Newbie Wannabee

Personally I would never go with less than a class II hitch.
You are covered way beyond the capacity of most of the tow vehicles mentioned on this site.
 
OK so in my ignorance when I brought my 2007 Santa Fee I negotiated to have a hitch installed in the final price.

Obviously I can go to an RV dealer and ask what class of hitch I have but is there a simply way I can tell just by looking.

Any help greatly appreciated.
 
There are some Class II with a 1 1/4" receiver. I would think that the hitch would say on it what the class is or what it is rated to tow. The class should at least match the towing capabilities of your vehicle.

Based on other websites, the factory hitch from Subaru is a Class II but it does have a 1 1/4" receiver. However, Subaru's warranty page indicates that they only provide a Class I hitch. I think I will have to go with what Subaru says but it really doesn't matter at this point.

The trailer shop I went to indicated the Class III is the one to go with because it has a 2" receiver. It provides greater flexibility in chosing aftermarket hitch accessories.
 
Hitch Measurements
Class 1 (Class I) trailer hitch
Trailer hitch with capacity of up to 2,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 200 lbs tongue weight.

Class 2 (Class II) trailer hitch
Trailer hitch with weight-carrying rating of up to 3,500 lbs gross trailer weight and 300/350 lbs tongue weight.

Class 3 (Class III) trailer hitch
Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 5,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 500 lbs tongue weight. Also sometimes used to refer to a hitch with any 2" receiver, regardless of rating.

Class 4 (Class IV) trailer hitch
Trailer hitch with weight carrying rating of up to 10,000 lbs gross trailer weight and 1,000 - 1,200 lbs tongue weight. Although many times any hitch with a capacity greater than 5,000 lbs gross weight is referred to as a Class 4.
 
I could not find any info on the actual hitch attached to the vehicle but the ball hitch has a max towing weight of 6,000 and a tongue weight of 600 according to the sticker.
 
If I had purchased the Subaru hitch at the time I bought the car, I would be perfectly happy with it. It is more than enough to tow the 560 I would like to buy.

Since I did not, I have more options. Upon further research, I now know why the Subaru hitch is so expensive to install. They actually remove the bumper and replace it with the hitch.

As I mentioned above, I am going to purchase an aftermarket Class III since it has a two inch receiver. This gives me more options regarding accessories (although you can buy 2" adapters for 1 1/4" receiver.) Believe me I never plan on towing 5000 lbs. The class III hitch is less expensive and the trailer shop will install the brake controller at the same time. Subaru will not install the brake controller.

I think the only way to know what class your hitch is, is to ask the dealership. Again, I would not even bother if I had the hitch already installed.
 
For everyone who is fortunate enough to be going to the Camp Inn, Camp out, I hope you all have a great time. I am extremely jealous.

I did have some excitement of my own yesterday. I saw my first teardrop in person yesterday at the Portland RV show. It obviously wasn't a Camp Inn, but a Little Guy Silver Shadow.

Adds a bit of reality to the dream.
 
Joan said:
For everyone who is fortunate enough to be going to the Camp Inn, Camp out, I hope you all have a greate time. I am extremely jealous.

I did have some excite of my own yesterday. I saw my first teardrop in person yesterday at the Portland RV show. It obviously wasn't a Camp Inn, but a Little Guy Silver Shadow.

Adds a bit of reality to the dream.
Click to expand...


Now you have a bench mark. You will see that a CI unit will raise your bar of expectations. I am afraid I no longer look as intensly as I used to at brand x tear drops. Their standards don't measure up. I will look at home mades because their builders have some good imaginations, which a manufacturer can't afford to offer, as it is too custom.
 
What it gave me was 3D perspective. It is interesting to see the teardrops on the internet but it is much more informative to stand next to one and actually get into it.

I agree, the Silver Shadow is nowhere near the quality of the Camp Inn. I could tell that without having seen a Camp Inn.
 
Joan, keep relaying your thought process. I am in a very similar boat to you and am wanting a camp inn. About your same age and I even have a 2009 Forester! Called today about getting an after market hitch. Only my Forester has automatic :). ANyway, I just stumbled upon this thread tonight and am loving it.
 
Joan said:
I agree, the Silver Shadow is nowhere near the quality of the Camp Inn. I could tell that without having seen a Camp Inn.
Click to expand...

Without a doubt I would have considered a home built but after seeing a CI up close the build quality was fantastic.
 
Ther are a few homebuilt craftsman who make teardrops comperable to CI. Yet, from my contacts with the outstanding homebuilders, they are not willing to install AC the same way Camp Inn does. Some of the top quality homebuilts are around the same price point.

I wish someone would sell a used Camp Inn with air!

Jean
 
A home built teardrop is not within my skill set. At one point I was looking at a Cozy Cruiser since it got good reviews and is made here in Oregon. The Little Guy never really appealed to me. I made my decision regarding the Camp Inn based on its reviews, the windows and the couch.

Finding this board has solidified my decision. If I had any doubts remaining they completely disappeared this weekend with what happened with girlreinvented and her electrical problem.
 
Yes, Joan, where else would you get that kind of service over the weekend?

Jean, I've seen a few of these homebuilts. Danny Fontana, for example, is a veteran cabinet maker and his wood work is absolutely beautiful - 2 or 3 colors of wood inlayed into each cabinet door. He was asking $18,000 for his used #2 build and I'm sure it would be worth every penny. However, I've never seen another trailer by any builder that has the same creature comforts and functionality of my Camp-Inn.
 
Well that was fun. I dropped in on the TOW Fall Brigade. Met lots of nice people who were willing to share their experiences and answer questions. Lot of homemade tds, a T@B and a couple of Cozy Cruisers. No CI's but a couple of CI side tents. :)

When talking about the manufactured teardrops, they referred to Camp Inn as the 'cadilac' of teardrops. Highly complementary regarding the craftmanship. Kudos to Camp Inn! This was from someone who builds some beautiful woody's.

Based on what I have seen so far, I am still going to go with Camp Inn. There was a couple who were selling their homemade teardrop. It was really cute and had a retro look but it did not have brakes, air conditioning or windows beside on the doors. Those CI windows have really got a hold of me.

Next goal is to see a Camp Inn!

I hope my status turns to junkie soon. I sure feel like one!
 
Uh Oh! Thanks to Sarah (Mick'nSarah), I have now seen a 'live' 560. All I can say is 'Holy Cow', I want one.

Now it is time to decide what options/accessories I want. I am torn between the getting the receiver hitch or the roof rack. Sarah had a good point that having the bike on the back of the trailer might get in the way of accessing the kitchen. The roof rack would also provide more options for carrying different equipment like cross country skis or a cargo carrier. I will have to sleep on it.

Anyone who has made this decision, feel free to express an opinion.

Joan
 
Well, here's a thought on using a roof rack. If you have it on the trailer, then you can't take the bikes riding anywhere but in the immediate area of your campsite.
By putting the trailer hitch on the CampInn, you can bring the bikes on a hitch rack, and then put the rack on your tow vehicle once you get to your campsite. Then you can take them along with you on your travels. I'd also think you'd get a bit better gas mileage that way, too.
For the skis, I'd put them on a roof rack on the tow vehicle, for the same reason.
My 2 cents.
 
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