Buying tow vehicle before Airstream..

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by cptkel

The towing Mirrors I'm sure won't be a problem. What are the larger wheelhouse flaps you talk about?

I'm going to call the dealer today to check on a VISS. Any other good information I should get before driving to see this one?

Our Burb had the Standard OEM splash guards that were installed buy the dealer. I just added to them before towing. Attached generic truck flaps with stainless fasteners. 4" off pavement and 2" beyond the outside of the tire has worked very well, from directly behind the outside of the tire should be hidden.
Picture worth a.......


Inspect the hitch receiver for cracked welds. It was a chronic problem up 'til 09.
It's something you should upgrade with aftermarket class IV or V before towing anyway. Use it as a haggle point.




Don't restrict yourself to just the salesman. It's the Service Dept that can access & print the VISS records.
Talk to a Mgr or Service advisor they will be much more knowledgeable about towing and capability. A road test with someone from Service may also be helpful, I did it often working in serv.

Let me know how you make out or have more ???'s.

Good luck

Bob

[m.hony]

If I lived in a place that didn't allow pickup trucks, I'd move! There's 2 of them pickups in my driveway now!

[cptkel]

Originally Posted by m.hony

If I lived in a place that didn't allow pickup trucks, I'd move! There's 2 of them pickups in my driveway now!

Haha, I'm showing this to my wife.

I, honestly, would prefer a 3/4 ton diesel of some sort. Ideally, I should have a separate TV and family mobile. However, I am trying to combine uses to save from buying two vehicles.

[m.hony]

Here they are-
There's somethin' women love about a pickup man...

[m.hony]

The one at the back is a 3/4 ton Chevy Silverado Duramax diesel Allison transmission crew cab 6' box- plenty of power- good mileage- nice sound system- comfortable seats-

[SSquared]

We are successfully towing a 2013 Flying Cloud 25FB with a Yukon. This Yukon is the short wheelbase 2010 model in the "Denali" trim (6.2 liter engine, 6 speed transmission). We have weighed the rig several times as we got it set up.

The Yukon specs are similar to what you saw for the Suburban:
Front Axle: 3500
Rear Axle: 4200
GVWR: 7300

When we got the Yukon we removed the third row seats, which weighed 110 pounds. We then weighed it with a full tank of gas, plus me, my wife, and about 35 pounds of snowshoeing gear, but no camping gear:
Front axle: 3080 (420 pounds of available capacity remaining)
Rear axle: 2880 (1320 pounds)
Yukon Total: 5960 (1340 pounds)

We travel fairly light (no generator, no firewood, not too many "toys"). Our trailer tongue weight has ranged from 900 to 960. The last time we weighed the rig was during a month-long trip. The numbers were as follows, with the weight distribution hooked up and about 10 gallons of gas in the Yukon:
Front Axle: 3240 (310 pounds of available capacity remaining)
Rear Axle: 3720 (480 pounds)
Yukon Total: 6960 (340 pounds)
Trailer Axles: 5640

Compared to the previous numbers, this shows 1000 pounds more weight on the tow vehicle.

So we have a comfortable amount of headroom. We could carry a generator and some firewood, and put a canoe or a pair of bikes on the roof. But if we were to travel with two more adults, we'd probably hit the Yukon GVWR.

By the way, we find the Denali seats pretty comfortable, but the ride is stiffer than we would like (both when towing and when solo). The long wheelbase probably rides better but we went with the short wheelbase because the long version won't fit in our garage.

[cloudwatcher]

Hi, This is my first post, thanks to all you all for lots of informational and entertaining reading, just my 2 cents, don't worry about the home owner association rules. Do what you need to do. Around here if you had a silly rule like that in your neighborhood it would be a lonely neighborhood or you would be surrounded by rule breakers. Maybe you live to close to DC.
Thanks for letting me read, Marty

[SSquared]

I forgot to mention something else important about my Yukon.

My owners manual specifies the max tongue weight as 1100 pounds (when weight distribution is used). The stickers on the factory-provided receiver specifies the max for the receiver as 1000 pounds (also when weight distribution is used).

I believe the owner's manual for 2011 and newer models says 1000 pounds.

So the tongue weight itself can be an issue.

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by Ed Brownfield

I currently own an Infiniti QX 56 with a towing capacity of 8,500 lbs. Can any one suggest a TV with more capacity?

Why? With a payload of 1700# you should be able to tow most any Airstream.

[m.hony]

That's more payload than my pickup- 1,550#-

[cptkel]

Originally Posted by m.hony

That's more payload than my pickup- 1,550#-

Between your two vehicles, which do you prefer to tow with? What size airstream do you tow?

[m.hony]

See my avatar and signature- I tow a 30' Classic with a Toyota Tundra (1/2 ton).
I am within all numbers by a hair- payload, front axle GVW, rear axle GVW, GCVW, towing capacity-
The only number I am not sure of is tongue weight- maybe I'll make it to the Cat scales again one day-
A little more firewood in the truck bed could have me overloaded or exceeding capacities-
The 3/4 Chevy is a work truck equipped to pull gooseneck trailers- I'm sure it would be a great Airstream puller and I intend to try it one day to measure whether it is really that much better than a 1/2 ton- the 1/2 ton sure rides better-

[PharmGeek]

Given the homeowners restrictions and such - you may consider the 1/2 ton SUV route and be careful with weights

Only other option is used 'burb 2500 or a 3/4 or 1 ton van (like an E350 or Chevy ) -

Nissan NV cargo van is 1/2 ton as I recall

[PharmGeek]

There is a user on here "BABB" I believe is the name that pulled with an infinity SUV and it worked - may be worth talking with that member

[RAH]

If the OP goes for a Suburban, for even more power you can go the Duraburb guys in Florida and for $20,000 they will put a 2500 diesel engine and Allison transmission into the Suburban. Youtube for Duraburb (they have no website).

