Hi! I am thinking about purchasing a 2000 Trail-lite Bantam 19'. I was hoping to look on NADA for pricing, but 2000 doesn't list a 19'! Any thoughts on value? It is very clean, no leaks. Good condition.
Also, anyone know what the weight of this trailer is dry? I am hoping to pull it with my minivan..... Chevy Uplander, towing capacity of 3500 lbs.
According to my 2001 Bantam brochure (the 19' is not listed in the 1999 brochure I have) the B-19 Bantam is listed at the following: 2484 lb dry weight, 1314 lb load capacity, and 270 lb hitch weight.
Re. towing a Bantam 19 with a van, we have a Mercury Villager, 170 hp. We have towed our Bantam from Ohio to Florida, through the W. Va. and Va. hills and just returned from a trip to the top of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, with quite a few hills. The van towed very well, but we do not tow in overdrive, to avoid transmission overheating problems.
Our van modifications for towing include:
Large oil cooler added for the transmission oil.
Proportioning braking system to control the trailer brakes.
Weight distributing hitch and anti-sway bar.
Higher tire pressures.
Speed kept to 55 mph max.
Good luck with your decision. Several other contributors to this forum have had good results with their vans, also.
Re. price, we paid $7,500 for a 2002 Trail-lite B19 last December, in perfect condition, including the WD hitch, awning, AC, microwave.
The approx. weight with these options is 3,000 lb.
Thanks! I think I can get this one for about $5k. My Uplander is 240 HP and comes with a 'heavy duty radiator' with the trim package. I plan on using a weight distributing hitch. I will keep you posted!!
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