Towing my 32' travel trailer

[Bay Area RAM]

We have a Jayco JayFlight 27bhs.... about 6500 dry with around 650 tongue weight. fully loaded we are at around 8500lbs and I’m sure the tongue weight goes up to at least 850lbs as most of the storage is in the front of the trailer. total length around 32’ and I’ve done a few long distance trips with the Ram no problem. I stepped ‘Down’ to the ram from a monster ford Diesel so for me, I can definitely tell the trailer is there unlike my diesel. Admittedly, the airbags in the limited are a huge help

but, driven wisely and not in a hurry I can still cruise 60-65mph without issue and have no problem recommending a 32 footer to pull. I’m 6-1” and I’ve slept in the bunks before and it was fine.... I think Jayco’s newer version has a few upgrades mine doesn’t and the slide on a bunk house is a must.

 

[VernDiesel]

Sounds like by chance you have it working acceptably. I’ll bet your wet weight is more like 7,500 & tongue weight (TW) at least 900. The way to improve the stability safety & confidence with which it tows is to spend the $20 bucks and get your unloaded truck and loaded with TT & WDH scale slips from a CAT or other triple scale. CAT has a free app & gps locator with scales near every major city.

Then you can see & calculate your seen TW and TW percentage see your steer, drive, gvw, gcvw and last but not least make adjustments to make it the most stable & safe set up and know where it’s at with regards to being within Ram specs. Worth considering for the safety of your family and ease & confidence in which your rig will tow. BTW sharp truck you have.

 

[WhattheTruck!]

We have a Jayco JayFlight 27bhs....

Nice looking rig! The red sure is pretty. We would have loved to have found any other color than black, but our build was a bit of a unicorn it seems without being made-to-order.

Are you running a WDH by chance? I have a few different models I'm looking at (my current calculations are set to the Equal-i-zer @~112lb.), and curious what your experience with one has been.

 

[Bay Area RAM]

Sounds like by chance you have it working acceptably. I’ll bet your wet weight is more like 7,500 & tongue weight (TW) at least 900. The way to improve the stability safety & confidence with which it tows is to spend the $20 bucks and get your unloaded truck and loaded with TT & WDH scale slips from a CAT or other triple scale. CAT has a free app & gps locator with scales near every major city.

Then you can see & calculate your seen TW and TW percentage see your steer, drive, gvw, gcvw and last but not least make adjustments to make it the most stable & safe set up and know where it’s at with regards to being within Ram specs. Worth considering for the safety of your family and ease & confidence in which your rig will tow. BTW sharp truck you have.

Thanks for the suggestion.... I’m sure I’m closer to the 8500lbs as we have over 600lbs of water alone... add all my dry goods, bikes, fire pit, bbq, etc... it all adds up quick. a few years ago in my other truck (ford diesel) we stopped on a regular truck scale that was in the middle of nowhere and empty, parked right on the scale and it showed 16,800 (truck and trailer )... My ford weighed somewhere in the neighborhood of 8300lbs.

somewhere in this forum is a really good walkthrough of how to adjust your weight distribution hitch and how it relates to our trucks air suspension. Specific steps to disable and take sag/rise measurements before and after with percentages.... I was very happy with the results and managed to get the truck dialed in within specs before activating the air suspension.... highly recommend doing it on the trucks with air.
I agree though, I’d love to know exactly what my weights are for peace of mind.

 

[Bay Area RAM]

Nice looking rig! The red sure is pretty. We would have loved to have found any other color than black, but our build was a bit of a unicorn it seems without being made-to-order.

Are you running a WDH by chance? I have a few different models I'm looking at (my current calculations are set to the Equal-i-zer @~112lb.), and curious what your experience with one has been.

I am indeed..... not at home currently but when I get there I’ll look at what I have. Are you running air bags or stock?

 

[WhattheTruck!]

I am indeed..... not at home currently but when I get there I’ll look at what I have. Are you running air bags or stock?

No airbags on my setup.

 

[Ram92131]

The 287QBS is on my list as well. They're our favorite for look/feel in this weight range. It's slightly higher on the hitch weight over the apex at 735lb., and didn't have much in the way of kitchen storage (drawers). It does have our favorite configuration in the BH with the dinette (we'll mod a trailer that doesn't have this if needed).

What you can't see on the spreadsheet excerpt above is the other 10+ BH trailers we've 'shortlisted'... >.<

We are very happy with the Lance bunkhouse model we bought. In 3 months of ownership we have camped in it around 20 nights. I've towed it more than 2000 miles so far, out to the Grand Canyon, up into the Sierra on VERY narrow, steep, and windy roads, in 116F heat of the Cali desert, and just this past weekend at the beach in OC. Lance service has been truly exceptional too. Can't wait to take it out again.

