Full-timing a travel trailer

[KingArthur]

It might be time for me to get back on the road...

At the end of last year, I was living in my converted astro van, and then I encountered what it was like to live through winter in a vehicle in the northeast. Not fun!

Long story short, I've started doing business online and I've cultivated a very important component that was missing last year: the ability to make money on the road. 

I am now quite confident I can continue to keep my business going while I travel. In fact I know of some people that do exactly what I do on the road right now. 

I'm trying to choose a rig that will suit my needs. What I think I need is the smallest possible truck paired with a travel trailer that's just large enough to keep me happy. I'm single and I have no pets so that isn't much.

There are so many used travel trailers to pick from, I don't even know where to begin. Probably will want something around 19ft. I'm thinking about getting a mid-90's toyota pickup for towing, as they are unmatched in gas mileage and reliability.

The main reason for wanting to use a truck and trailer is so I can use the truck to run around to thrift stores, etc. while I go from town to town. I could drop the trailer, do my business, and come back at the end of the day.

 

[bullfrog]

I've used a Toyota 4x4 Tacoma 2.7 four cylinder 5 speed to pull a lightweight small trailer (home built 11 1/2') probably 1500 lbs. While towing I got as low as 13 MPG at 55 in the mountains and as high as 17 MPG on flat ground. While not towing I had a topper and carried probably 500 lbs. and got 21 MPG. The 6 cylinder automatic Tacoma would have averaged around 17 or 18 MPG and done a better job towing. My wife's V8 Sequioa gets 16 to18 MPG with over 200,000 miles on the odometer and averaged 13MPG or better towing a 2500 lbs. trailer. I like the 4 cylinder because of low maintenance cost due to fact it is the only one of the Toyotas that uses a timing chain verses a belt. I had a 1991 18' Ajo camper trailer that was around 4300 lbs loaded and my 1988 V8 Jeep Wagoneer had a tough time towing it through the western mountains. Don't forget that if you haul weight in the truck as well as tow a trailer it counts towards your total capacity. I would expect that if you full time you will want to boon dock rather than pay for campgrounds and therefore want solar, larger holding tanks and carry most of you worldly goods. It is very easy to overload your trailer and your towing vehicle. I have towed a small car with a motorhome and it worked well if I moved every two weeks or so. I now am using a Jeep truck with home built camper top flat towing a Samurai for camping trips as the motor home is parked where I primarially stay. I am building a light weight car hauler with a 12' living area in front and a 12' flat bed area behind for a Samurai using hopefully a 3/4 ton Suburban thats getting towing mods so that I'll have no worries pulling 5,000 lbs. as the old Jeep Truck doesn't like Interstates. I would recomend nothing smaller than a 3/4 ton tow vehicle if full timing in a trailer over 17' and under 23' especially if you carry inventory for your business.

 

[RoamerRV428]

Which is more important to you in some way?

Is the small trailer/floorplan/size etc more important? buy first THEN buy the corret size truck to pull it. And don't tax that truck, buy one that can easily pull what you just bought with towing power to spare.

or is the truck brand/mileage/personal choice of vehicle more important. Buy the truck, know what it truly is capable of hauling not taxed to the limit, then buy a small camper to match your rig.

never be 'under-trucked'. Your rig will be your home and your lifeline on the road. Do it right.

Congrats of hitting the road and finding a great income for yourself!

 

[bullfrog]

Jimindenver, George and tioga and Rvsue all have sites about towing small or light weight trailers you might research.

 

[KingArthur]

