wopachop
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Joined: 11/17/2006
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Are ultralite or superlite trailers relatively new? I have seen a couple late 90's (prowler i think) advertised as "lite".
What year did the modern day ultralights come into production? Im looking for a used one...older and cheaper the better.
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Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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Joined: 04/29/2006
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rlc323 wrote:One thing I have noticed that adds a lot of weight to a trailer is the slide-out. They are nice and make the inside more usable for a group, but at a cost.
The big advantage for us with the Trail-Lite is a 26 foot trailer that can be pulled with my 1/2 ton that I drive to work. The trailer is very aerodynamic with the shape and the fact that it is fully enclosed underneath. 30 gallon tanks are no problem for us as there are only 2 of us. We get about 9 mpg when towing which is similar to a 3/4 ton truck. However the 18 mpg when not towing is not probable with a 3/4 ton.
Interesting post. My Komfort is also 25'11" bumper to ball and I tow it with my Silverado 1500... It has 55FW, 40 Grey and 40 black tanks. It has a couch slide out and is also enclosed underneath.
Dry weight is right at 5000 lbs and loaded I go at around 6500 lbs but max trailer GVW is 7500 lbs. No one ever called a Komfort a "lightweight" trailer. Perhaps there is some variation in what is really an "ultralight" or "lightweight" trailer. Perhaps is it more of an advertising sales gimmick than a real statement of anything.
I also get between 9 and 10 MPG depending on the wind and get very decent mileage around town (18-20) when not towing.
I am guessing that in 2002 trail-lite was more of a brand than a statement of fact. Some of todays "ultralight" trailers are 30' with the same weight as ours.
2000 Chevy Silverado 1500
2005 Komfort Trailblazer T23S
Honda EU2000I
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ringhand
Minnesota
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Joined: 04/13/2006
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My Jayco ultra lite does have a lower profile, thus less wind resistance. A few people posted the ultra-lites have just as much wind resistance. Which is not true. Not all ultra-lites have the lower profile, but Jayco and many others do.
The other misconception is they sit too low and scrape the ground a lot. That hasn't happened once to me. I want to say they sit between 12" and 18" lower.
I will also add I love my Jayco.
2007 Jayco Jay Feather 29A
2003 Ford Expedition Eddie Bauer (5.4L w/ Tow Pkg)
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campknitter
WA
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Joined: 04/02/2007
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We have been very pleased w/ the Orbit Ultralight Sport so far. 3600 gvwr. 18 ft box. We have everything we need, ability to camp where we camped w/the popup. Cabinets are bolted in rather than stapled. Seems like a solid little unit so far. It doesn't have as high of a profile as many tt's, but has good clearance underneath.
Only 3 of us, + the 80 lb dog. Sometimes DD & dog stay home.
Didn't have to change the tv either. Towing: 11 mpg's average, not towing 17-20+ mpg.
The best bang for the buck in space and mileage will always be a popup. We couldn't see any difference in our mileage when towing the popup.
Being able to drycamp in our fav summer places was a must. There are ways to work around the grey tank capacity and fresh water capacities for longer dry camping comfort.
1)Portable grey water container to dump some of the grey water if needed w/o having to tow your trailer to a dump station. (just like we did using a popup)
2)Water theif hose that allows filling of freshwater from unthreaded drinking water faucets. (this is on my list of camping gear for this year)
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JLangton
Southeast Texas
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Joined: 06/02/2003
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Here's my experiences with Ultralights and with "Conventional" trailers.
I at one time owned a '98 F150 supercab with a V8/auto and a Jayco Jayfeather 29Y(dry weight approx 5100). Truck towed the trailer perfectly,no problems at all,and it got 9-11 mpg towing the trailer and 16-18 solo. Trailer had a GVWR of 6500 lbs. This truck always got 9-11 mpg whether it was the 29Y or any of the 6-8 rentals I tried out before I bought the 29Y. The rentals all were varying weights and profiles(from 3500lbs to as high as 6800lbs dry),and it always got 9-11 mpg.
Stepped up to an Eagle 314BHDS(dry weight approx 7700) and a 2005 Ford F250 with a V10/auto. Truck gets 13-14 mpg solo and 9-11 towing the trailer.
