Changing my ways, from VAN to TT!

[DreadHeadDrifter]

Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well. Around this time last year I got a van and did a conversion. Lived out of her for about a year, and had a blast! 
Well, the van has now been sold and I plan to upgrade to a small and hopefully light weight travel trailer. 

I have done my homework and wanted to ask the opinion of some full timers who have a bit more experience than me in this department, as far as tow vehicle, and decent TT's within my price range. 

I am scared to even type this because I know I am gonna get some lectures on my tow vehicle. But I have seen it done! 
I will (hopefully) be using a 2010 Ford Escape (3.0 V6 with a 3,500LB towing package) as a tow vehicle.

The reason behind this choice is because I already own this vehicle and have towed close to 3k before with no problems. (A distance of 400 miles.)

Has anyone seen people full timing while using this vehicle as a tow vehicle? I know short term it can handle the tow, but how about a few years down the road?

I am looking for a smaller TT, max around 20 feet (but I can comfortably live in around 16-18), mainly because of my max tow weight will not enable me to go beyond this length. I have a pretty flexible budget, starting in the low $5,000, and going upwards of $8,000. It really just depends on how soon I want to hit the road, the longer I stay put, the longer I can save more money and get something better. 

With this budget, I have seen very few quality TT's, Scamps hold their value very well. Are there any comparable brands, or quality travel trailers that can be found in my price range that will last? My main concern is leaks and rot. I do not mind resealing the roof every 2 years or so, but if I purchase a leaky lemon then that will suck! 

I am almost hesitant to just stay put for a few more months and buy something new for around $10,000. But even some newer lower priced TT's can be crap!

Any input, opinions, advice is greatly appreciated! I would like to get back on the road sooner than later, but if I have to stay put to get something that will last, I will wait! 

Thanks for reading!

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

If it were me personally I wouldn't want to tow a RV trailer with an escape. 3500 lb RV trailers tows much different than say a utility trailer with 3500 lbs of trash your hauling to the dump. I have a 1/2 ton Silverado and I think the max it's comfortable towing is about 4k lbs even though it's rated for 8 and ive done 8 I wouldn't want to be doing it long term.

I had a Jeep Patriot which is about the size of an escape and I'd regularly tow about 2000 lbs with it, albeit short trips. It towed it reasonably well, if I were pulling a travel trailer with it i'd have wanted to stay in the 1500 lb range. I'm guessing the escape is slightly better at towing so maybe stay in the 1500-2200 lb range and definitely install a brake controller! Wouldn't tow 500 lbs with out one.

 

[speedhighway46]

Your tow vehicle is marginal. However, when my wife and I first got into "camping" we used our Plymouth Voyager mini van and it worked fine. A few suggestions: get heavy duty springs installed on the rear wheels. Get a transmission cooler installed; heat kills transmissions. Learn to drive to keep your engine RPMs in the power band of the engine. Stay out of overdrive until you learn when you can safely use it without over stressing the transmission.

Our TT of choice was a 17' Casita; all fiberglass; quality construction; probably 150 pounds or so of tongue weight.

We traveled with this setup tens of thousands of miles with no problem. Don't cut corners upgrading your tow vehicle. Drive at reasonable speeds. Make sure you learn to drive in a manner which doesn't cause your engine or transmission to over heat.

Check out the various Casita owners forums. You should be able to get a nice used one for $5M-$8M.

Just my opinion . . .

 

[bullfrog]

Every year we see seasonal employees come traveling in a hurry from the east over the mountains to the west using SUVs towing 18' to 20' older trailers packed with everything they own which usually isn't much cause they spent their last dollar on gas to get here. They are usually stuck here until they make enough money to get a better older 3/4 ton truck or abandon them and take the bus to their next seasonal job. Probably one of the reasons there are more trailers out west for sale. When you push older trailers and tow vehicles over mountains they tend to get over heated and mechanical parts wear out. It has been said here many times you can't ever have a big enough tow vehicle. I have spent a lot of time building a small light weight trailer because there just are very few "light weight" trailers out there and none manufactured that most people consider affordable. Finding a good used fiberglass egg trailer or even an A liner is usually well over $5000. Cargo trailers if built to last can get too heavy for long term towing for an SUV. So there in lies the dilemma. Go search tntt trailers and start building or get a bigger tow vehicle or save up and spend lots of money on a truly small "light weight trailer" in my opinion.