I've used a Toyota 4x4 Tacoma 2.7 four cylinder 5 speed to pull a lightweight small trailer (home built 11 1/2') probably 1500 lbs.  While towing I got as low as 13 MPG at 55 in the mountains and as high as 17 MPG on flat ground.  While not towing I had a topper and carried probably 500 lbs. and got 21 MPG.   The 6 cylinder automatic Tacoma would have averaged around 17 or 18 MPG and done a better job towing.  My wife's V8 Sequioa gets 16 to18 MPG with over 200,000 miles on the odometer and averaged 13MPG or better towing a 2500 lbs. trailer.  I like the 4 cylinder because of low maintenance cost due to fact it is the only one of the Toyotas that uses a timing chain verses a belt.  I had a 1991 18' Ajo camper trailer that was around 4300 lbs loaded and my 1988 V8 Jeep Wagoneer had a tough time towing it through the western mountains.  Don't forget that if you haul weight in the truck as well as tow a trailer it counts towards your total capacity.  I would expect that if you full time you will want to boon dock rather than pay for campgrounds and therefore want solar, larger holding tanks and carry most of you worldly goods.   It is very easy to overload your trailer and your towing vehicle.  I have towed a small car with a motorhome and it worked well if I moved every two weeks or so.  I now am using a Jeep truck with home built camper top flat towing a Samurai for camping trips as the motor home is parked where I primarially stay.  I am building a light weight car hauler with a 12' living area in front and a 12' flat bed area behind for a Samurai using hopefully a 3/4 ton Suburban thats getting towing mods so that I'll have no worries pulling 5,000 lbs. as the old Jeep Truck doesn't like Interstates.  I would recomend nothing smaller than a 3/4 ton tow vehicle if full timing in a trailer over 17' and under 23' especially if you carry inventory for your business.

I think this very good advice. I'm not exactly sure whether I want uproot at this point anyway. I'm pretty sure a Casita is what I'm looking for; they seem durable and long lasting and well enough built. As well as light. Considering what you said though, I think you're completely right about not getting a truck that can just manage to pull it. The toyota I was looking at claims 3500lbs. The casita weighs pretty much that, so I guess it's at least a V6 for me...

Anything well built like the casita that doesn't cost a fortune?

 

[velojym]

I've looked at replacing my Suburban with something smaller, for mpg reasons, but when I look very deeply, ol' Bob doesn't come out as badly as I'd ordinarily think.
The same trailer that may drag a small truck down into the mid teens, seems to do about the same behind my Burb. The major difference is that I don't get the mpg relief when unencumbered.
What I DO have, on the other hand, is a somewhat livable portable living solution.

If I got a decent sized trailer, and kept it nearly full-time at a place like Coyote Howls, I'd be able to quickly light out for RTR and other short term destinations without the trailer, using the Burb as living quarters, maybe even with a hatchback tent for stretching-out room when the wind isn't too bad.

Sorry... I've been doing a lot of thinking on the matter lately, and the thread kinda brought it out.

 

[highdesertranger]

my buddy had a 2001 Toyota Tundra 4x4 V-8. he would pull a 19ft Carson Toy Hauler. 7-8 mpg is what he got, same as my 78 Chevy 1 ton 4x4 with a 454 and I was towing too. not only that but the trans would overheat on steep up-hills even with a large aftermarket cooler. we were constantly stopping to let his trans cool off. highdesertranger

 

[bullfrog]

In my case there just wasn't anything that my wife and I with all we needed in our case to full time that was light enough or sturdy enough. We have had to build it. If you research you will find people that have full timed for years pulling small trailers usually end up with a heavy duty 3/4 ton or one ton single wheel van or truck. My Samurai is 2200 lbs and my camper box and contents is estimated at 800 lbs, the 24' trailer with 2- 5,200 lbs axles both with electric brakes at 1500 lbs empty adds up to 4500 lbs. I basically have 12' of flat bed and 12' of camper hopefully pulled by a modified 1987 Chevy Suburban. The Samurai is 4 wheel drive and gets 25 MPG or better which will hopefully off set the 8 to 10 MPG the Suburban will get. Using a Radmini electric bike for distances less than 10 miles will also help. I will be using an equallizing hitch with sway control. Tongue weight depending on the direction I load the Samurai are 600Lbs or 450 lbs. Most small well built manufactured trailers are heavy. A good example of this is my neighbor that bought a brand new 16' Airstream and a new 4 door V6 Tacoma. After pulling it home through Colorado and Utah's mountains he immediately traded for a V8 Tundra and even with that put a lot of stuff in storage before taking off again. Full timing while boondocking makes even a small trailer heavy with water, solar and etc. being added. A motor home and a towed vehicle works for a lot of people that stay close to the pavement. A one ton truck and a toy hauler can work also if you need storage space. A 3/4 ton 4 wheel drive and 6' x 12' cargo trailer gets you a little farther from the pavement. A 4x4 with a light weight topper and a TW 200 will get you almost anywhere. I'm to old for motorcycles and most likely wouldn't heal well if I crash, which I would. It comes down to how far you want to go off road to boondock and how much storage you need to do what you want to do. This is my opinion and what I have found works for me.

