OK, I am sure that this subject has been beat to death but here I go.
I am brand spanking new to RV'ing. I went yesterday and purchased ( large deposit and no final papers) a jayco 29QBH. UVW of 6745LBS. We have a Suburban 1500 series with 3.73 ratio and listed 7200 towing capicity. After reading this forum ( yay by the way!!) I realize that this suburban will suffer an ultimate doom cranking down the highway and this doesnt factor in safety. We are getting the WDH by the way.
I am now looking at the Jayco Jayflight Swift 267BHS UVW of 5725LBS. The weight seems adequate. BUT here is where the pros like you guys come in. I am willing to search for a TT sort of the backwards way. I can search using weight as the strongest factor first then how the TT fits my family second. There are five of us total 2 adults and 3 kiddos.
Two simple questions.
1: where do I need to be weight wise on the TT using UVW as the easy way to search using the above listed TV.
2: is there another company that makes an adequate size camper for my family that is lighter.
Forget the UVW and use the GVWR of the TT against your vehicles tow rating. Also, this is very important, you need to know what the payload of the vehicle is. Most of the time you will not have enough payload with 1/2 ton version SUV's to handle the tongue weight plus gear and family. TW is typically around 10--13% of the weight of the loaded trailer. A trailer loaded at 7k will have a TW of 900 lbs and I suspect your payload is in the 1300# area. Start adding family and you can see the problem.
The Jayco Swift 264 BH will save you 1000 lbs over the Swift 267BHS...it has nearly the same floorplan, the double bed bottom bunk, and actually has 200 lbs more cargo capacity, but no heavy slideout and it is 10" shorter. It will add up to a better towing experience.
Just don't fill up the 50 gallon fresh water tank till you get where you're going! A full tank would weigh almost 500 lbs!
I don't think you could go much lighter without going with a trailer with some compromises..such as lighter weight due to cutting back on sturdy construction, like foam core floors, stamped steel frame, cheap tires, etc.
The Swift comes well equipped with standard awning, bathroom skylite, extra large dinette window, real hardwood cabinets made in Jayco's own wood mill, Goodyear Radial tires, seamless marine grade plywood flooring (solid to walk on unlike other brands "foam filled" floors), cable and satelite hookups, tinted safety glass, microwave, fully decked plywood walk-on roof, awning, A/C, refrigerator etc.
And even tho it's built to be light weight, it still has a real steel square tube frame, not aluminum or stamped steel like other brands, and R-7 fiberglass insulation walls, floor and roof. It even has steel wheel fender linings (instead of plastic) so in case of a blowout there is less damage.
And Jay Flight has been the #1 selling travel tailer line for 8 years now! It also has a rare 2 year warranty. Good luck!
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen.
Hi and welcome to the forum. There are several manufacturers out there that make good quality units for weekend/vacation type use that should be plenty large for family and pullable by the sub. Just as a point of refernce my family (the DW) pulled a 6,000# 32' TT for years and tens of thousands of miles with a 5.3l 3.73 Tahoe and did just fine. Actually had great power at slower speeds but a little power challenged at interstate speeds (your towing a sail, the faster you go the exponentially harder it is to pull)
For what it's worth trying to buy a trailer based on UVW is really pretty difficult. You should be using GVWR of the trailer. If your sub is the 4 speed automatic I would recommend you stay around 6,000# GVWR for power concerns. If you have the modern 6 speed then pulling a 7,200# like the rating is probably ok but be careful with loading in the vehicle combined with the TT. You can quickly overload your rear axle or tires.
ok, thanks. I will look tomorrow at the GVWR ratings of trailer and 'Burb. I also found that Jayco makes a feather select and they are much lighter. I am concerned with going without the slide. I have never rv'ed before and wonder what its like while its parked with or without the slide. I want to learn this year towing, setting up etc... then in the late fall or early next year want to do a long cross country trip. Hopefully enjoying the experience enough to try a motorhome. Thanks for all your help. I will try to gather more information for you guys. I was never taught the GVWR and all that. The dealer was pretty simple.. he said the UVW was under TV specs so your ok. UGH.
another question and no offense intended. Why go by the GVWR? isnt the UVW the true weight of the camper? I realize that propane has weight and my gear has weight also. I assume all the tanks are empty while travelling or very little at least. Isnt the GVWR the max the trailer weighs with all the tanks full, propane tanks full and my gear/cargo factored in?
Mentioned above, but perhaps elaboration will help. VEHICLE (not hitch) rating is normally 10% of the tow weight rating. Ask Chevy to be sure on yours. If tow weigh rating is 7200#, that would yield a 720# max tongue weight. You need at least 13% of thhe FULLY LOADED TT weight on the tongue. It is easiest to use 13% of the TT GVWR, as most folks load nearly, or over, the GVWR.
So if 720# is the tongue weight, the FULLY LOADED TT weight is 5,538#. If you assume 1000# of stuff, which is a common number, the TT UVW needs to be under 4500# for your TV.
I know that is discouraging, but at least you now have some idea of the problem.
Also you CAN use UVW, plus say 1000#, if you want. Dealer add anything, any dealer options? Mine came with no battery included in the UVW. Propane weight, water heater water weight? Any fresh water? You will be surprised at how fast it adds up.
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Australian Shepherd
2010 Ford Expedition TV
2010 Outback 230RS Toybox, 5390# UVW, 6800# Loaded Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
CalamityRver wrote: another question and no offense intended. Why go by the GVWR? isnt the UVW the true weight of the camper? I realize that propane has weight and my gear has weight also. I assume all the tanks are empty while travelling or very little at least. Isnt the GVWR the max the trailer weighs with all the tanks full, propane tanks full and my gear/cargo factored in?
The UVW is typically the wieght of the TT without options installed and doesn't include all the stuff you listed. The trailer leaving factory is typically several hundreds heavier than UVW. You want to use GVWR to size your Tow Vehicle so that you are relatively certain you can use the TT in all conditions. It also no a safe assumption to think the tanks will be empty. You will find times when you have to pull the TT with at least the Black tank full until you find a dump station. One the nice things about a TT is the ability to take your own stuff with you and be very comfortable. You'll be surprised how quickly all of the stuff you want to bring adds wieght. Use the GVWR as your gage. You'll be happier
And you can pull plenty of trailer with that Burb. Several models out there that should meet your needs wieghing in less than 7,200# GVWR with bunks and at least one slide. I had one several years back that was 32', bunks and small slide with 6,000# GVWR. Worked great for chasing kids and horses all over the south east for 6 years
* This post was
edited 05/05/12 09:16pm by hmknightnc *
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