RV Adventures of a 70+ year old retired couple with two cats. After an old C&C sailboat, a 38 ft express cruiser powerboat and then an old 40 ft Grand Banks trawler cruising around the northern Cheseapeake Bay, we decided to go farther and faster on land, with all new equipment. Previous experience with a Class C motor home and a Suburban pulling race car trailers, we decided that a travel trailer (with a slide) behind a new Ford 150 Lariat was the way to go.
After trips to Lancaster, Gettysburg, and southern Virginia, we decided that the camping experience was not for us.
First, we found that the two cats were not adjusting to the long travel and the noisy environment at campgrounds. So, found it necessary to leave them home with a twice daily visit from pet-sitter. Leaving our "babies" behind was saddening and limited the duration of our trips.
Second, traffic on the highways is terrible. Truck traffic on the interstates is unbearable. No fun going 65 mph with 18 wheeler trucks zooming past. US highways more tolerable, but anywhere "civilization" the traffic there is way too congested and dangerous with cars and trucks entering from all directions. Even on the beautiful Skyline Drive, traffic was heavy. Stress of driving made more than 300 miles per day almost impossible.
Bottom line..our "territory" was pretty much a 300 circle and driving to Florida, Texas, South Dakota was out of the question. Even a trip to Nashville, Tennesee was just too far.
Finally, the camp grounds are noisy and was too congested. Perhaps to someone leaving an urban environment might find them a nice change of pace. But, for anyone used to rural/suburban living, the campgrounds are like tenement ghettos. Neighbors 10-15 feet away--noisy kids everywhere---outside TV's blaring late at night. Car and truck motors late in evening and early in morning. Not a peaceful place.
The idea of sitting around a campfire seemed glamorous, but the reality of breathing smoke was less fun.
Our best stop was at a Virginia State Park--Shenandoah River. Beautiful, but still too crowded.
So, goodbye travel trailer and F150. Did not cost us much in the end. Maybe the equivalent of $5000 for a year of ownership and 4 camping trips. No regrets. It WAS an adventure.
When towing the travel trailer over the wavy-rolling roads in Central PA, I noticed a distinct "bucking" in the seat of the pants. It increased in magnitude with speed, enough to be of concern.
I considered that one "fix" would be to upgrade the rear shocks on the truck. Also considered upgrading the trailer suspension, including the addition of shocks/dampers to address what some call "chucking". Finally, I thought perhaps the 1000 pound Blue Ox arms were too strong and that maybe 750 pound arms would less apt to cause a "whipping/spring" action.
Before taking those steps, I decided to try the Gen Y Boss Torsion Hitch that isolates the vertical movement at the hitch ball. I went with the 10000# version that is rated for 400-1100 pounds tongue weight.
It essentially provides a rubber spring that absorbs some of the movement at the "hinge" point of the combination--the hitch ball.
If the bucking is caused by the trailer's equalizer suspension "chucking" I do not think the Gen Y will cure the problem. But, the bucking did not seem to be related to the trailer axles moving over bumps, but rathere the rocking motion of the truck and trailer moving over wavy roads causing the vertical load on the hitch to change.
Blue Ox 10000 Stock
The Gen Y hitch is considerably heavier than the Blue Ox stock one. Total assembly is now 97 pounds! I positioned so that the top of the ball was the same 22 inches without the trailer, as when using the Blue Ox stock head.
The Blue Ox weight distribution bars will perform the same as before. The only difference is that the trailer can move up/down at a different magnitude than the truck. The truck and trailer's vertical motion is somewhat isolated--hence the trailer with a high center of gravity that causes be more sensitive to fore/aft rolling motion will impart less of that motion to the truck--making the truck more stable.
The Gen Y hitch will also reduce the jarring motion from the relatively stiff truck suspension when the truck goes over bumps.
As mentioned, the hitch with the Gen Y now weighs in at 97 pounds and creates a potential for back injury for an old man lifting "out" to insert into the receiver, so I built a "install/remove/store" jack fixture. Essentially the wooden frame holds the hitch and sits on an inexpensive light duty floor jack. Rolls on concrete and asphalt easily. Hold the hitch steady while jacking to height and roll into or out of reciever.
Built with a 2x6 base and scrap 1x for legs and supports. Machined a hole to keep the jack head centered. The hole should be just forward of the CG so it does not want to slide forward off the platform while jacking.
