question about RV length...

[John Galt]

I'm ordering a Ram 1500 with the 5'7" bed and started looking at campers to pull....from what I've read I should keep the camper length under 27" or so, but I can't find a good definition of what is meant by 27".

RV manufacturers measure length of the living space, but that doesn't include the tongue and the hitch etc.... should I be taking the TOTAL overall length of the camper with the hitch into account or just the camper length?

Depending on who I talk to, I get different answers. Ultimately, I don't know if there's a "right" answer because it all comes down to wheelbase and leverage the camper has on your hitch mount....so does anyone know if this question has a real answer?

 

[Trooper4]

A few in this forum tow in that range, and I am assuming they are talking box length, but who knows. I see them in my RV park, and they seem happy with the setup, but the longer the tow, the greater the leverage, like you said. I would suggest looking at a really good equalizer with sway control, a Hellweg, and stiffer sidewall tires in the E range. Also, trailer tires are notoriously soft and barely adequate to get the trailer off the lot. One of the first things I do along with stiffer truck tires, is get an e rated or better trailer tire. All of these changes will make your towing experience much more enjoyable. And, one more thing, keep the speed down and enjoy the ride. Getting where you are going at 60 is better than ending up in the ditch at 80.

 

[John Galt]

All very sound advice….I am already shopping for a WDS with sway control and I’m planning to stick to around 60% of the tow rating and tongue weight limits. I also got the upgrade tires when ordering the truck (it’s was only like $200 more to just get it with better tires from the factory)

That still leaves the question….when doing the trailer length math (110” for the first 20 ft. The 4” for every additional foot of trailer) should I be looking at the whole length from end to end or just the shell length….or does that become less important as the trailer is much lighter than it could tow?

I’m not talking the difference between a 27 ft and a 37 ft trailer….this is more along the lines of 27 ft vs 30 ft at almost the same weight.

 

[nbase]

I've never seen anything regarding a hard limit on length, I'd be curious if something exists. Our Jayco is 30 foot tip to tip, and we use a Husky Centerline TS WD hitch with sway control, it really pulls great, and I still have the stock tires on the truck too. It really sounds like we're out of payload/tongue weight capacity well before the actual towing limits of the truck. When we got our trailer, it was a visual thing for me to start with, the trailer we ended up with "looked" like the longest I was willing to pull.

 

[Bt10]

When talking about TT's, you're talking the length of the box, until you get to the storage barn, then it's the tongue. There are no upgrade tires from the factory except the Rebel duratracs. Good job keeping your head sober on 60% capacity, should be safe. WDH is a must. Happy camping.

 

[John Galt]

When talking about TT's, you're talking the length of the box, until you get to the storage barn, then it's the tongue. There are no upgrade tires from the factory except the Rebel duratracs. Good job keeping your head sober on 60% capacity, should be safe. WDH is a must. Happy camping.

There’s a Goodyear Owl tire option for ~$200. At least for the stock wheels if you don’t get wheel upgrades. They’re a bit better than the stock tires. Check out the build + Price site. It’s the last tire option.

 

[Bt10]

There’s a Goodyear Owl tire option for ~$200. At least for the stock wheels if you don’t get wheel upgrades. They’re a bit better than the stock tires. Check out the build + Price site. It’s the last tire option.

I didn't see Goodyear as the maker of that option, but I would bet those are the Falken that comes with the ORP, and you can decipher from it's size listed that it is a "C" range tire (somehow) that is known to be thin and flimsy. Yes, from the build site, it looks like the best option, however, the Rebel comes with an "E" range tire. Obviously, you'd have to get the Rebel....

Sorry, just seen the 20" OWL option. It isn't listed as an LT?

 

[llando88]

I would assume a published camper length is "Bumper to ball".

That will give a realistic number to estimate size of storage space, and how the typical RV park will select a campsite for your trailer. Obviously "marketing" plays a role; an RV with "23" in the model name may or may not be 23 feet long, bumper to ball.

 

[John Galt]

I didn't see Goodyear as the maker of that option, but I would bet those are the Falken that comes with the ORP, and you can decipher from it's size listed that it is a "C" range tire (somehow) that is known to be thin and flimsy. Yes, from the build site, it looks like the best option, however, the Rebel comes with an "E" range tire. Obviously, you'd have to get the Rebel....

Sorry, just seen the 20" OWL option. It isn't listed as an LT?

I guess Ill see what they are when they arrive but either way it’s probably far more tire upgrade than I could otherwise buy for $200

 

[Loudram]

Typically the number in the model number is the box size but not always. Add a few feet for the ball to bumper length. The length they advertise in the brochure and on the dealer sites is usually the ball to bumper length. My trailer is 29' and I've never had a problem towing it with my last truck. I haven't towed with my new truck yet. That'll probably be tomorrow on a test run. The two trailers I had before that were both 33' ball to bumper. I personally I wouldn't go any longer than that.

You'll be fine with a trailer in the 27' to 30' total length range.

 

[John Galt]

Looks like what we’re settling on is just under 32” total length. 6115 lbs dry, 7500 GVWR (that’s fully loaded with payload) amd 690 tongue weight (probably more loaded)

I’m planning on getting the Anderson no sway WDS.

Now to see what the truck payload comes back at when it’s built….

 

[Loudram]

Looks like what we’re settling on is just under 32” total length. 6115 lbs dry, 7500 GVWR (that’s fully loaded with payload) amd 690 tongue weight (probably more loaded)

I’m planning on getting the Anderson no sway WDS.

Now to see what the truck payload comes back at when it’s built….

That's a nice size for a 1500.

 

[WXman]

Since you're ordering, get the Trailer Tow Group! It comes with TTPMS sensors you can install in the trailer tires and then you can watch what's going on with your tires from the cabin of the truck. I love mine. With campers/enclosed trailers you can not see the tires in your side mirrors, so the TTPMS system solves that problem.

