half ton or 3/4 for a 2500 lb caravel ?

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by Airrogant

I'm starting to get the impression that AS trailers aren't very special when it comes to their mechanical and electrical design. An AS TT is just another SOB with a pretty, curvy face. One look at how the cabinets were fastened tells quite a story.

Thought for the day: Perhaps the TV isn't overkill. Perhaps the AS is underkill.

Think of Airstreams as a piece of fine art. Treat them with respect, take care of them, and don't get rough with them and they will endure and be a great investment.

Airstream's were originally designed to be towed with family sedans, not HD trucks.

[r carl]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

Not really.

Streamline, Silver Streak and Avion, all did the same thing.


Andy

Not really.
Avion has a proper frame. NO FRAME PROBLEMS.
Their frame absorbs road shock before it gets to the shell.
Ever wonder why Avions leak less? Its because the
shell flexes less because of their stiffer frame.
Look what happened to pickups lately, stronger frames.
Don't me for being blunt.

[SteveH]

Granted, the OP's tow vehicle is overkill for his trailer, but all this talk about 3/4 ton trucks being too heavy for even a 34' is ridiculous.

About a year ago when I still had a late model 31' I wanted to get a newer 1/2 ton truck for a tow vehicle, and to that end spent about a month studying the weight capacities, and towing capacities of the 1/2 to trucks. If you routinely carry more than your spouse and a full tank of gas, you are routinely overloaded.

Then if you want to add things like a topper, generator, bikes, grill, and all the other things we like to take camping with us, I would have been overloaded ALL the time when towing.

Our current trailer has a tongue weight of 1200 pounds +,-, and after towing it for almost a year, I believe any smaller tow vehicle than we are using would be dangerous.

30' Airstreams were easily towable with the family sedan way back in the 60's, but not at the weight and size they are today, IMHO.

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by r carl

Not really.
Avion has a proper frame. NO FRAME PROBLEMS.
Their frame absorbs road shock before it gets to the shell.
Ever wonder why Avions leak less? Its because the
shell flexes less because of their stiffer frame.
Look what happened to pickups lately, stronger frames.

This is absolutely true, as I owned an Avion, and my father had several Avions, however because they are built heavier, and not as "rounded" as Airstreams, they were significantly harder to tow, in the day.

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by SteveH

Granted, the OP's tow vehicle is overkill for his trailer, but all this talk about 3/4 ton trucks being too heavy for even a 34' is ridiculous.

But that's a discussion for another thread. This thread is specifically about towing a Caravel, which is almost the tiniest Airstream out there, with a fully loaded weight under 2500#, and a tongue weight around 250#. Lets try and keep it on topic so we don't wander too far off into the general topic of towing.

[kevinkatz]

i would REALLY like to thank everyone for their input. it is such a pleasure to have a community that helps so much.
i kicked around a lot of vehicles for my 1965 caravel. wanted awd or 4x4 and liked the idea of diesel for the torque.
just put my money down on a 2011 BMW X5d that i am picking up tomorrow.
i know it is not the mainstream choice, but think i will like it especially because it will also be a great ride when not towing.

[Airrogant]

Originally Posted by SteveH

...but all this talk about 3/4 ton trucks being too heavy for even a 34' is ridiculous.

About a year ago when I still had a late model 31' I wanted to get a newer 1/2 ton truck for a tow vehicle, and to that end spent about a month studying the weight capacities, and towing capacities of the 1/2 to trucks. If you routinely carry more than your spouse and a full tank of gas, you are routinely overloaded.

Then if you want to add things like a topper, generator, bikes, grill, and all the other things we like to take camping with us, I would have been overloaded ALL the time when towing..

It is pretty clear that some of our members haven't recently waded into the "facts" of today's tow vehicle options. Modern tow vehicles generally come in three flavors. Severely underpowered (read Honda minivan), payload-challenged (read 1/2 ton pickup), and capable (read 3/4 ton and up). I require a 3/4 ton truck to manage my load. It isn't opinion. It is fact. Suggesting that I should be driving a "payload-challenged" truck (that would be grossly overloaded) to keep my trailer from shaking apart is irresponsible and dangerous. It is so outrageous that it even sounds like the kind of crap that you'll hear on a used-car lot.

Blaming modern "capable" trucks for the fragility of modern AS trailers borders on ludicrous. That's like blaming an AS trailer for overheating a Chrysler 300's engine. The reality is that the current AS trailers appear to be just a wee bit on the wimpy side. Just read the forums and tell me that these trailers don't require ridiculous amounts of futzing. There are several new examples every day. I'm not basing this on my experience (which has been very positive with one exception) with the product, I'm basing this on the words of those who own AS trailers who frequent this site.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can ANYONE produce documentation (fact not opinion) from AS that there is such a thing as having "too much" tow vehicle for a given trailer? If not let's just nip that crap in the bud.

[Airrogant]

Originally Posted by kevinkatz

ust put my money down on a 2011 BMW X5d that i am picking up tomorrow.

Congrats! I predict that you will be VERY happy with your decision. Let us know how it goes once you get it, and please post a picture or two.

[xrvr]

Good choice, only reason fir anything else would be payload as had been mentioned. Enjoy youR Bimmer. Jim