30 ft. or 27 ft.

[ttrout]

How different will towing be between 25 0r 27 and my 30. Currently towing with 3/4 ton duramax, could I go to 1/2 ton, thanks

[mpsgolf]

We went from 25 to 28 and I could tell little if any diff. From 7000 up to 7600 lbs GW. We towed both with a Nissan Armada, 5.6 L V8 with tow package. SUV with truck chassis not unibody. It is up to the task - we just got back from CO Rockies for 3 weeks. Many mountain miles and passes to 11,300 ft. While a 2500 type truck would give more margin, this is our primary vehicle and we like the SUV.

[Hans627]

We went from a 25' to a 27'. I pulled both with a RAM 1500 but after one season of towing the 27' we got a RAM 2500. The 1500 does the job and the 2500 does it easier with less stress.

YMMV!

[wulfraat]

I went from a 25’ to a 30’. I live in Colorado and tow in the mountains regularly.

I towed the 25’ with our current generation 2012 Infiniti QX56 - which is similar to the Nissan Armada mentioned above (I actually towed the 25’ with a 2008 Nissan Armada prior to the Infiniti). I had about 30,000 miles towing with the 1/2 ton platform between the two trailers.

My 25’ weighed 6800lbs wet, gross was 7600 and tongue weight was right at 760lbs. My 30’ weighs 8200 (ish) wet, 8800 gross and tongue weight is 950lbs.

After about 3,000 miles towing the 30’ with the 1/2 ton Infiniti (which was a fantastic tow vehicle btw - 1,450 lbs payload and 400hp/400lbs torque goes tow to tow with 1/2 ton pickups minus the wheelbase) we moved to a 3/4 ton duramax.

I honestly never thought in my lifetime I’d own a 3/4 ton truck but I can tell you after having made the move it was absolutely night and day towing and I haven’t looked back. Hands down the duramax is a better TV for the 30’ - and I’m a very confident pilot.

The only downside is that pickup trucks only seat 5 - vs 7-8 in the suv - so we need to bring a second vehicle when lots of the kids friends join.

Just my $0.02. Take the advice for what it is worth - you’ll get lots of opinions - tow vehicles are a hot topic here [emoji4]

[uncle_bob]

Hi

How much does your current trailer weigh (when packed and traveling) ? If you pack the same stuff into most 27's the weight will be very close to the weight of some 30's. In that case, no real difference at all.

Dropping down from 27' to a 25' likely will save you ~10% of the TV + trailer + stuff weight. Even that's not going to be night and day in terms of how tows.

Yes there are a lot of guesses in all that. Without knowing your weights, that's about all any of us can do. What one person hauls along rarely is the same as what somebody else needs with them.

Bob

[Trowbridge]

You will still be much better off towing a 25 or 27 foot Airstream using your 3/4 ton diesel truck. You will notice a substantive reduction in towing ability dropping down to a 1/2 ton truck. Stick with the 3/4 ton, and choose the trailer you need.

If you really want a 1/2 ton truck (i.e. if that's your primary goal), I'd drop down to a 22 or 23' trailer size.

We have a friend with a Ford F-150 towing a 26'
t/railer with a little too much stuff in the trailer and truck bed, and the truck is doing a visible wheelie. And they slow dramatically on long uphill grades here in the Northern California Sierras.

We're towing a 1964 30' Airstream Sovereign with a full truckload of accessories (generators, bbq, etc) with a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 and we just cruise up and down hills. No comparison.

[kdfulsome54]

We are currently towing a 28 ft international, with a 2018 Silverado 1500 crew cab 5.3 liter gas. Just completed a 4500 mile trip thru the Rockies, averaged 12.8 mpg. Pulled most of the grades between 55 and 60 mph. Don't think you will have any troubles with a 1/2 ton

[jcanavera]

Went from a 27' Safari to a 30' Classic slide out. I had bought a 3/4 van prior to that move and the difference between that half ton van I had before and the 3/4 ton van was noticeable when I pulled the 27' trailer with the new van. A lot of that however was due to a larger engine in the 3/4 ton van and the axle ratio in the 3/4 ton van being much more conducive to towing. Quite honestly with almost a 3,000 increase in towing weight on the two trailers, the 3/4 van was mandatory in my opinion. I would have been very unhappy if I had stayed with the 1/2 ton.

Noticible differences in the suspension though. When I'd hit a dip in the road and the rear wheels of the van went down in the dip, there would be a much more noticeable rocking up and down between the trailer and van as it recovered from the dip. The 3/4 ton van took care of that rocking within one dip where as the half ton would dip probably twice before recovery.

Also noticed that the pivot point changed when backing the 30' trailer vs the 27'. That changed the point that I used when backing into a site, or even my driveway. Just a little education to turn a little earlier when backing.

Other noticeable things for me was the rear end of the trailer and having to be a little more careful coming out or going into gas stations when the station sits higher that the street. You could drag the rear of the trailer in some stations with the longer trailer where the 27' wouldn't. Also gas station related was pump locations, and the need to account for that 3 extra feet when trying to negotiate in and out of the pump area. I've passed up some stations when upon arrival seeing that the access into the station has the potential of dragging the rear end or potentially making it close when trying to exit the pump area. With that in mind I usually stop a little earlier for gas than what I did with the smaller trailer, just in case I have to pass the station by due to access issues.