 

[frater secessus]

Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well. Around this time last year I got a van and did a conversion. Lived out of her for about a year, and had a blast! 
Well, the van has now been sold and I plan to upgrade to a small and hopefully light weight travel trailer.

At some point can you share what factors went into the change from van to TT?  Like what did you like and dislike about the van platform, and what kind of improvements do  you forsee with the TT.

 

[hepcat]

Your tow vehicle is marginal. However, when my wife and I first got into "camping" we used our Plymouth Voyager mini van and it worked fine. A few suggestions: get heavy duty springs installed on the rear wheels. Get a transmission cooler installed; heat kills transmissions. Learn to drive to keep your engine RPMs in the power band of the engine. Stay out of overdrive until you learn when you can safely use it without over stressing the transmission.

Our TT of choice was a 17' Casita; all fiberglass; quality construction; probably 150 pounds or so of tongue weight.

The specs on the Casita 17' show a 365 lb tongue weight...  significantly higher than the Casita 16' and Scamp 16' at 165lbs and likely more than the Class II hitch on your Escape is rated for.   Speedhighway's suggestions are spot-on otherwise. 

I have significant experience with the lightweight trailers.  I've had a number of them over the years with some marginal tow vehicles.  About the only thing you'll be able to tow safely with your Escape is a Scamp 16 Standard which will have a real-world curb weight of around 2,000 lbs.  By the time you get your 'stuff' in it and tanks filled, you'll be in the 2500 lb range... about as close to your 3500 lbs as you'll want to get.  I towed a Scamp 16 standard with a sink, and refrigerator (and no other options) about 20k miles with a Honda Element AWD, 5 spd standard trans.   I was over the tow rating of the Honda, but it was a do-able combination.  You'll do fine with a loaded Scamp Standard with optional equipment with your Escape.  Do NOT try to tow a trailer with an unladen curb weight of over 2,000 lbs.  It'll move the trailer just fine; maneuvering in an emergency and/or stopping a bigger, heavier trailer will NOT be pretty.

If you can find a Burro 17 wide body for sale, jump on it.  It will meet your needs, can be towed by the Escape, and has the largest and most comfortable bed available in a trailer that size while still having a usable dinette in the front. That was probably the trailer I regret selling the most.

I will tell you that after thirty years of having travel trailers (and a few mohos) I finally wised up and have two motorhomes now... and use my Jeep Wrangler as a toad instead of a tow vehicle.  

Good luck! 

 

[wagoneer]

You do not want to be "marginal" you do want to be safe. I put my money into the tow vehicle 3/4 ton plus by finding a below 100k mid 90's cummins PU. that affords me many towing options and i chose a hard side slide-in for now but always on the lookout for upgrading.

 

[grimmal]

I agree With Wagoneer. We have a TT with a empty weight of 5,000 lbs. Loaded about 6200lbs Our Yukon is rated to tow 6500 lbs.  Our E350 van is rated at 9,000lbs . Granted the van is no problem towing it and at times you can forget it is back there with a wind behind you. The one time we have had to use the Yukon because the van was about 70 miles away we knew it was there, Every single mile. 70 miles at capacity was like 300 in the van.

 

[speedhighway46]

The specs on the Casita 17' show a 365 lb tongue weight...  significantly higher than the Casita 16' and Scamp 16' at 165lbs and likely more than the Class II hitch on your Escape is rated for.   Speedhighway's suggestions are spot-on otherwise. 

I have significant experience with the lightweight trailers.  I've had a number of them over the years with some marginal tow vehicles.  About the only thing you'll be able to tow safely with your Escape is a Scamp 16 Standard which will have a real-world curb weight of around 2,000 lbs.  By the time you get your 'stuff' in it and tanks filled, you'll be in the 2500 lb range... about as close to your 3500 lbs as you'll want to get.  I towed a Scamp 16 standard with a sink, and refrigerator (and no other options) about 20k miles with a Honda Element AWD, 5 spd standard trans.   I was over the tow rating of the Honda, but it was a do-able combination.  You'll do fine with a loaded Scamp Standard with optional equipment with your Escape.  Do NOT try to tow a trailer with an unladen curb weight of over 2,000 lbs.  It'll move the trailer just fine; maneuvering in an emergency and/or stopping a bigger, heavier trailer will NOT be pretty.

