tow vehicle

[m.hony]

Seems like the 1/2 ton with 11,500# towing capacity and 2108# payload would be all any Airstreamer would ever need, and then some.

[msmcv51]

I have been looking at the F150 Eco boost for the last three years. Finally after talking to a dealer I learned that the 150 with all the options I needed for towing listed about $10,000 more than a F250 that had better ability to tow with only 1 to 2 mpg less when towing. So we sold our 2001 150 super crew with 80,000 on it for $10,000 and found a 2005 250 with 38,000 on it for $13,000. It has trailer tow and heavy haul packages, a 6.8 V10 and a 4.10 rear gear and is about $32,000 less than a new one with similar equipment. The 2005 250 gives me the same mpg as the 2001 150 when towing our 25 footer. $32,000 buys about 8500 gallons of gas, or about 85,000 to 90,000 miles of towing

[Hans627]

Originally Posted by dkottum

There are advantages/disadvantages to both. I'm a moderate, match the tow vehicle to the trailer coupled with the most effective hitch (ProPride/Hensley) to ensure stability.

We tow our 25' with a Ram Express 1500 5.7 gas, not expensive to buy or maintain giving us plenty of power, braking and decent gas economy while being easy to get around town when not towing.

I am new to the forum and we do not have an AS yet. But I do have a tow vehicle purchased in anticipation of buying a trailer. My truck is a RAM 1500 Crew Cab 4X4 Laramie with an eight speed tranny and a 3.55 rear. It was purchased with all the trailer towing options.

Based on your experience would towing a 25FB create any issues? As of now this is the size and type of AS we are considering. As always any thoughts are appreciated!

[n2916s]

Your RAM should tow a 25 just fine. You will need to leave your bowling ball and Mosler safe collection at home, though.

Going is hardly ever a problem. Stopping, if your trailer brakes are properly adjusted and your brake controller dialed in, is seldom a problem. Payload is the limiting factor with a half ton.

My wife and I have been half-timing, traveling from Miami to Yellowstone every Spring for 5 months for five years now. Every year we have winnowed down the amount of "stuff" we carry and have actually gotten pretty lean so our old Nissan Titan does just fine (50000+ miles towing, 166000 overall).

Enjoy the journey,

Mike

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by Hans627

I am new to the forum and we do not have an AS yet. But I do have a tow vehicle purchased in anticipation of buying a trailer. My truck is a RAM 1500 Crew Cab 4X4 Laramie with an eight speed tranny and a 3.55 rear. It was purchased with all the trailer towing options.

Based on your experience would towing a 25FB create any issues? As of now this is the size and type of AS we are considering. As always any thoughts are appreciated!

Assuming your Ram has the Hemi 5.7 V8 engine, it will work very nicely. Always use tow/haul mode which keeps the transmission out of overdrive, and manually select the transmission speed that will match wind and grade conditions so that the engine does not continually down and up shift. You will notice no difference in fuel usage doing this. The truck and trailer have good brakes, but on steep descents keep your speed under control by manually shifting down as needed so you limit brake use.

As any vehicle it has a payload limit so keep that in mind when loading gear. We need and take very little that won't fit in the trailer.

We tried a couple of different weight distribution hitches but nothing comes close to the stability of the ProPride we now use. Worth the money.

Our Ram handles the 25' very well and I am sure you would have no problem with a 27' either. I doubt you would notice the difference.

[Rocinante]

Good advice, dkottum.

Meanwhile, according to the towing calculator link I posted above from Ram trucks, if your vehicle has a long bed and 2 passengers, it is capable of both a Payload of 1,089 lbs while Towing up to 7,311 lbs, assuming you max the payload on the slider. Compare the maximum weight of any trailer you might want to tow, as well as the likely tongue weight, to see whether it fits within those parameters.

Originally Posted by Hans627

My truck is a RAM 1500 Crew Cab 4X4 Laramie with an eight speed tranny and a 3.55 rear. It was purchased with all the trailer towing options.

[kcollins]

As pointed out above, for the vehicles commonly used for towing you are more likely to exceed the payload capacity of the TV than the towing capacity. One of the surprising things is you might not add that much payload capacity going to a 3/4 ton, especially if you go with a diesel. Just as an example, a 2014 F150 SuperCrew 4x4 with the 3.5L EcoBoost engine has a curb weight of 5731 lbs, and a GVWR of 8200 lbs with the max payload package (according to the specs at ford.com). That gives you a payload capacity of about 2470 lbs. A 2014 F250 Crew Cab 4x4 with the 6.7L diesel has a curb weight of 7454 lbs, and a GVWR of 10,000, for a payload of about 2550. In practice your "empty" weight is likely to be higher than this...all the extras like step rails, etc. add up fast. I put my 2006 F250 on the scales a few years back and was stunned to see it over 8000 lbs with nothing but myself and my "driving around town" cargo. With the rest of the family and camping gear we would have been considerably heavier. I haven't weighed my new F250 yet, but I imagine it will be about the same.

[switz]

On our 2012 Dodge Ram 2500HD, the modifications after purchase added just under a thousand pounds to the empty weight. While the larger replacement fuel tank added 140 pounds in weight, the additional fuel capacity (56 vs 34 gallons) added another 176 pounds. The camper shell added 280 pounds, the running boards 60 pounds, the air suspension system that replaced all the steel springs added 100 pounds, front and rear Curt hitched added 120 pounds and undercoating and miscellaneous accessories added 280 pounds.

It all adds up.

Our first trip fully loaded with the wife and I plus two 2K Honda generators with 10 gallons of gasoline, spare 30 and 20 pound propane tanks, grill, power cords, chairs, etc in the truck plus the tongue weight found the truck 520 pounds over the door label GVW but 1,380 pounds under the axle and tire ratings which are the real concern. The trailer was at 6,960 pounds of the 7,300 pounds allowed. The total weight of the rig was 16,000 pounds out of the 20,000 pounds CGVW.

The new Classic model 30 trailer has a GVW of 10,000 pounds so I expect to see the CGVW approach or even exceed 19,000 pounds.

I kind of blew past the typical ½ ton truck's ratings.

Do the scale homework with the TV to be sure it can handle the job. I have yet to see a sedan rated for a CGVW over 18,000 pounds.