Towing a 31qbs

[lostboy792]

Hello,

I wondered if any one on here has a 31 qbs and how well it tows with the length being close to 34' , (sway, cornering,) I will be towing it with a 3/4 van, I am well with in the towing limits with plenty of room to spare as long as I do not load the trailer all the way to is 6900# cap.) towing this length is not a problem as I have a CDL "A" and hae pulled a much bigger trailer then this. any other comments on this trailer would be nice (pros and cons). I have 3 kids and a 100#dog that go camping with us so that is why I need the quad bunk set up.
Thanks,
Jason

 

[campntn]

Hey, here is a link I found to this model:
http://www.rvusa.com/rvinventory_item.asp?id=452770

To be honest, I haven't even heard of this model. I can say that I am very impressed!! It is essentially our model with 3 more feet. Inside that 3 feet is the bunkhouse. I LOVE that dinette idea on the bottom. I have seen them with a couch, but never a dinette. VERY innovative! Whomever came up with that obviously has kids. LOL. They need a place to sit, play games, and just be kids. That is nice, very nice. You have a lot more counter space in the bath and doors that separate the living area from the rest of the trailer. Downside is the TINY lavatory in the bath. It appears really small. But mostly you just wash hands, brush teeth.
I do wonder why, it appears, that there are two condensation drain thingies for the refrigerator? As in this picture: http://www.rvusa.com/rvinventory_picture.asp?id=452770&picture=1

I can only say that so far we are very pleased with our purchase and the quality of our unit.
I can also say that ours tows great, but the tow vehicle will be different. I have never towed with a van. Maybe someone else can chime in here.
Good luck and keep us posted. Thanks for the post!
Mark

 

[Nell]

Jason,

My husband and I recently found the 31QBS listed on our dealers site. I want a trailer with a full bunk house, up until this point I have found they are all on the heavy side for our tow vehicle. When I came across the 31QBS I was really excited it looks great and is so lite. We are going to view this trailer next Friday but I too would love to hear from someone that has one as to what they think of it.
I think the layout looks great, it seems to have everything that I've been looking for. I have three children, two young teenagers and one 10yrs. The bunkhouse with the 2nd dinnette seems like a great option. There have been plenty of times when they have had to do homework while we're away and this extra room and table would be great. I also have family that come over from England and we go away camping. This extra room would be great for them.

Nell

 

[JER-1]

towed a 31RED READ

Towed a 31 RED w/ 2 slides weighed about 5400# with a ford explorer v-8 5.0 used e-z 4 point sway control no sway at all haued it a bit around 70 miles and hour on the 4 lane just to see how it handed
SWAY WITH THE WIDE TRAX AXEL SYSTEM AND E-Z SWAY CONTROL NONE EVEN WITH THE BIG RIGS RUNING BY.
But I bought a 280 BH front side ramp, toy hauler by north trail ,love it, great to roll the generator up the ramp no more pickin up a 13,000 watt generator, and will haul my 1100 v-star classic motorcycle just fine. The north trail rep tells me it will take 800 pounds in the tie down area but sign says 700 max.
JER-1

 

[bikencamp]

I have been wanting this very question answered. I just saw these campers at the RV show this weekend I'm very interested. I was going to go with a hybrid TT but since finding these I've very interested in towing. I've never towed something 33 feet but My suv is rated at 9100 so I'm sure I'll be ok with weight just not sure about length.

 

[bjbieber]

I would also be curious about the answer to this. Our TV is a 2003 Suburban rated for 7400lbs. Currently we are towing a 31 foot trailer with a GVWR of about the same as the 31qbs. We are going to look at the equivalent Sundance model (310QB) this weekend. We wanted this setup when we bought our current 2006 trailer but as someone pointed out at the time everything was too heavy (GVWR of 10,000 lbs or more!!! YIKES!). I am hoping that the less than 2 extra feet isn't going to make a big difference as the TV handles our current trailer without a problem. We have alot of stuff (plus 3 kids, 3 small dogs) but we always tow with all the tanks (except porpane) empty.

 

[dknox747]

We just picked up our Sundance 310QB and we are towing it with a 2004 Eddie Bauer Edition Expedition (2wd). We are also using a Equal-i-zer brand hitch (sway and weight distribution). The thing tows great. I am amazed at how well it is towing. Even got to tow in 20-25 mph wind gusts and you feel it move, but it isn't unpleasant. Let me know if you need any additional information.

David

 

[hockeydad80]

Did anyone buy the 31qbs. I also have a full size chevy van that I would use to tow this camper and was wondering if anyone of the previous posters took the leap.

 

[CampingJunkie]

Our good friends are picking their 31QBS up on Friday. They will be towing it with a Ford F150 with a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH. I can let you know how it goes.

I tow a 28BHS with a Toyota Sequoia and the same WDH. The only sway I get is the air push from 18 wheelers and with general wind gusts. It is not much sway. Nothing that makes me white knuckle. I am very pleased with my set up.

Jennifer

 

[HarvinJeep]

Our good friends are picking their 31QBS up on Friday. They will be towing it with a Ford F150 with a Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH. I can let you know how it goes.

I tow a 28BHS with a Toyota Sequoia and the same WDH. The only sway I get is the air push from 18 wheelers and with general wind gusts. It is not much sway. Nothing that makes me white knuckle. I am very pleased with my set up.

Jennifer

I would be interested in the info you have offered. We are debating it, as our tow rig is a Dodge Ram 1500. My worry is I have to travel over one of the tunnel/bridges to get out of Hampton Roads.

