New Owner

squeaky · 05-06-2016, 11:22 AM

So I'm a new owner and still haven't seen my new trailer in person. This is my first travel trailer and I'm super excited. However I haven't been able to see it in person. I had my in-laws handle the transaction and it's on their property waiting for me. According to the seller it was a 1983 14 foot, but looking at the photos, I'm pretty sure its a 17 foot. The interior has been modified (all water and the bathroom, shower, sink, etc. was removed) so it might make identification harder. My in-laws are not too tech savvy so I won't be getting more pictures or anything from them.

I could use some help in identifying the model to be sure though. I think it's either an 1983 or maybe a 1984 T1750. The title that came with it appears to be a reissued title and it's missing a lot of detail.

Also this will be my first time towing anything like this. Do I need to invest in a brake controller or anything? I have a 2006 Nissan Titan so weight won't be a problem.

Thanks for any help you can give me.

**JohnB** · 05-08-2016, 09:01 AM

Hi and Welcome! Congrats on your new Sunny. The pics look like it is in good condition inside.

I can't help much on the year. I am not that in tune with the 80's series campers as far as what attributes on the outside came at what year.

I can help on the towing aspect.

You will need an electric brake controller. That is a must and a legal requirement. And if your state does inspections on trailers, they will test the brakes using your controller or fail it if it does not have one that works. Both of the axles on the camper have brakes, or did from the factory.

Your truck brakes cannot handle holding back both the truck weight and the camper pushing it. While you will eventually stop, it will not be in the proper distance as the truck brakes are only sized to stop the truck and now a twin axle camper. The electric brake controller fires up the brakes on the camper to stop in time with the truck brakes. Does the back of your truck have a 7 wire trailer connection? And while it may have one, it may not have the optional electric brake controller. Those are many times an add on. Some of the new pickups comes with them installed, but I do not know about Nissan.

Next is the tongue weight or hitch weight of the camper. If we knew the model/year we can look up the dry, unloaded tongue weight as a place to start. Regardless odds are favorable with a twin axle camper the unloaded and the loaded tongue weight can easily be over 500#.

Somewhere on your truck is a rating of the rear towing receiver. And in your case, the receivers should have 2 ratings. Weight carrying and Weight Distribution. It may be a sticker on the receiver itself or in your owners manual. It is very common that in weight carrying mode, this means dead weight of the trailer is carried on the to ball, that the receiver may only be rated at 500# max or other lower number unless a weight distribution hitch is added and then the weight rating of the receiver goes way up.

This is the sticker off my 1 ton F350 that came with it in 2005. Yes, a 1 ton truck that can only support 500# in weight carrying mode. But add the WD hitch and it goes to 1,250#, more then double.

You will need to sort this out. Towing with underrated hitch equipment is not good and sooner or later becomes a large problem. We can help more as needed. Just ask.

Another topic is trailer tires. On that camper they need to be ST type tires. it will show up in the size number and are not P type tires like on may autos in the 1/2 ton series. And they need to be sized to the correct load rating of the camper, C or D laod raings etc, and air up to max side wall pressure when cold. The age of the tire is something to investigate. There is a DOT date code molded into the side wall. You can decode the date of mfg. If they are past 5 years old, it will soon be time to start looking for replacements. Look for cracks in the side walls or in the treads. They come with age and when they get large enough, issues will come from them. On trailer tires, they normally do not wear out, they age out. Can't go by the amount of tread left like on auto's

Hope this helps and good luck. We are here to help with any questions. There are no "dumb" questions here on Sunline Club. So don't be afraid to ask. We are glad to help

John

squeaky · 05-09-2016, 09:17 AM

My truck is a 2006 Nissan Titan 4x4 with the tow and off-road packages. It's a really hefty truck. It does have the 7 way wiring harness but does not have an integrated brake controller. But based on some of my own research seems to have a connector for one, I need to get up under my dash to confirm. According to the manual we have a 9400lbs tow capacity with 940lbs tongue load and a gross combined weight rating of 14822lbs.

According to the title the weight of the trailer is 2635. Though the title doesn't specify the model, I think the trailer was re-titled so I'm wary of these numbers.

With these ratings, would you recommend a WD hitch or will a regular hitch be able to pull this just fine. Either way I plan on getting sway control as well.

I'm going to be pulling a trailer of this size for the first time and my first trip back home is nearly 900 miles and starts in the Blue Ridge Mountains. That said we'll be spending a few weeks with the in-laws before driving it back home, so I'll take it out for some practice.

About the tires, that is going to be the first thing I investigate when I get up there. I have a feeling we'll be replacing tires before we tow it back home, but I'll wait and see. I'm going to wait until we are up there before purchasing any equipment too. Thanks for your help so far, and I anticipate more questions.