If you can find a Burro 17 wide body for sale, jump on it.  It will meet your needs, can be towed by the Escape, and has the largest and most comfortable bed available in a trailer that size while still having a usable dinette in the front.  That was probably the trailer I regret selling the most.

I will tell you that after thirty years of having travel trailers (and a few mohos) I finally wised up and have two motorhomes now... and use my Jeep Wrangler as a toad instead of a tow vehicle.  

Good luck! 

Thanks for correction on the tongue weight. Our Casita does not have the bathroom or shower. Maybe that's the difference; we're not carrying all that water.

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

At some point can you share what factors went into the change from van to TT?  Like what did you like and dislike about the van platform, and what kind of improvements do  you forsee with the TT.

Absolutely, and I will also be replying to the other's here in a few! I have spotty internet connection at the moment. 

For me, it was great living in a van, but there are a few things I would like to change for full time living. Mainly comfort things that I do not mind paying a little extra for in the long run. 

1. I am 6 foot 3, and even my high top chevy cargo van I could not stand up, my main issue was when getting dressed. After a while having to get dressed laying down or having to find a place to run in to get dressed wasn't working out too well! I would also like a little more head room when cooking so I dont have to basically sit on the floor. So the extra head room is my first factor that I would like to change! 

2. I would also like to have a toilet, and a means to shower in my trailer. I had a gym membership, which worked when I was around the gym.  But I would like to have the convenience of being able to do so comfortably in a trailer. Sure, you can do your business in a plastic bag inside a bucket, and you can shower with a spray bottle. But, when you have female company for the night, or even after awhile. It kind of gets old, and believe it or not some people find that gross (particularly the less outdoorsy people). I would much rather pay slightly more to have these "comforts", and contained waste tanks that I can dump when needed. To each his own.

3. Which leads me to my next reason! Tanks! Fresh water tanks, grey water tanks black water tanks! Having to go in the night happens in a van, using plastic bags and what not can lead to gross smells that require you to have to get out of your van and find an appropriate dump place for said bag. Not only do I care about the environmental impact of dumping waste, but if I can keep certain smells out then I would like that. I also like the idea of having my waste in a contained tank, as well as my drinking water and used sink water. All of these things are not necessary to live, but they are nice. Some people will say hey thats more stuff to break and need to get fixed. But to me, its still worth it! 

4. Safely using propane for cooking, heat, and refrigeration. In a van, you have to be very careful when using your propane cooking stove, or even your mr.buddy heater! Often times, I would use a coleman camping stove, the chances of leaks, gas buildups, and fire (in my opinion) are much greater when using these stoves over using an actual stationary stove built into a trailer, that is meant to be used inside a camper. These coleman stoves are generally meant to be used outdoors, and cooking out doors is not always an option. Same with the heater, if I have a propane built in heater in my TT, I feel a little safer using it than having to use a Mr/Buddy heater and make sure nothing is within a certain range that is flammable and not dozing off with it on. Also, proper ventilation. I hear way too much of accidents happening i personally think that using these appliances that are made to be used inside a camper have an advantage over using camping quality gear inside a van. 

5. Storage! The companies that make TT's pay the designers fairly well to make the most use out of every square inch (usually). Although you can almost always find a DIY alternative for a van, I feel that a Travel Trailer is made with maximum storage use in mind. And also have better, more secure storage (cabinets and stuff) that wont rattle your ears off when going down the highway.

6. Designated "areas". In a travel trailer you have your kitchen area, your bathroom area, your bedroom/sleeping area, usually a small table or eating area. In a custom van, things tend to kind of blend together and can be a little confusing, especially when you are first getting started. For me, this effected the "flow" of things. Having food storage under the bed, and my cmaper stove in the other corner of the van made things not "flow" as easily. Its nice to have a feeling of having different "rooms" inside your small home, instead of having everything just spread out everywhere.

