Looking for the best Tow Vehicle

[gklott]

Originally Posted by PKI

The smart solution is your daily driver. That can be a lot of choices...

We went a AWD SUV daily driver route - Infiniti QX80. 2016 or later Nissan Armada is nearly the same.

QX80 towing listed as 8500 lbs.

Philip Tipler at CanAm wrote back with "I spoke with Andy and we found a picture of the frame assembly. That hitch is solidly overbuilt and does not need a reinforce. It's on a very short list of vehicles that don't need it done."

We tow our 30' Classic with our QX80. We like the towing features and the AWD.

73/gus

[ga adkins]

What I seldom see is the discussion on gas vs diesel as far as filling up at the pump. Some of the newer stations may be challenge in getting a long AS and TV thru the pump area. I went with diesel primarily for that reason. Had a diesel pusher MH prior and filling up at the truck pumps was much easier in and out.

[brick1]

And regardless of tow vehicle choice, proper set up is critical. A big truck with an improper setup does you no good.
brick

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by Rob.Bracero

Thanks so much Pat!!!! I was going to get rid of my Audi Allroad and get a Cayenne as it is rated for towing 7k and I've seen guys out there towing a 23' with it. Then I'm told that many wouldn't dare take it onto dirt as it wouldn't last taking it to camp sites...
So that brings me to a pickup as I don't want to be limited if we want to go to back country campsites.
Wife has an XC90 and that can't tow much of anything. As long as the truck is a nice ride, I don't think I would mind it as a daily driver.

Of course I live in LA and sitting in traffic will suck. I do also like technology and luxury and that's what led me to Airstream.

I've heard so many good things about the Ford F150 Rousch or the 250 then also the Raptor. Many have said get a Ram as the interior is best with the large touch screen and the ride is better.

So yeah I'm torn and looking to you real life professionals on which direction to head.

Thanks so much!!!!!

Rob

Well Rob, you surely will have lots of experienced advice here to go on! Suggest you decide on the size AS first, as PKI suggests...if your looking at casual usage,(Few times camping during the summer) vs more extensive usage year around, the more space you have inside will be welcome on longer trips. We have owned 3- different year/models of the 25' AS's over the years and pulled with several different TV's, including 2 new Tahoe's, and a new F150 Echoboost in 2012. Night and day difference all the way around with the F150 Echoboost over the SUV's used for pulling a TT. For our use, we carry firewood, generator, fuel, bbq grill, bikes, camp gear in the back; also include kayaks from time to time. What are you going to want to include when going on a camp trip? If you are taking any of that "stuff" mentioned and putting in the back of an SUV, you could be overloaded easily? Consider the weight of what your planning to carry and the TV's payload including your Airstream tongue weight and passengers. That's how we ended up moving up to the F150 V6 Echoboost 4x4 Off Road model with Tow package...the Tahoe's were nice to drive, especially around town, but for towing, you will appreciate the extra value/power the F150 EB has. I would suggest you consider that a 4x4 also; it is only important to have when you need it...like parking on wet grass, towing your AS in sand like the beach or desert camping in Borrego Springs, muddy ground, etc...don't let anyone tell you not to consider it; it has come in handy several times while pulling the AS; even in unplanned weather on the road. We just were in Borrego Springs with several campers outside of town boondocking in the sand when the rains hit..glad we had the 4x4!

(You mention the Rapture...not good for towing an AS...very low payload numbers..plus it's a gas hog from what I read.) You want at least 1500lbs payload rating or more if your looking at a 25'. For the Airstream 25',consider the twin bed model...more room in the bedroom, more sleep surface/change area and storage, plus 3 outside storage areas which becomes important the more you use your trailer.

The best advice on choosing the AS is spend a lot of time sitting in the Airstream model you are considering...then be prepared to sell/trade it in for another one in a year or 2, once you make your purchase...happens all the time!

Welcome aboard the AS train...

