I'm the person that was linked to in post #11.
Bigfoot's decision to put the fresh water tank under the far back of the bed on the 21RB was a terrible decision. It should have been either placed under the trailer above the axles, or as far forward under the bed as possible.
I have the extended tongue and the cargo locker option. I also have the
generator option and a gas/electric water heater, which was introduced about the time mine was built. Mine is a 2008 30th anniversary edition
My first tow was without a WDH and the trailer had NEVER been fitted with one. The PO said it towed "just fine" without one. I am suspecting that they never towed with water in the FW tank, which I ALWAYS do.
The tow home was uneventful. My first loaded tow to a campground was without the WDH and it was extremely squirrely, to the point I consider stopping and draining the FW tank, but I pressed on. On the return home, I did empty the tank before I hitched up and it towed like a dream.
Since then, I have installed a Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch, which has an excellent reputation of good WD and sway control, plus it is lighter than other hitches. Installing it meant a minimal amount of
fiberglass cutting and that was a huge plus for me. The hitch made a huge difference by itself, in the way the trailer towed. Moving a hundred pounds of stuff forward made the rest of the difference.
I also moved everything out of the under bed storage except for the plastic containers with the FW hose and accessories, and the sewer hose and accessories. The power cord (36 ft and rather heavy) and a couple of other heavy items were moved to the front cargo locker.
I calculated the tongue
weight and then verified it with a friends Sherline tongue
weight scale, at about 800lbs and its probably more than that now.
I keep the power cord and Hughes Power Watchdog and dogbones (is that a pun?) along with rubber chocks, wood blocks, Andersen wedges, patio mat and a host of other items in the front cargo locker.
The trailer tows like a dream now, especially on a smooth road, as I have the GY Endurance
tires balanced and have installed CentraMatic wheel balancers also. I recently completed a 3900 mile trip to Sturgis SD for the national BF
rally and the trail was "largely" uneventful. I burned 292 gals of diesel and averaged 13.3 mpg. One partial tank full was without the trailer, in and around the Black Hills and I got 22 mpg on that tank. I was running 68-70 mph on the interstates where I could and I usually run about 64-65 get as much as 2 additional mpg. A little bit of speed can make a big difference in mileage. I had to keep checking the mirrors to make sure the trailer was still attached.
Note that I am towing with a RAM2500 diesel. I bought the truck before the trailer, knowing I was buying
something and wanted to cover all of my bases. The truck is 98% used for towing the trailer and is rarely driven other wise.
Knowing what I know now, I would not want a 21RB without the extended tongue, not just for the extra storage, but also for the towing and handling.
Charles