Some would just leave the hitch installed, but I remove unless I am using the travel trailer: 1) to minimize exposure to weather; 2) To reduce risk of theft; 3) So truck will fit in garage; 4) To reduce risk of backing into another vehicle; and 5) The back up warning beeper goes off when installed.
It is common to hear anecdotes about the "bucking" with all kinds of explanations. My analysis is that the phenomenon is related to the relatively high center of gravity of the trailer. As the trailer and truck move over wavy roads, the trailer tongue moves up and down--the trailer is "rotating" about the trailer tires and the high CG creates momentum that exagerates and extends the rotation. In addition, the rotation causes the ball socket to move fore and aft---hence the bucking. This is less noticable with flat trailers with low CG and where the tongue tends to be lower. This explains in part why most travel trailers tow better with the ball socket lower with a slight nose down trailer attitude.
The Gen Y did significantly reduce the bucking. Testing indicated that best setup for the 1000# Blue Ox bars was with 8 loose links for an empty trailer. This resulted in a "flat" truck attitude. (37.5" front and rear wheel well) 9 loose links likely to be best for a more heavily loaded trailer. To hook and unhook the chains, it is advisable to raise the hitch up about 2 inches higher than "empty" or about the same height as the trailer jack is set when putting the ball under the receiver socket. Since you have to have the ball and receiver connected, this requires raising the trailer twice--once to hookup the receiver, and then once again to hook up the chains---same with unhooking.
Living in a travel trailer requires energy. If you go from RV park to RV park, the power provided by the 110V, 30A (3600 watt) plug in pretty much provides everything you need. The house battery gets charged by the converter/charger when plugged in and maintained when towing thru the 7 way cord.
But, if you intend to stay at places without plug in power, things get much more complicated.
You need 12 volt power to run the interior LED lights, the refrigerator and the furnace fan. The standard group 24, 50 amp hour battery will quickly be depleted, especially if you use the battery to raise and lower the tongue jack. And, the 7 way cord will take more than 12 hours to recharge the house battery.
One way to help this is to add a battery or batteries to increase capacity. And then recharge this house battery "bank" with Solar panels and a DCtoDC charger from the truck.
You need 110 volt power to run the microwave, air conditioner, the trailer converter/charger and TV. (The TV can run off of an inverter, but will still drain the house battery over a few hours.) The microwave requires around 1000-1100 watts of power. The converter charger another 500 to 800 watts. So a small 1600 (2000 peak) inverter generator fits the bill.
But, for the 13,500 BTU rooftop AC, you need 1400 watts to run with 3000-3100 watts to "start".
If you only use the AC at RV parks, the 1600/2000 small inverter/generator will do fine. There are many, many choices with a wide price range from Harbor Freight to Honda. (They all weight around 50 pounds.) My favorite is the Champion Duel Fuel. I like the idea of running on propane, and it fits inside the bed of the pickup, below the closed Tonneau cover.
If you want to run the AC when boondocking (in parking lots or public parks) you will need more power. To get 3000 or more watts requires a much larger unit or a "companion" small unit that runs in parallel with another small one. Honda, Champion, Harbor Freight and many others offer this combination. The 3000 + watt single units weigh in at nearly 100 pounds. (less without electric start) So, with one or two units, it takes 100 # of generator to run the AC.
Most "parallel combo" setups require both units to be the same brand and output. In other words: (2) 1600-2000 watt units or (2) 2200 watt. So to run the AC you have both running.
I am leaning toward going with the Champion Dual Fuel 3100-3400 unit.
This unit, by itself will start and run the 13500 BTU AC unit and then run everything else too. So normally only one generator running at a time. I would choose the electric start model and would carry a lift assist device to move it to and from the truck bed where it can be stored under the tonneau cover. (At age 70 I may use this for the light 50# generator as well!) Most times it can run placed on the tailgate of the truck. The electric start is much more convenient. Will run about 8 hours on a tank of gasoline, and 20 hours on a 20# propane tank.
On the other hand (2) two of the 1800-2000 running in parallel is also a very good choice. Wresting with that 100 pound electric start unit is a bit intimidating at my age. I would only need to be running the second unit in parallel when running the AC as the single small unit will run every thing else by itself. The smaller unit is significantly quieter vs the larger---53 vs 59 dbA. And dbA is a bit misleading as 53 dbA is 6 sones and 59 is 9 sones or 50% "louder".