[CBWELL]

Everybody has their own mindset on the "best tow vehicle"!! What works best for me probably won't work for you. Seems everybody on this forum has their own opinion, and thank god we have choices, so we all don't drive the same. And, frankly frank, there is no such thing as bad beer, just beer and better beer!! LOL!! I prefer Grain Belt!! Pick the vehicle you think is best for you and run with it. If it doesn't work out, trade it. Next thing that you need to question is "the best hitch", and get things started again! Have a great day everybody!!

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

Put your helmet on and tighten your seat belt.

This is like asking a bunch of guys about their favorite beer.

Less filling! Tastes great!

Nope, worse that that.

The only even close to contributing I can suggest is put all of your gottahaveits for an outing in one place and how much space does that pile take up and what does it weigh?

Some folks cook by credit card, me I favor cast iron. Big difference in space and weight.

Good luck.

[TouringDan]

Ok, after you pick the Airstream model, you need to decide on the truck or SUV. If you go the SUV route I believe Andy can help with selecting one (small, medium or large) that will do the job.

Happy shopping, Dan

[kipziprip]

I have two trucks...both 1/2 ton. The Ram 1500 eco diesel was great for mileage both pulling the RV and driving without the RV. When I went to a 34' AS I finely got too much RV for the Dodge. It would pull it great but did not handle it well. So I now pull with the XD Titan that has the 5 liter Cummins. If I was pulling your RV I would love the performance and mileage of the Eco diesel in the smaller Dodge. My only other advise from experience is no matter how good of a driver you are or how many miles you have driven it is not fun when the TV is too small.

Ande

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

The best? Mine!

Exactly right...what is best is what everybody else but you are using. 😂

JMO...but a "dual use" TV for anything above 23' is a stretch, doable, but compromises must be made.
We are Burb dwellers and Burb(85%TV) users.
Still love the newer Burb's but we are not shopping.👍

Take your time, drive a lot of 'em, check the specs carefully and buy what you like, taking into careful consideration what others may like for you.🤔

Sweet Streams

Bob
🇺🇸

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

Less filling! Tastes great!

Nope, worse that that.

The only even close to contributing I can suggest is put all of your gottahaveits for an outing in one place and how much space does that pile take up and what does it weigh?

Some folks cook by credit card, me I favor cast iron. Big difference in space and weight.

Good luck.

That is how I ended up with an F-250 Diesel. What one needs to pull an Airstream is a pointless question. It can be pulled by a Fiat 500.
Show me the pile of stuff you want pack, where you want to travel, how long you intend to stay on the road makes an altogether different proposition.

[pteck]

Agreed that best is decided by the user, in the way he/she likes to use their vehicle.

Best overall is going to be a compromise as there's lots of trade-space here. It's ultimately a balance.

Fortunately, you're only talking a 23/25 ft AS. Airstreams are forgiving and in no way demand the ultimate tow vehicle in general. This gives lots of flexibility and opportunity to balance the vehicle for other reasons. Commuting use as you mention. But also comfort, maneuverability, luxury, etc.

I find it funny that people will still push their 3/4 ton agenda, given that commuting is a requirement.

As said, many options will do the deed. Do you have preferences for brands? Types? Price?

[Milo1952]

Couldn't tell you what's best for you , but I can tell you what is best for me.
I tow my 2017 30 ft international with a 2016 ford f250 diesel supercab.
2300 lbs payload. Yes, I could have higher payload without the diesel, but I have found the payload to be more than enough.
But, more important is safety. On a trip home from the south, nearing Chicago ,traffic came to a sudden stop in my lane only. Jammed on the brakes and came to a safe stop 1 ft from the car in front of me.
I am absolutely certain that if I had any of the 1/2 tons, that I would have been in the back seat of the car in front of me.
Now, another poster said 2 wheel drive will out tow four wheel drive.
Maybe on flat terrain ( although I doubt it ), But I-40 through Arizona,
9000 ft pass 10 in.of snow 60 mph crosswinds. The semis were lined up down the middle because they couldn't make the grade. I passed them up, got stuck 1/4 of the way up, threw the truck into 4 wheel drive and never looked back.
Try that with a 2WD.
When parked on grass boondocking it will also help you get yourself out of a pickle when rain unexpectedly softens the ground you are parked on. Try getting yourself out with a 2WD vehicle.
Ask yourself where the majority of your travels will take you. Will you be traveling the flatlands or mountains. I tend to travel west to the mountain states. Never found a road that my TV couldn't easily handle.
And with the diesel you get engine braking. No WHITE KNUCKLE experience when descending. Yes, it does have drawbacks but the pros outweigh the cons !

