New Jayco potential purchase for the Ranger to pull, Advice needed!!

[meistreguy]

Hey guys, me and the wife are considering buying a Jayco 212 QBW or 184BS.

The 184 is smaller 21.7 ft compared to 25.8, both are under 7,500. Questions I have from you armchair and real experts is this:
1. Is the 212 legit too big to realistically pull with the Ranger vs the 184?
It is much nicer so that’s the route we want to go, but it is bigger so I need to know if the Ranger is fully capable of pulling this regularly during the summer/fall months.

2. Also. I have a 2020 XLT with the towing package. They asked over the phone if I have an integrated brake controller? I have the tow package, is that all I need? Does that assume my rig has the integrated break controller?

Another difference in these jayco models is that the 184 is single axle and the 212 is a double axle. I’m going to get a W/D hitch either way, are these tongue weights okay for the Ranger? Yes I’m going to look in the manual and find out more (for those who will recommend it, talking to you Colorado guy) but any and all advice or things I should know are appreciated. I’m green to towing and want to make sure I’m doing this right before such a large investment in toys.

Stats on these model

Thank you for helping.
Andrew

The 212

The 184:

After you decide on which one, I would upgrade the trailer tires. Dealers typically put marginal tires on them.

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[EJH]

Good comments in this thread on many aspects of towing in addition to answering the OP's initial questions.

I'll pass along something I read on the FR forum that I'm a member on. Poster said he stopped up the drain to see just how much water he used with his "Navy" showers. I've tried it and found it to be a quite interesting experiment. It's not exact as far as gallons of use but does give you a visual to base judgement with and to try to reduce water used. Just remember to rinse the floor when you're done to remove any scum.

I highly recommend one of these water meters.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XSNPMBS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I've measured my shower usage. I can get it to 2, sometimes 3 gallons if being quick. A normal trailer shower that is comfy but not luxurious for me is 5-6 gallons

 

[SKULLZONE]

Hey guys, me and the wife are considering buying a Jayco 212 QBW or 184BS.

The 184 is smaller 21.7 ft compared to 25.8, both are under 7,500. Questions I have from you armchair and real experts is this:
1. Is the 212 legit too big to realistically pull with the Ranger vs the 184?
It is much nicer so that’s the route we want to go, but it is bigger so I need to know if the Ranger is fully capable of pulling this regularly during the summer/fall months.

2. Also. I have a 2020 XLT with the towing package. They asked over the phone if I have an integrated brake controller? I have the tow package, is that all I need? Does that assume my rig has the integrated break controller?

Another difference in these jayco models is that the 184 is single axle and the 212 is a double axle. I’m going to get a W/D hitch either way, are these tongue weights okay for the Ranger? Yes I’m going to look in the manual and find out more (for those who will recommend it, talking to you Colorado guy) but any and all advice or things I should know are appreciated. I’m green to towing and want to make sure I’m doing this right before such a large investment in toys.

Stats on these model

Thank you for helping.
Andrew

The 212

The 184:

The wheelbase on your tow vehicle has a lot to do with camper handling. 25 foot it too much camper. Even with the shorter camper, you will need an anti-sway hitch such as the equalizer brand hitch.

 

[JimG_AZ]

The wheelbase on your tow vehicle has a lot to do with camper handling. 25 foot it too much camper. Even with the shorter camper, you will need an anti-sway hitch such as the equalizer brand hitch.

Agreed that wheelbase has a lot to do with camper handling. If you go by the WB to trailer length table, the Ranger should be able to handle a little over a 24' trailer. So, it is probably worth it to gamble and get the 25' trailer and a decent 4-point sway control hitch. But you will probably need to accept that you may be tinkering with the setup until you get it to your liking, or you may have to spend @ $2500 on a high-end hitch like a Hensley Arrow or even more for a ProPride.

 

[ctechbob]

The wheelbase on your tow vehicle has a lot to do with camper handling. 25 foot it too much camper. Even with the shorter camper, you will need an anti-sway hitch such as the equalizer brand hitch.

A WD/AS hitch is a good thing to have for pretty much any travel trailer/tow vehicle combination (That normal people would traditionally buy. I'm not talking about people that pull 20-foot campers with F450's).

Longer isn't necessarily unsafe, but you will have to deal with wind buffeting more. Whether or not you want to put up with that is up to you, but the longer combinations can be made to operate safely.

 

[Big Blue]

A WD/AS hitch is a good thing to have for pretty much any travel trailer/tow vehicle combination (That normal people would traditionally buy. I'm not talking about people that pull 20-foot campers with F450's).

Longer isn't necessarily unsafe, but you will have to deal with wind buffeting more. Whether or not you want to put up with that is up to you, but the longer combinations can be made to operate safely.

Agree on the travel trailer comment. I have heard a "rule of thumb" is if the trailer weight is more than 50% of the tow vehicle weight, you should have a WDH. This is so you get some of the weight back on the front axle for steering control. Also helps with sway control. Tow vehicle wheelbase and trailer length do play into it, but proper weight distribution and sway control are the biggest parts.

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