Of course these are all things that vary to each persons wants and needs. But this is how I see it. And honestly, i could continue for hours about why I would like a Travel Trailer. To me, it just makes sense. If you are trying to live off little money, and do not mind giving up a few comforts, then the van life is great. But after a year of doing that, I am ready to step up the quality of living just a tad. Ill probably add more to this post a little later on, but those are the first things that came to mind.

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

Your tow vehicle is marginal. However, when my wife and I first got into "camping" we used our Plymouth Voyager mini van and it worked fine. A few suggestions: get heavy duty springs installed on the rear wheels. Get a transmission cooler installed; heat kills transmissions. Learn to drive to keep your engine RPMs in the power band of the engine. Stay out of overdrive until you learn when you can safely use it without over stressing the transmission.

Our TT of choice was a 17' Casita; all fiberglass; quality construction; probably 150 pounds or so of tongue weight.

We traveled with this setup tens of thousands of miles with no problem. Don't cut corners upgrading your tow vehicle. Drive at reasonable speeds. Make sure you learn to drive in a manner which doesn't cause your engine or transmission to over heat.

Check out the various Casita owners forums. You should be able to get a nice used one for $5M-$8M.

Just my opinion . . .

Great opinion, I really appreciate it. I do understand my tow vehicle is marginal, and I would not hesitate to make the necessary upgrades to have peace of mind. I will check some forums out and do my research. Thanks!

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

The specs on the Casita 17' show a 365 lb tongue weight...  significantly higher than the Casita 16' and Scamp 16' at 165lbs and likely more than the Class II hitch on your Escape is rated for.   Speedhighway's suggestions are spot-on otherwise. 

I have significant experience with the lightweight trailers.  I've had a number of them over the years with some marginal tow vehicles.  About the only thing you'll be able to tow safely with your Escape is a Scamp 16 Standard which will have a real-world curb weight of around 2,000 lbs.  By the time you get your 'stuff' in it and tanks filled, you'll be in the 2500 lb range... about as close to your 3500 lbs as you'll want to get.  I towed a Scamp 16 standard with a sink, and refrigerator (and no other options) about 20k miles with a Honda Element AWD, 5 spd standard trans.   I was over the tow rating of the Honda, but it was a do-able combination.  You'll do fine with a loaded Scamp Standard with optional equipment with your Escape.  Do NOT try to tow a trailer with an unladen curb weight of over 2,000 lbs.  It'll move the trailer just fine; maneuvering in an emergency and/or stopping a bigger, heavier trailer will NOT be pretty.

If you can find a Burro 17 wide body for sale, jump on it.  It will meet your needs, can be towed by the Escape, and has the largest and most comfortable bed available in a trailer that size while still having a usable dinette in the front.  That was probably the trailer I regret selling the most.

I will tell you that after thirty years of having travel trailers (and a few mohos) I finally wised up and have two motorhomes now... and use my Jeep Wrangler as a toad instead of a tow vehicle.  

Good luck! 

Thank you very much for the advice. I am moving from a camper van to a hopefully small travel trailer. I would ideally like to stay in the 16-18ft range for this reason, I feel anything larger will be too much. My goal is to be as close to 1k under my max tow weight as possible (and also under my max tongue weight, or if possible installing a new hitch setup if my vehicle allows it without risking any safety (I can't enjoy my TT if something bad were to happen due to lack of safety). I will definitely research the Burro 17 and see what information I can gather. And once again, thank you for your advice!

 

[hepcat]

Absolutely, and I will also be replying to the other's here in a few! I have spotty internet connection at the moment. 

For me, it was great living in a van, but there are a few things I would like to change for full time living. Mainly comfort things that I do not mind paying a little extra for in the long run. 

1. I am 6 foot 3, and even my high top chevy cargo van I could not stand up, my main issue was when getting dressed. After a while having to get dressed laying down or having to find a place to run in to get dressed wasn't working out too well! I would also like a little more head room when cooking so I dont have to basically sit on the floor. So the extra head room is my first factor that I would like to change! 

