Consider a Van as a Tow Vehicle

[kb0zke]

Jo Ann and I just were talking about this idea this afternoon, so this thread is very helpful. That Nissan NV Passenger sounds interesting, but could it safely handle a 9800-pound 34' Airstream?

Our situation, again, is that we're currently in a 40' MH. When we first started talking about going to an Airstream I said we had to get rid of the equivalent of the stuff in the smaller basement bay. We did, but somehow it all has come back. All of that stuff will have to go in the tow vehicle. If those of you who tow with this vehicle say it is safe we'll go look at one tomorrow.

Thoughts?

[explore more]

it's always good to have a margin of safety. I'd be reluctant to town 9800 with a vehicle rated at 10k. Could it do it? Sure. Would it be safe? Well, that's up to you, but I wouldn't do it.

It's also important to remember that whatever weight you put inside the van will reduce the towing capacity.

Let's say your van is rated at 10k. But you put 1000 lbs of toys inside the van. It's now rated to tow 9k.

[kb0zke]

Further looking at the website looks like it can only tow 8700 pounds, so guess that idea is out. We may go to Roswell anyway tomorrow and talk to the dealer and see what's what.

[jcole]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

Jo Ann and I just were talking about this idea this afternoon, so this thread is very helpful. That Nissan NV Passenger sounds interesting, but could it safely handle a 9800-pound 34' Airstream?

Our situation, again, is that we're currently in a 40' MH. When we first started talking about going to an Airstream I said we had to get rid of the equivalent of the stuff in the smaller basement bay. We did, but somehow it all has come back. All of that stuff will have to go in the tow vehicle. If those of you who tow with this vehicle say it is safe we'll go look at one tomorrow.

Thoughts?

Our 2013 Nissan 3500 HD cargo Van V8-5.6 Liter is rated for 9,500 Lbs. with the factory tow package. We pull the light 22' Sport Bambi , over 5,000 Lbs. lighter than a 34' Airstream. Even the 3500 Nissan cargo would be to small. If I were to go to a larger Airstream using our Nissan 3500 HD I would not pull anything heavier than 7,600 Lbs. which is about what our van weighs loaded with two people ,with full tank of gas & cargo. A total GVWR(15,200 Lbs.) for Van plus trailer to keep a safety margin within the Nissan cargo 3500 HD limit. Even then the factory tow package hitch would have to be upgraded to handle the 500 to 600Lbs heavier total hitch weight.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

Jo Ann and I just were talking about this idea this afternoon, so this thread is very helpful. That Nissan NV Passenger sounds interesting, but could it safely handle a 9800-pound 34' Airstream?


Thoughts?

I'm wondering where you came up with 9800-lbs?

The person with the "most " experience setting up a 34' via scale measurements has been 2Airishuman (thread entitled CAT Scale besides the very large Hensley and Pro Pride master threads). His started at about 7400-lbs and got to over 9000. He ran one helluva lot of miles over the time of his posts here, definitely 3+ seasons of gear.

My older 35' Silver Streak doesn't top 9000 (lower starting weight) and it's full time. As with him, my truck carries substantial weight in gear.

It's certainly possible to add over 1000-lbs to a TT, but one has to work at it, IMO.

I don't hold that high estimates are accurate. It's as easy to be over or under in guesstimates by hundreds of pounds, even more.

Besides, if one isn't traveling constantly, being somewhat "over" on so called tow capacity doesn't mean much. An SOB of the same weight is harder on the TV than an AS.

An overly heavy guesstimate, a trailer not in constant movement (as with a commercial operation; a distinct concern with a commercial vehicle), and a trailer that is aerodynamic and more stable means, IMO, that there is no reason not to consider the van.


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[kb0zke]

The 9800 pounds is from the Airstream website. That's the listed GVWR for the 2000 34' coach, so that's the number I'm using.

[Hittenstiehl]

The continued valuable information here is very helpful from all angles.

When the time comes to replace out 13 yr old truck with 259,000 miles we will review the information and current vans carefully.

Because we tow vintage we will likely have less weight to consider. We do tend to over pack so all these variables will go into the equation.

Bikes and kayaks will hopefully be part of our equipment and being able to secure them inside without contorting our bodies will be nice.

[kb0zke]

We've decided to pass on the Nissan as it can't handle the weight of the 34' we would like to have. We have recently talked about going with a 30/31' coach but haven't definitely decided that those would be an acceptable option. Those coaches are lighter but obviously have less interior space.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by kb0zke

We've decided to pass on the Nissan as it can't handle the weight of the 34' we would like to have. We have recently talked about going with a 30/31' coach but haven't definitely decided that those would be an acceptable option. Those coaches are lighter but obviously have less interior space.

But have greater tongue weight than the 34', both in total and as percentage. Did you miss this?

Found anyone with a 34' more than 2000-lbs above ship weight? And what was their TW measured at the ball?

A 34' isn't more challenging to tow than a 28'. Quite the contrary. And it's easier to stop.


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[Starstream]

As noted earlier in this thread, we own the NV 3500 HD passenger. Like Hittenstiehl we tow a vintage Sovereign whose dry weight is between 5,000 - 5,500 lbs. For someone whose heart is set on a late 1990s or early 2000s 34', the NV probably isn't your vehicle. You also won't want all the seats it comes with if you're a full-time RVer, unless you're in a position to special order without them.

If there is some flexibility in model year on the 34' trailer, look further back at models from the 1970s (?) thru the mid 1990s. It can be enlightening to find out how much weight has changed on these trailers under Thor's ownership, even when those older models don't interest you.

[explore more]

^ this. I'm constantly amazed at how much lighter Airstreams used to be.