Also, the Centerline TS weight distribution/sway control hitch made towing my 24' a dream. Wouldn't leave home without it now.

 

[John Galt]

Since you're ordering, get the Trailer Tow Group! It comes with TTPMS sensors you can install in the trailer tires and then you can watch what's going on with your tires from the cabin of the truck. I love mine. With campers/enclosed trailers you can not see the tires in your side mirrors, so the TTPMS system solves that problem.

Also, the Centerline TS weight distribution/sway control hitch made towing my 24' a dream. Wouldn't leave home without it now.

I did! It comes with one of the packages I got. I will be sure to check for hem because I’ve read that dealers like to hang on to those if nobody says anything but I got the impression that MD isn’t that kind of place. I also skipped the sunroof and rambox option to save payload weight. I wanted to skip the power running boards too but they were standard on the Limited. I think I’ll end up with at least 1400 lbs, maybe a little more.

I’ll take a look at the Centerline but so far from everything I’ve seen the Anderson is the quietest, lightest, and easiest to hitch/unhitch. It’s just not the cheapest….but it’s like $700 and I would gladly pay $700 just for a quiet ride,

 

[nbase]

I did! It comes with one of the packages I got. I will be sure to check for hem because I’ve read that dealers like to hang on to those if nobody says anything but I got the impression that MD isn’t that kind of place. I also skipped the sunroof and rambox option to save payload weight. I wanted to skip the power running boards too but they were standard on the Limited. I think I’ll end up with at least 1400 lbs, maybe a little more.

I’ll take a look at the Centerline but so far from everything I’ve seen the Anderson is the quietest, lightest, and easiest to hitch/unhitch. It’s just not the cheapest….but it’s like $700 and I would gladly pay $700 just for a quiet ride,

If you are looking for quiet, the Centerline TS might not interest you. I know mine pops pretty loud when turning, 2 years later my wife still jumps and comments about it haha. On the positive side, it's awesome, never even get a wiggle out of the trailer!

 

[Rebelguy2020]

Looks like what we’re settling on is just under 32” total length. 6115 lbs dry, 7500 GVWR (that’s fully loaded with payload) amd 690 tongue weight (probably more loaded)

I’m planning on getting the Anderson no sway WDS.

Now to see what the truck payload comes back at when it’s built….

Sound like your doing a very good job getting things ready for traveling. I am curious, what are your intentions for traveling? How far and how often will you be towing? How many days or weeks in the trailer? How many people and pets? Do you want a trailer with pullouts? I see so many people going too big for what they really need.
My advice is to get a travel trailer, the lightest and the shortest for what you need and enjoy your travels.

 

[silver billet]

I did! It comes with one of the packages I got. I will be sure to check for hem because I’ve read that dealers like to hang on to those if nobody says anything but I got the impression that MD isn’t that kind of place. I also skipped the sunroof and rambox option to save payload weight. I wanted to skip the power running boards too but they were standard on the Limited. I think I’ll end up with at least 1400 lbs, maybe a little more.

I’ll take a look at the Centerline but so far from everything I’ve seen the Anderson is the quietest, lightest, and easiest to hitch/unhitch. It’s just not the cheapest….but it’s like $700 and I would gladly pay $700 just for a quiet ride,

I switched to the Anderson last year and it's well worth the money. The only other hitch I'd consider upgrading to would be the ProPride but it's price tag is eye watering.

For the Anderson, in addition to being quiet, light, and easy to work with; it's also a really good fit with the Ram coil suspension because the Anderson uses chains (static force) and not trunion bars (dynamic/spring force). The Ram's coils are susceptible to bounce with the "wrong" load (IE my trailer) and adding trunion bars seems to amplify that as you now have 2 springy spots in the system. With the Anderson the Ram settled right down because the chains don't add a second spring force, and it now tows really well.

Could have been just me and my load/setup, many seem to like the husky and those types of hitches, I just couldn't make it comfortable in my setup.

 

[John Galt]

Sound like your doing a very good job getting things ready for traveling. I am curious, what are your intentions for traveling? How far and how often will you be towing? How many days or weeks in the trailer? How many people and pets? Do you want a trailer with pullouts? I see so many people going too big for what they really need.
My advice is to get a travel trailer, the lightest and the shortest for what you need and enjoy your travels.

Initially we’ll probably be doing some trips between Texas and south Florida. We have family there so this is more of a place to sleep while staying in their house and an office to work from in relative quiet. We also have some acreage in Texas we will spend maybe a week at a time at….6-8 times a year probably. In a few years if this becomes a regular thing we’ll upgrade to a 5th wheel and a 3500. It’s just my wife and me and 2 labs.

 

[nc_beagle]

Who is John Galt?

Sorry, I had to make the Atlas Shrugged connection--unless that's actually your name!

I've got an unused Anderson 3350 that I'll sell cheap, though it's heavy so shipping might be a little pricey. It was fine but I changed to a ProPride and don't need it anymore. Only caveat is that I cut a link out of the chains because the way I had it set up, it wouldn't tighten enough. Some of the Anderson users here might tell you not to get it for that reason and I won't argue. It was fine on my setup with the link cut out but it may or may not be for you.

I will say that it wasn't necessarily quiet, though I really only noticed the noise when backing it and turning at a campground and I hadn't loosened the chains before doing so.

 

[Booch]

I pulled a Keystone 2810bh (28' box) with a 2016 Rebel with slightly bigger than stock E rated tires, using an Equal-i-zer hitch. Besides the constant high RPMs, it pulled fine as long as I put most of the gear towards the front of the camper and didn't have anything in the bed. If i got careless with packing it would sway a little.