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by pteck

Agreed that best is decided by the user, in the way he/she likes to use their vehicle.

Best overall is going to be a compromise as there's lots of trade-space here. It's ultimately a balance.

Fortunately, you're only talking a 23/25 ft AS. Airstreams are forgiving and in no way demand the ultimate tow vehicle in general. This gives lots of flexibility and opportunity to balance the vehicle for other reasons. Commuting use as you mention. But also comfort, maneuverability, luxury, etc.

I find it funny that people will still push their 3/4 ton agenda, given that commuting is a requirement.

As said, many options will do the deed. Do you have preferences for brands? Types? Price?

PS: I spent 40 years of my working life in Infrastructural construction. My daily driver throughout those years was a pick up truck. I get claustrophobic sitting in a car in traffic looking at car bumpers.
I recently sold my 10 year old BMW with 60k miles on it.
So when people agonize over daily driver needs and towing I can't honestly relate to it.
To me, you want to pull something get a truck the bigger the better. Obviously it doesn't work for everyone.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

PS: I spent 40 years of my working life in Infrastructural construction. My daily driver throughout those years was a pick up truck. I get claustrophobic sitting in a car in traffic looking at car bumpers.
I recently sold my 10 year old BMW with 60k miles on it.
So when people agonize over daily driver needs and towing I can't honestly relate to it.
To me, you want to pull something get a truck the bigger the better. Obviously it doesn't work for everyone.

Fair perspective. Many people enjoy their trucks and have a life style oriented around trucks. That much is clear.

That's certainly not for everyone and I'm firmly not in that camp. Perhaps like "truckers", I'm willing to tolerate (and enjoy!) commuting in a loud, low slung, and too firm riding sports car. Yet, I wouldn't recommend that to the general population either.

It's a case of Red Riding hood. There's a spectrum people. I'm not dismissing your perspective. It's only ridiculous when 3/4 ton truckers dismiss other vehicles ability to tow and tow well. Mine tows with aplomb. Understanding just right sometimes is more useful and may fit more people than the extremes.

Ride, comfort, maneuverability, and many others variables, are just as important to as many people, as excessive towing capability.

My perspective, but maneuverability is huge to me and I wouldn't put up with a long wheelbase vehicle for solo or towing. Maneuverability, with a longer AS, has been an asset to me more times than I can count when visiting many parks here on the West.

[Acheron2010]

One more anecdotal post - traveling cross-country, my informal observations saw more Ford F-150's than any other tow vehicle, with everything from Bambi's to Classic's behind them. I was particularly curious about the Classic owner, a 30-footer, as we were in the Sierra's, and he was adamant he had perfectly adequate towing and braking capability.
My own TV is a Silverado and I am happy, but if I were starting from scratch, I would give Fords a longer look.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by pteck

Fair perspective. Many people enjoy their trucks and have a life style oriented around trucks. That much is clear.

That's certainly not for everyone and I'm firmly not in that camp. Perhaps like "truckers", I'm willing to tolerate (and enjoy!) commuting in a loud, low slung, and too firm riding sports car. Yet, I wouldn't recommend that to the general population either.

It's a case of Red Riding hood. There's a spectrum people. I'm not dismissing your perspective. It's only ridiculous when 3/4 ton truckers dismiss other vehicles ability to tow and tow well. Mine tows with aplomb. Understanding just right sometimes is more useful and may fit more people than the extremes.

