First RV ever, 2500RL or 2600RB?

[Matdetroit]

It is a class IV hitch. So the max tongue weight is 1045lbs but when we use a weight distribution hitch, don't we distribute the weight to vehicle and the trailer a bit? I am assuming 30%? My plan was to stay under 1045lbs tongue weight and the WDH to handle the safe margin. But again I also wanted to stay under 30ft

[BeerBrewer]

I am thinking of having pull out couch option instead of theater seating. So this is really good information. Thank you. The only 2 drawback with 2600 is the view to the back and no access to the bedroom with the slide closed. I cam across this in this forum. Are the size of the electric brakes are different?



I started with this model, The only reason I decided against this is due to the extra 2 feet and the extra 1000lbs since my TV is a half ton. It is within spec but I like the extra safety. In the worst case scenario, I might just add Hensley hitch and go for this.

We're new to RVing as well and the 26RLS is our first trailer. When we started looking I didn't want to exceed 30 ft in trailer length, but after I thought about it and the 2 extra feet didn't really make a difference. We liked the rear living room and the extra sofa bed.

Whatever trailer you get I would strongly recommend using the Hensley Arrow hitch, that is what we use. The hitch is fantastic, it does everything that they claim it does. We bought a refurbished hitch directly from Hensley. It came with the same warranty only at a grealty reduced cost. They replaced all the bushings, bearings, Greece fittings, etc. and they repainted everything. Their customer service has been excellent. ProPride makes a similar hitch.

[Matdetroit]

Thats good to know. I am a big fan of that hitch. I am in the engineering field and love their mechanism. And the funny part is it is manufactured a few miles from here. I am strongly considering this hitch regardless of the trailer.

What is your TV? Is it a half ton? Did you get a chance to check the loaded tongue weight on a cat scale?

[BeerBrewer]

I'm in Engineering also, a Civil (Structural) Engineer to be exact. We use a 2018 Ram 2500 CTD as our tow vehicle. I haven't weighed the trailer yet because I haven't find a cat scale near me on Long Island that lets RVers weigh in. I'm hoping to find a scale when we are on our next trip. So I bought a tongue scale just to be safe in the mean time. So fully loaded, with the hitch it my tongue weighs 900 lbs. I even went so far as to put in 4 big plastic storage bins with extra clothes and I pushed it to 950 lbs. The Hensley Arrow weighs about 100 lbs.

We liked the layout off the 2600RB, but we liked the extra sofa that 26RLS had to offer. I think that the 26RLS is within the capability of your truck.

[Flip94ta]

To answer an earlier question, of the few articles I’ve read(etrailer), the wdh adds to the tongue weight, as well as any items behind the rear axle.

Some folks shy away from campers bigger than 30’ because the risk of sway increases with a 1/2 ton. In our case we chose under 30’ because the national parks, and other campgrounds, tend to have a very limited amount of spots for units over 30’, some others don’t allow combos over 53’. We also chose a suburban and it’s shorter wheelbase would be more prone to sway.

With either unit you’ll have to dial it in and you may need shocks sooner than later and you might want to invest in Load range E tires when you are due. The P tires on 1/2 tons aren’t up to the task. There’s plenty of info on the site about tow vehicles and how to help your 1/2 ton cope with some of the bigger units.

[BeerBrewer]

The nice thing about the Hensley Hitch is that it totally eliminates sway.

[Matdetroit]

Thats close to a class IV hitch limit. Do you have class V? I am still trying to figure out the weight distribution part of the WDH. Whether it transfers weight or just applies a cross bar across to keep the trailer look straight. A torque is applied to the lower end of the hitch receiver towards the trailer.

[Matdetroit]

Thank you for pointing that out. I think I should stick to TT under 30' so I will have access to more parks. I get a new truck every other year. So it shouldnt be a problem and it has air ride but the tires arent great. I think hensley eliminates sway so tires might be ok?

[Denisf]

Thank you, I do like the bathroom layout. I wish they had the same layout in the middle of the rig with a smaller door so we could have a view to the back. Do you have access to the bedroom with the slide closed? Is the dinette good to sleep an adult?

The bedroom can’t be accessed when the slide is in (not by little fat me anyway) and the u-dinette would be okay as a bed, but I would not want to be sleeping in there for a week.

[Matdetroit]

The bedroom can’t be accessed when the slide is in (not by little fat me anyway) and the u-dinette would be okay as a bed, but I would not want to be sleeping in there for a week.

I was thinking more like travel days if we dont find a campsite in time. So its more than 6ft in length I am assuming.