Need Towing Advice, 5500 camping trailer

That Freedom Express was a close second choice to my 24RD. We decided that the dinette arrangement was important to us. The two trailer are very close in weight but the 204RD is longer but doesn't have the slide.

 

Dining wasn't important for us. This camper is the queen's castle, and gets parked at our property. The property has dining area.

 

What up everyone,

Just getting into the whole RV life as I start up a new career move that involves lots of traveling. I currently own a 2017 trd pro model and I was coming to you guys for advice. I am looking at a forest river no boundaries 19.5 dry weight listed at 3,456lbs. I do have a CBI rock slider with weight at approx 150lbs and added fn fx pro wheels at 25lbs each, a pound less than the stock wheels, that I wrapped with BFG KO2s. I do live in Southern California and expected to travel throughout all of California.

any suggestions for a first time RV user? am I in over my head?

Thanks in advance!!

 

The Forest River No Boundries is a good first choice. Your Tacoma wont have issues pulling it. Consider a sway control WD hitch. I use a 6k Equalizer and it works very well. If you plan dragging it into some remote areas the No Boundries is a good choice but if your going to do pavement duty a double axle trailer would work better. The Coachman 192RBS has very close to the same floor plan and weight but it's a double axle.

 

Thanks for the suggestion and reply!

I'll have to sit with the Ms and take a look at the Coachman.
We were also looking at the Flagstaff E-Pro E19QB and the Rockwood G19FBS.
Majority of our travels will be on pavement but we really love to be outdoors and overland once in a while.


Any recommendations on a good sway control WD hitch setup?

 

I would look at the Equalizer WD hitch in the 6K range. It has 4 point sway control that works very well when set up correctly

 

Comon, less than half? My '18 Tacoma 4x4 sport as printed in the owner's manual is rated for 6,400lbs so your saying less than 3,200lbs? I safely pull 5K without any issues.

 

Whether or not you can isn't the issue so much as how much you'll piss everyone else off. Get used to pulling over at every pullout so traffic behind you can pass. Nothing worse in the mountains than some dick with a large trailer or RV blocking everyone else and oblivious to it.

 

I my trailer weight is at 5K fully loaded and with the my wife and I, 90 lb generator in the bed and a small 11lbs dog I'm just under the GCWR for the truck. The limiting factor of the Tacoma is the payload.

 

I pull at a max of 65mph, the actual speed rating of the trailer tires. In the mountains of coarse your going slower up hill just like every other transport truck, motor home and RV on the road.

Watch the video, the Tacoma maintains 60mph.

https://youtu.be/DCkBmiZV09w

 

I had no issues maintaining speed any of the times I went through the mountains. There were plenty of people going much slower not pulling trailers.

 

My point isn't that you can't or shouldn't go slow but that you pull over and let others pass when they are stuck behind - particularly on 2 lane mountain roads. Colorado used to have a law around this but not sure if it's still enforced.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKMJdwJWggI