Purchased 17MKE

[Dusty Mark]

We bought 4 @ 6-gallon water containers from Walmart's camping section. We like the Igloo brand ones, we most recently purchased, the best. We catch the dish water in a traditional dish pan and pour it down the toilet. We recently camped six nights at a campground that didn't have an on-site dump station and made it to the end with judicious use of water and using the black tank as a supplemental gray tank. That's with a total of 10 showers and doing dishes twice a day...not bad for a total black/gray capacity of only 82 gallons!

[goducks14]

Use a dish pan in the sink when washing dishes. Pour the used water down the toilet. Turn the pump off so you don't use unneeded fresh water while dumping sink water.

[Arniesports60]

Curious how your initial ownership has been with the 17mke..

We are deciding between this model and a Rockwood Mini lite (2109 or 2205)

Also, how is the towing with your rebel? Considering getting a Ram 1500 Big Horn w/hemi to tow..

[MurfAtHome]

Tacking onto this post as I am new to this forum and recently retired. We will be hitting the road as new RV owners in the fall but have yet to purchase both truck and trailer. As we are currently eyeing the 2020 17MKE I am curious what type of truck other owners have found to comfortably haul this trailer in both coastal as well as mountainous environments. Any suggestions on the truck(s) we should consider? Also, are there advantages to Diesel in terms of durability in more extreme conditions (high mountain roads)?

[Ynot4me2]

Tacking onto this post as I am new to this forum and recently retired. We will be hitting the road as new RV owners in the fall but have yet to purchase both truck and trailer. As we are currently eyeing the 2020 17MKE I am curious what type of truck other owners have found to comfortably haul this trailer in both coastal as well as mountainous environments. Any suggestions on the truck(s) we should consider? Also, are there advantages to Diesel in terms of durability in more extreme conditions (high mountain roads)?

My advise, specially if you dont have the TV yet is pic a floor plan you both really like. We went for the 22mle because we wanted a tt that we could use both the toilet and kitchen without the slide out when parked for lunch or at Walmart Inn and having a walk around bed. The bonus for us with the 22mle is that its 100 % functional with the slide in. We also liked all the countertops space and openness feel of it. It was also pretty much the max that my TV could tow fully loaded while staying within range. Take your time to analyze the floor plan that's for you. There's a reason why there's a million floor plans out there. Then pick your TV based on max capacity of the tt plus mayge an upgrade later on. They say that we will have minimum of 3 tt in our lifetime. I'd suggest a few models but you will need to specify a few suggestions as to what you are looking for, like separate bedroom (which my next tt will have). It took us 2 years of casual shopping too finally decide.

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[MurfAtHome]

Thanks for the response and we planned on touring the 22MLE as well as the 17MKE and for the exact reasons you have cited. Has your F150 comfortably handled more extreme towing conditions such as traveling through the Rockies? I see the tow capacity is around 4 1/2 tons.

[Ynot4me2]

Thanks for the response and we planned on touring the 22MLE as well as the 17MKE and for the exact reasons you have cited. Has your F150 comfortably handled more extreme towing conditions such as traveling through the Rockies? I see the tow capacity is around 4 1/2 tons.

Not the rookies bug our house is I steep hilly windy roads and we have no issues. Max tow is one thing but payload is where everyone runs out first.
There are great knowledgeable folks on here when it comes to safely towing. Go ahead and ask any questions

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[MurfAtHome]

Hi Butch50. My wife and I bought the same trailer last fall and haven’t even used it yet as it is still very much winter in Calgary. We are retiring this year and are planning on going across Canada for about 3 months this summer. We opted for the Murphy bed because we really just want a compact trailer with enough room and comfort to remind us to get outside as much as possible. While there are much bigger and more elaborate units out there, we opted for practicality and utility over size and good looks...interestingly enough, my wife just mentioned those same reasons for marrying me. Anyway, here’s hoping all of us enjoy long trails and great times in our lovely 17MKE’s. Cheers!

Hey Rick, what will you be pulling that MKE17 with across the mountains?

[Dusty Mark]

Our Chevy Silverado 1500 double cab, with the 5.3 L V-8, tows the 17MKE fine. The biggest climb we've done so far was only about 700 vertical feet at a 5% grade. The truck handled it no problem. Like Steph said, payload is where you'll likely hit the TV's limits. With all the toys we haul, we're always right about at the limit, especially when returning with black/gray tanks from campgrounds that don't have dump stations. Our truck has a GCWR of 15,000# and a GVWR of 7,000#. The trailer's max GWR is 5,795#. Our total rig weight then maxes out at 12,795# (7,000# truck GVWR plus the 5,795# max trailer weight). On our first trip of the season, the truck was 20# over the GVWR and that was with my weight distribution hitch pushing a lot of the tongue weight back to the trailer axles as the trailer was 45# over gross. My tongue weight on that trip was only 560# on a 5,840# trailer...slightly less than 10%, but it towed great in 25 mph crosswinds with my Blue Ox Sway Pro hitch. Having said all that...I'd purchase a 3/4 ton if you're looking at anything bigger than the 17 MKE.

[dkayak]

Hi Dusty. We just acquired a 17MKE and are trying to figure out how to haul our two bikes as we’re avid cyclists. One option is inside our TV, a Cayenne S with just two passengers. This falls within our TV weight limits.

Another option would be to clamp a Curt 2” receiver to the rear bumper to accept our trusty 50 lb Thule T2 rack, probably installing bumper braces at the frame to protect the welds from fatigue failure. Bumper mounting offers a way to reduce both the TW and TV load at the same time. However, some online posts suggest it might twist/deform the bumper tubing itself, depending on the thickness of the bumper tubing (which varies by model). Our rack cinches tight into a receiver with zero slop so it doesn’t bounce. The combined weight of the rack and two bikes would be 90-105 lb, depending on which bikes we use.

From other posts, I gather you’ve used a bumper mount on your 17MKE. Could you please share your approach and experience?