We're newbee-newbee's. We've decided to buy a popup trailer and have narrowed it down to the Fleetwood E-1. The Baja offers more (bathroom, toy hauler, etc) than the E-1 with less tongue weight, but we like the E-1 because of the fold down galley and kitchen storage (the Baja has none). The E-1 also looks like it would be easier to put up and take down.
I have several questions. Our TV is a 2002 Toyota Tacoma V-6, 4 WD. We installed a towing package and electric brake controller. We have never towed a camper, and any suggestions or tips on towing will be most appreciated. We live in Colorado so all camping will be uphill.
The dealer and hitch shop both recommended a WDH on the E-2. Will we need a WDH or sway apparatus for the E-1?
With the steep grades here, are we buying too much camper for our TV?
1968 VW Bus
1989 Tiger
2002 Flip-Pak
Toyota Tacoma
Getting tired of climbing up into that Flip-Pak? Those things are so cool... Got any pics?
On to your question. The numbers say your truck would probably be fine. But, others that actually have an E1 are able to answer you accurately. The reason I piped up was to tell you not to discount the bathroom. I think it's a safe assumption that you already have a bathroom system in place for boondocking, but having a potty RIGHT THERE for those middle-of-the-night breaks is golden!
And welcome to the board.
68 Me & DW
93 DD
03 DD
06 F150 Screw 6.5' Bed, 4x4, 5.4, 3.73
04 Tahoe 23RB-GL Honda EU2000 Parallel Cables "I hope you like Guinness, Sir. I find it a refreshing substitute for...food." Col. Jack O'Neill, Stargate SG-1.
I have a trailer just like the one you're looking at. One of the reasons I went with the E1 was because it didn't have a bathroom. The bathroom in the E2 took up too much room and I didn't think I would use it. I haven't missed it.
The E1 was the first trailer I ever towed, so I went into it as a newbie like you. My dealer recommended that I get a weight-distributing hitch w/sway control and I think that was the right call. On his advice we went with an equal-i-zer hitch. The trailer tows well behind my Xterra and the whole towing experience has been easier than I anticipated.
I drive a lot of mountains with my trailer. My Nissan has a 4.0 liter v-6, your Tacoma has a 3.4 liter. In my opinion your truck will be adequate for towing the trailer.
I'd agree with Ron on using a WD with the E1. While unloaded it only has 265 pounds of tongue weight; down the road when you pile on to that front deck you could, at maximum GVWR, have a tongue weight upwards of 700 pounds. Definitely in the WD range for your truck.
Thanks so much for the advise! I was starting to freak out - I don't want any white knuckle trips our first time over the passes! Won't a WDH with Sway Control add a lot of weight?
We love our flip-pak, I'm a foot shorter than my husband but I can set it up by myself in about 20 seconds. However, we need something with a few more amenities for long trips. Cooking out of the wind & rain would be a nice option.
The Equalizer hitch Eurocamper used, and I recommend as well, IIRC only adds around 30 pounds total. And it come with a very good integrated sway control.
I also looked at the E1/E2 and the Baja, I ended up with the 11RT from Starcraft. Basically the same specs as the E2 with a lot less TW.
It's hitched to my 2005 Xterra with and Equal-i-zer WDH.
This setup tows great, no sway even at 70M/H (120KM/H).
Your Tacoma should do great.
the way a WDH works, the weight of it won't matter to the tongue weight, but of course it still matters to the overall GCWR.
I recommend a dual-cam WDH, or at least an Equalizer with integral friction anti-sway, rather than a friction bar anti-sway (which should be disconnected in slippery road conditions like ice, snow, gravel or even rain).
BTW, looking at the photo of the short wheel-based TV above, what I would do if I owned it would be to drill a new pin-hole in the ball-mount shank to put it in as close to the rear axle as possible in order to shorten the overhang.
Thanks so much everyone! We'll be buying the E-1 Monday, I'm really excited.
We talked to the dealer this afternoon and they use the equal-i-zer hitch which has a built in sway bar. She recommended we get the 1,000# hitch rather than the 600# hitch in case we ever want to upgrade our TV or trailer. They both weigh in at around 50-60#. Any thoughts on this?
Another question, our truck has a manual transmission, will this make a difference in towing? The dealers specs on the Toyota Tacoma said these should only be pulled with an automatic. Our daughter & son-in-law has the same truck, same year & transmission and they pull a popup (Starcraft) with no problem.
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We'll be buying the E-1 Monday, I'm really excited.
