We just put a deposit down today on a 2008 (new) 8319SS by Rockwood.
Impressed by all this trailer had, fiberglass sides, (did not want tin) torsion axels, 15" tires, two slides; dinette & sofa in main living area and a bedroom slide - big bedroom. Plus a large walk through bath, with two sinks. Lots of extras like 24" flat TV, BBQ, power hitch, and more.
It has everything we wanted and more, ... a little too much more in that I'm just a little nervous about how "half ton" tow-able it will be. I've also never pulled a 33 foot trailer before. I'd love to hear from anyone pulling one of these trailers with a Dodge 1500 or other half ton. I know that 33 feet (hitch included) is long for my wheelbase - ideal length would be 28 feet. I'm counting on the sway bars and the electonic anti-sway feature on my TV to help with any sway issues the length may cause.
The weight fell within the allowable limit, but the hitch weight is a 150 pounds more than I have left in truck payload. The dealer said a WD hitch would easily shift that 150# back onto the trailer - I hope so. I suppose, if we limit the truck to just me and the Mrs. and put all else in the trailer, my payload will handle the tongue weight. The dealer reassured me saying that most of his Rockwood SS trailers are being hauled by half tons.
As for price...
I think we got a good deal - remember this is in Canadian dollars. The trailer is an new 08 left on the lot. He did have an 09 on the lot for just $1,000 more, we didn't see enough advantage to the 09, were not impressed by the MP3 port.
The one we ordered is $15,000 cheaper at the little country dealer than it was at the big city dealership - that surprised me, I thought the volume dealer would be cheaper, or at least more competative. I guess the free cafe, indoor waterfalls, golf carts to travel the lot - all cost overhead? The city's trailer sticker was $45K & change, we paid $27,150 and that includes WD hitch installed & balanced, plus brake controller installed, propane, battery, sewer line, hoses, chemicals, etc etc "all the stuff we need to go camping that night" according to the dealer. TO be fair the $45,000 was "sticker" price in the trailer, I'm sure they'd come down - a few thousand according to the sale agent who said "make me a firm offer and I'll see what I can do". But on the other hand, the country dealer seemed more genuine than the guy in the sales uniform.
I did hear from a couple of dealers that now that the Canadian dollar has slipped a little ($ .94 and no longer par) that prices of incoming stock are heigher and their freight for bringing in stock from the USA has more than doubled since last year. So they are saying prices of trailers in 2009 will be higher by 10 - 20%. This did help us to get out the cheque book and put down the deposit.
Now I need to make a space to store this thing on my property, line up the financing (already approved), get insurance, etc etc etc. ...
...
and wait
....
Because, we won't get a chance to go back and pick it up until the labour day weekend - and we'll get to try it out that night. The dealer is about two hour drive from home. Still closer than the city though.
so we wait....
We are excited, never owned a travel trailer before.
I feel like a kid waiting for Santa Claus - except I know what the present is going to be.
PS - I've never been able to get the Spelcheker to work on this forum, is it working for others?
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Fort Kent Dad aka FKD
Fort Kent, Alberta Canada
09 Rockwell 8319SS
08 Dodge Laramie 1500 QC 4x4, 3.92 gears with the Hemi.
Well, as far as 1/2 ton towable, it's certainly possible, and even not too bad. I agree, a shorter trailer would be ideal, but we couldn't find the floorplan we wanted, and the living space we wanted, in the shorter trailers AND have them weigh any less (in fact, most weighed more than our TT does).
The main drawback to this long a trailer is that it won't fit in some campsites, particularly in SPs, which we prefer to the "RV parks". We have to do a little extra research when planning a campout, including contacting the CG directly, to make sure we get a site we'll fit into.
Oh, BTW - GET THE WD HITCH!!!! You will not regret it, but you & your truck are likely to very much regret NOT getting it.
2007 Toyota Tundra CrewMax 5.7L V8 w/ tow pkg, Equal-i-zer
2008 Flagstaff 831RLSS
Towed a 29' with a Ford F150. Used weight distribution and truck leveld OK. However the trailer was the boss and it had more sway than I felt comfotable with. Purchased Dual Cam Sway control and that helped quite a bit. It can be done, bit it could be better. We bought an F350 deisel because we pull in mountains a lot and now the truck is the boss and I do not know it is back there.
As for length, we only camp in state parks and always specify how long our trailer is (now have Rockwood 8315SS) and have only had on time it was an issue.
IMO: Get Reese Dual Cam sway/weight distruibution immediately!
Learn what to do if you encounter sway
Drive slow
Always tell campgrounds your length when reserving
Consider upgrading truck IF possible and you plan on camping alot
Best of luck, and remember the only good camping trip is the one you return home safely from!
2006 Rockwood 8315SS towed by Ford F350 4x4 Diesel
We pull a Rockwood 8298 with the TV in my signature. The truck pulls just fine and with the Reese HP Dual Cam I have not had any sway issues even in high cross winds. Going by what I tow with the 1/2 ton IMHO I think you should be fine. Last year we pull out to Victoria and back and the truck did fine.
2007 Rockwood 8298 SS
2006 GMC Sierra Crew Cab 5.3 V8 3.42
Draw-tite Max-E-Loader Hitch
HP Dual Cam Sway Control
Prodigy Brake Controller
Well we went ahead with the purchase. Picked up our new 2009 Rockwood 8319SS on Friday, and immediatly took it camping. (Our truck was stuffed with all the camping gear as the dealer was 200 km from home).
The trailer is great, my wife just loves it. For the moment it has more storage space than we need. (I'm sure this will change with time). We like the big bedroom where you actualy have room to stand up and change.
My wife had to get new dishes to match the decor... (I think this is a symptom of too much H&G TV?)
And here is the other reason we didn't buy a fifth wheel (beside the fact that there are very few half ton towable 5er's) Those are our toys: 2 Catrike Villager recumbent tricycles.
I did find that it is at the truck's max limit. CGVW is 13,300 - just 700 under the CGVWR of 14,000. Check my axle weights at a free self-serve roadside scale. I was within the axle weights.
It is fine on the flat, but it does lose speed on the steep grades. Took one hill with the "Steep Hill - Trucks use low gear" warning sign. Started out about 90 kph at the bottom was down to 60 by the top of this hill. RPM's don't seem to be reving too much and there was not engine overheating issue. (mind you it was a cool day and we only drove for 115 km (80 miles).
I'm using a Reece WD bar and chain system, also installed brake controller. We will keep the trailer, the truck is a lease and when the lease is up (June 2010) we may look at a more powerful truck.
What's your maximum hitch weight on the TV? Did you happen to get a loaded TW on the TT when you were at the scales? I bet it was way over the manufacturer's claim... You should do good with that truck, we did fine, but were maxed on payload with our Expedition. You also have the advantage of a solid rear axle in your truck.
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Those are our toys: 2 Catrike Villager recumbent tricycles. 