Lance 2445 Travel Trailer - Family Time Doubled!

Family Time Doubled! Lance 2445 Travel Trailer

www.lancecamper.com

 

[Ram92131]

The 287QBS is on my list as well. They're our favorite for look/feel in this weight range. It's slightly higher on the hitch weight over the apex at 735lb., and didn't have much in the way of kitchen storage (drawers). It does have our favorite configuration in the BH with the dinette (we'll mod a trailer that doesn't have this if needed).

What you can't see on the spreadsheet excerpt above is the other 10+ BH trailers we've 'shortlisted'... >.<

A note about tongue/hitch weight. I think that how and where you load the trailer is more important than the dry tongue weight. I think the % of the trailer weight on the tongue is also more important than the total amount. Reason is shown in the Uhaul video that others have posted in other threads:

. You need to bias your loading to the front of the trailer, and that increases tongue weight.

My experience with getting my rig dialed in was that my TT was pretty sensitive to tongue weight. It's less than 600 lbs dry, and only just at 10% of total weight. What I found is that the trailer behaves much better when it has more weight on the tongue. Also, one trip I ran a bike rack and two adult MTB on the back hitch of the TT. With almost no other load the trailer definitely misbehaved. Some of that was not having the WDH dialed in, but even after I did that it was still squirrley. Next tow I hauled fresh water as ballast (the tank is in front of the axles) and ditched the bike rack. Towed like a dream, even in very heavy desert winds.

As others have said, get that WDH dialed in, putting lots of weight on the front axle of the truck. Total tongue weight and payload of the truck itself isn't the most important number for safe trailering. Distributing that weight to the truck's front axle is, along with biasing enough TT weight to the front ahead of the TT axles.

 

[WhattheTruck!]

A note about tongue/hitch weight...

Thank you for sharing your experiences and I couldn't agree more. My formula is essentially taking three simple measures to help with our evaluation

• GVWR - loaded weight (passengers, basic gear, etc.) to determine my cargo capacity
• [TT dry weight + ~1,200 lbs. cargo] *.12 = hitch weight
• WDH weight @ 200 lbs. (propride)

What I'm most concerned about at this point is having enough overhead and not maxing out the payload. Having a ~7,200 lbs. trailer @ a (balanced) hitch weight of ~865 lbs + 200 lbs. for a WDH puts me right at the max of my available payload. I'm sure I'll find the right combination for our needs, just taking the time to assess the math and balance that with our requirements.

We are very happy with the Lance bunkhouse model we bought.

What an awesome trailer! We really like where Lance is with their design and eco-conscious approach to manufacturing. The 2445 is our pick if we ultimately go with a trailer that doesn't have a separate room for the bunk house.

 

[LoNeStAr]

200lbs is pretty heavy for wdh. Have you thought about looking at some other options

 

[Ram92131]

Thank you for sharing your experiences and I couldn't agree more. My formula is essentially taking three simple measures to help with our evaluation

• GVWR - loaded weight (passengers, basic gear, etc.) to determine my cargo capacity
• TT dry weight + ~1,200 lbs. cargo *.12 = hitch weight
• WDH weight @ 200 lbs. (propride)

What I'm most concerned about at this point is having enough overhead and not maxing out the payload. Having a ~7,200 lbs. trailer @ a (balanced) hitch weight of ~865 lbs + 200 lbs. for a WDH puts me right at the max of my available payload. I'm sure I'll find the right combination for our needs, just taking the time to assess the math and balance that with our requirements.


What an awesome trailer! We really like where Lance is with their design and eco-conscious approach to manufacturing. The 2445 is our pick if we ultimately go with a trailer that doesn't have a separate room for the bunk house.

We looked at separate bunkhouse models. But we wanted a somewhat shorter trailer because I was concerned that we’d limit our available campsites in the west if we went with a longer model. Lots of National Forest and park sites are limited to 26 feet. We are still over that length at 29.5 feet, but not so much that we would have lots of trouble. We do have the front bedroom and that is enough separation for us. The only thing I’d really miss in this length bunkhouse is a couch. But that hasn’t been an issue so far.

 

[WhattheTruck!]

200lbs is pretty heavy for wdh. Have you thought about looking at some other options

Absolutely. I was surprised at the weights but after researching options it seems the best ones are in the ~110 - 200 lbs. range. I'm ok with a quality hitch being on the heavy side as I rate that piece a little more critical than other things.

 

[LoNeStAr]

Absolutely. I was surprised at the weights but after researching options it seems the best ones are in the ~110 - 200 lbs. range. I'm ok with a quality hitch being on the heavy side as I rate that piece a little more critical than other things.

