Towing a nice little camper trailer - Sun Lite 18RD

[RogueCheddar]

We visited their showroom in Quebec City. It was the "excuse" to visit the city (Q City is really worth the visit).
They appeared to have a high quality of build and so it would have been interesting to know where the leak was (roof, hot water...)

He suggested it was the seals along the top of the side panels where it meets the raising roof. And yes, Quebec City is beautiful!

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[ddhill]

After a load of reading.....
Ford says that load balancing/sway is "Not Required" which is not the "Not recommended" that another vehicle has.

Just heard today that the brake controller recall is "off hold" and I now have a part on order to clear the recall. (2-3 days)

When I get that taken care of, I will take the trailer out for a road trip without the load balancing and sway and see how much I feel the difference

 

[Me B]

I'm going to try a small 5th wheel next year. Maybe a 21' Nash, although they are hard to come by. I have to sell my Motorhome first. Has anybody actually weighed their Mav?

 

[Moby]

I'm going to try a small 5th wheel next year. Maybe a 21' Nash, although they are hard to come by. I have to sell my Motorhome first. Has anybody actually weighed their Mav?

Wonder if anyone has installed a 5th wheel in a Maverick ? Is there something strong enough to bolt it to underneath ? no frame remember !

 

[Me B]

I just looked and there are 2 cross members that look just as strong as my F-350 5th wheel hitch used, and the axle seems to be centered between the 2 cross members.

 

[ddhill]

I'm going to try a small 5th wheel next year. Maybe a 21' Nash, although they are hard to come by. I have to sell my Motorhome first. Has anybody actually weighed their Mav?

The issue I noticed when reading about 5th wheels is the short bed. (Beyond the weight limit).

I did not dig into it, but is seems you need the right hitch which you unlock so that it "slides/moves" to allow tight cornering when positioning the trailer.

 

[Me B]

Yep, there are at least three different slider hitches. The issue for me will be the dimension between the legs of the hitch.

 

[JaxMav]

I just bought and towed a 7x14 tandem axle cargo trailer to convert to a travel trailer. It was a 2.5 hour trip back home with it and I averaged close to what you did. I was getting 15 mpg. The trailer empty IIRC is about 2200.

I think this a great little truck for smaller travel trailers etc. Be safe and have fun!

 

[SeniorLiz]

I just purchased a nice little camper trailer - a Sun Lite 18RD
This is 19 foot tip to tail.

I do have the 4k towing package, in fact I switched my buy from the hybrid because we wanted a trailer and nothing I wanted really fit well (with towing headroom) in 2k.

Lately I have been hitting around 29 mpg without the trailer - keep that number in mind....

The "dry" weight of this trailer is 2900 lb (dealer est), and GVW (which I doubt I could hit) is 4k. The difference for those that don't know is that dry is "empty" - no propane (2x20lb), water (25 gal * 8lb ~= 200lb), kettles, camp chairs, beer in the fridge...
I did have propane but the rest was empty.
Tongue weight is said to be 270lb.

I did have a load balancing, sway control hitch for the initial haul. Turned on Trailer mode as well.

With the trailer and mostly highway for a 2 hour drive home, looks like about 14 mpg which is close to what I was hoping for. With the trailer brake gain dialed in (7.0) , I had a pretty decent ride. Never felt like the trailer was pushing me when stopping. A touch of porpoising but no more than I expected when you have 3k waggling your hitch ball Overall - I was pleased with the towing performance. In particular - just for fun I hit the gas a few times just to see how much acceleration I had left, and felt it was plenty. Note: the words of wisdom is that 65 mph is a good cap when towing - so that is what I did on the highway.

This Sun Lite is aerodynamic than the sweet trailer I have on order.... (due March of 2024... a Safari Condo Alto F2114) so it will be interesting to see what if any gain I get when that arrives. And I would really be interested if someone gets the retractable roof version the R1723 - which we really think is amazing, but we wanted more storage and fridge.

So - why this Sun Lite trailer ?

• I did not want an east/west bed as that means someone is always crawling over someone to get in/out of bed. This has a camper queen with space on either side to get out.
• Big fridge/freezer
• enough space for 2 adults and a dog to move around
  
• separate dinette (many smaller campers your dinette may be part of your bed.)
• good price, nice build quality - for my short term camper.
• huge amount of storage - though that can lead to you overloading.....
• weight. My goal was to leave head room in the towing, and a dry of 2900 means I have a chance to keep my towing weight to ~3600.

Hopefully I will get it out for a weekend trip in a few weeks

Here it is behind the Maverick

Hello, Have you experienced any cross-winds while towing this trailer? That's the only thing that worries me with towing this size. Thanks. I also would be interested in your experience with other trips (more recent than August). Maybe I missed the posts.

