Travel Trailers

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Oldnerdguy

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Trailer towing experience is 100% the absolute most important item. I am still amazed that any Tom, Dick, or Harriot can go buy a vehicle and then can go and buy a trailer at the max weight the vehicle is rated for and drive off the lot. No driving test, no checklist to confirm experience, nothing. That can be 15,000+ lbs moving down the road. That could be extremely dangerous for other people and for the driver. YouTube and forums like this one can help a person get more informed, but there sometimes is no replacement for practical hands on experience.

Each Spring at the lake campground, it is a funny thing to watch as new owners drive in and then try to get backed in to their sites.
You can tell who just upgraded because you can see them go through and have a good idea of what to do but still a little uncomfortable and double checking the road and site because the setup is a little different. That is the correct thought process IMO.
And there is the complete new owners. There are two types of those. The ones who have tried to be responsible and stayed within their means (size wise) and super cautious and have a spotter and are trying to hurry and not get in anyone's way and so on. We usually try to help them if we can or they need it. Another example of the right way, IMO. Then there are the ones who just went out and got some giant rig and have no idea but think they do. They cut corners too tight and run the trailer off the road, seen a few popped tires from this, tree scratches down a side, mirrors broke off, etc. They have no idea how to back in to the site or what to adjust for, considering the slide, electric and water hookup, and so on. Once they get their heads out of the clouds and realize they are in over their head you can see it, and that is when we try to help. Offering before that realization generally tended to land on deaf ears.

Sorry for being so negative. I try not to be this way. Just frustrating that it is so easy for this to happen. It is the individual's responsibility to know what they are buying, but the camper dealer could be more realistically helpful and transparent on possible safety scenarios.
 
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J_82

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In your original post You asked "how big can I go?" That was enough to make me not reply as I got the impression that you want the biggest heaviest trailer you can get.

I would suggest to you that maybe you should consider renting a TT in the 25 ft range and about 7000 lbs max weight to get some experience first. Invest in a good set of towing mirrors.

Towing on the highways is totally different than towing off road or farms or towing thru city driving

I agree with the ONE TON rule and also with the short wheelbase keep the length of the TT to under 27 ft. Also keep in mind the safety of your equipment and most important your family.

Start out smaller a lighter until you gain experience

I would also suggest that you join one of the RV forums as you will get much better information about RV's and towing from people that have been towing for years.
Jaycoowners.com is a very good forum for help and information.

Check the following links

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f37/how-to-weigh-your-tv-tt-3871.html#post24549

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f7/length-to-weight-27899.html#post308925
I definitely don’t want to go as big as possible. I don’t want to be paying for a big trailer I’m going to use about 4-5 times a year.
I planned on renting a travel trailer in the spring before I go and buy one in the summer. I want to pay off some debt before I jump into this TT.
The only thing I hadn’t thought of was getting some good tow mirrors I’ll be looking into that.
 

Bedrck47

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I definitely don’t want to go as big as possible. I don’t want to be paying for a big trailer I’m going to use about 4-5 times a year.
I planned on renting a travel trailer in the spring before I go and buy one in the summer. I want to pay off some debt before I jump into this TT.
The only thing I hadn’t thought of was getting some good tow mirrors I’ll be looking into that.

Sounds better Your on the right track Good Luck
 
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J_82

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Trailer towing experience is 100% the absolute most important item. I am still amazed that any Tom, Dick, or Harriot can go buy a vehicle and then can go and buy a trailer at the max weight the vehicle is rated for and drive off the lot. No driving test, no checklist to confirm experience, nothing. That can be 15,000+ lbs moving down the road. That could be extremely dangerous for other people and for the driver. YouTube and forums like this one can help a person get more informed, but there sometimes is no replacement for practical hands on experience.

Each Spring at the lake campground, it is a funny thing to watch as new owners drive in and then try to get backed in to their sites.
You can tell who just upgraded because you can see them go through and have a good idea of what to do but still a little uncomfortable and double checking the road and site because the setup is a little different. That is the correct thought process IMO.
And there is the complete new owners. There are two types of those. The ones who have tried to be responsible and stayed within their means (size wise) and super cautious and have a spotter and are trying to hurry and not get in anyone's way and so on. We usually try to help them if we can or they need it. Another example of the right way, IMO. Then there are the ones who just went out and got some giant rig and have no idea but think they do. They cut corners too tight and run the trailer off the road, seen a few popped tires from this, tree scratches down a side, mirrors broke off, etc. They have no idea how to back in to the site or what to adjust for, considering the slide, electric and water hookup, and so on. Once they get their heads out of the clouds and realize they are in over their head you can see it, and that is when we try to help. Offering before that realization generally tended to land on deaf ears.

Sorry for being so negative. I try not to be this way. Just frustrating that it is so easy for this to happen. It is the individual's responsibility to know what they are buying, but the camper dealer could be more realistically helpful and transparent on possible safety scenarios.
You are not being negative you are being realistic, there is a difference. If you were negative you wouldn’t be helping the unexperienced.
 

cekkk

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A little, I have driven long trailers but mostly off road on ranches not so much highway. I feel confident maneuvering in and out of tight spaces. I have good common sense and I am mostly safety conscious because I will have my family with me. We are 5. I have driven a lot in big city traffic.

Disagree. You want a trailer. :anitoof:
 

Adieu

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The only thing I hadn’t thought of was getting some good tow mirrors I’ll be looking into that.

1A Auto is the sole source (also sold thru Amazon by them if you have Prime and/or the 5% rewards card)

250ish/pair for basic functionality & power on the flat glass
350-400ish with signal repeaters and BLIS if you have that

They seem to be the previous gen F150 factory option's tow mirror design mated to the Expedition mirror mount (doesnt match F150 or superduty, alas, different size and shape).

It's a pretty good and functional upgrade, although with my height I kind of wish they sat higher on the mount
 
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ANGEL TORES

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I bought a 16 expedition so I can tow around a travel trailer to camp. Wife got tired of the tent. I would like to see what you all tow around in your 15-17 expedition. Just to get an idea how big I can go and what experiences you all have had towing travel trailers.
I have a 2015 XLT, 3.5 Liter V6 EcoBoost with tow package. We are towing a 30ft (total length) Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 27RR toy hauler. GVWR is just under 9000lbs, dry weight is 6038lbs and it pulls it just fine and I use a weight distribution system. I would definitely recommend to keep your speed between 60-65mph to stay safe and so your gas mileage won't hurt you so bad. My Expedition gives full confidence there will be no problems towing our camper cross country to anywhere. Hope this helps and good luck

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