Finally, there is some merit toward the standard deep cycle house battery supplemented with an independent lithium iron phosphate bank and small inverter. This could be charged by a DC to DC charger, from solar panels or from the truck DC to DC Charger and/or a battery charger running off a generator. This would allow a much quieter "generators off after dark" setup with maximum flexibility to run the TV and air circulating fans without the risk of completly discharging the main house battery that is running the fridge and is powering the hitch lift needed to hook up the truck.
Of course if money is no object, all of these capabilities can be built into an automated system that switches from plug in to built in solar or generators all automatically.
My first change was to add a second Group 24 Marine lead acid battery. This provides 150 Amp Hours so about 75 Amp Hours usable---enough for the 12 volt refrigerator, furnace fan, 12 volt lighting, and charging cell phones overnight. (The trailer did not have space for 2 group 27 batteries.) I installed marine grade battery selector switch mostly for the ability to disconnect the batteries when not in use.
Lots of options available. Flexible, sliding, folding.
I considered a "cap" but rejected the idea because of my minimal roof clearance in the garage.
I did not want a flexible cover---not enough security.
I did not want the sliding type as it foreclosed room in the front of the bed.
That left the folding option.
Cheapest option was the Extang Solid Fold 2.0. But that did not allow easy access to the front of the bed. And, it was somewhat easy to lift the rear panel an inch or so and see inside the bed.
Another very popular and possible choice was the BAKFlip. This provided good security and access to the front of the bed. I did not like the way it leaned up against the cab.
Final choice was the Extang Encore.
Buying the Extang Encore turned out to be more difficult than expected. I like to promote US manufacters, so being that Extang produces their products in Michigan, I decided to place and order with them directly on their website. In fine print, there was a warning "Please allow up to 20 business days for this item to be shipped." I kinda ignored the warning, thinking there was no way that a manufacturer who takes on line orders would not have inventory. Turns out, they do not have inventory and a few days after ordering I learned they only produce to orders and that my cover would not be shipped for another 30 days.
I searched for distributors having inventory and cancelled the Extang direct order. Calling Real Truck (Same Truck Hereo organization as Extang) I found they had no inventory, but they did have access to other distributors, so a unit was found in Arlington, TX. I was told this would be shipped directly to me.
The following day I get and email from Real Truck that I would get my cover in 30 days!. I called and they claimed a mistake was made and gave me a Fed Ex Tracking No. The unit had been shipped, but not to me, but rather to Real Truck's distribution center in Indiana.
Another call and I was promised they would contact Fed Ex and reroute, enroute. But they did not and the unit arrived in Indiana and was reshipped to me. An extra couple days of transit but several hours of phone calls.
I regretted not ordering from Amazon.
Unit arrived with a bit of minor damage. Packaging was not suited for Fed Ex Home rough delivery and was delivered upside down, despite markings "This side up". Plastic pieces on end of rails for water drains were broken.
Installation was actually easier than their instructions and I accomplished install by myself without much effort. Rails that support the cover are clamped to the bed rails of the truck with aluminum clamps. Track needs to be positioned so that it seals on sides, front and rear without interfering with tail gate. One person can install the rails--push in the clamps to hold them in place, turn over and place the rail, then manipulate clamps and tighten. Total install time was less than one hour. I chose not to install drain hoses as I did not want to cut holes in bed liner--and bed liner is corrugated so water drains out naturally in the channels. I tested with a pressure wand at car wash and the cover seals quite well.
Extang provided styrofoam "tool" to position front of rail
What really is important is position of rear to rail
Extang suggests you need a helper, but rails will be stable when installing clamps
Rail clamps and rail installed
Install looks great and very functional. Really like ability to open/close and lock front panel.
Towing a 7000# trailer requires a weight distribution hitch. I had used the famous "Equalizer" model when pulling my race car trailers behind a motor home and a Suburban. It worked well. But, it was rated at 6000# and their design requires a completely new "head" and "bars" to increase the capacity to 10000#. So, since I needed to buy a new hitch, I did some research and settled on the Blue Ox Sway Pro.
Equalizer
I liked the way the Blue Ox achieved sway control without friction. It was quieter, cleaner and provided more flexibility in that capacity could be changed by simply changing bars.
Blue Ox Sway Pro
There is an amazing lack of understanding of how these hitches actually work. The principles are easy to understand. You are not really reducing the tonque weight, but rather you are moving the weight from the rear axle of the tow vehicle to the front axle as well as to the rear axles of the trailer.