 

[ddhill]

Hello, Have you experienced any cross-winds while towing this trailer? That's the only thing that worries me with towing this size. Thanks. I also would be interested in your experience with other trips (more recent than August). Maybe I missed the posts.

I have encountered "turbulence" a number of times in the 4 towing trips I have done so far. The turbulence I noticed is related to trucks and cars though. The most surprising to me is the SUVs passing me - as some (but not all) will have a bow shock that wiggles the trailer. Not wiggles enough to be concerned - but rather felt in the truck. Also - I expected this to be more of an oncoming traffic issue as I have felt that in the past, but with the trailer mostly feel the vast majority of the people that think I am going to slow

Given that when towing, you are limited to 60mph, you do get passed a lot.

So far I have not felt concerned over the motions though. Lately I have been using just a straight hitch, relying on the Truck sway control and honestly have not had any noticeable issue with sway. I have not been able to tell the difference driving compared to using the sway bar hitch.

I have read about concerns with high cross winds and do understand them. I have heard suggestions that if you think you are going to tow through a high cross wind you add water to the trailer to add some nice low weight for stability.

 

[SeniorLiz]

Thank you for the response. The idea of adding water makes sense. Do you think the length of the trailer makes much difference when there is a cross-wind or passing vehicle, say in comparing the 17' Alto vs the 21'???? I would assume the 17' length would be safer to tow, but on the other hand, the 21' model might be more stable overall. For the purposes of this question, assume all else is equal (I know they don't weigh the same in reality).

 

[ddhill]

Thank you for the response. The idea of adding water makes sense. Do you think the length of the trailer makes much difference when there is a cross-wind or passing vehicle, say in comparing the 17' Alto vs the 21'???? I would assume the 17' length would be safer to tow, but on the other hand, the 21' model might be more stable overall. For the purposes of this question, assume all else is equal (I know they don't weigh the same in reality).

I have a Alto f2114 on order (delivery Mar of 2024) and so looking forward to it. I think the more streamlined shape and a similar overall weight will give me a better ride.

Cross winds start with a side profile. But the over all weight plays a big part of it too.

I have experienced nasty cross winds with a few big vehicles (RV and a 15 passenger van) and my usual small ones. The issue that I see is less a constant push which you can account for - but rather sudden gusts or just as bad - going into the the lee of a tractor trailer. I have been in several situations that the change in pressure on the vehicle makes it jump to the side which is usually the side with a big truck on it!!!! Those situations are really nerve wracking.

At one point we had a strong enough headwind in our old RV, that I could not make more than 40mph on the flat with the petal to the metal (and the gas gauge in free fall). But that was not hard driving..... It is the gusting winds from the side that will be hard.


You might want to watch this youtube video on trailer sway - I found it very educational. And think of the wind as a big finger poking your trailer (and your tow vehicle). And remember - your Maverick with tow pacakge has Electronic Sway Control - it will hit the trailer brakes for you if it feels your truck fanny swaying.

In our case - We worried about the features and convenience of my trailer more than profile or cross wind handling. I kept my weight budget at about 3600 to allow for overhead (altitude, heat, like Utah passes in the summer). This Sun-lite fit the bill for our feature needs and was available *now* and at a price that did not break the budget. The F2114 is a much better rig for comfort and overall features for the same weight - but the price reflects that

If something like the Alto F1743 or the R series can satisfy your needs - you will save on weight and as a result have a cheaper and easier tow.

We visted the Safari Condo home and I really did like the R-series. They are just not what we were looking for - which is a camper that we can live in for a 3 month trip.

 

[SeniorLiz]

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences! I am watching the video now. There is a lot to learn here. I see they have multiple videos on sway. Bon voyage on your future 3-month trip.

 

[My Maverick and Me]

I just purchased a nice little camper trailer - a Sun Lite 18RD
This is 19 foot tip to tail.

I do have the 4k towing package, in fact I switched my buy from the hybrid because we wanted a trailer and nothing I wanted really fit well (with towing headroom) in 2k.

Lately I have been hitting around 29 mpg without the trailer - keep that number in mind....

The "dry" weight of this trailer is 2900 lb (dealer est), and GVW (which I doubt I could hit) is 4k. The difference for those that don't know is that dry is "empty" - no propane (2x20lb), water (25 gal * 8lb ~= 200lb), kettles, camp chairs, beer in the fridge...
I did have propane but the rest was empty.
Tongue weight is said to be 270lb.

I did have a load balancing, sway control hitch for the initial haul. Turned on Trailer mode as well.