I absolutely agree not to skimp on a wdh. Most of the hitches I am looking at are in the 100lb range. Safety first

 

[WhattheTruck!]

We looked at separate bunkhouse models...

Did you happen to spec your 2445 with an outdoor kitchen?

 

[Turin]

What I'm most concerned about at this point is having enough overhead and not maxing out the payload. Having a ~7,200 lbs. trailer @ a (balanced) hitch weight of ~865 lbs + 200 lbs. for a WDH puts me right at the max of my available payload.

The ProPride is heavy, but the payload hit isn't as bad as it might seem at first. The hitch head effectively lengthens the trailer tongue; the longer arm reduces the hitch weight on the tow vehicle a bit. Put another way, the TT bears some of the weight of the hitch. Ultimately, CAT scale passes will tell you where you sit as far as axle loads and payload are concerned. My trailer is 7800 lbs loaded and with weight distribution engaged my hitch weight is 920 lbs (11.8%).

 

[Coopers_Dad]

Agreed, when I got my Hensley I called to ask about the payload hit, they explained it the same way.

The ProPride is heavy, but the payload hit isn't as bad as it might seem at first. The hitch head effectively lengthens the trailer tongue; the longer arm reduces the hitch weight on the tow vehicle a bit. Put another way, the TT bears some of the weight of the hitch. Ultimately, CAT scale passes will tell you where you sit as far as axle loads and payload are concerned. My trailer is 7800 lbs loaded and with weight distribution engaged my hitch weight is 920 lbs (11.8%).

 

[WhattheTruck!]

The ProPride is heavy, but the payload hit isn't as bad as it might seem at first. The hitch head effectively lengthens the trailer tongue; the longer arm reduces the hitch weight on the tow vehicle a bit. Put another way, the TT bears some of the weight of the hitch. Ultimately, CAT scale passes will tell you where you sit as far as axle loads and payload are concerned. My trailer is 7800 lbs loaded and with weight distribution engaged my hitch weight is 920 lbs (11.8%).

That's great to hear how your setup balances out as it's in the range where my math is landing me. Appreciate you chiming in, the feedback has been very helpful! And understood on the weight distribution - the answer is always physics .

 

[Ram92131]

Did you happen to spec your 2445 with an outdoor kitchen?

No, we didn't. At first we wanted that. But when we were looking we wanted to buy right away, and factory was still closed due to the virus. Some of the dealer inventory had it, some didn't. Our best deal was on a unit that didn't have it, and so we went for that. Turns out we don't miss it at all. Almost all my cooking while camping is via grill, and the outdoor kitchen is a stove. I don't really miss having an outside sink, either. Also we found that storage area (where the outside kitchen would be) to be pretty useful.

Things I do recommend strongly are the 15k A/C, fantastic fan, and the mountain graphics. We also have the fireplace and it's surprisingly nice to have. The A/C is a bit noisy because it isn't a ducted system. But I think a lesser output system would struggle a bit to cool the front bedroom in hot climates like where you are (and where we are). We have camped in 100+ degree heat several days and the AC has always kept pace. Our trailer seems well-insulated actually.

Personal preference of course, but we are also very happy with the Royal Blue interior. We originally preferred the Platinum but the Royal Blue quickly grew on us and now we wouldn't want to swap it for the other color schemes.

 

[WhattheTruck!]

No, we didn't. At first...

Great feedback, thank you so much! I'll be sure to report back when we pull the trigger. Everyone has been so helpful and I want to make sure I'm able to contribute as well. We're not expecting to pick one up for a little bit yet, but then again we weren't planning on buying a truck until spring next year...

 

[WhattheTruck!]

Great feedback, thank you so much! I'll be sure to report back when we pull the trigger. Everyone has been so helpful and I want to make sure I'm able to contribute as well. We're not expecting to pick one up for a little bit yet, but then again we weren't planning on buying a truck until spring next year...

Well, after a bit more thought and deliberation on needs vs. wants and our long-term goals, we landed on a shorter trailer without the separate bunkhouse. While I was adamant about the separate space initially, reality stepped in to remind me that I haven't towed a trailer of any significance in size in nearly 20 years so it might be a good thing to ease back into it . That, coupled with the desire to have a bit more flexibility with camping sites and budget (i.e. hitch, accessories, gear, camera, etc.), we ultimately landed us on the Freedom Express Ultra Light 257BHS. It was a close competition between the Express and a few other models with this type of floor plan (Bullet, Jay Feather, Lance, etc.) but the Coachmen ended up on top for us. We're working through procuring one now, so it's possible we'll end up with one by the end of the year. As soon as we have the green light on a purchase, I'm going to go ahead and pick up a Propride 3P. Fingers crossed!