In addition to misunderstandings regarding how the hitch works, there is a bit of controversy as to how much weight should be transferred and how much "droop" or "sag" or "loss of rake" is desireable.
So, I spent some time analyzing my setup.
In the freshman year, engineering students take a basic "Statics and Dynamics" class. Perhaps the most useful of the entire 4 years curriculum. One of the basic concepts is called a "Free Body Diagram" that allows you to analyze forces on an object by complying with the law that for a body that is not in motion, all forces must cancel out for the total object and all torques or "force couples" must also canel out at any point of the object. This takes a bit of getting used to, but it is simple. For example, your standing body has two forces acting on it: 1) The force of gravity pulling you down; and 2) and equal and opposite force of the floor pushing you up.
The above figure is a "free body diagram" of the rig. The lighted loaded trailer is 6700# (6000 rear axles plus 700 tongue) and the truck is 5000# (2000 rear axle and 3000 front axle) before the trailer is connected. With no weight distribution, when connected, the rear axle of the trailer remains at 6000# but the 700# tongue weight is placed on the truck. Since the hitch ball is behind the rear axle, the tongue weight lifts the front proportional to the distance 12:5. 5 times 700 or 3500 ft pounds of torque is applied equal to 292 pounds applied to the 12 foot "lever" distance to the front. (All torques must be equal) So the front weight is REDUCED by 292# to 2708#. Since any weight reduced from the front must be borne by the rear, the rear weight is INCREASED by 292# in addition to the 700# for a total of 2992#.
The F150 has a built in "rake" of 2 in.--the rear is higher by 2 in. than the front. But once the weight is applied to the hitch, the front end will rise by around 1 in. and the rear will sag by around 3.5-4 inches. The rear will now be 2.5-3 inches BELOW the front.
Most old hands know that the trailer should be level or slightly lower in front when towing so to keep air from getting under and creating lift. This same concept applies to the truck. A nose high truck is unstable and the headlights are aimed improperly toward the sky. So the goal is level or a slight rake with front lower for the truck too.
The weight distribution hitch helps to accomplish this by pulling up on the hitch bars (and therefore down on the trailer frame) creating a TORQUE in ft-lbs. equal to WD x 2.5 feet to the trailer. (WD equal to the force applied by both hitch bars together.)
So for example, let's assume we apply 1000 pounds of WD. (500# per bar) The 1000# WD will produce a torque of WD x 2.5 feet or 2500 ft-lbs to the trailer. This in turn creates a force of 2500 divided by 17--adding 147 to the trailer axles. (17x147=2500=2.5x1000) It will also add 1000-147# of increased force, or 853# on the hitch ball.
Here is where the "free body diagram" concept is important. As a "coupled" unit, the 147# force on the trailer axles is "balanced" by a force on the front truck tires. Torque about any point must be equal (teeter-totter concept) so the torque around the rear truck tires is 147# x 22 ft. from the trailer or 3234 ft-lbs. countered by a force on the front tires of 269#. (269 x 12 = 3234)
It is very easy to get confused with a combination "body". The above analysis is the simplest, but another way is to look at a free body diagram of each unit separately. The 1000# WD creates 2500 ft-lbs torque on the trailer---pulling it down on the rear and the ball: 147# to the rear axles and the remaining 853# to the ball. (Teeter totter with long and short balanced.) Forces exactly opposite these are applied to the truck: 1000# up on the bars and 853# down on the ball. So this is a teeter totter about the rear axles--two forces on one side and one force on the other: 1000# x 7.5ft= 7500 ft-lbs less 853# x 5 ft= 4265 ft-lbs or 3235 ft-lbs. balanced by 269# x 12 ft. = 3235 ft-lbs with the 269# added to the front truck axle. Same result.
Since the weight of the total rig has not changed, the rear axle weight of the truck has been reduced by the 147# taken by the trailer axles, and 269# on the front axle of the truck. So the rear axles weight is reduced by 416# from 2992# to 2576#. The rear will now be about 2.0 inches lower than original and the truck will be about level This is acceptable and even recommended by Ford.
Some would be increase the WD by pulling up the bars more to 1400#. (205# to the trailer axles, 375# to the front (3083# total) reducing rear axle weight by 580# to 2412#. This essentially places the front about about 3/8 inch lower than orginal height and the rear about 2.0 inches below original height. * The truck will now have about 3/8-1/2 inch "rake".