 

[maki2]

For full timing forget about a truck and instead get a van to pull the trailer. You will have a lot more storage space and when you want to do short or fast trips or go up into the mountains for a few weeks you can leave the trailer behind. This also gives you a functional "guest room" should family or friends want to come along now and again. You will also have extra roof space, enough space for a decent sized solar farm!

 

[bullfrog]

The main reasons for a truck would be 4x4 and possibly maintenance is easier for me, but a van with a locking rear diff and good off road tires really makes a lot of sense. A good fat tire electric bicycle with plenty of solar would as well. RVsue and Jimindenver both have done really well matching their life styles to their vehicles it seems.

 

[DannyB1954]

Towing ratings are based on flat land for the most part. If you come out West we have a lot of steep grades. Going up can be tough, but going down can be outright frightening. If anything happens to the trailer brakes, now you have something pushing you downhill. That is more weight than your vehicle brakes are designed to stop.
The last time I pulled my utility trailer the electric brakes didn't work. So this sort of thing can happen. I was OK because I was just around town. Another project to figure out. Is it the truck, or is it the trailer. Maybe tomorrow.

 

[jimindenver]

Tow ratings can be interesting because it takes a lot less to tow a flat bed or boat vs a travel trailer. There are also other things to consider like is the truck heavy enough to not have the tail wag the dog or the engine big enough to provide the braking power needed on steep down hills. Climbing can suck but it generally is a short term thing. Pulling a wall down a level road with a stiff head wind can go on for hours and you will be less concerned with MPG believe me.

I feel picking the trailer out and then the best choice of truck to pull it is the best way to go. Things to consider are storage, tank size and comfort. It is easy to go camping for a short time with limitations but you will be living in it with all that you own. You will not only have the basic things needed to live but also things that have nothing to do with the day to day but you just do not wish to get rid of them. Make a list of all you will have and imagine where it goes in every trailer you look at. My trailer has bunk beds that provide more storage by themselves than every nook and cranny in a small trailer.

A trailer with small tanks needs to be moved often. Refilling the fresh can be done with jugs but the waste tanks are not so easy. You can poop in a bucket or take showers at the truck stop to get around it but those showers are not always that cheap nor close by.

My 25 ft trailer is a rolling one bedroom apartment. It can sit in the middle of no where for a month and provide me with everything I need. On the other hand I have gone months without unhitching using it like a motor home because I am not staying in one spot long enough to unhitch. Having it lifted and pulled by a 4x4 means it can go down roads others simply fear. I can tell you that a all wheel drive or locked rear end has nothing over 4x4 low which gives you the ability to take the big rocks at a controlled speed. I can gently bring each wheel over a rock instead of having to ram it over.

Cargo capacity of the truck and trailer has to be considered. Water weighs a lot. So do batteries. Think about filling your needs as much as you are MPG. Want to do more than run your led lights and charge a cell phone? Tiny trailers do not have a lot of room up top for solar nor a lot of room inside to store a portable. MPG is nice but not so much if you are running the truck or a generator charging your batteries just sitting there.

For me the ideal tow truck would be a 1 ton 4x4 van. Lots of room inside, lots of capacity, lots of power and lots of room on top for solar to augment the system on the trailer. MPG may not be so good but everything else is.

Since you are starting from scratch I suggest you consider your needs and fill all of them, not just one factor. Decide on them and then pick your equipment.

 

[highdesertranger]

Jim your mail box is full, I tried to PM you. call me or I will call you if I can find your number. highdesertranger

 

[WalkaboutTed]

I pull my 21 foot trailer (5500gvwr) with a full size, eight cylinder cargo van that was converted before I decided to get the trailer. Nice thing about a cargo van is that you can carry things you wouldn't normally be able to (like my bike and an inflatable kayak). Right now I'm in AZ for medical visits and to see the kids. I didn't feel like dragging the trailer here for just a few days. The trailer is sitting in New Mexico and I'm camped up at 8000 feet in the van in the Coronado NF. Best of both worlds.


Ted