Had the new truck before I got the Eagle,and did a mileage check with the old trailer on the way down to trade it in. Filled up before we left to the dealership. Towed the trailer straight there,and filled up after I unhitched while they were prepping the new trailer. Truck got 9.62 mpg towing the 5200 lb trailer. Hitched up to the new trailer, and took the exact same route home that was used to drive over to the dealer. Filled up when I got home,and the truck got 9.27 mpg with the 7700lb trailer.
Weight is not the enemy unless you have an excessively large trailer in comparison to the tow vehicle.
JL
2001 Lincoln Navigator 32V 5.4L V8/4R100 auto
1997 Ford Thunderbird LX 4.6L V8/4R70W auto
2005 F-250 Crewcab Lariat 3V 6.8L V10/Torqshift Auto
'06 Jayfeather 29Y-old TT
'08 Jayco Eagle 314BHDS-new TT
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acadianbob
St. Paul, MN
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Joined: 02/05/2008
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I believe some of the Malibu ultralights also have 40 gallon holding tanks. Our Surveyor is 25.5 feet and 4,500 dry. I really wouldn't want to pull more than that with our "1/2 ton". It is 8.5 feet tall at the drip rail so that has to help lower the wind resistance. That seems to be at least as big a factor as the weight; at least on the flat. Our mileage varies from 9 mpg into the wind to 12 mpg with the wind.
Bob, Wendy,& Spanky the Fox Terrier
F150 FX4 5.4L 3.73's
Surveyor 235RKS
Reese Straight Line
Prodigy
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taborekle
Clements, Md
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Joined: 08/16/2005
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Hi all,
I have a KZ Spree 318BHS. It has 2 slides. Dry weight is 5500.
I looked at the same floor plan in Jayco and StarCraft, and the dry weight on those was about 6500. Since I tow with a Ford Expedition, the towing capacity is 8600. If I had went with a 6500 Dry Weight trailer, it would be 7000 with options (True Weight) and then I'd load it with 1000 lbs of 'stuff' and I'd be getting pretty close to the load the Expedition could tow.
Going with a 5500 DW trailer means 6000 TW and 7000 loaded, which gives be 1600 lbs of buffer. It's a much better fit when towing.
Haven't used it much, but I really like the fit and finish. KZ has a very good reputation and it's backed with a 2 year warrenty.
The Expedition seems to tow it without any problems.
Larry
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irish31790
Reading, OH
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Joined: 05/31/2005
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I love my Jayco. I wouldn't trade it for smaller "stick & tin" TT and I wouldn't want to upgrade the TV to a 3/4 ton. I use my 1/2 ton Burb as my daily driver. I feel I get the best of both worlds.
Mr. B
Reading, OH
2007 Jayco JayFeather 29X
Reese Dual Cam Sway, WDH, Progidy Brake Controller, McKesh Mirrors
2004 Suburban Z71
'07 Trips: 7, Nights Camping: 22, Miles Logged on TT: 2,010
'08 Trips: 11, Nights Camping: 33, Miles Logged on TT: 2,189
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shenandoahvalley
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
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Joined: 02/09/2007
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As we usually camp with FHU so small tanks are not the issue they are with folks who boondock or camp with no FU, but so far the Ultralite has been very satisfactory and suits our current needs. If we are able to go half time or more when we retire we will probably buy a different floorplan but I like being able to tow with about anything out there. TT empty weight is 5005# and we are about 6300 loaded...I can't keep up with the diesel boys on the big hills and I usually keep the speed to 62-63 on the interstates but we get there eventually.
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Dixonmatco
Santa Rosa, California
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Joined: 04/29/2006
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irish31790 wrote:I love my Jayco. I wouldn't trade it for smaller "stick & tin" TT and I wouldn't want to upgrade the TV to a 3/4 ton. I use my 1/2 ton Burb as my daily driver. I feel I get the best of both worlds.
Interestingly enough, "stick and Tin" is actually lighter than aluminum and fiberglass. That is not where the weight is saved.
And I am another "I like towing with a 1/2T" person for the same reasons.
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