Speaking of upgrading the Trailer.......

ArmyVeteran · 12-01-2019, 07:07 PM

I am waiting on the "war department" to peruse the internet. Then she will send me the "list" hehe

In the mean time:

Any thoughts on external construction? I like the way the smooth/fiberglass looks of course. We have that now.

But, is there an advantage to the "siding" look and construction?? Besides easier repair as in only needing to replace the damaged area. As opposed to replacing an entire section.

Thanks

acdii · 12-04-2019, 09:07 PM

Depends on how light a trailer you want. The Coleman we have is the "siding" style, and 7600 GVWR. It has ~2400 cargo load, but if it had a slide, that would be cut in half, or the GVWR would be higher.

We have looked at other makes/models and found the Alpha Wolf, which has Aluminum framing and fiberglass smooth panels, has a slide and is 4 feet longer, but the weight is not much more UVW than our Coleman. It is also a 7600 GVWR trailer.

I guess the easiest way is to compare similar floorplan models and look at the curb weights and GVWR. With your new truck, looks like you will be in the 7600 GVWR trailer, and there are plenty of them to choose from, but finding the lightest curb weight will help decided which one you will like the best.

ArmyVeteran · 12-05-2019, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acdii

Depends on how light a trailer you want. The Coleman we have is the "siding" style, and 7600 GVWR. It has ~2400 cargo load, but if it had a slide, that would be cut in half, or the GVWR would be higher.

We have looked at other makes/models and found the Alpha Wolf, which has Aluminum framing and fiberglass smooth panels, has a slide and is 4 feet longer, but the weight is not much more UVW than our Coleman. It is also a 7600 GVWR trailer.

I guess the easiest way is to compare similar floorplan models and look at the curb weights and GVWR. With your new truck, looks like you will be in the 7600 GVWR trailer, and there are plenty of them to choose from, but finding the lightest curb weight will help decided which one you will like the best.

Thanks for the info.

ArmyVeteran · 12-20-2019, 06:56 PM

After much cussing and discussing we may have a winner.
The "War Department"identified a trailer she likes. Drum RoLLLLLL

2020 Forest River Surveyor West 267RBSS

We went to see it. And for about 2 foot more in the box it is amazing the difference. The floor plan has a lot to do with it. Rear bath. We did not have a couch in the old trailer, only dinette. That sucks, we found out.

I was duly impressed. I walked in and it was cavernous! By comparison anyway. 50 Amp and prewired for another AC unit. Oh yeah, I like that.

The best part is the throne is porcelain LOL

Working on the shekles.

We shall see.

Happy Holidays to y'all. And Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

acdii · 12-20-2019, 07:18 PM

Wait, aren't they all Porcelain? Forest River has some nice trailers, that's for sure.

ArmyVeteran · 12-21-2019, 04:21 PM

ArmyVeteran · 12-21-2019, 04:23 PM

Wife is definitely in love with this one. If we get it, I hope the quality is better than our Kodiak.

Time for the end of year sales:-)

aguablanco · 12-21-2019, 04:54 PM

The most important question is, what truck do you plan to tow with? It's great to get a bigger, newer trailer but the tow vehicle has to be rated for it. If it is the Avalanche shown in your profile I see problems in your future.
RichH

ArmyVeteran · 12-21-2019, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aguablanco

The most important question is, what truck do you plan to tow with? It's great to get a bigger, newer trailer but the tow vehicle has to be rated for it. If it is the Avalanche shown in your profile I see problems in your future.
RichH

Thanks for the reply.
We just upgraded to a 2019 Ram 4x4 hemi with 3.92 rear
Sorry, I have not had time to update.
Will do that now.

The Avalanche did great with our older trailer.

Have fun!

ArmyVeteran · 12-21-2019, 09:34 PM

Updated Picture.

**wahoonc** · 12-29-2019, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmyVeteran

Updated Picture.

Nice rig! Actually one of those would be fun to have.

I see you already have your new rig.

In answer to your original question about the siding. The lap siding indicates a wooden wall frame. Which is old school, nothing wrong with it, however, it is prone to quick damage due to water leaks. Also, that is not a composite wall structure so it can be taken apart fairly easily.

Smooth side walls are usually indicative of aluminum framing and possibly vacuum bonding. They will tolerate leaks a bit better but are much harder to repair.

Aaron

ArmyVeteran · 12-29-2019, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wahoonc

Nice rig! Actually one of those would be fun to have.

I see you already have your new rig.

In answer to your original question about the siding. The lap siding indicates a wooden wall frame. Which is old school, nothing wrong with it, however, it is prone to quick damage due to water leaks. Also, that is not a composite wall structure so it can be taken apart fairly easily.

Smooth side walls are usually indicative of aluminum framing and possibly vacuum bonding. They will tolerate leaks a bit better but are much harder to repair.

Aaron

Thanks for the reply. I did not consider the water issue with siding.

In our research, Grand Design has a "new siding " system, in their Transcend Xplor line.

Kind of like it. The trailer, not necessarily the siding. Grand Design seems to have a decent reputation.

