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Old 10-27-2006, 03:07 PM   #1
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SUN #74
nancymartin
Sunline Trailer Choice

I am new to this forum so I am requesting any assistance on Sunline trailers. We have been looking for several months and nothing seems to compare to the quality of the Sunline.

We have never had an RV but are sailors so we are not afraid of "close" quarters, water conservation and black water holding tanks.

We recently purchased a Dodge Ram 1500 with the Quad Cab but with the small V8. We have been looking at the 19', 20' and 23 foot Sunlines.

We will be in Annapolis the weekend of Nov 3rd. We plan to go to Denver PA and tour the factory the next week. We would like to hear from owners of these models your "likes" and "dislikes". Also, any issues we might face with towing with the Ram truck.

Thanks in advance,
Nancy
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Old 10-30-2006, 02:51 PM   #2
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JeffS
I have a Ford F-150 with the smaller V8 and it has towed my Sunline 19 foot model with no problems. But I do like to fall on the side of extra safety. What is the tow capacity of your Ram and what are the GVWRs of the Sunlines you are looking at?

You will really like the Sunlines. Best trailers out there in terms of design and especially quality. Make sure you post about your trip to factory. I'm sure everyone here would love to hear about it. Never been there myself.

One thing I wish I had on my trailer was a water heater that could work on electricity and not gas alone. We are usually always at an electric camp site and I hate wasting the gas when I don't have to. Not even sure if this is an option now, but I would get it if it was.
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Old 10-30-2006, 04:16 PM   #3
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mdfiregal
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Nancy,

We are picking up our new T276 tomorrow from Annapolis and are taking it for a weekend trip to the KOA campground located at Rt 3 and Rt 32 this weekend hopefully. We dealt with Rec World over in Annapolis and they seem to have quite a few of the Sunline models on the lot currently. Might be worth a trip there to check them out and get an idea of which model(s) you may be interested in.
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2007 T-276SR Travel Trailer
2004 Dodge 2500 Diesel (Tow Vehicle and Daddy's dream truck)
2001 Dodge 1500 (Backup tow vehicle and my toy)
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Old 11-05-2006, 09:03 AM   #4
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Nancy

Your 1/2 ton truck "should" allow you to be able to handle the 3 models you mentioned. BUT there are some things to check out especially as you get to the larger/longer trailers. You did not list enough for us to really know if you are OK or not. Engine size, rear axle ratio etc to name a few.

Here are a few sites that help explain all those tow ratings in simple language.

http://www.rvtowingtips.com/ I know the person who wrote and hosts that site and the info he explains is well done.

Here is one from the actual Sunline site dealing with controlling trailer sway. http://www.sunlinerv.com/index.php/s...trolling_sway/ That article helps explain some of the things to keep in mind and how to help correct them for sway control.

And here are some more articles on this from the Sunline site. http://www.sunlinerv.com/index.php/support/

While your 1500 truck "may" have the ability to do well for you, understanding the reason "why" are of great help so you do not over do it with your truck. If you plan on hauling a large load in the bed of the truck plus pull the trailer, that combination may not be OK. The only way to know for sure is to do some home work and see where your truck is in relation to its limits.

And a caution, do not get trapped with the "tow ratings" misconception. Those words are accurate to rate a truck to, but they do not apply to how we travel trailer campers use the truck. Figure out your Gross Combined Weight Rating GCWR on the truck and then start subtracting ALL the cargo it is pulling, including people, camping supplies and the TT. The tow rating does not take into account extra people, gear etc placed in the truck.

Sunline offers help as well in matching up the TV to a TT.

You are right about the Sunline quality. That quality at the price offered is what brought me to Sunline and now I'm here to stay.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 11-12-2006, 06:31 PM   #5
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Kayci
Hi Nancy,
We were sailors too (sold the boat), so we know what you mean about being used to close quarters...our little 1950 trailer seems very roomy compared to the cabin of our Catalina 25! Also we had been pop-up campers for 20+ years. We were even crazy enough to take a seven week trip (2004-2005 winter) to the west coast with our tiny (8ft. box) pop-up pulled by our Dodge Caravan. It was actually a fabulous trip, but we learned we no longer want to worry daily about rain! We just purchased the 1950 a few weeks ago (after months and months of research and searching) and we are so thrilled with it. We just love the layout and cannot believe the quality throughout. The cabinetry is just so wonderful! And it doesn't have to be popped up! Hooray!
Like you, we worried about the tow vehicle. We knew we wanted to upgrade from the pop-up, but we try to be very environmentally conscious and budget conscious (living on a retirement income is tough!) so did months of research (ad nauseum) to find a vehicle that could tow a trailer and also give us good gas mileage day-to-day. We finally settled on a 2006 Toyota Tacoma double cab long bed, which has a powerful V6 and had excellent reviews for ride, mileage, towing, etc. The tow capacity is 6,500, but we wanted to stay waaay below that with a six cylinder. We considered hybrids and the Jayco Jayfeather Light line. What we discovered was that the other companies post light weights but do not include most necessities in the weight....and they won't tell you clearly what they included and what they didn't! Although our Sunline was heavier than the others (but only by about 500 lbs.), we knew exactly what it weighed...with Jayco, we couldn't get a true figure at all! Once we compared the quality, there was no contest. Also, with just the two of us our weight should never exceed 80% of the towing capacity.
We purchased the 1,000/10,000 Equalizer W/D sway-control and already had the Prodigy brake control. Still, we were very, very nervous when we drove down to pick up the trailer. The former owner was nice enough to go for a very long drive with us and then our drive home was almost 3 hours through very hilly terrain. The trip was super. It was very windy (and of course it rained/snowed that day!!) and there were countless semis whizzing by, but we had no sway at all and the RPM's never went over 3 (OK, I don't know what that means, but it made my husband happy.) We never went above 55 mph, though, and never intend to (maybe Nebraska, we'll see) so that is a consideration. We like to just mosey along and like to be off the freeways if the area is not too hilly, so that speed works for us. As John said, though, you have to look at the capabilities of your own truck (probably higher than ours, with your V-eight).
You haven't posted in a while, so maybe you are still researching or have taken another route, but if you are still considering Sunline, we most heartily recommend the brand. Because we purchased privately, we had no dealer to answer our questions. We e-mailed Sunline several times and we got almost immediate, detailed responses to our questions. We were astonished! LarRue Lengel, who is the customer service rep, is just unbelievable. She truly makes every Sunline customer feel like a personal...and valued... friend. We now believe, as many people have said on the TrailerLife Forum, "You can't go wrong with Sunline"!
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