TT Towing

I believe this is a pop up and not a travel trailer, the OP did state that GVWR is 3500, so the mt trailer may weigh 1000# less to allow room for packing.

That being said at a 3500GVW rating it should have factory brakes on it as I believe MOST/ALL states require this. This would require a 6 or 7 pin connector depending on what the female end is on the trailer.....

Tranny cooler will be a must have/oil cooler would be great insurance especially in hilly terrain...hopefully the truck is at least a cylinder...

Now after all that, IMHO opinion this truck will be @ it's max or possibly overloaded, as one must factor in the weight of the truck, gear and passengers so it's time for a smaller pop-up or a new truck...

EDIT/OOPS I see the OP clarified some of this..
Also a heavier rated hitch alone does not increase towing capacity, ie; some half ton FS trucks come w/the same factory hitch as their 3/4 and 1 ton big brothers being rated for 12K.....this does NOT mean that you can tow 12K w/a 1/2 ton....lol

 

I tow a pop up that is about 3500lbs loaded. It would be a handful without trailer brakes in a heavy breaking situation, I highly recommend them.

I am no expert, but from what I have read, adding parts does not increase weight ratings, so please be careful. At the end of the day, we don't own full size trucks and they can get pushed around pretty good by a loaded trailer.

 

Don't even think of towing that thing with out brakes think about putting a VW in the bed of the truck and trying to stop. I tow a Sunline with about the same weight you will probably want a anti sway hitch with only one axle also maybe even an equalizing hitch too. Hope it's a 6 cylinder truck.

 

So you were thinking the Jayco X17Z but now going for a pop up instead, right?

I think that's probably a good choice for 2 reasons:

1. I debated a Hybrid for a while, and decided you can get a smaller, lighter trailer with more sleeping space than a traditional TT, but you still deal with canvas, which can be really un insulated in the cold and really hot (as you know we get where we live).

2. Pop up is more aerodymanic, lower center of gravity, and lighter.

I think I'd skip the hybrid for the region we live in, and either go pop up to be more like tent camping, or go tall wall TT for motel style.

Hybrids are all of cost of a TT with all the cons of the Pop up.

 

I don't know. Which regular 19' TT at 3,600lbs gives you two regular queen size beds in which a 6'3 guy can sleep and stretch without sticking out half a yard? A Jayco X19H does that.
The other advantage is that around here, state parks restrict their best sites to 20' trailers. Not much room in a trailer of that size unless it's a hybrid ...

 

thanks for all the input guys. I have just purchased my jayco pop up yesterday with full brake setup and i will be installing my brake controller and 7-way tomorrow. Im pretty excited to go camping now. Yes I do have a V6. The pop-up is 2400 dry, still has 3500 gross. but like i said i before i pack very light, dont travel very far, and will be paying very close attention to my weight. Its all flat where i live and i have an access cab so no more than 2 people in the truck.
Very good point Fajitas, that was another reason i settled on the pop-up vs the expandable. unfortunately i wont get to use it till march because im about to deploy again for 2 months.

 

I think you will be happy with your pup/taco rig. Enjoy camping and thanks for serving!

 

I think so too. Jayco makes great stuff as well.

And regarding your comment Seschgang:

Don't get me wrong, I think Hybrids are honestly a great thing. You can take a 17' trailer and sleep 8 people, whereas my 23' barely does 4.

The only reason I mention that is specifically for the region that me and the OP live in. We get 110+ summers and therefore we don't typically camp during the summer months because it's so fricking hot. That means that camping season for my family usually starts in August, where most people are putting up for the winter.

Our winters are typically never get much under 40F, which means that it's really cold in a canvas setup, but not bad with a heater in a traditional TT. I only rejected the Hybrid after a few weeks of checking it out heavily, and the main factor is simply we camp in the winter cause our summers are insane hot and humid (110F isn't so bad, but at 70% humidity because we live on the coast makes it unbearable).

However, in regards to the OP, tent campers are a bit more rugged and with a heated blanket you can do quite well in SE Texas.

 

Yeah, you have a point with the heat and cold.
I guess it depends on where you live.

 

I really like the Rockwood Roo 233s. I think it's a great layout and has heated mattresses, so cold camping would be no problem. But I will stick with the pup for at least another year.

 

I looked REALLY hard at this one because of the slide.

I hear good things about the Roos.

 

To use the heated mattrasses you need an electrical hookup site - and if you have that, you could also use a space heater.
We had heated mattresses in our popup for 5 years and did not use it a single time. I don't even know if they worked ....

 

I had actually was originally looking at the rock woods because you get so much bang for the buck, Jayco on the other hand put more of the investment into reliability and safety such as standard brakes, seamless roof with lifetime warranty, lifter push rods instead of cables, lifetime warranty on floor and frame, and etc. I do wish they came with the outside gas grill and the stereo though. The heated mattresses would be cool too. Plus i got a real good deal on my pop-up so i was sold.

 

Ya, I would be hard pressed to trade out of my pup. I sleep 8 comfortably with air and heat, best part is its paid for...

 

OK, I just pulled my new PUP from the dealership, trucks pulls it great, I kept it in 4th and it didn't down shift once going over all the bridges on the Houston beltway. And i'm so glad i took everyone's advice and installed the trailer brake kit on my truck, the first thing that happened to me as soon as i got on the beltway, minding my own business at 60 MPH in right lane this car comes up the side me cut in front and hits the brakes hard so to make the next exit. The thought in my mind was lets see how good these brakes work, not a good way to test them but hey i'm here, so i hit the brakes firmly push them down till just before the ABS kicked in. And behold the truck and trailer stopped very rapidly and controllable. Just need to change my underwear now. So thanks for all the advice.

P.S. Proportional brake controllers are awesome, time delay controllers are not as awesome.

 

pics!!

 

Congrats!

Agree.

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Also, I am guessing if you bought in Houston you bought somewhere along I45 North maybe? I bought my TT at DeMontrond and those guys were pretty decent to deal with. I'll give them points for hospitality when dealing with service issues.

I did not like the fact that all of those places are RIGHT off I45...which is in my opinion, the worst freeway in Houston for traffic. It's a pain to get up on there.

Also, as a rule of thumb the smaller the car on the road, the BETTER the chance of them having never pulled a trailer or driven a heavier vehicle, so smaller cars run a greater risk of cutting you off and not realizing you're stopping 10,000 lbs. Never trust them

 

Yes i got mine from Lone Star RV North. My dealer was Gordon and he is probably one of the best sales men I've ever worked with.

I agree with I45, I have to drive 88 miles of it everyday from Pasadena to Galveston. Absolutely horrible.