As you know, we have the same truck and the same camper. I was pulling mine without a WDH as well, but eventually got an Andersen no sway hitch, and words cannot describe how much better the whole rig handles with it. I will never pull my Sol again without one.
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Official thread for pictures of Ram towing campers
- Thread starter IvoryHemi
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As you know, we have the same truck and the same camper. I was pulling mine without a WDH as well, but eventually got an Andersen no sway hitch, and words cannot describe how much better the whole rig handles with it. I will never pull my Sol again without one.
I've seen some folks pulling these with Grand Cherokees and Ford Explorers, so thought I probably wouldn't need it. After towing with it for a good amount of time, I'm convinced those people are nuts lol.
It's hard to describe how different it is to tow these campers versus a more traditional one. The tongue weight when loaded, the 'Tilt-forward' design, and the profile are all way different from what we've towed before.
We went with the Husky Centerline on recommendation from some other Rover owners. I think that's one of only a few that doesn't require cutting into that tongue storage rack. Would've loved to grab the Anderson, though.
19RebelZ
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traveller09
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We have been looking at this recently. I would love the Terra, but it might be a bridge too far at the moment. My wife really likes the Lance. What are your thoughts on the Horizon? Is the Rover package worth it?
Is there anybody that can chime in about towing a travel trailer with 37” tires or even heavy 35s? I really would like to rent one for a weekend but I know the 37s robbed me of power. My payload is 1750, and I was thinking a trailer with a max gross weight preferably 7000lbs or under would still tow fine with the big tires. I also want air bags in the future but for a very short weekend trip would the truck be fine without them? The rear is lifted 3 inches but the truck already squats 1.5” because I like a little Cali lean haha
We were also originally considering the Terra, but didn't think we'd need something that size right now. I'll say the extra space would be great, but we really like the size of the Horizon. We've been able to get reservations twice now only because we're under 20 ft. It's easy to tow, easy to maneuver, and very rarely have an issue pulling the Ram in right in front of it.
We looked at Airstream, Lance, Ember, Little Guy, Grand Design, and another Jayco, but none compared to the quality of the inTechs. Not that those aren't nice, but we get gawkers and compliments everywhere we go. The big front window by the dinette alone makes it worth it for us. The wet bath is a bit bigger than others we looked at, and that little extra space has made it a non-issue for us.
You do have to get creative with storage and there are a handful of modifications I'd recommend for accessing some of the storage. The black/grey tank is combined and only 39 gallons, so that's currently a bottleneck to dry camping if you aren't careful with water use. We had a small leak from the shower area that ended up being a loose supply line, but no other issues.
I don't have the paperwork in front of me, but I think the Rover package was around $1500. I use the tongue rack to carry a Pelican case for some extra storage, and we lock our trikes to the back bumper, so those two options were worth it for us. Haven't had a chance to really use the lift and tires, but I suspect when we're boondocking out west later this year, I'll be glad I got them.
@mysticbus has a Horizon without the Rover pavkage and could probably give you some pros/cons from the other side as well.
We went with dual LP tanks, outdoor kitchen (refrigerator and grill), power tongue jack, and power awning. I can recommend all of them with no regrets. Only options we didn't get were roof rack because we wouldn't have used it and solar/lithium because it wasn't available when we ordered.
traveller09
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Thanks for the feedback, very much appreciated. This will be our first trailer so my thought is to stay relatively small and if we like RV’ing then in a few years as we closer to retirement look for something in the 23-26 ft range for longer trips possibly full time for a couple of years.
I really like the Opus OP15, Obi Dweller but the wife has dug her heals in and I don’t think she will go for that small. I was surprised how much she liked the Horizon, she hates wet baths (for me it is not a deal killer ). I love the Blackseries but they are just too much money.
Being relatively small still do you have or think you need to install Airbags?
Cant decide about Lithium batteries and solar, pretty pricy upgrade.