[ericpeltier]

Originally Posted by explore more

^ this. I'm constantly amazed at how much lighter Airstreams used to be.

Me too. It's why I looked for a vintage one.

[Starstream]

Yes, the following is kind of a rant...

https://hofarc.com/airstream-models-...y-information/

The above link mentions Sovereign and Excella. We have a 31’ Sovereign and a 1979 Excella service manual for the same length. They seem to be fraternal twins for that model year. Hofmann mentions the 30’ Sovereign and a 34’ Excella which began production in the 1980s.

Once upon a time, being a light-weight trailer based on aircraft construction was a point of pride for Airstream and her silver sisters. The park model Spartans were a different animal altogether. (Mobile home instead of travel trailer) I don’t know why the RV industry decided to swing the pendulum so far in the heavy direction, starting with massive Class As and working their way down to the smaller travel trailers. Did it coincide with the McMansion trend? Or did they have a devil’s bargain with the auto industry to create more demand for the extra beefy pickups? Perhaps it’s all of the above.

Karl sometimes wishes we got a 34’ instead, but it still would have been one of the older models. He pictures us boon docking a lot with no neighbors, and I want to take night sky photos where there are no people. So we’re on the same page, for different reasons. We didn’t feel one of the heavy newer models suited our purposes, and we couldn’t compromise too much on length.

While 48 and 50 years of age draws mockery (mostly of the teasing sort) from some on this forum, we’ve lived long enough to know there is a lot of compromise throughout life. Seems to us the bigger most corporations get, the less they’re willing to compromise with the consumer. Want a trailer you can tow with your car or small SUV/pickup? Here’s a teardrop or Basecamp! Have a mid-size pickup? Enjoy the 22’ – 25’. Want something bigger? Sorry, you’ll have to spend at least $30K for that recent used F250 or 350. But in case you’re feeling frisky enough to buy new, check out the F350 for $70k. (Fancy model, of course.) And they call that progress. What the heck!

If the government starts a “Cash for Clunkers” on older (aka vintage) travel trailers, we’re revolting.

[Hittenstiehl]

Saw a nice set up on the way home this evening. A white Dodge Ram van high top 2500 pulling a small white box RV. Looked nice need to check out the specs and price on that and see if that would be a match.

[Starstream]

We're not exactly "brand" snobs. But we have concerns about Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat quality control. Our older daughter has what used to be our 2004 Pacifica. It doesn't have super high miles but the family mechanic informed her the transmission is running on borrowed time. Her fiance had a 2007 Challenger or Charger (don't remember which). The transmission on that car died right after it was paid off. That may not be a problem now, or for commercial vehicles and pickups. I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to fight to the death in defense of their Dodges, but we did some serious research on everything, including customer satisfaction.

Our decision on the NV 3500 came down to fact that it's the 800 lb. gorilla of vandom. However, we're willing to admit it's a new enough vehicle that there isn't a lot of data on reliability, yet.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Starstream

We're not exactly "brand" snobs. But we have concerns about Chrysler/Dodge/Fiat quality control. Our older daughter has what used to be our 2004 Pacifica. It doesn't have super high miles but the family mechanic informed her the transmission is running on borrowed time. Her fiance had a 2007 Challenger or Charger (don't remember which). The transmission on that car died right after it was paid off. That may not be a problem now, or for commercial vehicles and pickups. I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to fight to the death in defense of their Dodges, but we did some serious research on everything, including customer satisfaction.

Our decision on the NV 3500 came down to fact that it's the 800 lb. gorilla of vandom. However, we're willing to admit it's a new enough vehicle that there isn't a lot of data on reliability, yet.

Shorten the service intervals by 10% and unless you're really cranking out the miles, remember that time is the more important of the two.

Personally, I'd not ever let transmission or gear oil intervals be very long.

FwIW, my '04 Dodge has needed $400/repairs in 10-years and 210,000 miles. Am on second set of tires and brakes. Still original clutch.

VernDiesel has a 2-3 year old Ecodiesel and ought to be near a quarter million. About the same in repairs.

Much depends on attitude and planning. Forewarned is forearmed, so joining a specific forum featuring that vehicle is usually money ahead by reading of others problems.

Personally, I believe in dealer service. I want them to know me.

I use a full service station for inspections and fuel. I also want them to know me. And same for tire dealer (as I take all vehicles to one place).

It's worked for over forty years.

Helps to ask around about who has best service for one brand. And for commercial, which dealership does all the fleet accounts?

Most of all, drive it like a truck, not a car. Others will flow around you just fine. Never brake into turns or corners, use the yellow caution speeds posted. Pretend that trailer is always behind you. Never cut corners, always slow to maintain lane center without fail.

New habits pay money. Safety, fuel economy and reliability are all on the same page.

Good luck


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[Starstream]

We bought the Pacifica used in 2010 with about 60k miles. CarFax, if reliable, indicated reasonable maintenance. Four months after we bought it, the dash started to come apart. The only way to fix it was replace the whole thing. Not cheap. While we had it, it received regular maintenance from our mechanic who is certified and guarantees his work. When our daughter bought it from us, she was given strict instructions to keep up the maintenance with his shop.

It seems like these days, auto recalls come up far more frequently than they should. Though some, like GM's snafu with ignition switches, wasn't soon enough. Some of those recalls have involved makers like Toyota and Ford, who generally have a good reputation for reliability. So buying a vehicle of any kind is a crap shoot. You never know when you'll get the one lemon off an assembly line.

Nissan's warranty on the NV was one of the biggest reasons we bought new this time, and we did get the extended product they offer. So it goes to the dealership. We can take it to any Nissan dealership in the country if a problem occurs when we not home.