I was in the market for a new TV – I got the Airstream FC30 in March and towed about 5,000 miles over the summer with an SUV. A trip out west and into a “small canyon” convinced me that my little SUV that handled so well in Ohio and Michigan couldn’t handle the mountains. Engine was at 4,000 rpm, we may have been going 15 mph. I can’t believe the engine didn’t blow up right then and there. I really wondered why I got the “big Airstream” pulling out of Palo Duro canyon with my engine racing and me wondering if we were even going to make it. But we survived that and when we got home I needed to think of what our next TV was going to be. I seriously contemplated getting a Suburban and doing the Duraburb conversion – I thought about it for a month but decided against it. Instead I got a GMC 2500 pickup with the diesel engine. I won’t be able to tow the AS with it until winter is over – probably May. Talk about delayed gratification. I can’t imagine if I had HOA restriction against pickups to deal with. I would have to move, probably best just to live in the AS.

Looking back I am glad I got the AS first, had a tow vehicle I could test for a while, and then make a “final decision” on TV. If I had bought a TV before the AS, I never would have gotten a TV as big as the 2500 if I hadn’t had the “small canyon” experience first.

[cptkel]

I talked to my wife last night about the possibility of getting 3/4 ton truck. She was surprisingly receptive. I told her they seat 6, but now that I'm thinking about it maybe it's only 5? This may be a good thing... I think trucks are more affordable anyways and I can even consider the diesels. What are my options in the 3/4 ton trucks? How does diesel compare to has at fill ups?

[F450Harley]

Here you go !!
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...56988011,d.cWc

Originally Posted by RAH

If the OP goes for a Suburban, for even more power you can go the Duraburb guys in Florida and for $20,000 they will put a 2500 diesel engine and Allison transmission into the Suburban. Youtube for Duraburb (they have no website).

I was in the market for a new TV – I got the Airstream FC30 in March and towed about 5,000 miles over the summer with an SUV. A trip out west and into a “small canyon” convinced me that my little SUV that handled so well in Ohio and Michigan couldn’t handle the mountains. Engine was at 4,000 rpm, we may have been going 15 mph. I can’t believe the engine didn’t blow up right then and there. I really wondered why I got the “big Airstream” pulling out of Palo Duro canyon with my engine racing and me wondering if we were even going to make it. But we survived that and when we got home I needed to think of what our next TV was going to be. I seriously contemplated getting a Suburban and doing the Duraburb conversion – I thought about it for a month but decided against it. Instead I got a GMC 2500 pickup with the diesel engine. I won’t be able to tow the AS with it until winter is over – probably May. Talk about delayed gratification. I can’t imagine if I had HOA restriction against pickups to deal with. I would have to move, probably best just to live in the AS.

Looking back I am glad I got the AS first, had a tow vehicle I could test for a while, and then make a “final decision” on TV. If I had bought a TV before the AS, I never would have gotten a TV as big as the 2500 if I hadn’t had the “small canyon” experience first.

[kscherzi]

When looking at a truck, particularly a 3/4 ton, consider its dimensions. I found they are slightly larger than the 1/2 ton and unlikely to fit in my garage. I'm not thrilled about spending 50k plus and leaving it outside in the rain and weather full time, plus my neighborhood has CC&R's that discourage outside storage. My feeling is a bigger diesel truck will get you up the long hill quicker while hauling more junk but the advantages soon disappear when you arrive in town. I think about that whenever I see the guy with the F-350 quad cab having to park in the outer edges of the grocery store parking lot because it won't fit anywhere else.

[Goin camping]

OP, you like many here will drive yourself crazy picking a TV. I know I did.

Used to use a F250 Powerstroke 4X4. Now we have a 2002 3/4 ton Suburban 4X4 with the 8.1 engine and here's how we came to that decision.

We live in the rural desert above snow level so 4X4 is required.

Every part on the 2002 is easy to get and fairly inexpensive due to supply and aftermarket.

3/4 ton = bigger brakes and stronger axles.

We can't go anywhere without hitting long steep passes and the 8.1 pulls our trailer up any mountain at speed with power left over. 2,200 RPM at 65mph.

At a purchase price of $9,000 with 102,000 miles there was plenty left in the bank for any desired upgrades or repairs.

Repairs to date = 0. Now with 140,000 miles.

Upgrades = New complete hitch. I just don't like that round bar system from the factory. Also added towing mirrors. Easy remove the old little ones and bolt on the new larger heated ones.

We also car camp out of the suburban and it easily fits and hauls everything. Also can sleep in the back. Handy in the rain.

The back seat in the Sub is comfortable. The one in the F 250 or any other crew cab we've been in were not. Felt like a factory afterthought.

Easily fits in supermarket parking spaces unlike the F 250.

Doesn't need a football field for a U turn.

Those leather heated seats are a lot more comfortable than the F 250 too.

And finally...

13 mpg un hitched and 10 pulling the trailer. MPG is consistent.

Good luck.

[PharmGeek]

My ram 2500 Can seat 6 - but the middle person in front does not have leg room - floorboard below is bulged up - it's doable

Middle in back between car seats
Equally doable but not great

Bring the fam - put in car seats - then decide

It will not be the same comfort and space as a suburban or infinity with 3rd row

Compromises compromises

The 3/4 ton pickup (aka "PU") - makes for a hassle of a daily driver!! But "doable" if not for heavy use or frequent tight mall parking etc...

My diesel on flat terrain in tow no wind 14.1mpg pulling my 30 footer

Mixed mileage if mostly stop and go really varies but surprisingly not good - 18-19 highway going 65mph