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JohnnyQ · 11-06-2011, 10:02 AM

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 · 11-06-2011, 10:38 AM

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 · 11-06-2011, 10:56 AM

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

n2916s · 11-06-2011, 10:58 AM

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 · 11-06-2011, 11:06 AM

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 · 11-06-2011, 12:48 PM

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 · 11-06-2011, 01:05 PM

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 · 11-06-2011, 01:11 PM

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

Honestly, its just a bad idea.

Fly at Night · 11-06-2011, 01:13 PM

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 · 11-06-2011, 01:25 PM

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 · 11-06-2011, 02:03 PM

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 · 11-06-2011, 06:15 PM

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 · 11-09-2011, 01:02 AM

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 · 11-09-2011, 02:55 AM

Quote:

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

Rebee · 11-09-2011, 04:15 AM

Make sure the 4x4 has positraction on both axles. A diesel engine weighs about 1200 lbs, a gas engine weighs around 600 lbs. A heavy nose could be a problem on a soft surface.

Gringo · 11-09-2011, 04:30 AM

taking large complex objects composed of different metals in contact with each other to a beach environment for any length of time (i.e. a couple overnights) will definitely affect the lifetime of some metal components. Where there are different metals in contact with the aluminum, the aluminum will lose out. The corrosion itself will take a while, in most cases. The fastest I have seen it was in the case of our aluminum screens with brass grommets around the openings in them for louver window cranks. roughly 3 months after our brand new screens were installed in our brand new house under construction, the brass grommets started falling off onto the floor. The aluminum screen corroded away in a circle around them. they were all gone within six months. We've been here six years now. Gone through a Ford Expedition, a Suzuki Samurai, and are getting close to the end of life for two 2005 Land Rovers. One of them only has about 25k miles on it. They are falling apart faster than I can fix them. And once the vehicles have been exposed to the salt, you can't really stop all the corrosion. You can't even see most of it.

It's in little places where two metals meet in the dark.

Sounds like a seedy novel, doesn't it?

I'm NOT saying not to go camp on the beach. If that's what you like to do, then why not?

But you're kidding yourself if you think a vehicle that's been driving on a beach will last as long as one that has not been driven on a beach. With a car you are going to only going to keep a few years it probably won't even show up while you own it. With a trailer you plan to keep ten or twenty years....well...I am pretty sure AS doesn't put the engineering effort into corrosion prevention that the car manufacturers do. It's not going to last as long as a car would. Aluminum is the second stuff to go. Right after zinc, if you have any.

r carl · 11-09-2011, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyQ

Hello All,
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

Only if you have paddle tires and put it in low lock and floor it.

Gringo · 11-09-2011, 06:31 AM

or a really good running start.

maybe with a ramp. Let me get my camera.

Gringo · 11-09-2011, 06:33 AM

hey, check this out:

Mattracks | Worldwide Track Technology

They have a version for towed trailers, too:
http://www.mattracks.com/models/trail-r-mates/hd/

But I thought this one looked cooler.

Ag&Au · 11-09-2011, 10:08 AM

People drive and camp on salt water beaches all the time. It is a matter of knowing how and where to drive. If you are knowledgeable about both the types of areas to avoid and the specific beach you are going to, getting stuck should not be a problem.

The problems with doing this occur after you have done it. First of all, the wheels on both TT and TV are going to throw up a mixture of sand and salt that will work like but not quite as well as a sand blaster on the undersides of both vehicles. If the wind blows significantly while you are there, it will perform the same service on the sides of your trailer.

The aftermath is worse. Especially with an aluminum vehicle. The salt will have gotten into every little crevice. Depending on how thoroughly you hosed the the vehicle off, there will be corrosion of various degrees in every nook and cranny where the salt can stick. If you do this once and wash off the trailer extremely well. you probably won't notice the deterioration. However if you do it repeatedly, each time you do the result will be worse.

If you visit a area where people routinely drive on the beach, take a look around at the local vehicles. Keep in mind most of those are steel and iron. Aluminum corrodes much more rapidly.

In short, I would have no problem at with all towing your trailer on the beach. However, I sure wouldn't do it with mine.

Ken