Travel Trailer questions and your thoughts needed...

[rollindowntheroad]

I am considering buying a travel trailer for weekends and short vacations to see if I like rv'ing.  I have never owned an RV.  When I retire I would like to full time in motor home, that's my thinking right now.  I have a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited with a towing capacity of 6,200 lbs.  I don't want to push the 6,200 lb limit.  Would feel more comfortable at staying at a max weight of 5,800 lbs or so.  I get confused on the weight of trailers.  Should I be looking at a dry weight of no more than 4,500 lbs?  At least that what a couple of sales people have told me.  They said typically you can add 1,000 lbs for propane, water, personal items, etc.  I guess I should be looking at the dry weight and not gross weight of the trailer.  Can some of you verify that for me?

Here is what I would like or don't need:  No bunk beds, it is just me, no significant other, no pets.  Would like a full bath and not a wet bath.  Other than that no real requirements.  Would be staying in camp grounds in upstate NY area. Would definitely buy used and thinking in the $10,000 ish range.  I live in upstate NY (Albany area) and have looked on line at some dealers inventory.  Dealers don't seem to have much that it my needs, at least right now.  I'm in no hurry to buy.  Seems there are a lot of smaller 14' to 18' ones then they go to 27' and above.  Don't know if one exists that is maybe 20' to 23' but still within my towing capacity.

Your comments, thoughts, recommendations are greatly appreciated.

[trailertraveler]

In order to match your Grand Cherokee with a trailer, you will need to become familiar with some terms such as Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR), Max Towing Capacity, etc. The GCWR may be less than the sum of the tow vehicles GVWR and Max Towing rating. I suggest using the trailer's GVWR in any calculations of tongue weight or GCWR. Since you have the Jeep, load it up as you would ready to travel and weigh it. This will let you calculate the maximum tongue weight that you can add without exceeding the Jeep's GVWR and also the real max towing by subtracting the loaded Jeep's weight from the GCWR. This calculator may help you keep all the capacities within limits.

Another consideration is the relationship between trailer length and the wheelbase of the tow vehicle. Here is an article that discusses this.

[rollindowntheroad]

So I am really confused now.  I did more research on the towing capacity of my Jeep.  1/2 the websites I saw said 3,500 lbs the other half say 6,200 lbs.  The official Jeep website says 6,200 lbs with the 3.6 Liter, V-6 24 Valve VVT Engine, 8 speed automatic transmission, 4x4 - which is what I have.  I called the dealer where I bought it from and gave them my vin number, they told me 3,500 lbs.  Even the manual says 2 different things.  It says 3,500 with standard cooling and 6,200 with heavy duty cooling.  Then I looked up heavy duty cooling systems and it says that they don't change the towing capacity.  Camping World has a towing capacity that you can look up and that said 7,200 lbs.  I checked the door sticker and it says nothing on that about towing capacity.

Who am I suppose to believe on what the towing capacity is?  Guess I will scrap the whole idea!

[rollindowntheroad]

I think I'm just going to forget the whole idea.  If I can't even determine the towing capacity of my own vehicle it's not worth going any further.

[rollindowntheroad]

I don't have a tow package on the jeep.  So currently the weight is 3,500 lbs it seems.

So this is what comes with the tow package direct from Jeep's website:

7-and 4-Pin Wiring Harness
Class IV Receiver Hitch
Full Size Spare Tire
Heavy-Duty Engine Cooling
The heavy-duty engine cooling system is designed to vent excess heat generated by heavy engine use.

I would have to have a receiver hitch installed any way to tow something.   Seems the only additional thing is the Heavy duty engine cooling and from what I have read that does not increase the towing capacity.  It doesn't make sense to me that by just installing the above items it is going to almost double the towing capacity.   So if I get these things installed then I can tow up to 6,200 lbs? 

[rollindowntheroad]

The owners manual says 2 different things as well.  It says 3,500 lbs with standard cooling and 6,200 lbs with HD cooling.  No other specifications.  I have nothing on the jeep now for towing.  No hitch, no 7 pin plug.

[beemergary]

Had a Jeep Grand Cherekee back when you could get a V8. and 3.73 gears. It was a pulling fool and I swear could beat a pickup in a drag race. They said 5000# towing. Danger is my business and only pulled my 4000# dry trailer ONCE. The wheel base and braking ability was not a good combination. I'd knock another 1500-2000# off your 5800#

[RoadtripsAndCampfires]

6 hours ago, rollindowntheroad said:

I think I'm just going to forget the whole idea.  If I can't even determine the towing capacity of my own vehicle it's not worth going any further.

I think the two readings might be figuring things differently?  One might be the formula including the weight of the tow vehicle and driver was estimated in already and the higher one is the figure one starts at and then makes all the deductions.  Only thing I can think of unless the ratings go by VIN #'s and not models and the lower # is due to installed equipment.

[rollindowntheroad]

To:  rm.w/aview

I am going to contact a couple of Jeep dealers in my area to see if the towing package can be added and if so how much it would be.  I hope that it can and I can really tow up to the 6,200 lbs.  All though I would stay below that number.

I have looked at those A Liner's, they are really nice.  