(* This disproportionate drop or sag in the rear is why the top of the ball should always be 1 to 2 inches ABOVE the desired top of the trailer ball socket.)
In many people's opinion, this higher weight transfer would be "ideal". Some suggest more WD to put even more weight on the front--their argument would be that a top heavy trailer transfers weight to the rear truck axles under heavy braking, taking weight away from the front truck axles. My opinion is the trailer and the truck both being level or with 1/2 inch rake under normal operation is ideal depending on cargo loads. It is important to note that the weight distribution WD increases when the coupler is lowered, thus limiting much of this weight transfer under braking.
This variation in WD can be from changing the chain length or position of bar support brackets, or by changing bars. Using a hitch rated for 1000# tongue weight for a trailer having 700# tongue weight is probably close to the example above with 1400# WD. However, data as to actual force applied by the hitch bars is not provided by most manufacturers and often the WD produced by "factory" settings is less than what is required to bring the front weight and height back to "original". Just like there are some that suggest higher WD, others suggest only moving "half" of the weight. The WD can be reasonably estimated by the relative heights of the front and rear of the truck.
One must consider the GAWR figures. The GAWR for the front axle is 3525#. 4050# for the rear. With the "level" WD of 1000#, extra weight of 500# can be carried on the front and 1400# on the rear. But the GVWR is 7000#, so with 3500# on the front, only 3500# can be carried on the rear making the "capacity" for cargo of 500# front, 900# rear. Possibly you will reach the front max before the total of 7000# is reached if cargo is loaded to maintain a level attitude. Plus, adding more WD reduces the cargo capacity for the trailer. So, any WD above the 1000# level probably reduces cargo carrying capacity unless the cargo load is centered behind the truck rear axle.
If rake in the F150 towing vehicle is desired, probably the addition of an air ride "helper" would be a good mod. That feature is available on Ram pickups and the GM SUV's.
In addition to misunderstanding the principles of weight distribution on the truck, there may be even more misunderstanding regarding the function of the different WD hitch designs in regards to controlling sway. The "traditional" approach to sway control is to increase a frictional force to resist the rotation of the trailer about the hitch ball. Some actually use a friction bar--others use friction between the spring bars and the L brackets on the trailer. This is pretty intuitive, resist sway by applying a "braking" force to the rotation.The Blue Ox Sway Pro model uses a completely different principle--without friction. The Blue Ox uses the change in the three dimensional geometric position of the bar to introduce force in the spring bar itself to oppose the sway movement. In a sense--the Blue Ox produces forces to "center" the trailer and truck in the straight ahead position. This is accomplished by placing the trunnions for the bars at a significant incline---as the bars rotate, the "outside" bar moves down pulling on the chain, producing an increased force and increasing the bar's deflection. The "inside" bar moves up, decreasing the force on that bar. Also, the forces produced by the Blue Ox place a small "torque" on the truck and trailer since the "outside" bar is being pulled up more by the trailer than the "inside" bar. (The dynamics of this torque tends to offset the torque applied by a swaying trailer's hitch pushing the truck sideways toward the "outside".) The force bending the bar and the forces opposing the torque stabilize the combination. Unlike friction based anti-sway, the Blue Ox stabilizing force increases significantly with the angle of the "turn" so it more powerful in reducing sway.
The article below is excellent and may help in understanding hitch function. It leans toward the opinion that a large amount of weight should be moved.
The top of the 2" hitch receiver for the F150 is at 21 in. above ground without the trailer. The top of the trailer hitch ball socket with the Puma 25RBSC when level is 21.5 in. With the trailer connected, and the rear of the F150 dropped 2" (level), the top of the hitch receiver would be at 19 in. So, we would need the top of the ball to be at 3" above the hitch receiver.
In the lowest position on the 7 hole Blue Ox shank receiver, the ball would be 1" above top of the hitch receiver in the truck. Each hole moves the receiver up 1.25 in. so one hole showing below would place the ball 2.25 in. above the hitch receiver---close to perfect. (This would be 22 inches to top of the ball before the trailer is connected.)
The dealer set the hitch with two holes showing below the receiver, and the trailer was nose high. It also did not pull as well as I liked, so I moved it to the next lower position; with one hole showing---which would put the trailer with a slight 1/4 to 1/2" nose down attitude--most usually recommended as the "most stable".
With the hitch higher, I almost scraped the rear trailer stabilizer jacks entering a parking spot, so lowering the nose 1" will help with that too.
