Towing 28'-32' ft Airstream on Beach??

[JohnnyQ]

Hello All,
I am looking to buy a pickup real soon. My wife has NEVER gone camping and she used to live in NYC. She wont do tent camping but she would camp in an airstream (she likes how they look) plus she wants our baby girls to enjoy the outdoors. After I get the pickup I was going to start looking for a used airstream in the 28-32 foot range. There is a beach near where I live where I can camp right on the ocean just down the way from million dollar beach homes. I wish I could afford a 2012 ford F250 with the 6.7. Plus the diesels make me nervous with the many stories of expensive repairs. Would a used F250 with a 5.4 be able to tow an airstream on soft sand? I only need to go about 1/8 to 1/2 mile in the sand.
Thanks
JohnnyQ

[wayner61]

JohnnyQ -

I don't know of any way to answer this question accurately.

There is simply too much variation in the terrain of a beach to answer this. Over a distance of even an eighth or quarter mile, it can vary a LOT. I have seen days on the beaches here in TX when my truck couldn't get itself through the sand much less tow an Airstream. Other days, the sand is as hard as the pavement on the highway and it would do fine.

Driving on soft sand is all about flotation. The tires you put on the truck will determine how far you can drive and that will lead directly to how far you can tow.

I know that isn't much of an answer, but without a lot of local knowledge about the beach condition it will be impossible for anyone to really tell you.

As for gas / diesel - I don't think it will make that much difference in the actual towing on the sand. The diesel will have more torque but you probably won't have enough traction to use it. The gasser will be lighter which might help matters if the sand is soft. Heavy stuff just sinks in deeper quicker

I think you need to consider the other towing you will be doing and base your decisions on that. Those miles are going to be much more important than a very short distance on the beach I think.

[Gringo]

Take the tires off the airstream and replace them with treads?

[n2916s]

It would help to know if other folks use this beach for camping and what size rigs they pull down on the sand.

Personally, my Sovereign weighs almost 4 tons all up and even on 4 tires that is a pretty heavy footprint to roll out on the sand -- I wouldn't do it.

As for the tow vehicle, torque is swell but all the torque in the world won't help you if the tires are spinning away in loose sand...

mike

[Jim Foster]

Being sport kite fliers, we spend lots of time on beaches, mostly Long Beach Washington and Pismo Beach California. Both are designated for auto use. We see so many vehicles stuck in soft sand that we have thought about going into the towing business (just kidding about the towing business).

We have seen four wheel drive trucks with flotation tires get bogged down in soft sand towing relatively light trailers without flotation tires. The trailer starts digging into the soft sand, then the truck slows and starts digging down, and the game is over. The truck they call to get the trailer out is made for just that, pulling vehicles out of soft sand. At Long Beach Washington they charge $1,000 to get your car, truck or trailer out of the soft stuff and back on the hard surface, which may be only a few feet away.

It's tempting to be able to take the Airstream right out onto the beach, but I would never do it. Even the very hard packed sand could lead to expensive trouble.

The sea water which makes the sand hard packed is another whole issue.

[Gringo]

We have, essentially, lived on the equivalent of a beach for six solid years now. I would NEVER take a good tow vehicle or our airstream anywhere near an environment like this. I don't even intend to show postcards of this place to our Airstream.

[DaveFL]

Almost 50 yrs ago I tried driving on Daytona Beach with a regular car, easy for the first mile, missed the sign warning of soft sand{small and close to the shore), a few hundred feet into the soft sand and it bogged down, neat how the tow truck didn't need to be called as they stationed themselves close to the problem area. 5 minutes and he had us out and only charged 20 bucks.
Maybe you can find the same quality of service before the tide comes in. ;-)

[Boondocker]

Nothing good can come from taking your camper on the sand...



Honestly, its just a bad idea.

[Fly at Night]

Airstreams were built for many things, but floating or dune-buggying is not one of them

Have you considered a pleasure boat with sleeping facilities?

[Phoenix]

We have taken our 19-foot Bambi and 2WD Tundra on Lone Rock Beach at Lake Powell numerous times. Usually, there are lots of other RVs on the beach, and we walk down to ask them the best route to get close to the water without getting stuck. They have always been helpful in pointing out where the deep sand is. Then, we drive along the edge of the water where the sand is firm. However, I would have second thoughts about parking close to sea water, since even ocean air is very corrosive to both Airstreams and tow vehicles.

Once, we parked in a lot where ocean mist sprayed our car while we were in a restaurant eating; and it was extremely difficult to get the scum off of our windshield just so we could get back on the highway. There is something in seawater that sucks onto paint and metal and is very hard to get off. It's almost like the old LA smog that used to eat the paint off of cars.

[Silver Goose]

A few years ago we spent some time on the Padre Islands along the Texas Gulf coast. We saw campers, trailers and even some Class-A motorhomes (not the big bus types) boondocking on the beach. The sand seemed to be quite firm but I was content to keep my rig on the developed areas. They say the tow truck operators have some fancy boat payments to meet. If I felt the need, I would have carried a tent to the sand. The salt spray was another story. The little white fur that started to sprout up on fasteners and exposed trim convinced me that a car wash was in order as soon as we got off the ferry.

[JohnnyQ]

Found this picture online. I have seen a number of airstreams out here but in areas with hard pack sand. I have been 4 wheeling here a number of years and I have been a little green with envy about the thought of waking up on the beach, doing some striper fishing. During the summer there are many 36 ft 5th wheels out here and the only people I see getting stuck are the people that dont airdown and the old guy driving a Lexus sedan with MD plates. I am not trying to disparrage airstreams but are they less capable in rougher conditions and why?

[oomph]

If you can find a used Ford F250 /w a Diesel that has the 7.3 Powestroke in it, that's the way to go IMO.

Really reliable truck.

The crew cab 4x4s are especially hard to find, people just hold on to them.

[Urbanologist]

Originally Posted by JohnnyQ

Hello All,
I am looking to buy a pickup real soon. My wife has NEVER gone camping and she used to live in NYC. She wont do tent camping but she would camp in an airstream (she likes how they look) plus she wants our baby girls to enjoy the outdoors. After I get the pickup I was going to start looking for a used airstream in the 28-32 foot range. There is a beach near where I live where I can camp right on the ocean just down the way from million dollar beach homes. I wish I could afford a 2012 ford F250 with the 6.7. Plus the diesels make me nervous with the many stories of expensive repairs. Would a used F250 with a 5.4 be able to tow an airstream on soft sand? I only need to go about 1/8 to 1/2 mile in the sand.
Thanks
JohnnyQ

Just had this discussion with a TX Airstream dealer. Do NOT put your rig at risk or please have much insurance coverage; your carrier will question your decision and they will be taking a very dim view of you putting your AS at risk. Want to get close to the beach? Rent a Hummer with tow winches. I tow my AS with a Tundra CrewMax 4x2; it can tow up to 10.6K with ease. The 4x4 package tows less due to the added weight of the 4x4 equipment. I love the 6-Speed transmission and factory towing package in my 4x2; I also use a Eza-Lift weight distribution hitch and anti-sway unit. See towing articles by Andy Thomson: Can-Am RV Centre | New and Used Travel Trailers, Motorhomes and Fifth Wheels | Towing & Hitch Specialists | Top Airstream Dealer