What travel trailer should I buy?

JonB

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We're going to the Chicago RV show next month looking to buy a travel trailer to pull behind the Ranger. Looking to stay under 5000 GVWR so we have leeway to haul a bunch of gear. Like something around 18-22'. Any suggestions?
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DrSafety

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We're going to the Chicago RV show next month looking to buy a travel trailer to pull behind the Ranger. Looking to stay under 5000 GVWR so we have leeway to haul a bunch of gear. Like something around 18-22'. Any suggestions?
Jon,

Lots of good options out there if you are talking an 18' to 22' box (based on the RV manufacturers numbers). I was at a recent RV show looking at our nect trailer to be towed with the Ranger. I have researched a bunch of units based on my wife's and my criteria in floor plans. We are learning towards the 22' to 23" foot box. They will be anywhere from 26.5' to 28' measure tip to bumper and can be up to 7,000 GVWR. Most come in at a dry weight between 5,000 to 5,500 lbs. It all depends on how you want to use it (travel the country or weekend getaways closer to home) and what size interior you can live with. We check out the following brands Coachman Apex, Jayco-JayFeather, Crossroads SunsetTrail, Highland Ridge Mesa Ridge Lite or Open Range Ultralite, Rockwood Mini Lite, Grand Design Imagine XLS, Palamino Solaire, Salem Hemisphere Hyperlyte. Good luck and enjoy the search.
 

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We're going to the Chicago RV show next month looking to buy a travel trailer to pull behind the Ranger. Looking to stay under 5000 GVWR so we have leeway to haul a bunch of gear. Like something around 18-22'. Any suggestions?
Ok finally a subject I’m very opinionated about and have some experience with. Since 1982 I have towed pop ups of every size, hybrids, and travel trailers. I’ve towed with v8 club wagon, v8 bronco, v8 f150, and Ram 2500 ctd. Here is what I’ve learned.

1. Do not believe a car salesman or rv salesman about what you can tow. EVER.
2. I would not consider a trailer weighing much more than 50% of tow rating. Safety and vehicle durability prime considerations.
3. You are probably considering a unit larger than you really need (perhaps a wifely influence).
Shorter and lighter is preferable and safer in this case. And you will have more cushion for people and stuff.
4. I would look for something in the 7’ wide range and 18’-20’ long.
5. Trailers with 2 axles track better but weigh more.
6. A careful study of manufacturers tow ratings will prove this out. Look at things like trailer frontal area and steep grades in mountains, weight of passengers, tools, topper, hitch etc.

I’m selling my 07 ram in the spring and I hope to own a ranger. I’m considering a casita travel trailer. I do hope you find a great trailer and will able to enjoy your travels for a longtime.
Happy hunting.
Joe S.
 

Msfitoy

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No Boundary, F-Lite, Geo Pro, Casita...Yes, I've been searching as well. These are my on-road, light off-road choices. I actually owned a new Casita 17'...wish I never sold it:facepalm:
 

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We're going to the Chicago RV show next month looking to buy a travel trailer to pull behind the Ranger. Looking to stay under 5000 GVWR so we have leeway to haul a bunch of gear. Like something around 18-22'. Any suggestions?
You won't find your best choices at the RV show unless it is a 16 Bambi Airstream.

take a look here...
https://www.scamptrailers.com/
Here's my 13Scamp after 15 years... They also make a 16ft and a 19ft "fifthwheel"

thumbnail.jpg axle7.jpg


Eggy-Sue inside 008.jpg
 
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Deleted member 1634

Depends what you want it for. My wife and I went with an overland ready teardrop type setup because we want to explore and travel long distances with it. My in-laws went with a 24' double axle travel trailer because they're done with the adventuring type stuff and just want to go to a campground within a few hours from home for a relaxing weekend. If you look hard enough there is likely going to be a camper with pretty much exactly what you want. You may find that at an RV show (if you're more into the weekend getaway vain), but for much more variety the internet is your friend. Some google searches and a lot of research is how I found ours. Good luck! Camping is one of our favorite things to do so enjoy it!
 

dmeyer302

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Frontal area is a big deal with this truck. If you're going long distance, you're going to want to prioritize small size. But, if you're just going 40 miles to the lake, you can get away with more. More of my thoughts on this here.
 