With the trailer and mostly highway for a 2 hour drive home, looks like about 14 mpg which is close to what I was hoping for. With the trailer brake gain dialed in (7.0) , I had a pretty decent ride. Never felt like the trailer was pushing me when stopping. A touch of porpoising but no more than I expected when you have 3k waggling your hitch ball Overall - I was pleased with the towing performance. In particular - just for fun I hit the gas a few times just to see how much acceleration I had left, and felt it was plenty. Note: the words of wisdom is that 65 mph is a good cap when towing - so that is what I did on the highway.

This Sun Lite is aerodynamic than the sweet trailer I have on order.... (due March of 2024... a Safari Condo Alto F2114) so it will be interesting to see what if any gain I get when that arrives. And I would really be interested if someone gets the retractable roof version the R1723 - which we really think is amazing, but we wanted more storage and fridge.

So - why this Sun Lite trailer ?

• I did not want an east/west bed as that means someone is always crawling over someone to get in/out of bed. This has a camper queen with space on either side to get out.
• Big fridge/freezer
• enough space for 2 adults and a dog to move around
  
• separate dinette (many smaller campers your dinette may be part of your bed.)
• good price, nice build quality - for my short term camper.
• huge amount of storage - though that can lead to you overloading.....
• weight. My goal was to leave head room in the towing, and a dry of 2900 means I have a chance to keep my towing weight to ~3600.

Hopefully I will get it out for a weekend trip in a few weeks

Here it is behind the Maverick

This is great info. I've been looking at small travel trailers myself for my 4K Maverick and I actually had this Sun lite 18RD picked out for the same reasons as you. Seems like every other trailer in this size or smaller all have the east/west beds and I would have to climb over my wife to go to the bathroom at night. Also a lot of other trailers this size or smaller have only full size beds, not queens which we need for comfort. I just didn't know if this trailer was too big and heavy and too much wind drag for the Maverick but it seems like it isn't a problem. I read that porpoising is caused by too light of hitch weight. Have you tried increasing the hitch weight to get rid of the porpoising? Have you had it loaded up to the 3600 or more pounds and how did it tow? As for the trailer, how do you like it. Any problems or things you don't like about it after camping in it? Do you like the rear entry door? Does it cause any problems at campsites?

 

[ddhill]

This is great info. I've been looking at small travel trailers myself for my 4K Maverick and I actually had this Sun lite 18RD picked out for the same reasons as you. Seems like every other trailer in this size or smaller all have the east/west beds and I would have to climb over my wife to go to the bathroom at night. Also a lot of other trailers this size or smaller have only full size beds, not queens which we need for comfort. I just didn't know if this trailer was too big and heavy and too much wind drag for the Maverick but it seems like it isn't a problem. I read that porpoising is caused by too light of hitch weight. Have you tried increasing the hitch weight to get rid of the porpoising? Have you had it loaded up to the 3600 or more pounds and how did it tow? As for the trailer, how do you like it. Any problems or things you don't like about it after camping in it? Do you like the rear entry door? Does it cause any problems at campsites?

I would agree that this camper is not too heavy or that wind drag is an issue. Would I like it to be more aerodynamic? - yes indeed which is why I have a Safari Condo f2114 on order - bigger but simila weight and more streamlined and over double the cost.

The porpoising is really not significant, just a wiggle that I noticed and takes a bit of getting used to. Again, I don't feel this is a safety issue, but rather and "oh that is different" issue for someone that has not towed much.

Hitch and trailer weight - short of heading to a weight station - both are basically a guess . I have considered getting a hitch with the gauge in it but have not yet. The only really way to change the weight noticeably is with water - potable and black. Can't say that I can feel the towing difference with the partial loads I have had so far.

As to the trailer - I have done several mods already - swapping out the led puck lights for something that looks the same and is dimable. Related, I put in a dimmer for the inside roof lights - way to bright in the evening.

I also altered the storage under the bed to allow a doggie bed alcove so the pooch can get out from under foot.

Rear door - on the limited camping we have done - the rear door has not been an issue and helps with the overall camper layout. I guess it would depend on the site. If the site is really only suited for an 18 foot camper, then you *might* have an issue. Especially if the site falls away. But 18 ft is *not* a big trailer.

Overall - the Sun-lite 18rd is a relatively inexpensive trailer but reasonably well built and had the features we wanted (except maybe an oven). No significant manufacturing defects yet. So far it has been a good first trailer for us, though we only have been on 3 or so camping weekends. It has been winterized now, and likely to stay there until April.

Picture is Pilsbury State park, NH - October. boondocking (no external power, water). Temps were freezing, and the battery lasted the weekend.

Note: in the picture that a standard right facing door would have been awkward and we are in the obvious parking spot.

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