2. I would also like to have a toilet, and a means to shower in my trailer. I had a gym membership, which worked when I was around the gym.  But I would like to have the convenience of being able to do so comfortably in a trailer. Sure, you can do your business in a plastic bag inside a bucket, and you can shower with a spray bottle. But, when you have female company for the night, or even after awhile. It kind of gets old, and believe it or not some people find that gross (particularly the less outdoorsy people). I would much rather pay slightly more to have these "comforts", and contained waste tanks that I can dump when needed. To each his own.

3. Which leads me to my next reason! Tanks! Fresh water tanks, grey water tanks black water tanks! Having to go in the night happens in a van, using plastic bags and what not can lead to gross smells that require you to have to get out of your van and find an appropriate dump place for said bag. Not only do I care about the environmental impact of dumping waste, but if I can keep certain smells out then I would like that. I also like the idea of having my waste in a contained tank, as well as my drinking water and used sink water. All of these things are not necessary to live, but they are nice. Some people will say hey thats more stuff to break and need to get fixed. But to me, its still worth it! 

4. Safely using propane for cooking, heat, and refrigeration. In a van, you have to be very careful when using your propane cooking stove, or even your mr.buddy heater! Often times, I would use a coleman camping stove, the chances of leaks, gas buildups, and fire (in my opinion) are much greater when using these stoves over using an actual stationary stove built into a trailer, that is meant to be used inside a camper. These coleman stoves are generally meant to be used outdoors, and cooking out doors is not always an option. Same with the heater, if I have a propane built in heater in my TT, I feel a little safer using it than having to use a Mr/Buddy heater and make sure nothing is within a certain range that is flammable and not dozing off with it on. Also, proper ventilation. I hear way too much of accidents happening i personally think that using these appliances that are made to be used inside a camper have an advantage over using camping quality gear inside a van. 

5. Storage! The companies that make TT's pay the designers fairly well to make the most use out of every square inch (usually). Although you can almost always find a DIY alternative for a van, I feel that a Travel Trailer is made with maximum storage use in mind. And also have better, more secure storage (cabinets and stuff) that wont rattle your ears off when going down the highway.

6. Designated "areas". In a travel trailer you have your kitchen area, your bathroom area, your bedroom/sleeping area, usually a small table or eating area. In a custom van, things tend to kind of blend together and can be a little confusing, especially when you are first getting started. For me, this effected the "flow" of things. Having food storage under the bed, and my cmaper stove in the other corner of the van made things not "flow" as easily. Its nice to have a feeling of having different "rooms" inside your small home, instead of having everything just spread out everywhere.

Of course these are all things that vary to each persons wants and needs. But this is how I see it. And honestly, i could continue for hours about why I would like a Travel Trailer. To me, it just makes sense. If you are trying to live off little money, and do not mind giving up a few comforts, then the van life is great. But after a year of doing that, I am ready to step up the quality of living just a tad. Ill probably add more to this post a little later on, but those are the first things that came to mind.

Hmmm...   I just read this.  Let me tell you the difference between a factory-built Class B moho and a travel trailer.  If you're staying in one place for a week or more at a time, the travel trailer is convenient as you can leave your hookups and full setup when you leave.   OTOH, if you're traveling regularly, the travel trailer is a nuisance with a need for constant hooking up and unhooking which gets really old. Parking, while traveling, is hard to find. If you're staying in the trailer in a rest stop or parking lot, you have NO idea what's happening outside the trailer or with your tow vehicle. That's what led me to switch from TTs to mohos; the way I travel is much better served with the mohos.

Make no assumptions about travel trailers, BTW.  Some of them are an absolute waste of good materials, and some of them are amazingly well built.  I've been in some that I had to question the sanity of the designer and builder, and others that just make sense and are superbly thought out.  And there's a whole range in between.  Probably the closest 19' trailer I found to "perfect" for longer-term occupancy was the 2011 Heartland mpg I had.  It had a couple of 'duh' design things, but was over-all a bullet-proof design.  Unfortunately for you, the GVWR was 4200 lbs, much heavier than what you're talking about. I actually graduated to it after I decided I was tired of not having any amenities in that Scamp 16 that I had and towed with the Element. I bought the FJ Cruiser for it's 5k lb towing capacity, and then bought the mpg trailer because it HAD a shower and toilet, microwave, water heater, BIG bed and stand-up head room for me.