**Sunline Fan** · 05-09-2016, 01:00 PM

It's a 1983 T-1950. Not to be confused with the newer T-1950 floorplan.

19'8" overall
2635 lbs dry, as you stated the title said.

RockDodger · 05-09-2016, 01:02 PM

This looks exactly like my '87 T2153; even the floor plan, which would make it a 20 footer with actual cabin length of 18'6". It also looks a lot bigger in the photo than 14 feet, so you are probably right on the money at 17'. I don't know about the year, but it looks like a T2153 to me.

Relie · 05-09-2016, 04:09 PM

Just looking at the picture of trailer, you'll need to use a wd hitch.
Happy Camping!

**Tweety** · 05-09-2016, 05:17 PM

Is it legal to tow a trailer with an air conditioner sticking out the side like that?

**JohnB** · 05-09-2016, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by squeaky

My truck is a 2006 Nissan Titan 4x4 with the tow and off-road packages. It's a really hefty truck. It does have the 7 way wiring harness but does not have an integrated brake controller. But based on some of my own research seems to have a connector for one, I need to get up under my dash to confirm. According to the manual we have a 9400lbs tow capacity with 940lbs tongue load and a gross combined weight rating of 14822lbs.

With these ratings, would you recommend a WD hitch or will a regular hitch be able to pull this just fine. Either way I plan on getting sway control as well.

I'm going to be pulling a trailer of this size for the first time and my first trip back home is nearly 900 miles and starts in the Blue Ridge Mountains. That said we'll be spending a few weeks with the in-laws before driving it back home, so I'll take it out for some practice.

Your truck is very capable. However that 940# tongue load sounds like a weight distributing rating. Meaning in order to have a tongue weight that heavy, you need the WD hitch.

Nissan like the rest of many of the auto makers bury info in the owners manual if there is no sticker on the receiver. See if this matches your owners manual. I knew what I was looking for so I could find it maybe easier.

2006 Nissan Titan Owners Manual - PdfSR.com

Page 9-31 and 9-32 talks about tongue weight ratings and when a WD hitch is needed. From reading those 2 pages, the weight carrying ability is 500# even on their class IV receiver which is very common. Using a WD hitch, it can go up to 1,000#. Also very common. In your case the rear axle may be limiting to the 940# loaded tongue weight.

Towing 900 miles, yes you need a WD hitch from my recommendation. That is a long distance without one. It will tow so much more stable with one. As you load the camper and the truck it will even be more in need.

You have the engine and drive train to pull it, it just needs the help of the WD hitch so it can support full load. And yes, sway control is a good idea too. If you need help setting up the hitch or picking one, let us know.

Good luck and hope this helps.

John

**Sunline Fan** · 05-09-2016, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tweety

Is it legal to tow a trailer with an air conditioner sticking out the side like that?

Probably not, if overall width is over 8.5'. If this were a 7' wide trailer, it might barely be legal, but still quite risky.

squeaky · 05-10-2016, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sunline Fan

Probably not, if overall width is over 8.5'. If this were a 7' wide trailer, it might barely be legal, but still quite risky.

Thanks for pointing this out. I'll do some measurements when I get up there. But it looks like that A/C might have to come out while moving. That's good to know. I'd prefer to get a roof mounted A/C anyways, but $$ might prevent that for a little while.

squeaky · 05-10-2016, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnB

Towing 900 miles, yes you need a WD hitch from my recommendation. That is a long distance without one. It will tow so much more stable with one. As you load the camper and the truck it will even be more in need.

You have the engine and drive train to pull it, it just needs the help of the WD hitch so it can support full load. And yes, sway control is a good idea too. If you need help setting up the hitch or picking one, let us know.

Good luck and hope this helps.

John

I'll definitely trust your recommendations. I couple extra hundred bucks for the peace of mind of getting my family back home safely and not taking out anyone else on the road is well worth it to me.

squeaky · 07-11-2016, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tweety

Is it legal to tow a trailer with an air conditioner sticking out the side like that?

So I'm finally up at my in-laws and have my hands on this trailer. I'm slept in it for the first time last night. Anyways, the total width including the 10" that it sticks out is 103". That's technically legal from my understanding that it needs to be under 105" for highway use. The A/C is in there really good and would not be easy to remove for travel, though I will still probably permanently remove it.

Also confirmed that it's a 1983 T-1950. The refrigerator, bathtub, toilet, and sink have been removed. Also the kitchen sink has been removed and the counters replaced. I'm probably going to pull a lot of the new work out and re-do it myself.

squeaky · 08-05-2016, 12:08 PM

So while it was legal to tow with the a/c, over a long road trip, not a good idea. It was scary getting passed by large trucks with just a couple inches to spare.