New & needing advise

[LorneP]

Need your experience & knowledge on what size trailer I am likely able to tow. I have a 95 Nissan Pick up, standard, 3lt low mileage. A friend with towing experience, albeit with larger trucks & trailers has questioned whether my Old Rusty could do much hauling. I will have to upgrade from bumper hitch to class III hitch. Age, ours, requires an on board toilet. From my investigation a 17 ft fb seems to fit the bill, with weights around 2500 lbs., towing areas would in include windy Canadian prairies and the Rockies. Question is Rusty going to manage this? Old input must appreciated. Located in Sk.

[Robin G]

You will have to let us know what your tow capacity of your truck is. You can find that information in your owner's manual.

Then we can suggest from there. But understand that some 17ft Casita weigh more than 2700 pounds. Mine, empty, dry weighed in a 2800 pounds. Manufactures weights are before things like AC, fridges, propane etc...... So don't take 2700 as gospel. The best way to know is to weigh anything your thinking of towning. The best investment you can make before buying any trailer. Don't take sellers words for what their trailer weighs, weigh it!


So check your owners manual and let us know.


A few other things that will be needed are, who will be traveling with you when you tow. Kids, dogs. A 15 pound dog is not a big deal, but 2 huge pony's are ! It will all play into how much trailer you can tow. For every passenger in your vehicle your towing capacity drops.........

Lot's of info to figure out before buying. And Welcome to fiberglassrv.com! Glad you joined us!

[LorneP]

Thanks Robin G for the quick response. Manual shows max trailer weight 5000 lbs. max tongue wt 500 & gross combined wt 8500. Also recommends sway bar & brakes over 1000 lbs. Anything else I s/be aware of?

[LorneP]

Oh yes, travel companions will be my wife and 2 small dogs (dogs combined wt 15lbs). Otherwise just typical camping supplies.

[cpaharley2008]

Class III hitch receiver and a brake controller and a 7 pin connecter and you are set.

[Carol H]

Welcome Lorne, you might want to take a look at the thread called Real World Trailer Weights It will give you a good idea as to what the various fiberglass trailers weigh once loaded for camping. These were all weighed loaded up for a trailer meet.

[Mike Magee]

Welcome, Lorne! Age can be a factor, but those old Nissan pickups have a good reputation for never wanting to quit.

Are you thinking of new or used?

[LorneP]

Carol, thanks.
Mike, I'm looking for used.

[Robin G]

Your good to go, if your tow cap is 5000. It must be a 4x4? Cause I did google and the basic Nissan tops out at 2000 pounds. But you hadn't said which truck you had so I figured your manual was best to start with. Many fiberglass brands should fit the bill......


Yup age can play a part, but only you know how your truck has been taken care of. Of course low mileage is a good thing......

The used market and your budget will determine what brand you end up with. Unless your willing to travel to pick up. I would recommend printing out the Buyer's Guide from the Document Center up on the top bar under More...........


That will help you look at any used trailer and know what to look for. Set your goals for your perfect trailer, you already mentioned bathroom. But things like A/C, awning, etc will help you narrow your search. Sometimes due to the used market you have to adjust your idea of the perfect trailer. But certain things I know I wouldn't have changed in my search. Bathroom and A/C were must for me. You have to determine what your must have's are and then the things you could live with out. Of course it can all change if you find something that flips your skirts that isn't what you thought you wanted, but that is the fun of the search.

[LorneP]

Robin, my manual shows 2000 lbs for the 4 cyl man., 3500 lbs for the 4 wd v6. Go figure. I'd not looked at those figures before. Looks like I got the best of the works. A/c would be a big plus, toilet a must. Will start seriously looking!

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by LorneP

2 small dogs (dogs combined wt 15lbs).

We have to pack more than that in dog food to keep ours content.

Welcome Lorne!

[LorneP]

Here's my two vicious watch dogs. Well maybe not!

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by LorneP

Need your experience & knowledge on what size trailer I am likely able to tow. I have a 95 Nissan Pick up, standard, 3lt low mileage. A friend with towing experience, albeit with larger trucks & trailers has questioned whether my Old Rusty could do much hauling. I will have to upgrade from bumper hitch to class III hitch. Age, ours, requires an on board toilet. From my investigation a 17 ft fb seems to fit the bill, with weights around 2500 lbs., towing areas would in include windy Canadian prairies and the Rockies. Question is Rusty going to manage this? Old input must appreciated. Located in Sk.

Read your truck manual for towing limits, then go here to find out what the real weights are. Also instead of looking for the biggest trailer you can tow, look for what you think you need. On board toilets are NOT necessary, but a want. Think about the mess of emptying, the problems with leaks and overflowing black water tanks before deciding that an onboard toilet is necessary.

[RogerDat]

Too light of a trailer is not a problem, so if you can get the features you desire in a smaller package at a lower weight you won't regret the fuel savings or ease of towing.

If your going to cook and eat mostly inside rather than outside, or if you plan on taking guests along this would make having a larger overall size a bigger factor to consider.

Toilet is really nice to have, don't forget to consider port-a-potti option. In a closet or under the couch. Don't smell and easier to maintain than built in toilet in some ways. How well that will work for you depends in part on if you think you will need many days of use without dumping. Or just want to have something available while traveling or on weekend trips. If you get a rig with a shower then a toilet would be standard.

Gotta love the puppies.

[Robin G]

Originally Posted by LorneP

Attachment 48774

Here's my two vicious watch dogs. Well maybe not!

Very Cute! Realize they will take over the bed in the trailer just as they do at home!





As for a built in bathroom, It's not hard to maintain! I guess cause I have had a rv with a bathroom for basically all my rv owning years as well as all the rv's my parents owned except the very first one they had when I was 4years old, I don't find it hard. Frankly walking around with a port-a-potty tank seems like more work! Of course it's what ever works best for you. But buy what your want's are now, don't have regrets!

[Roy in TO]

Originally Posted by LorneP

Here's my two vicious watch dogs.

Here's a link to mine:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...tml#post309244

You should add yours to the thread.

[Mike Magee]

A 17' Casita Deluxe might be a bit much (tongue weights on those, especially with the front baths, can be surprisingly high). However most any 16' or smaller should be good. Happy shopping!

[john warren]

wow with that truck you can move up to a big trailer,,,say a scamp 16 or even 19 5th wheeler.
the 5er will give you a toilet shower, a fulltime bed and a dinette that you can make into a bed for guests... and to a lot of us,,,would be near a mansion in size.
look at the scamp website for some ideas also look at the "egg camper" made in michigan.

then you simple have to decide,,,new? or previously loved?

a lot of folks love finding a great older camper and redoing it to make it their own. i went with a new one ,,because i already have too many hobbies, and i just want to travel,,, not work on a camper.

in my case , with a 13 scamp new from the factory just like i wanted it, i felt the cost was low enough so it was a superb value. and these trailers all hold resale value so well i don't think i will lose much if i decide to sell it in a few years,,,which i think would cause a major riff with wifey ,who has decided its her camper and i'm just along to do the cooking and chores.

[john warren]

oh as to bath room,,,,no bathroom?
we went with out because we rarely boondock. we just like to travel so we stay at state or national campgrounds and use their toilets and showers. we also stop at truckstops or travel centers to sleep and use their restrooms and even get a shower for a few dollars.
for the once or twice a year i will boondock i do have portopotty,,, but most of the time we don't carry it with us. the one boondock trip i did this year there was portojohns on site so i didn't even need to bring mine.

P.S. in national parks,,,after your 62,,, its half price,,,sort of makes me look forward to getting that next year....well,,,,sorta.