Is it possible to use a car to tow a 19' or 20' airstream?

[cwf]

We chose to have enough truck for our 34' AS... before we purchased an AS... Just look at my avatar for a perspective.

Add to that a proper Weight Distributing Hitch (for my rig it is necessary) and Sway elimination...

Under 'normal' conditions, I would probably be able to tow my 34' Excella with my older 1999, 1500 GMC...

When have you seen 'normal' conditions on today's roads? Remember, you will be traveling, perhaps you will be on unfamiliar roads... so, things can get uncomfortable.

True story.. not long after purchase of our 34', I changed the 'hitch'.. it is a Weight Distributing and sway elimination setup. Returning home from a weekend trip with my wife and 3 granddaughters aboard, someone tried to pass us. Their poor judgement required me to take the 34' 2/3 of the way off the shoulder of the highway. The roadside was NOT hard surfaced.

Even tho I have towed quite a bit, this was a dangerous maneuver. the whole setup performed perfectly.. AS followed us without 'sway' or aberrant behavior... and we survived without a scratch... but AS got pretty muddy on the curb side...

Had I had the 1500 truck, this maneuver would have been more difficult... I don't want to prove this..... I can tell you, the difference of no damage that day had a lot to do with my decision to buy the new truck... and hitch system... and set them up properly...

Wish you all the best with your personal decision.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Revery

Size does matter.

Yes and no.Yes, the larger the tow vehicle, the handling could be better.

Why a no?

Just because the tow vehicle may be larger, does not escape the fact that a proper load equalizing hitch must be used, properly installed, and properly adjusted.

Then and only then, will towing and safety be maximized.

Andy

[AlbertF]

Originally Posted by old gray cat

I tow my Airstream International 534 with a Peugeot 508 SW, (station wagon) engine size 2.2 litre. Even over the Alps! You have to take into consideration car weight/trailer weight/engine power, but your local dealer would advise on that. You don't need a big truck except for the big fellas.

I see that's a 200 hp diesel with 450 newton-metres/329 lbs-ft of torque. We need more of those small turbodiesels in North America. Notwithstanding the constraints of hitching and the law (in Europe at least), the power is there to tow 10,000 lbs, with 50 mpg (US) while not towing.

If you had a weight distributing hitch and effective yaw control, you could happily cruise at 75-80 mph.

[rostam]

Originally Posted by old gray cat

I tow my Airstream International 534 with a Peugeot 508 SW, (station wagon) engine size 2.2 litre. Even over the Alps! You have to take into consideration car weight/trailer weight/engine power, but your local dealer would advise on that. You don't need a big truck except for the big fellas.

BTW, Airstream International 534 has a gross weight of just 3740#, whereas Peugeot 508 SW has a tow rating of 4125#. You are well within the tow rating of your vehicle. Big trucks are still needed for bigger Airstreams.

[Road Ruler]

Interesting, the 508 Wagon weighs about 600lbs less than a larger, more powerful, North American SHO Ford Taurus. No way a Taurus could tow an Airstream.

http://www.peugeot.co.uk/media/peuge...s-brochure.pdf

[Revery]

Agree, I didn't mention we also used a weight distribution anti-sway hitch by Equalizer for 10,000 lb weight. And yes that makes a huge difference.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

Interesting, the 508 Wagon weighs about 600lbs less than a larger, more powerful, North American SHO Ford Taurus. No way a Taurus could tow an Airstream.

Really? Better not let Can Am Andy hear you say that. I've towed a 30' Flying Cloud with his Taurus.

[tjdonahoe]

Why not try to pull one with a VW bug,looks like about the same thing!!!

[timhortons]

and He'll tell you you should buy a truck. A big one. If you care about your family.

[timhortons]

My primary reservation on towing with a BMW 3 5 or the X family would be the german car ownership "experience" which I have reservations about reentering. VW and family being reportedly the least troublesome of the Bavarian makes.

Take the delightful 333HP M3 from 2001 for instance, 80k small sedan that needed front struts replaced with oil changes every 8000 miles. Looks awesome though. On a 3 year old 2011 the most enjoyable period may be passed.

Since my Honduca is 10 years old has 260k km and worth ~9k, I'm not as worried about it. Although somebody will probably post anyways warning me that I've voided my warranty.

[mazoolah]

I still haven't seen any costs to cob up a receiver ,wiring,load rated tires, etc. for a car like the bmw ; vs just buying a good used truck /suv with factory tow package .

