23' or 25' may be 27' ???

[socool69]

Hello

there this is the first time I wrote about the forum ...


I own a class b + 28 feet and I want to sell to buy an airstream

I like the floor plan of 27 feet but too big Im stess to drive with a 27 feet !!!!

I never tow a trailer befor so dont know anything about that !!!

We want to buy a use one !!

my questions

is it easier to drive with a 23 or 25 or 27 feet?

or feeling will be the same ?


Gasoline is much more expensive to drive with 27 feet? or realy cheaper with a 23 feet ?

What I must have hitch on my car to tow safe and comfortable ???


I want to buy a Mercedes ML350 2010 with a capacity of 7200 pounds


Thank you so mutch for all your answer !!!!

[Wayward]

Once you go with the wider body Airstreams like those, they will all tow about the same. Backing into sites might be a bit easier with the shorter models.

Gas mileage when towing is not going to vary too between them very much because the frontal area is about the same on all 3.

You want a heavy receiver hitch on the car and a good weight distribution setup on the trailer.

You will need a brake controller if it is not built into the Mercedes.

The ML will tow all of them fine. Just set it up right. Lots of info here on towing with ML's.

If you have not bought the ML and want gasoline engine, consider an ML500. They are not that much more money used and it will be more enjoyable to tow with. And, with more power and torque, you may actually get as good, or better gas mileage when towing with the V8.

[switz]

The ML V6 diesel has the same torque as the 5 liter V8 and gets substantially better mileage. We have a 2007 ML320 CDI that gets 27.5 to 28 mpg in long distance driving and 23 around town. I towed a 2013 25FB home to the Phoenix area over the mountains on I-10 coming from Los Angles with it, but it was only rated 5,000 towing and we had some scale issues that caused us to move to a different tow vehicle.

[Garfield]

Honestly my advice is to buy the model you like best. When it comes to towing and camping, there's very very little difference between them. Yes, there's a learning curve like everything else, but if you compromise on the 23' ONLY because you're concerned about the length, you may quickly regret your decision once you get comfortable with it.

[AnnArborBob]

Longer is better. Most people who change Airstreams go with a bigger unit the second time around and not a smaller unit (there are some exceptions of course.) You will not notice any significant difference in towing or mpg between the 23, 25 and 27 foot model.

Plus long, c'est mieux. La plupart des gens qui change Airstream aller avec une plus grande unité de la deuxième fois et pas une unité plus petite (il ya des exceptions, bien sûr.) Vous ne verrez pas de différence significative dans le remorquage ou mpg entre le modèle de pied 23, 25 et 27.

[cory_can]

Originally Posted by switz

The ML V6 diesel has the same torque as the 5 liter V8 and gets substantially better mileage. We have a 2007 ML320 CDI that gets 27.5 to 28 mpg in long distance driving and 23 around town. I towed a 2013 25FB home to the Phoenix area over the mountains on I-10 coming from Los Angles with it, but it was only rated 5,000 towing and we had some scale issues that caused us to move to a different tow vehicle.

'switz', what are "scale" issues?

[msmcv51]

For me a longer wheelbase tow vehicle feels more secure when going forward, but is harder when backing into a campsite.

[Papou]

Bonjour!
My suggestion is to take your time identify your needs in regards to your usage: Occasional week end and annual summer time vacation trips, snowbird trip in winter time, around country long trip… What kind of floor layout you like? There is WBCCI frequent meetings and rally in your province, feel free to contact them for their input and experience. Meet them in the next meeting that will happen next month and your will have the opportunity to see and "feel" a good variety of models and size to help you in your choice. About fuel consumption, these 3 different lenght that you identify will not have significant difference between them. Your road speed will have a large impact to your gas expenditure. As Gary and Debby (Garfield) mention in post #4, I may suggest to "enlarge" your Mercedes vehicle consideration to some other vehicle alternative. Read the numerous post on this subject that you will find in this wonderfull forum. Keep in mind that an Airstream trailer do not required as much "raw brute power" from your vehicle to pull it due to the particular shape of Airstream trailers. We tow a 23 feet with a Chevrolet Traverse without any problem. From my perspective the hitch set up is the very important factor to consider. Feel free to send me a private message and we can talk on phone together in your "native" language…

Michel and Chantal

[socool69]

wow thank you some very nice think

merci

[terryV]

My French is pretty rusty, so you will have to put up with my poor english.

It seems to me that the shorter trailers turn very quickly when backing up, and can get away from you if you are not careful. The longer the trailer, the slower it turns when backing, making it easier to back into a spot.

At any rate, you will get the hang of backing any trailer with a little practice. Just remember, when backing a trailer, steer with the bottom of the steering wheel.

(To make the rear end of the trailer go to the left, when backing up, push the bottom of the steering wheel to the left. To make the trailer turn to the right, push the bottom of the steering wheel to the right.)

Big mirrors that stick out far enough to see the whole side(s) of the trailer help a lot, too. Welcome to Airstreaming.

[Bill M.]

We have a 1988 25' twin bed and have been very happy with it. For me the main issue would be how many people are going to be traveling in it. The 25 is perfect for 2 people, bur not really enough space for 4 to sit comfortably to eat dinner. Or for a visiting couple. (ours does not have a dinette). But for 2 people it is very roomy and we could do okay with less space. Another factor is what you can find used. Not a lot of 23's out there for sale I do not think. Backing should not issue. You will learn quickly. Long trailer, short TV is easiest combo to back. I can not comment on the size for your TV. Our older, narrow body 25 hits the road at 6300 lbs with our normal traveling load. (listed gvw is 6800). I think the wide bodys are a bit heavier. My neighor has a newer, wide body 25 and I think is is listed as either 7300 or 7800 gv. Our 25 adds 800 lbs to the truck weight when hitched. We just finished a long caravan with a couple in a 19' and a Toureg and they are perfectly happy with the combo. If you are serious about buying a trailer fairly soon you might think about picking the trailer before buying a TV. Our use is mainly long trips, 3 months or so at thetime, and we like to shower and eat in the trailer most of the time.

[Wingeezer]

I am thinking that if you have been used to a 28' motorhome, you may have some regrets going to a shorter unit - unless you are really keen to get into some heavily forested sites that cannot accept longer trailers.

After using tents then a VW Westphalia many years ago, we move to a 20' travel trailer, then a 27', now a 31.'

I was a bit hesitant to move up to the 31' and only did so because we had to in order to get the floor plan we wanted. I was concerned that it would restrict the campgrounds we could get into, but after using it for 6 years I can say it has never been a problem for us - and we do stop at State and Provincial parks as well as private parks.

We have found the extra space well appreciated, especially on longer trips, and would find it hard to go back to a smaller unit. I'm sure other people will have different views!

I would not be afraid of driving with a larger trailer - I am certainly no expert but have not found it a problem at all. As others point out, they are much slower to jackknife when backing up than a shorter trailer. I would much sooner back up our 31' Aistrtream than the short luggage trailer I sometimes pull behind our motorcycle!

As for highway travel, if your rig is set up properly, it can be a dream - we use a Hensley hitch.


Can't comment on the Mercedes as we tow with a larger 3/4 ton diesel pickup.


Bonne Chance!

Brian.

[socool69]

thank you

we still think about the 25 feet but very hard to find one

so thank you for all your comments very good think and ideal