Tow vehicle for FC 25FB

[geosimsimma]

Hi all,

I'm new here and all the talk about corrosion didn't discourage me from my dream trailer.

After much research on the net and visit to RV dealerships, the Airstream Flying Cloub 25FB seams to be the trailer of our dreams. We do not have a tow vehicle yet. I wanted to use a Touareg TDI for fuel economy (7716 lbs tow capacity). I just figured out that the tongue weight limit of the Touareg is only 616 lbs, so it won't do it for the 25FB.

What do you use for towing your 25FB? I would like something that is fuel efficient and I will need to explain the pros and cons to my wife so we can choose between the 25FB with a bigger tow vehicule or the 19 with the Touareg.

Thanks!

Simon

[Road Ruler]

A few years ago RV Lifestyle mag had a wonderful towing review on the T-Reg V8.

Lots of details and set up info. The reviewers praised the vehicles capabilities when towing an Airstream. Connection quality is key.

[reddogfox]

Simon
I would suggest that you not limit your choice to only the 19' or 25' Flying Cloud. You might find the 20' FC to be a good alternative. It's GVWR is only 500 pounds more than the 19'. I tow a 20' Safari SE, which is identical but for the name. I tow it with a 2007 GMC ½ tow pickup truck with a tow rating of only 7500 pounds. I have found the truck and trailer to be a good combination on the three trips I have taken though the Rocky Mountains. The Touareg TDI should do as well or even better.

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We have a 2005 25FB, named Lucy. We have towed Lucy over 50,000 miles and have spent almost 600 nights in her. The 25FB is a great floor plan. You have made a wise choice.

As to a tow vehicle, we tow Lucy with two Suburban 2500's, an '04 and an .'05. We have found this to be a superb combination. We have pulled Lucy in all of the lower 48 states and parts of Canada.

Lucy weighs in at 7400# ready to camp with a 900# tongue weight. You are going to want a tow vehicle with transmission and oil coolers and tires of a sufficient load range to handle the load. You are also going to want a quality weight distribution/sway control hitch system. The hitch system is even more important if you go with a smaller tow vehicle with a fairly short wheelbase.

Also keep in mind that the gear that you are carrying in the tow vehicle must also be considered when figuring the tow vehicle's carrying capacity.

Choose your tow vehicle carefully. Remember that an insufficient tow vehicle is the biggest cause of a perfectly good Airstream becoming a very expensive piece of yard art.

Brian

[ROBERT CROSS]

2006 3/4 Suburban 8.1


Don't forget the payload capacity of the TV, just 'cuz you can tow it don't necessarily mean you can take anything with you.

Towing guide

[geosimsimma]

Thanks you all for the quick feedback,

I wonder how they could pull a 27 footer with the Touareg then. But I think older version of the Touareg had a tongue weight capacity of 770 and it only recently has been reduced to 616.

It looks like a 1/2 ton pick up truck (or suburban) would then be a better choice for the 25FB.

Reddogfox, the reason i am limiting the choice between the 19 and the 25FB is that we definitely want the panomaric windows around the dinette.

The only thing we don't like about the 19 is how they had to put the WC so close to the bed.

With the difference in price between a 1/2 ton pick up and a touareg TDI, we can afford a lot of gas I guess, but the final choice will probably be made by my wife!

Thanks again,

Simon

[moosetags]

We have spent almost 600 nights in our 25FB, and have found that our two favorite features are the separate shower (not in with the toilet) and the walk around queen bed unlike the crawl over bed in the 19). We like these two features so much that they would be deal breakers for us in any future RV purchase.

Brian

[Devoman]

Actually VW will send you a new sticker as the 616 lb tongue is wrong/Call VWOA or C for a new sticker.It is still the 770 lb tongue weight.

[geosimsimma]

Thanks to all who contributed.

I'm pretty new at towing and want to make sure I get a good combination. Since we are not buying for another 1-2 months, I will follow JSFcheck updates who is thinking about the same combination. I will read all the threads you suggested Devoman. Like I said, I am pretty new at this and sometimes, I don't get everything.

Can't wait to get the trailer! Last RVing experience was 13 years ago with my parents in a 28' motorhome. I Need to research RV dealers in a 500 miles radius from Elko Nevada also!

Simon

[JFScheck]

Originally Posted by geosimsimma

Simon - check my post over at the "Egg" forum - the 23 International has the panaroma windows and a nice coach - but you have the smaller bed...

BTW - our Eggs have a 770lb tongue weight.

I too really, really like the open area to sit in with those wonderful windows...

Gonna be interesting to see what we BOTH end up with...

Too bad your not in the San Diego or DC area - we could catch up for drinks and compare notes - I'm as lost as a "Cowboy" in a "Disco"..