TIA,

Harvin

 

[irvin56]

another qbs

Howdy and how are you all doin??
I just picked up one on March 15.
I pull with a chev. ext. cab silverado with a 4.8 liter short box. I have a Reese 1000 lbs setup with a friction sway control. It towed nice in the snow with big trucs on both sides. The only problem I had was I could not see to well, but the trailer was okay with no sway
Weight on scale at 5920 lbs ith fullpropane and battery. But I swear the reese head and bar setup must weigh at least 100 lbs plus'

BEAUTY as a lay out but nopt a lot of cupboards in it
Happy campin

 

[CampingJunkie]

I would be interested in the info you have offered. We are debating it, as our tow rig is a Dodge Ram 1500. My worry is I have to travel over one of the tunnel/bridges to get out of Hampton Roads.

TIA,

Harvin

Well they picked up the new TT today. Just before they left to get it, I found out he traded in his F150 for a diesel F250. So I can't give you any comparisons. I had no idea they were looking at a new TV. I personally think you would do fine. As long as you have good weight distribution and sway control, good brakes and tires, you should have no problems. Sorry I could not provide you with more specific info on the smaller capacity TV.

Jennifer

 

[GreenRV]

How does this Blue Ox Sway Pro WDH compare with a Hensley??? Not sure of spelling. Some guy in the Keys recommended a Hensley hitch after he had an Airstream roll from Sway on him. I have only had travel trailers before that I didn't use a WDH on. We had one go squirley on us. I would hat for that to happen with a bigger one. So want to look closely at this issue.

 

[Jimmyt5]

Take a look at this web sight..Cheaper
http://www.ProPrideHitch.com

 

[Whathaveidone]

Jason
We picked up our 31QBS a month ago and my husband had never towed anything longer then a small boat. We tow it with a 2004 Suburban (1500). We took our first trip a couple weeks ago and he had no issues whatsoever with sway or corners. He was anxious on the way to the campground (first time jitters I think), but was completely comfortable on the trip home. We use walkie-talkies when backing the trailer up and with my help we can back it in a spot within 1-2 tries which for a rookie I think is pretty good! It was challenging getting into a pull-through camping site as they are curved and it took a couple times to get the trailer wheels on the pavement and not in the grass with the trailer straight. We watched several large 5th wheels pull in and they had the same issues so obviously a curved site has it's challenges for anyone trying to put a long straight object in it We have found when making reservations that we have to watch the length of the site we're choosing because we're a lot longer then most. The same thing happened when looking for a storage spot. That being said, we are extremely happy we chose the 31QBS and can't wait for our next trip in 2 weeks!

Tina

 

[RVCamper]

We have the 31QBS, and have been towing it with a 2005 5.4l 6 speed Navigator. We have pulled it about 2500 miles. We pulled it to the Smoky's and camped in the park on the far side (otherside away from Cades Cove) This means you have to travel to thee top of the range to get to your camp site. While the vehicle is within the limits (8,300 towing, 800 lbs tonque weight) it is at the upper range of the limits. I guess I could not see pulling this trailer with anything less than this, unless you were only planning to do flat land towing. The 6 speed tranny is wonderful!

The new properly equiped 2009 F-150's have addtional towing and load capacity over the previous models- the 5.4 has more torque and HP too, maximum payload has gone up to 3,030 lbs and maximum towing jumps to 11,300 lbs. They also have options for the built in controller, and trailer sway control. Food for thought.

 

[kampfirekid]

We are picking up a 31BHD on Saturday. I have a 2008 Ford F-150 Supercrew, 6-1/2 foot box, 4WD, 5.4L V-8, etc. I'll give you some feedback after we return.

 

[The Lamb Family]

2009 31qbs

We have a 2009 North Trail 31QBS and so far love it.

I tow it with a 2003 1500 Silverado ext. cab 4x4 with a 6" fabtech lift, 35" tires & a 5.3L engine with a hypertech programmer. I use a 5 inch drop hitch with 800-1200 weight distribution bars, a sway control, & a run of the mill $70 brake controller. The unit tows great. You know it there because of the lunges and pulls, but not a hesitation with my pickup.

I still tell my wife I need a diesel, so I can get a new truck, but all in all the 1500 does a great job. We just went from Sacramento to Morro Bay and a pit stop in Fresno on the way back 875 miles and it towed great.

A few tips that I can provide:

1) Look ahead and utilize your momentum when climbing hills. My truck took a 6% grade of 17 miles at about 55-60 miles per hour at about 3800 rpm with the tow mode engaged. The temp stayed at about 215-220. I run 91 octane while towing to reduce any potential gas ping or valve clatter.

2) Get mirror extenders or extendable mirrors.

3) Check the wheels for proper torque and tires for proper air pressure.

4) Buy and electric jack for the tongue.

5) Do not run the AC on less than a 30 amp circuit as it will burn up the compressor motor. (My father in law is in the HVAC business).

 

[jbeletti]

Hello Lamb family. Congratulations on your NT and welcome to the Heartland family.

Not sure if you are aware but we are having a rally in Jackson, CA near Sacramento. We may be full up but Teresa (TessaM) keeps a waiting list and has been successful in getting more rigs into the rally that we initially had sites for.

Join us - if not at this one, maybe at the SoCal rally in Temecula. See a complete list of rallies in the top center of the Portal at www.heartlandowners.org

Jim

 

[kampfirekid]

Well, we picked up our new 31BHD this weekend,a nd all I can say is it tows "light years" ahead of our last trailer. The lighter tongue weight and balance with the wide track axles is phenominal. I hope this trailer gives us years of good service because I could see keeping this rig for a long time.