L1006683 by Roger H, on Flickr 

If the van-travel style works for you I'd suggest you look at a factory-built Class B-van which has all of the amenities you describe and can be had for about the same price as a fiberglass TT.  And there's a lot more of them around for sale to choose from.   I'm 6'5" tall and can stand fully upright comfortably in my Coachmen B-van (see link below.)  It has fresh water and holding tanks, propane, a genset, propane furnace, and AC.

 

[DreadHeadDrifter]

Hmmm...   I just read this.  Let me tell you the difference between a factory-built Class B moho and a travel trailer.  If you're staying in one place for a week or more at a time, the travel trailer is convenient as you can leave your hookups and full setup when you leave.   OTOH, if you're traveling regularly, the travel trailer is a nuisance with a need for constant hooking up and unhooking which gets really old.  Parking, while traveling, is hard to find.  If you're staying in the trailer in a rest stop or parking lot, you have NO idea what's happening outside the trailer or with your tow vehicle.   That's what led me to switch from TTs to mohos; the way I travel is much better served with the mohos.

Make no assumptions about travel trailers, BTW.  Some of them are an absolute waste of good materials, and some of them are amazingly well built.  I've been in some that I had to question the sanity of the designer and builder, and others that just make sense and are superbly thought out.  And there's a whole range in between.  Probably the closest 19' trailer I found to "perfect" for longer-term occupancy was the 2011 Heartland mpg I had.  It had a couple of 'duh' design things, but was over-all a bullet-proof design.  Unfortunately for you, the GVWR was 4200 lbs, much heavier than what you're talking about.

L1006683 by Roger H, on Flickr 

If the van-style works for you I'd suggest you look at a factory-built Class B-van which has all of the amenities you describe and can be had for about the same price as a fiberglass TT.  And there's a lot more of them around for sale to choose from.   I'm 6'5" tall and can stand fully upright comfortably in my Coachmen B-van (see link below.)  It has fresh water and holding tanks, propane, a genset, propane furnace, and AC.

Thank you for your reply! I have put some thought into the various options. And I am scared of having another engine to maintain, and am unsure of the reliability of a used motor home within my price range! I usually travel a very similar route, I like to prospect for gold around Georgia, and go up to Knoxville TN, and down to Patterson, Louisiana quite frequently, almost in 4 month intervals. That radius is about as far as I travel. I plan to stay in one place for at least 14 days, however long I can stay till I run out of supplies. What I am basically looking for is a home I can transport with me while i travel between jobs.
 In Louisiana I work seasonally at a crab and crawfish dock and park by the water next to the dock with water and electric hookups. The trailer would not really be moved for those 4ish months besides going to dump the tanks. 
In Knoxville I would be parked at my friends lot, he owns his own landscape company and I seasonally go up there and help out when the crawfish season isnt in its prime. Here having a daily commuter car is important to me. Which is why I figured a TT would be nice to unhitch and drive my 21mpg Escape. 
In Georgia, my friends and family and roots are established there. I would be in one place at least two weeks at a time. Either visiting friends and family, or hoping to find some gold and enjoying time out doors.

Seeing as how I am staying in the South East U.S., I was not too worried with any major mountains or anything that will destroy my vehicle. To be completely honest, I am mainly just scared to have another vehicle to worry about maintenance wise. I make enough to get by, but a few thousand dollars in repairs could really set me back. Which is also why I do not want to tow too much weight in my escape and destroy it. 

I hope this explains my decision a little more. If I had trade my tow vehicle in I would, but I am really trying to make things work with what I have. And seeing as how I was comfortable in a camper van, I think a slightly larger travel trailer with a few more amenities would be the right decision for me. 

Have you had any major set backs financially with owning a motorhome? 



And also, thank you for your input. It really helps a lot to hear from people who have experienced what I am looking to transition to!