Sashimi_Moto

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I tow a 8x5x20' enclosed trailer with a flat front and it's ~7k, maybe 7.5k fully loaded. I tow either with my motorhome (E450 C class) or my 2003 Expedition, both of which do fine, but to make a point about front area and wind; when towing with the Expy and I can traveling down the steepest grade I can find and not break 65mph without throttle input. I often joke: "If my Expedition/Trailer combo was dropped out of an airplane it still wouldn't exceed the speed limit on the way down."

Towing mpg @ 60mph is like 11-12mpg, at 70mph it's like 9mpg. I don't want to talk about the MPGs on the motorhome while towing...:crying:
 

P. A. Schilke

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Nice knees Phil.
Hi Dan,

Quite ugly in shorts in the summer....Sign :frown:

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. retired
 

Ed Venture

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Ok finally a subject I’m very opinionated about and have some experience with. Since 1982 I have towed pop ups of every size, hybrids, and travel trailers. I’ve towed with v8 club wagon, v8 bronco, v8 f150, and Ram 2500 ctd. Here is what I’ve learned.

1. Do not believe a car salesman or rv salesman about what you can tow. EVER.
2. I would not consider a trailer weighing much more than 50% of tow rating. Safety and vehicle durability prime considerations.
3. You are probably considering a unit larger than you really need (perhaps a wifely influence).
Shorter and lighter is preferable and safer in this case. And you will have more cushion for people and stuff.
4. I would look for something in the 7’ wide range and 18’-20’ long.
5. Trailers with 2 axles track better but weigh more.
6. A careful study of manufacturers tow ratings will prove this out. Look at things like trailer frontal area and steep grades in mountains, weight of passengers, tools, topper, hitch etc.

I’m selling my 07 ram in the spring and I hope to own a ranger. I’m considering a casita travel trailer. I do hope you find a great trailer and will able to enjoy your travels for a longtime.
Happy hunting.
Joe S.
What he said! I agree 100% with all that. I had a FunFunder 16' with dual axles. It weighed in at 3,800 lbs loaded up . Towed it with a Ford Flex with the Ecoboost. Any more would have been too much for it .

I personally am looking at an Airstram Nest or Caravel for our next trailer. Its just me and my wife now and we really don't need anything too complex.

Good luck!

Ed
 
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JonB

JonB

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Thanks guys for all of the comments and suggestions. But tell me what you think of the Ranger’s capacity. It’s rated to tow 7500 lbs. Ford likes to brag “best in its class.” My thoughts were that if I keep the trailer under 5000 GVWR I could still load some stuff in it and stay within the truck’s towing capacity. Sound reasoning or not?

One other thing. Trailers are rated by GVWR and empty weight. Which is more accurate to go by?

Thanks again.
 

Ed Venture

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Thanks guys for all of the comments and suggestions. But tell me what you think of the Ranger’s capacity. It’s rated to tow 7500 lbs. Ford likes to brag “best in its class.” My thoughts were that if I keep the trailer under 5000 GVWR I could still load some stuff in it and stay within the truck’s towing capacity. Sound reasoning or not?

One other thing. Trailers are rated by GVWR and empty weight. Which is more accurate to go by?

Thanks again.
That seems very reasonable to me. I admit I'm very conservative when it comes to calculating my towing. I didn't want to be pushed to the max with my best case scenario and find myself struggling when I hit a more rigorous scenario (e.g. longer trips = more stuff; rustic camping = hauling water in and waste out, cold weather = additional propane tanks, etc.)

I have attached a Towing Capacity Worksheet for your review (hopefully it works). It really helps you work though truck, trailer and combined capacities. I really wish I could remember where I got it so I could give appropriate credit as I have found it very useful.

And one last piece of advice: If you have a gravel yard or truck scale near you, I recommend taking the time to weigh yourself out once or twice on some trips just to see where you are. This will give you an idea of how much wiggle room you have in your total combined vehicle weight as you add items/people/cargo for future trips.

Best,

Ed
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