Another thing was gas mileage. My half ton van did not allow towing in overdrive. My 3/4 ton van with the larger engine, more HD transmission, and taller rear axle gearing allowed towing in OD. The result was even with a heavier trailer and larger engine, I get the same gas mileage towing with the 3/4 van as I did with the half ton, even though I'm pulling almost 3,000 lbs more.

FYI both vans were using gas engines, which significantly reduce maintenance costs. My 3/4 van is rated for towing 9,900 lbs.

Jack

[Daquenzer]

I tow a 28’ with an F150 Ecoboost XLT super crew. No problems at all. If you are concerned about payload look in the F150 Heavy Duty Payload pickup (about 2400lbs of payload). The 3.5 EcoBoost has plenty of power. Does it have the same as a diesel? No. But it’s a much more comfortable ride than a 3/4 ton when not towing, easier to park, and not as expensive to maintain.

Suggestions:
1). Uses a propride hitch (hensley) for more stability. This made a HUGE difference in the towing experience.
2). I put a roadmaster suspension system in to stabilize it a bit more. Made a significant difference in eliminating porpoising. It eliminates the “second” dip as stated above.

I am very comfortable and relaxed in the towing experience.

[Overstreet]

Go back to a 1500 truck? Oh very no way!

My 2500 Duramax pulling AS, or one of our boats trailers on the interstate at 70mph does about 1700rpm. With cruise control on and passing over an over pass on the interstate the truck climbs the hill at 1700 rpm. My 1500, or the 2500 gas trucks under the same conditions always had to down shift and rev up to 4,000 Plus rpm to maintain speed. Naw, I would not change trucks.

Which trailer meets your space needs? Which trailer meets your travel needs for comfort, cargo and duration? What is your most important need? If your are successfully towing a 30 ft then the others will be similar just shorter. Significantly different? Not really.

[Renascence]

I think I would keep the 3/4 ton and tow with that.

We have had over the past 25 years 1/2 ton to 1 ton pickups, both gas and diesel, and have found that the 1 ton Duramax is the cats pajamas. We currently have a pickup camper, 1400lbs empty 2700 lbs loaded for bear, we started with lighter duty pickups and eventually moved up to the 1 ton with a trailer and 4 wheeler in tow, do not regret the upgrade for lots of reasons - all around capabilities. We are currently looking for our first Airstream in the 27' to 30' range and would not consider downsizing to less than the 1 ton we currently drive.
IMHO a little overkill is better than not enough to do the job comfortably and safely.

[drbrick]

We tow our 25' with a F-150 FX4 but here's the kicker .... the 25' AS max weight is 6400# and the F-150 is 7700# (it happens to be a heavy duty half ton). personally I would not tow a trailer that weighs more than my TV. I am a bit fearful of the tail wagging the dog syndrome, especially going down hill in the rocky mountains

[DC Bruce]

Depending on the model, the shorter trailer will reduce the weight that you are pulling by 1500-2300 lbs. Our experience towing an FC 27 is that our Sierra half ton with the 420 hp 6.2 liter gas engine is fine. We’ ve towed over 42,000 miles (actually wore out the GYM tires that came with the trailer; now having them replaced). That includes two coast-to.coast trips, extensive travel in the western mountains, end to end on the PCH, the Blue Ridge, the Smokies, Green Mountains of Vermont, White Mountains of NH, and so on. Newer gas engines with turbocharging, direct injection, variable valve timing and so on develop a lot more torque at low rpm than older gas engines, do they don’t have to rev up to develop any power. Add wide ratio 8 or 10 speed transmissions and you have a different animal. My truck has a rated payload of 1940 lbs.; I think you can get over a ton from Ford. Half-tons make better daily drivers than 3/4s and get better gas mileage because they weigh at least 1000 lbs. less. I can think of two disadvantages: 3/4 ton diesels will have bigger fuel tanks and better range, and the exhaust brake on the diesel will provide better engine braking, especially compared to the small displacement Ford Ecoboost. And you will need to use a weight distribution hitch. If I had a 30 foot trailer, I’d go with the 3/4 ton; but for my wife, me and our 90 lb. Golden, the FC 27 was fine. When we went trailer shopping, we didn’t think the 30 foot provided meaningful additional space. But you can see for yourself about that.

[jwgreen]

You didn't mention if you're having maintenance/performance issues with your Duramax. Is it high mileage, due for major repairs, i.e., injector replacement, CP3/4 fuel pump issues, etc. It's best to have a good margin between the tow rating and the weight of your AS. IMHO, the more the better and safer.

[ttrout]

Sierra only 40k , no issues, great truck. Really liked the 1/2 ton I traded for the denali 3/4. Moot point, sold the 30 and bought a 28 classic, will keep the 3/4 ton diesel.

[Hastalavista]

Towing my 2018 25RB with a VW Touareg 2014 diesel... 460 ft lbs torque.
Just got back from blue ridge parkway and highway NC21 n the blue ridge and had plenty of power to spare. Did take it to Canada to up the tongue weight.
It al just depends on what you want to unhitch and drive when u get there...
Used Audi, Porsche Cayennes and VW Touareg 3 liter v6 turbo diesel have the same specs, only issue is tongue weight which can be remedied.

[ttrout]

Seems like a lot of weight behind you.

[Hastalavista]

I do get a lot of looks but I did research the specs and it makes sense. Weight, tongues weight, braking, and tires all surpass many pickups. That along with the trip to Can Am shop in London Canada were they have done extensive testing on tow vehicles attached to several trailer combos made my decision to use the Touareg I already owned a no brainer. BTW I average 15 mpg!