Travel trailers?

tec71

Well-Known Member
Apr 11, 2006
1,344
121
63
Ankeny, Iowa
I just bought a travel trailer a few weeks ago. It was a bit of an impulse. I can't actually store it at my house because of the covenants. I don't actually have a vehicle that will pull it. While I can find any number of storage places in the Ankeny area I'd love to hear any suggestions or recommendations.

Id love to find a place within 60-90 min where I'd could plant it for the season next spring if anyone has suggestions. A pool would be nice. A pond or lake would be ok. "We have a pool and a pond... Pond'd be good for you."

Lastly I need to make a choice about pulling it. I hope to pull it minimally so I was wondering there's a place I could rent a truck to pull it on the couple times a year that I do. I can rent something with a hitch from any car company but I don't know how they'll feel about pulling a travel trailer. It's about 30 feet and 6400 lbs (without any supplies in it). I'm not opposed to getting a new vehicle but I don't know that I want a giant SUV or oick up.
 
Sounds like one of my coworkers. Only difference is her boyfriend woukd pull it for her and then she broke up with him.
 
what you need is a friend or neighbor with a big vehicle that would be willing to barter moving it into place in exchange for use of the trailer sometime when you will not want to. I don't know of any places that you can rent a campsite for the whole year, but there maybe something out there. Storage should not be an issue, as there are lots of open lot storage facilities around. Make sure you drain any water and put something in it to stop mice when you store it.
 
As far as storing it, I live in Ankeny, and store mine for $45 a month at the lot on Ordinance right by the Police Station. I think that is a good price for storage and it is right where thieves may think twice with it being so close to the PD.

As far as where to put it, Cuddy's on the NW side of Des Moines might be the place to go. Also, there are a couple places on Saylorville that will rent a yearly pass to where you can just leave it. You may even be able to leave it there year round. Feel free to PM me with any ?s that you may have. Also, I might be willing to help with pulling it. Just PM on that as well.
 
Doesn't Twin Anchors in Nevada have sites that you can lease for the season? You can park it and leave it all summer.
 
I don't see why a rental company would have any say about the reason you are renting a vehicle from them as long as you're not doing anything illegal. If you are just going to use it a few times a year, I'd just rent a truck/suv. It's not free, but, at the same time, you're not putting miles on your own vehicle. And renting a few times a year is a lot cheaper than getting a new vehicle altogether.
 
I don't see why a rental company would have any say about the reason you are renting a vehicle from them as long as you're not doing anything illegal. If you are just going to use it a few times a year, I'd just rent a truck/suv. It's not free, but, at the same time, you're not putting miles on your own vehicle. And renting a few times a year is a lot cheaper than getting a new vehicle altogether.

Well, not only that, but wouldn't one of the reasons you would be renting a truck would be to pull something, haul something, move something? Seems kind of crazy for people to be renting out trucks and expect people to just be using them to take their sweeitie to dinner for the evening.
 
I'd second the "find a buddy with a truck" route. Even renting thru a rental place is going to be expensive.
 
If you go through a rental company they more than likely will not allow you to tow anything with their vehicles. My brother got told he could not tow a trailer with the rental, as well as an individual that I work with was told the same thing. Now if you don't tell them you plan on using the truck for towing you may be fine. Just a thought, but I think the reason why rental companies don't like it is towing things can be bad on various parts of the tow vehicle if not done properly.
 
You don't want to own an suv or pick up but you bought a camper with a hitch. I'm slightly confused.

I'm real curious about the conversation with your spouse after you made this little "impulse buy". If you are not married then this is beginning to make more sense.
 
I have lots of buddies with trucks. I just hate to be that guy. And yes I'm aware that in a very 21st century way I literally put the cart in front of the horse.
 
I'm real curious about the conversation with your spouse after you made this little "impulse buy". If you are not married then this is beginning to make more sense.

Surprisingly I wasn't in trouble because it was as much of her impulse as mine, maybe more. My wife is not a camper. I have wanted one for a long time (well I really want a lake house at Okoboji but that's not happening). My 8 year old has been on a camper kick for about a year. Finally a few weeks ago I agreed to stop and look at campers with him one day after they were closed. They had one on the lot that I actually liked. I had told him that there was no way his mom would ever approve of it and while he was disappointed he seemed to handle it well. We got home that night and that's all he talked about. My wife started asking questions about it. I answered a few. She asked if there were pictures. I showed her some from the website. The next day she wanted to go actually look at it so we did. I honestly think she was surprised at the amenities that come in some of them. I think she might have been expecting no air conditioning, no fridge, no stove etc. so when she found out it had stuff like that and that camping didn't have to be "roughing it" she was a little more receptive. That night she told me to go over and buy it because she thought it was a good deal. I told her we couldn't store it and didn't have anything to pull it with. She said to do it anyway, so I did.
 
If you go through a rental company they more than likely will not allow you to tow anything with their vehicles. My brother got told he could not tow a trailer with the rental, as well as an individual that I work with was told the same thing. Now if you don't tell them you plan on using the truck for towing you may be fine. Just a thought, but I think the reason why rental companies don't like it is towing things can be bad on various parts of the tow vehicle if not done properly.

Towing is really hard on transmissions, and since the guys renting do not know exactly what you are towing, they normally will not allow it, or for that matter have a receiver on the vehicle.
 
How big is this travel trailer? If you find somewhere/someone to get a truck, you'll want to make sure the truck is rated to pull the weight of the camper. The camper usually has a sticker on the inside somewhere with the weight listings and the truck has a GVWR sticker inside the door. Also, when we got our camper - the dealer installed a Electronic Brake so not all of the braking was taken up by the truck's brake system.

Twin Anchors near Nevada does rent sites for the year.
 
Surprisingly I wasn't in trouble because it was as much of her impulse as mine, maybe more. My wife is not a camper. I have wanted one for a long time (well I really want a lake house at Okoboji but that's not happening). My 8 year old has been on a camper kick for about a year. Finally a few weeks ago I agreed to stop and look at campers with him one day after they were closed. They had one on the lot that I actually liked. I had told him that there was no way his mom would ever approve of it and while he was disappointed he seemed to handle it well. We got home that night and that's all he talked about. My wife started asking questions about it. I answered a few. She asked if there were pictures. I showed her some from the website. The next day she wanted to go actually look at it so we did. I honestly think she was surprised at the amenities that come in some of them. I think she might have been expecting no air conditioning, no fridge, no stove etc. so when she found out it had stuff like that and that camping didn't have to be "roughing it" she was a little more receptive. That night she told me to go over and buy it because she thought it was a good deal. I told her we couldn't store it and didn't have anything to pull it with. She said to do it anyway, so I did.

I'm impressed. Sounds like you got a keeper.
 
Doubt you can rent something to pull it. You'd need an electric brake controller, and I doubt rentals come with those.
 

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