 

[hepcat]

I hope this explains my decision a little more. If I had trade my tow vehicle in I would, but I am really trying to make things work with what I have. And seeing as how I was comfortable in a camper van, I think a slightly larger travel trailer with a few more amenities would be the right decision for me. 

Have you had any major set backs financially with owning a motorhome? 



And also, thank you for your input. It really helps a lot to hear from people who have experienced what I am looking to transition to!

Thanks!  It sounds like a TT will work just fine for you under those circumstances.  I seldom stay in one place more than a night or two, so hitching and unhitching almost daily when I was traveling really got old.  

I buy my mohos very carefully and with low mileage.  The Coachmen I have now is a 1995 but it only had 26k miles on it when I bought it in Feb of 2015.  I have 47k on it now.  I paid $5k for it and have another $6k in it now in maintenance and repairs; however about $2k of that has been thrown at the generator which I use regularly.  I have about $350 in a new water heater and new water pump. The rest was tires, brakes, ball joints, belts, hoses, a few electrical repairs, etc. etc. that you'd expect to find as necessary maintenance in a twenty-two year old van to keep it reliable.  Considering that new b-vans are running $120k and up, and ten year old ones are still bringing $70k, I'm pretty thrilled to only have $11k total in mine.

The 32' Born Free is eleven years old now and this will be my third season with it.  It, too, had only 32k miles on it when I bought it.  I've spend some money on chassis mods that are necessary for the Kodiak chassis mohos to be stable, but other than that and routine maintenance, I've spent very little on it.  Nothing in the way of crisis spending.  If you buy good, low-mileage coaches and maintain them properly, you'll get a LOT of trouble-free miles out of them.  I bought it at a really good (read cheap) price as well, and it's a top-of-the-line luxury Super C coach.  It may well be the last motorhome I buy. I'm really happy with it and it should last me as long as I want to keep and use it.

My other two mohos were also bargain priced and low miles and needed very little maintenance.  I've been fortunate.

 

[bullfrog]

Small trailer sounds like the way to go. Consider if used having it delivered by the owner and set up to show you how everything works and prove it will go down the road. We did that and even though we paid a $500 delivery fee (250 miles) it was well worth it because after the trip we discovered the new water heater was destroyed because of improper install by the seller and seller was forced to pay the bill or take it back. If you only move every 4 months and it proves to much for your truck we have been known to sell or store the trailer if a replacement or second small trailer will work for travel. Several friends have towed ours for $1.00 per mile or a tank of gas for short tows, good luck.

 

[FastEddie313]

https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Lakeside-RV-819390/listing/1988-Holiday-Rambler-26-FL-121151344
$4k

Holiday Rambler Alumalite..
Think a 26' aluminum skin/aluminum structure would weigh about the same as an 18-20 fiberglass trailer? IDK, maybe too big..

Something like that is what I'd want..
I wouldn't buy anything laminated fiberglass or wood structured..

 

[hepcat]

https://www.rvtrader.com/dealers/Lakeside-RV-819390/listing/1988-Holiday-Rambler-26-FL-121151344
$4k

Holiday Rambler Alumalite..
Think a 26' aluminum skin/aluminum structure would weigh about the same as an 18-20 fiberglass trailer? IDK, maybe too big..

Something like that is what I'd want..
I wouldn't buy anything laminated fiberglass or wood structured..

Unfortunately for the OP, that Holiday 26' likely has a curb weight of around 6,000 lbs. and maybe a little more.  His Escape is rated at 3500 lbs.

 

[Cammalu]

I have a 2013 escape and planned to pull a tiny fiberglass camper with it. In the meantime I had put a carrier for my handicapped scooter back there and was toting that around for some time. I have to say I could really feel that back there and one day my back tires started roaring. Turns out that just that much weight pulled the car way out of alignment and the back tires were all cupped. It was an expensive lesson and I was pretty pissed. The scooter now rides inside but unless I have another person with me I can't get it out.


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[Every Road Leads Home]

Do you know the weight of your scooter? I can't say i'm surprised. These newer lightweight SUV's are really designed for fuel efficiency and handling well in a variety of adverse weather conditions. To up the MPG they have to cut out as much weight as possible which leads to thinner parts, which leads to a vehicle just not designed for heavy duty use.