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

I still haven't seen any costs to cob up a receiver ,wiring,load rated tires, etc. for a car like the bmw ; vs just buying a good used truck /suv with factory tow package .

The costs are minimal. The savings a respectable when you compare the savings in fuel the car gets compared to the truck when driving solo.

[Stefrobrts]

People will always give you a hard time when you tow with something other than a giant truck. I even got a hard time from the Flex forum folks for towing my 2500# Caravel with my non-tow equipped Flex, because it is only rated for 2000#. The difference between tow equipped and not? A little oil cooler, which magically bumps your towing capacity up to 4500#! Even then someone told me adding the tow equipment still doesn't make it tow equipped, and if I got caught or had an accident I would be sued out of existance for exceeding factory installed tow capacity.

I'm still feeling pretty good with my choices.

[mazoolah]

Originally Posted by Road Ruler

The costs are minimal. The savings a respectable when you compare the savings in fuel the car gets compared to the truck when driving solo.

could you be more specific ? is minimal 500 bucks or 2000? My point as a rookie like myself ;why reinvent the wheel (or tv) rookies like me and the OP need to learn towing skills ,get comfortable with 1 1/2 tons on your rear end .not engineer a tv from scratch . Most of you guys know the ins and outs of towing an can deal with unique setups. have fun with that ,to each his own. But guys like me and the op need a cushion , and less things to worry about .

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

could you be more specific ? is minimal 500 bucks or 2000? My point as a rookie like myself ;why reinvent the wheel (or tv) rookies like me and the OP need to learn towing skills ,get comfortable with 1 1/2 tons on your rear end .not engineer a tv from scratch . Most of you guys know the ins and outs of towing an can deal with unique setups. have fun with that ,to each his own. But guys like me and the op need a cushion , and less things to worry about .

Mazo.... If you are truly interested in understanding the superior towing solutions pull up the many posts by forum member "Andrew T". He writes about the many aspects you are wondering about. Thnxs for your interest.

[Stefrobrts]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

But guys like me and the op need a cushion , and less things to worry about .

A properly adjusted hitch, setup by someone who knows what they are doing, and will instruct you on how to hitch up, on an adequate tow vehicle, will give you just as much safety cushion as you need. Using a bigger tow vehicle just because it is bigger is only safer in your head.

If you don't have the hitch set up correctly, and know how to set it up correctly yourself, and know how to handle the rig if something goes wrong, then you are no safer with either choice.

[subfan1]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

I still haven't seen any costs to cob up a receiver ,wiring,load rated tires, etc. for a car like the bmw ; vs just buying a good used truck /suv with factory tow package .

I agree with the previous post, do a search here. Specifically Crysler 300 (very expensive modifications to car)
The BMW's are not too expensive but, any German add ons are going to be pricey. Hitches, harness etc

[rostam]

Originally Posted by mazoolah

My point as a rookie like myself ;why reinvent the wheel (or tv) rookies like me and the OP need to learn towing skills ,get comfortable with 1 1/2 tons on your rear end .not engineer a tv from scratch . Most of you guys know the ins and outs of towing an can deal with unique setups. have fun with that ,to each his own. But guys like me and the op need a cushion , and less things to worry about .

This is the exact reason I do not like such experimental recommendations. IMO, when you are making a recommendation to someone (not just TV, but on anything), you should be intentionally conservative, to make sure you are not putting the other party in trouble. You should always consider the possibility that you are wrong, and recommend accordingly.

[megster]

The Airstream came with an equalizer hitch system (worth about $900). CanAm said they could install brake controller, Bargman 7-pin plug, breaker & converter on an imported car with non-traditional wiring and relays is $733. Custom-fabricated receiver is $612. So appears a rather cost effective choice versus buying another vehicle. I can't imagine they would quote me an unsafe setup.

[Road Ruler]

Originally Posted by megster

....... So appears a rather cost effective choice versus buying another vehicle. I can't imagine they would quote me an unsafe setup.

I did some calculations a while ago and calculated the transaction costs involved with trading a vehicle in at a dealership. It was about $5,000. That does not include the added cost of the upgrade to a newer or better vehicle.

So you are correct megster, very cost effective. Plus the fact you would end up with the premium Can Am set up which folks like myself and others are very satisfied with. Considering their 40+ years in business, and 1,000's of satisfied customers, no doubt a good deal.