John

[DreamStreamr]

I'm with Brian about the advantages of the 25 -- we sold our 22 for three reasons only, despite a stunningly wonderful galley.

lack of a sofa,
too small a fridge,
a wet bath.

The water closet stayed very clean because we hosed it down daily with showers. But drying the w.c. made shower time a little longer than needed. We really like the dry bath in our 25.

The only place to sit in the 22 was at the dinette, or in bed. We spend much more of our inside sitting time at the sofa than the dinette or the bed, and are glad to have a sofa.

The 3 or 4cf fridges are okay for up to a week or even ten days if you're really careful and a great packer. We much prefer the 6cf refrigerator our 25 has. We no longer have to keep an ice chest for our bottled beverages.

We tow our 6,300 pounds trailer with a Chevy 2500HD for two reasons:
(1) it's not what you can tow, it's what you can stop that matters most. Our truck seriously outweighs our trailer and we're really comfortable with this.
(2) our trailer's tongue weight is over 900 pounds, and that's a lot for a 1/2 ton truck. We have a whole lot of rear axle capacity in this 2500 truck and we use it well.

A bonus, maybe, is we could tow a larger trailer with the same truck. But we're pretty sure we're sticking with our dreamstream at 25'. It's just about perfect for us.

Good luck on your decision,
Jim

[pilgrim]

DreamStreamr started to mention a very important fact - stopping the rig! So often I read on the FORUMS that too many people purchase a TV based on its towing capacity. Please look at tranny and oil coolers, differential, brake size, wheelbase, and so on. For example, I had someone tell me once to check at NAPA (or any auto supply store) for replacement brakes for a Silverado and a Nissan Armada - both have a tow capactiy that would pull any AS. One set of brakes will weigh around 12 lbs. the other weighs in at 4 lbs. Which do you suppose has the better stopping ability??? That is so important but few people think about things like that. Keep studying! Don't shortchange yourself before you even get started. Do you wish to spend your traveling in a pick up truck? Do you want a SUV? Gas or diesel? Good luck with your studies and your decision. 'Streamin is fun but only if you make the right decisions.

[geosimsimma]

So from what I understand, the best choice would be a 3/4 ton pickup with a class IV hitch and Pro Pride.

What I don't understand about the Touareg is that the OEM hitch are rated at 770 lbs tongue weight for a 7716 lbs tow capacity. From what I have seen, tongue weight should be between 9 and 15% of trailer weight. So it seems very difficult to tow a trailer near the touareg capacity with that hitch (1% latitude on the tongue weight).

[starflyte1]

We have towed our 2007 25'FB over 15,000 miles with our 2005 Avalanche 2500 8.1 Chevrolet and have never been unhappy with it. We also have a Hensley hitch.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by geosimsimma

So from what I understand, the best choice would be a 3/4 ton pickup with a class IV hitch and Pro Pride.

What I don't understand about the Touareg is that the OEM hitch are rated at 770 lbs tongue weight for a 7716 lbs tow capacity. From what I have seen, tongue weight should be between 9 and 15% of trailer weight. So it seems very difficult to tow a trailer near the touareg capacity with that hitch (1% latitude on the tongue weight).

IF your weights are correct, the tongue weight % is right, BUT your towing at the MAX limit of the hitch,(receiver).

I can almost guarantee that fully loaded your 25er will have a tongue weight over 770lb.

Not something I would consider.

I would rather have more than I need, than need more than I have.

POI.. Loaded for camping at the Lake we have had a tongue wt. of 1100lb and a trailer axle wt. of 7680 with WD bars set and trailer level.

[DaveFL]

Originally Posted by DreamStreamr

I'm with Brian about the advantages of the 25 -- we sold our 22 for three reasons only, despite a stunningly wonderful galley.

lack of a sofa,
too small a fridge,
a wet bath.


Jim

With your perfect size, my question is total length, does the 25 include the hitch? Is this a tongue to bumper length?
thanks

[AZ-JH]

So, you want fuel efficiency? We get 16 mpg towing our fully-loaded 25FB with the pre-2007.5 Dodge 5.9L Cummins. The truck is not even broken in yet. The newer 6.7L is not as efficient as it should be.

If the 25FB is the trailer of your dreams, save yourself the cost of the trade-in and buy right in the first place. You can pay now or you can pay later.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by DaveFL

With your perfect size, my question is total length, does the 25 include the hitch? Is this a tongue to bumper length?
thanks

Length does not include the tongue in the later models.

We too feel we have the right size, the 25 is perfect for us.

[JFerguson]

Simon, you could always move some ballast aft of the axles. This would lower the tongue weight without lowering the overall weight.

[moosetags]

Our 2005 25FB is 25' 11" from the ball to the rear bumper.

Brian