We are going to look at one this week.

Have fun

acdii · 12-29-2019, 03:31 PM

As long as the roof and top seams are cared for and kept clean, shouldn't matter which wall type it has because it won't need repair.

The one advantage the newer wall systems have beside better strength and insulation properties is they are lighter in weight, but also more expensive, by at least $8-10K over stick and sheathing.

Forest River has a new wall system they put out in 2018, but haven't been able to find specifics on it. It is thinner with a higher R value and stronger all at the same time. Looks nice too. Hoping to get my Coleman sold this spring so we can upgrade to an Alpha or Arctic Wolf Bunkhouse.

ArmyVeteran · 12-29-2019, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acdii

The one advantage the newer wall systems have beside better strength and insulation properties is they are lighter in weight, but also more expensive, by at least $8-10K over stick and sheathing.

Thanks for the reply.

We have not seen that much difference, if any in price difference. That may have to do with trailer size and quality. And I am concentration on aluminum anyway at this point. Keeping the weight down is important to me.

Happy New Year!

acdii · 12-29-2019, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmyVeteran

Thanks for the reply.

We have not seen that much difference, if any in price difference. That may have to do with trailer size and quality. And I am concentration on aluminum anyway at this point. Keeping the weight down is important to me.

Happy New Year!

Guess it depends on the brand. I was shopping Dutchman/Coleman. The Lantern and Lantern Lite are what I was using as reference. Tow nearly identical floor plans, difference being a few inches in length. Lantern is stick and skin and Lite is composite wall.

Coleman Lantern 285BH, 32'9", 6603# UVW MSRP $33,874

Coleman Lantern Lite 2835BH 32'11", 6436# UVW MSRP $37,530

So $4k MSRP difference for this brand MSRP, but the real difference is the sale prices. In that case, for this brand, they are the same, now. They were quite different back in the Summer though. So guess it depends mainly on when buying than anything. There were a couple other brands I looked at where the spread was much more, closer to what I mentioned in the previous post.

ArmyVeteran · 12-29-2019, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acdii

Guess it depends on the brand. I was shopping Dutchman/Coleman. The Lantern and Lantern Lite are what I was using as reference. Tow nearly identical floor plans, difference being a few inches in length. Lantern is stick and skin and Lite is composite wall.

Coleman Lantern 285BH, 32'9", 6603# UVW MSRP $33,874

Coleman Lantern Lite 2835BH 32'11", 6436# UVW MSRP $37,530

So $4k MSRP difference for this brand MSRP, but the real difference is the sale prices. In that case, for this brand, they are the same, now. They were quite different back in the Summer though. So guess it depends mainly on when buying than anything. There were a couple other brands I looked at where the spread was much more, closer to what I mentioned in the previous post.

Gotcha. Yea a whole bunch of variables. And location, location. I bet SC may be cheaper than Illinois. At least that is why we retired down here.

acdii · 12-29-2019, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArmyVeteran

Gotcha. Yea a whole bunch of variables. And location, location. I bet SC may be cheaper than Illinois. At least that is why we retired down here.

I bought my Coleman out of state and had to pay the difference in tax before I could get the plates, so have to consider that before I purchase out of state too. I had to pay for a temp tag in WI where I bought it too.

I so want to leave this miserable state, but my house is a wreck that I can't keep up with, so selling would be a pain, and I still have at least 10 more years before I can retire, so in the meantime, just working towards getting my plans together for retirement, which will see the end of owning a house and hitting the road. I also have a really good job in WI, and property up there is not cheap either for what I would want. I hate city living so out in the farmland it would be, and I also am an RC pilot and must have a flying field to fly at, and there are NONE up where I work.

At least I have one close to where I live now, so one bright spot in this miserable state.

lcv800 · 12-30-2019, 09:32 AM

Feel your pain acdii. I too am an Illinois resident. So sick and tired of "tax and spend" and nothing gets better, just more expensive. Registration up to $150 this year, just as a starter. Glad I'm retired and can at least escape to Florida for the winter. Hang in there my friend and keep planning!
Rusty

acdii · 12-30-2019, 12:55 PM

The registration is higher than that. Just got mine recently for my F150. $164. I also have 4 trailers, an F350 and a Focus. The Focus will be $164, I dread to see what the F350 will be with D plates, but the killer are the trailers. The RV stayed the same, but the two little ones, that used to be $18, will now be $118, each! The horse trailer will be parked in the barn, not renewed. It is ridiculous.

**wahoonc** · 12-30-2019, 08:06 PM

Unfortunately the increasing taxes and such seem to be creeping in everywhere. So far ours have stayed reasonable here in the Sandhills of NC, but I ain't holding my breath. Some things have gotten a lot more onerous as the population has increased. Building permits have been one of them. Last big barn we built, we paid the fee and that was it. The current one by the house the fees have tripled and they want to keep doing inspections on every stage, which has slowed things down quite a bit.

I am not sure there is anywhere you can completely escape from it. But some areas are sure a lot better than others.

Aaron

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