Thanks
Rumor is that inTech might be putting something out that falls between the Horizon and Terra, so might be perfect for you to grab a Horizon until they do.
We've always hated wet baths as well, but don't mind this one. Won't pretend that we don't still prefer a dry bath, but it's manageable and we use a teak mat to avoid standing in the shower after it's been used.
I wasn't even sure I'd need a WDH at this size, and we went without it for awhile. The Horizon is very tongue heavy the way I've loaded it, but don't see a need for bags. We did end up installing a Husky Centerline and that's about perfect. Tows great. No sway, and we're balanced out great now.
For the lithium/solar, I'd suggest at least one lithium battery. Wasn't an issue for us at first, being mostly at campgrounds with electric, but this trip we've used several Harvest Hosts to do some dry camping and just running the furnace, refrigerator on propane, and the small blue reading lights for a short time takes the dealer installed Interstate down around 11.9 - 12.1V. We're probably going to start with 200ah of lithium and go from there until we find what works for us.
And I agree, that lithium/solar upgrade from inTech is pricey ($6k I think I saw). I'd probably hit Battleborn up for an install at that price.
Reldn
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I'm glad I stumbled across this thread. Right when my 1500 Big Horn could be delivered any day, my Wife starts talking about possibly purchasing a camper later on and that her parents will let us borrow their camper as well...So, I start panicking thinking of backing out of my order and buying a 2500 instead. Looks like I should be okay with my 1500 and a smaller camper after all.
Goldsy
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If I were living in my camper full time, and towing weekly, or through the mountains a lot I would have considered the 3/4 ton, but for the 7 or 8 trips I do a year, the 1/2 ton handles it no problem. My Camper is 22 ft. 5500lbs dry weight, 7700 max weight, 710 tongue weight. The 1500 also makes for a more comfortable daily driver.
Lpsouth1978
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I tow our camper with Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015 tires (35's) and have no trouble as long as I keep the speeds 65 or below. On long hills, the temps start to get pretty high, but the truck still handles it well and there is plenty of power when needed. I have not noticed any significant trouble with braking, steering, or sway. Our camper has a GVWR of 7629, but we only load it to about 6500 lbs and the tongue weight is about 780 lbs. My trucks payload is lower than yours @ 1550 lbs.
Lpsouth1978
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As for the temps, I am in Phoenix, so have to deal with insane temps from the start. Other climates may not see temps rise so much.
Thanks for the info! That gives me a little better perspective. Being that each of my wheels/tires are 23lbs heavier than yours and obviously the diameter is bigger worries me a little bit. I still think 7,000lbs is reasonable but I probably would have to be more aware of my temps with steep grades. I was wrong on my payload also, I’m actually at 1643lbs per my door sticker. I’ve definitely added about 200lbs in mods (not counting wheels and tires) and removed about 75lbs in factory equipment, so that puts my new payload near 1500lbs.
Birdman_2000
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Here is my rig, Loaded and ready to roll. Grey Wolf 22RR.
Nice! We have a Wolf Pup 16BHS right now (towing with a Chevy Traverse). Once my new Ram gets here, I'm eyeing the Grey Wolf 23MKSE. Love the Grey Wolf series!
NRitland2
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Outside of blind spot we just about have the exact same truck
Birdman_2000
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Overall I been pretty happy with this trailer. My door came apart and i fixed it with some aluminum bars screwed in for bracing. I had a small water leak under the bathroom sink, but other than that it's been pretty solid. Big fan of the toy hauler. My 4-wheeler fits just fine. Dad's side by side would not though. I can toss kayak and my 4 wheeler in no problem. Big door on the back also makes it super easy to load up to go camping. Truck handles it pretty good. Bumping up to E rated tires next month. Have a feeling that will make it less wiggly, which is about my only complaint with towing it.
Agreed! Like any camper, it has its issues and my being handy has been a very necessary thing. Most non-brake issues I handle myself.
I switched to Goodyear E rated last year and it was definitely a nice upgrade, for piece of mind and the ride a bit too.
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