Ride, comfort, maneuverability, and many others variables, are just as important to as many people, as excessive towing capability.

My perspective, but maneuverability is huge to me and I wouldn't put up with a long wheelbase vehicle for solo or towing. Maneuverability, with a longer AS, has been an asset to me more times than I can count when visiting many parks here on the West.

And again I ask if you have ever towed a 27' or larger AS for comparison with a new diesel 3/4T or 1T, using the automatic features including engine brake, lane control, distance control, in cruise control, effortlessly at 60-65mph at 1500rpm, ~no stress? You might change your mind.. I am not posing an argument that an SportsSUV like a Porsche, Audi, or what ever, can pull one of those AS's, or that they aren't nice to drive around town...but big difference in several other areas besides towing, like payload...carrying generator, gas, firewood, bbq grill, and camping gear in the back of an SUV does not interest me. Driving one around down when not pulling however, would be nice...to each his own. But likely none of us who own these larger diesel pickups didn't buy it to tool around town.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

And again I ask if you have ever towed a 27' or larger AS for comparison with a new diesel 3/4T or 1T, using the automatic features including engine brake, lane control, distance control, in cruise control, effortlessly at 60-65mph at 1500rpm, ~no stress? You might change your mind.. I am not posing an argument that an SportsSUV like a Porsche, Audi, or what ever, can pull one of those AS's, or that they aren't nice to drive around town...but big difference in several other areas besides towing, like payload...carrying generator, gas, firewood, bbq grill, and camping gear in the back of an SUV does not interest me. Driving one around down when not pulling however, would be nice...to each his own. But likely none of us who own these larger diesel pickups didn't buy it to tool around town.

Because you have something to prove by me driving one? Again, you're suggesting I'm missing something.

I just got back this past Sunday from a pretty rigorous trip driving over mountain passes with serious 6-8% grades that last 20-30 minutes at a time. Uphill and downhill. With windy sections. I tow a 27FB which is a full 28' long. With full water tanks, 38 gallons of gas, gear, generator, and lots and lots of food.

No stress. No white knuckle. No lack of power climbing 65-70mph uphill (trying to make camp before sunset). Nothing but stability and supreme coddled comfort, while the kids watch movies in HD and 5.1 surround in the rear.

Towing prowess for an Airstream is not the sole playground of HD trucks.

If anything, you have no clue what you're missing. Maneuverability in camp, parking in a short site which would have required an HD truck to unhitch. I have full adjustable height suspension to help level/hitch. I went on a 6hr excursion off-road with 8 passengers, on a jeep trail rated "difficult". My tush was cooled and heated as I wished.

Point being, I would give up something to gain something in an area I have no extra need in. You might need it and I'm not judging you on that. But I don't, therefore I choose to gain advantages elsewhere.

[Countryboy59]

This is why I have an SUV for around town, a company pool car for work, and an HD diesel pickup for towing.

[DewTheDew]

I daily drive my 2017 F150 Ecoboost 145" wheelbase and it works fine except for one particular parking lot where I have to overhang into two spots lengthwise. It tows our 27' FB Twin just fine and if it's just the two of us with "regular" stuff we have plenty of payload.

One thing I get confused about when people dis 3/4 tons as being too long; you realize they make shorter ones, right? That being said, for a 23 or 25' you likely do not need a 3/4 ton.

I have generally read that Ram has the best unladen ride but the F150 (two years ago) had much better payload and that was the decider. The new Ram 1500 may do better and it sure is pretty! Have fun and enjoy the AS! We've had ours for two seasons and love it.

[pteck]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

One thing I get confused about when people dis 3/4 tons as being too long; you realize they make shorter ones, right? That being said, for a 23 or 25' you likely do not need a 3/4 ton.

And make it more useless as a single cab one trick wonder that can only carry 3 people? That's called a work truck. I'm not at work.

If you need the payload, by all means, get a big truck. Not everyone needs or wants a big truck.