I tested the rig by hooking up without connecting the Blue Ox weight bars. Hitch ball was 20" so the F150 has dropped a bit more than 3" and the trailer showed a "nose down" attitude of about 1.5". A towing test at 50 mph indicated the rig was still very stable and towed quite well.
The Puma 25RBSC weighs 5700# empty, and 7300# maximum. The F150 weighs around 5000# empty and is rated at 7000# max. The 7000# max includes tongue weight from trailer.
I figure the maximum Gross Combination Weight is around 13,600# with 7000# on the truck tires and 6600# on the trailer axles (1650# per tire). Most likely, I will be operating at 13,000#.or less.
My first drive on "wavy" country roads, lightly loaded at 11,200#, the rig operated with excellent stability and control---great braking and stable pull. With one exception---the "wavy" road undulations translated into a "wavy" up/down oscillation almost like being on a boat. It appered to be more in the rear of the truck.
The trailer has no shock absorbers and the truck has "stock" OEM shocks. The truck also has "Standard Load" tires that tend to have more flexible sidewalls. I was running 40 psi in the tires.
First--I suspect that max inflation of the rear tires will be necessary when towing. And it is possible that LT 10 ply rated tires with stiffer side walls may reduce the oscillation. My first choice for tire change would be Bridgestone Dueller Revo that have the same diameter as the Goodyear Wrangler's on it now. (Nitto also offers a LT 275 55 20 but it is slightly larger (1.2%) larger.
Second, it seems clear that shocks with more damping will be a good mod. The F150 has a reputation of being "bouncy" in the rear. (Some call it "hopping") Stiffer shocks do not make the ride less "harsh but stiffer shocks do reduce "bouncy". Bilstein 5100 or Fox 2.0 are good candidates. I will make this mod first probably with the Bilsteins. The Fox 2.0 are more expensive and more for racing that street operation.
Third, oscillation of the trailer without shocks may simply be movement that the truck cannot completely absorb. The weight distribution hitch adds an additional "spring" that may affect oscillation as the tongue moves up and down increasing and reducing the weight bar tension. So, Roadmaster shocks for the trailer will be considered after evaluating the the improvement from the new truck shocks.
We looked into using a Chevy Tahoe (Z71 or High Country) with air ride for our towing vehicle, but in the end, the superior towing capacity and extra heft of the Ford F150 with the 3.5L Eco-Boost engine won out. We figured that we would be carrying gear like generators and ladders and the pickup would be more capable for that purpose. Plus we did not need a 3rd row of seats and the extra weight that entailed. We were surprised that no dealers within 100 miles had the air ride suspension in any of their stock of Tahoe's.
We chose the top of the line F150 Lariat package with max towing, giving us over 12000# towing capacity (actually rated at 13200#) and 1200# tonque weight. We traded in my 2017 Honda Ridgeline. I loved the Ridgeline--great truck--fast and economical (24 mpg) and very practical. The F150 is a dream to drive---heavier but still fast with the 3.5L twin turbo engine, and reasonably economical with 21 mpg possible with careful driving. Surprising but with the side mirrors electrically tucked in, it fit into our condo 2 car garage. (I did have to adjust the garage door opener travel to provide 78" of clearance.)
The F250 Super Duty with 7.3L V8 gas engine was a option---it was too high and long for the garage and the 3.5L EcoBoost is only available in the F150. The main advantage of the F250 is the extra 1000-1500# of weight, making it a bit more stable as a towing vehicle. If I were going to live in the RV full time, I would have chosen the Super Duty.
We are not into living in an RV for extended periods of time---two weeks would probably be a maximum trip length. (More likely 3-7 day trips around eastern US for us.) We really loved the Airstreams, but they are expensive and lack the space provided by a slide. After shopping around, we looked at a Keystone Cougar at Camping World and liked the layout, but did not like the the Camping World sales pitch. We found a nice Forest River Palomino Puma 25RBSC unit at family owned Harbold's RV in nearby Dover, PA. Their sales approach was low key but informative and pricing was fair and reasonable.
RV's like boats require some (maybe more than just some) mechanical "handiness" but starting out with new equipment will hopefully keep the "repair and servicce" workload to a manageable level.
We chose the travel trailer and pickup combo as we intend to unhook and travel for sightseeing and eating out in the truck. The Supercrew cab gives us enough space for the two cats while driving and in the end, the pickup provided more towing power and flexibility than an SUV.