I appreciate your support and enthusiasm!

[rollindowntheroad]

Ok. Just called a third Jeep dealer and gave them the vin number to my vehicle.  Currently there is NO tow package on the vehicle.  Maximum I can tow with this is 3,500 lbs.  I can add the tow package but that will NOT change the towing capacity to 6,200 lbs.  I have the standard cooling on the vehicle.  The heavy duty cooling is actually a different radiator and that can NOT be changed in my vehicle.  It would have had to come with the different radiator or been ordered with one on it.

So I am stuck at the 3,500 max towing capacity.  Not what I wanted to hear but at least now I know.

[NDBirdman]

I know your asking about a TT, but small/older class c?  I see some older ones in great shape around here occasionally for 10k or less.  You could tow your jeep behind it.  It's a small enough camper to go about anywhere in 2 wheel drive.  I have seen some with full baths, some wet, etc.  Just my 2-cents worth, it could get you out there like you want with motor home experience without spending big $$.  Can your jeep be flat towed?

[2gypsies]

Wow! Your Jeep is a 2018 otherwise I'd recommend that you consider getting a different vehicle. It would be a shame not to experience camping in your beautiful area of the country. 

You might look into these trailers. They're small and perfect for one person:

http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=173&Image=5054&ShowParent=1

[rollindowntheroad]

To: NDBirdman, yes it can be towed 4 down, that is one of the main reasons I bought it.  Haven't considered a small class C might have to investigate those.  When I retire I would like to full time in a class A, so hence buying the jeep that can be towed 4 down.

To: 2gypsies:  Yes it is a 2018.  As you can see from my answer to NDBirdman bought it so it could be towed behind a motor home 4 down.  I was thinking about getting a travel trailer now to see how I would enjoy RV'ing before plunging into it when retired.

[oldbutspry]

Just curious - how many years until you plan to retire and full-time?

The wife and I have never even spent the night in an RV and are planning to retire and full-time so it's interesting to me that you are going to try it out first.

[rollindowntheroad]

I have another 5 years before I retire.  Thought it would be nice to get a little travel trailer and test out the waters before I dive deep into a motor home and full time.

[OregonJim]

Another option is to just save the Jeep for later when you have a MH.  Find a small used pickup to tow your TT with until you retire.

[bigjim]

After mostly tenting and even rougher methods  I fell into a deal on and old 13' Scamp fiberglass bubble.  It was old but basically sound and just one or 2 trips and I was hooked. I was planning on buying a brand new Casita fiberglass but ended up getting put out to pasture at a few days short of 47 years old due to a medical issue. I didn't have any trouble getting more than my money back on the Scamp.  About a year later I fell into full timing and volunteering almost accidentally with a 22 year old Holiday Ramblet 27ft. I have been doing it ever since.  The only thing I really did not like about the Scamp was all it had was a small porta-potty and that thing really sucked.  You could go other ways even with a pop up tent camper or the like but I think something small could hook you. Most of the  Scamp, Casitas, and the like hold their value pretty darn good. The new ones are definatly more expensive than when I was pricing them almost 25 years ago.

[OregonJim]

4 hours ago, bigjim said:

 ended up getting put out to pasture at a few days short of 47 years old due to a medical issue.

Wow - exact same story here (same age and another Jim no less!).

I had a 26' Fleetwood Jamboree at the time, as well as a vintage 1976 Apache popup.  Both saw heavy use once the 9-5 schedule was gone.  That Apache was a blast in the deep backwoods where no respectable RVer would dare to go.  One time, I made  the mistake of setting up camp a few dozen yards from a cougar den.  Heard the eeriest sounds that night.   😸 

[Kirk W]

16 hours ago, rollindowntheroad said:

I have another 5 years before I retire.  Thought it would be nice to get a little travel trailer and test out the waters before I dive deep into a motor home and full time.

For most people that is a very good idea. Of those we have known who retired to go fulltime with no prior RV experience, very few have lasted as long as 3 years on the road. Many stay out less than 1 year. I suspect that if there were a way to know how long everyone who starts fulltime actually stays,  I'd bet that average would be surprisingly short. 

Even if you just buy something seasonal it will enable you to get a lot of good experience before you spend the money to buy an all season RV to live in. It will also give you a much better feel for what size and type of RV you want. We had more than 20 years of RV ownership before we chose our fulltime rig and that played a major role in our having been able to select a fulltime RV that we kept for 14 years and lived happily in. 

[FL-JOE]

I would lean more toward finding a cheaper used RV that you could possibly put on a local campground site for the season.  Since you are still working try moving into it for the summer, maybe just visiting your house to mow or do some other upkeep once a week, otherwise stay full time in the RV.  This would at least give you a good idea what it is like to live full time in a small area, even though you wouldn't be traveling much.

[Ray,IN]

Follow the instructions for this Travel Trailer Weight Calculator to accurately match your Jeep GC to a travel trailer it will safely handle/control. Note it requires actual weights for some line items. This calculator also offers the option to select a 20% safety factor, which many full-timers recommend.

I would never use the UVW when attempting to match up the combination, as you  will eventually load them with more stuff=weight that you originally planned. Use the GVW to be safe.