Towing a '77 Ambassador 27'

[MATTY J]

Hi everyone,

Finally came eye to eye with the wife and found a 77' Ambassador 27. The seller assures me that my 2006 Tundra 4 door cab 4x2 will will pull the TT no problem. I will have a weight distro hitch and brake controlller.

I will be towing with empty tanks for long distance.

Also just to confirm a 27' is total length, bumper to end of hitch? Not living space.

Trying to leave tomorrow to buy. Any advise is greatly appreaciated!

[DKB_SATX]

I don't have any direct experience so take what I have to say with a grain of salt... I would consider an '05 or '06 Tundra with the 4.7L V8 to pull my '75 Argosy24 if it's a fantastic deal, but I'm looking more toward a 5.4L F150 for the extra torque. If I already HAD a V8 Tundra from that era, I'd probably give it a try (with the best hitch and brake controller I could find) before I went off trading the truck.

Now, are you sure it's 27' hitch-to-bumper? Or are you sure it's an Ambassador? Because Airstream says that the '77 Ambassador is 29', and depending on the layout has an empty hitch weight between 590 and 725 lb.

http://service.airstream.com/files/l...0c7613c742.pdf

I suspect with a loaded truck and trailer, if you had the floorplan that starts out at 725 lb you might be asking a lot of your '06 Tundra and would have to be careful about what you take and how you pack.

[MATTY J]

I found out that the towing is 7k on my model so should be good.
Now just concerned that it is in fact a 27'. Hope the seller has the Ambassador and Overlander mixed up..... The trailer is 350 miles away, so best to know before I make the drive.

[Splitrock]

Post serial number and your question will be answered.

[DKB_SATX]

Originally Posted by MATTY J

I found out that the towing is 7k on my model so should be good.
Now just concerned that it is in fact a 27'. Hope the seller has the Ambassador and Overlander mixed up..... The trailer is 350 miles away, so best to know before I make the drive.

I'd guess he's most likely to have gotten the name right rather than the length, since the name in that era was on a plate next to the door, but Splitrock is correct in that the trailer's VIN will divulge the information.

[Aage]

If the seller measured the body, that could be the source of the 27' measurement...

[MATTY J]

Originally Posted by Aage

If the seller measured the body, that could be the source of the 27' measurement...

Yep that's what he did... Still going to take a look

[Aage]

Well there you go. Airstream always counts the length from the bumper to end of the hitch socket. If the body is 27'...

Ta-da! You officially have a 29-footer (including the A-frame of the hitch)!

[Phrunes]

I just bought a "27 footer"...turned out it was a 31 Sovereign. The forum was a huge help in educating me on the serial numbers and naming conventions. I was able to ask the right questions, decipher the VIN, educate the seller and look like a smart guy all in one fell swoop! Thanks forum. Smiles

[Mikethefixit]

U are going to buy and Aint seen it yet or touched it. SELLERS will say anything to get you to buy. I wish you the best. I could reach out and touch our 77 Overlander 27 ft and I was not informed enough on what to look for and kinda got stung in a way. ALL the plumbing had been froze and was leaking. It had a lot of things going for it like new tires,new fridge.new air conditioner and the price was right. GOOD LUCK with something you have not reached out and touched yet. MAYBE someone can give you a check list as to what to look for.

[Not Done]

Hi Matty,

I have since sold my 2005 Tundra but I towed my '73 '31 with it. Im MY case, I had the V8 4x4 Access cab (4 doors but 2 of them were small). This was fine for me but I think that context is everything. My context was that I also had an F250. Most of our trips are short 3-day and on flat roads. The Tundra was just fine for this. I weighed all for axles and the spent time trimming the load for proper weight across all 4 axles. I also have a good brake controller and new brakes on the trailer. I USED THE F250 WHEN THE TUNDRA WAS NOT ENOUGH...i.e. mountians and/or carrying a lot fire wood. You didn't mention if your Tundra has a V6 or V8, or Access cab or double cab (both are 4 door). I believe that the double cab has a lower payload. I NOW have a 07 Tundra 5.7 V8 with 4:30 gears which is the larger (2nd generation) version. I got rid of the F250. SOMETIMES I MISS THE PAYLOAD OF THE F250. Point is, Your truck MAY work fine, it depends...

[MATTY J]

Thanks everyone. I did the long drive and actually bought the 29' Ambassador. The confusing thing just like Phrunes stated, it is a 29' ambassaor, but the plate stated a 28' and OAL is 28'... My Tundra towed it fine even through the Grapevine at 50-55mph uphill without overdoing it.

It's a good starting point, but there's some work to be done. I was prepared to walk away if not the right trailer. I has a limited budget and have looked at a number of trailers.

Anyway thanks for the help. Now the work begins, I am sure it will be like peeling back an onion. Now that I sold my boat, I needed a new hole to throw my money in!

[azflycaster]

In 1978 and 1979 Airstream listed the Ambassador as 28 feet, but for the earlier 70s they listed it as 29 feet. I have no idea what that was all about.

[Coastalview]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

In 1978 and 1979 Airstream listed the Ambassador as 28 feet, but for the earlier 70s they listed it as 29 feet. I have no idea what that was all about.

There is difference in overall length between a 77 and 78 model year. The difference is between the front axle and the entry door. It can be seen in the 77 counter length being longer on the curbside

[Phrunes]

Matty, i just made the trek to Phoenix to pick up my new 31...Glad I paid a deposit only, skin was great, interior needed gutted which I was ok with, but the dealbreaker for me was that the PO put those reflective sheets in every window, including the vistas, and every window looked like it had bullets shot at bulletproof glass! Yikes! Woulda had to remove and dissaseble every stinkin window in the coach. Needless to say, my $500 in fuel cost was spent without towing an AS over the Grapevine. I did get to see a normal Rockwell Edition AS on my way back home that will be going onto Ebay in the next couple of weeks, wearing the tires I bought, for the AS I didnt buy in Arizona! hahai stopped in, looked at the Rockwell, it needed tires and brand new ones were in my bed. Anyhoo im happy for you on your Ambassador find!