Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Sunline RV Forum
Sunline User Photos

Go Back   Sunline Coach Owner's Club > Sunline Club Community Forums > Sunline Community
Click Here to Login

Join Sunline Club Forums Today


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 10-27-2006, 02:07 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1
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
__________________

__________________
nancymartin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2006, 01:51 PM   #2
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 2
SUN #84
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.
__________________

__________________
JeffS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-30-2006, 03:16 PM   #3
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 9
SUN #85
mdfiregal
Send a message via Yahoo to mdfiregal
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.
__________________
Carol a.k.a. mdfiregal
Severn, Maryland
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)
mdfiregal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-05-2006, 08:03 AM   #4
Moderator
 
JohnB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,643
SUN #89
JohnB is on a distinguished road
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
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC

Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
JohnB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-12-2006, 05:31 PM   #5
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 8
SUN #86
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"!
__________________
Kayci
2004 Sunline 1950
Toyota Tacoma 2006 Double Cab long bed
Equal-i-zer, Prodigy
Kayci is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
1980 sunline travel trailer bearbow65 Sunline Travel Trailers 4 05-27-2013 09:18 PM
2007 Que 5.4 SE, SC, $9,900 twatier Classifieds Archive 0 05-06-2009 09:55 AM
Sunline Advancer Handicapped Trailer jason kimbrell Sunline Community 1 02-22-2009 11:37 AM
Sunline Advancer Handicapped Trailer jason kimbrell Sunline Travel Trailers 1 02-21-2009 07:01 AM
Another tire choice rich2500 Repairs and Maintenance 1 06-13-2008 05:44 AM


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sunline RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:55 PM.


×