove, Blackstone propane griddle, 2 packs of Lynx blocks, small vacuum, 10" cast iron griddle, single burner electric hot plate, 5 gallons of gas in a portable gas can, 4 gallons of water in a portable water can, a couple of 6x6x12 wooden blocks for under the stabilizers, another wooden block for under the tongue jack and maybe another 30 lbs of stuff in case I missed something. My tongue weight is about 420 lbs.

Keep in mind this is a full size 1/2 ton pickup. My towing capacity is 7200lbs. My payload capacity is 1334 lbs. The above listed cargo weighs about 1750 lbs. I am way over my payload capacity. That is, I am under my towing capacity by quite a bit, but the payload in the truck is way over.

My brakes are big disc brakes and I go down mountains with no problems. Go up with no problem.

Can you pull with smaller vehicles? Sure. Will you encounter brake fade in the mountains? Maybe. I have not, but I use lower gears going down long mountains. I have had brakes fade years ago. Not something I want to encounter again, ever.

My point is that you can make it with small vehicles, but you can't carry much in the tow vehicle, and the real issues, to my way of thinking, are those white knuckle moments when you really need good, big, strong, brakes: Going down mountains with no guard rails and no shoulders, and in cities with high speed traffic, and those odd times when your luck runs out.

Get the biggest TV with the biggest brakes you can afford. Safety is more important than gas mileage.

[Joe Romas]

Henry brings up a good point.
Our 2017 double cab two wheel drive has a 1691 pound gross weight rating.
4X4 hardware takes away from the gross weight, that's one reason why I got 2WD this time.
I don't take as much "stuff" as Henry also.

Our 2007 was a 4x4 with less payload and going down I-77 in Virginia the front brakes over heated twice, two different years with rotors and calipers replaced, shuddering badly and that was no fun

Our 2017 with engine braking when in cruise control if the actual speed exceeds the CC set speed by 5 MPH it uses engine braking to slow things down

With it's stability control what ever they call it sway control is built in and I no longer need an anti sway bar

[k0wtz]

on 2 different occasions I have rented a fiat 5000 to run in both the French alps and Italian alps although not towing we have loaded that car to the gills with our tent, supplies, other camping gear, food and clothes plus us.

this is the most under powered car I have ever driven but they rent them out cheap they must junk them in a year. not once whether driving in paris, rome or wherever did we ever have a problem. I had more trouble getting that car up the rental ramp at the airport then anywhere else!

learn to use your transmission and speed control to avoid problems that have been listed. from my bus driving days a 26,000lb beast whatever speed you go up the hill or mountain is the speed you go down it.

don't go out to be a Mario andrettia you will lose every time. it took me a long time to learn these things if you have to drive over your tugs safety I would either find a different route or stay home!

be safe out there

bob

[redbarron55]

We have a much modified 16 Scamp that weighs 28-900 lbs and a tongue weight of around 300 lbs.
We are happy with our Town & Country 2016 V6.
The van has a tow rating of 3500 (relatively standard for full sized vans) and tongue weight of 350.
The requirement is over 1800 lbs. a weight distribution hitch is to be used.
We have a mini 350 that serves as an anti-sway as well.
We get 16-17 mpg towing and close to 30 on the highway without towing.
If relatively flat as much as 20 mpg.
Driving around town usually 21+ mpg.
The Stow and Go seats let's us use it a lot like the truck it is with 4 X 8 sheets of stuff. 10 ft long between the front seats too.
The only draw back is the traction from the front wheel drive with close to 300 hp. on tap.
Uphill on gravel requires caution.
Of course today too many people's grand parents and parents had mini-vans and nothing but a big SUV with less interior room will do.
By the way a mini-van gives you a great deal of storage space and flexibility you don't have in an SUV and is dry unlike a open bed truck.
The new Pacifica has a 8 speed ZF transmission where my T&C has 6.
We have been through
The Smokies with no trouble.
Make sure the van you get (if) has the additional towing package like ours. The additional cooling and load leveling is very much worth it.
You will need to add trailer brake controller as well.
Good luck and happy travels.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by redbarron55

We have a much modified 16 Scamp that weighs 28-900 lbs and a tongue weight of around 300 lbs.
We are happy with our Town & Country 2016 V6.
The van has a tow rating of 3500 (relatively standard for full sized vans) and tongue weight of 350....
.

a T&C is a minivan, not full sized. full sized vans, like our former 2001 E150 "Traveler", can tow 6500 lbs or more depending on options (its more like 10000 lbs with the diesel), they have full ladder frames, RWD live axle, etc etc.