What do you tow your 25 with? First timer : )

[Bambii]

We are getting a 25FB and need a tow vehicle. We are trading in our hybrid 😆. It's also going to be our second driver when we're not towing the other 9ish months out of the year. Priorities: dependable, affordable, and good around town (read best of the worst gas mileage). Open to SUVs and trucks.

[Mrjkq]

I towed my 25' with a 2015 RAM ecodiesel cross country this past summer. Extremely capable, economical for towing, as a daily driver it was perfect. The down side was the payload of 850lbs and that's a major reason why I traded to an even more capable Nisan Titan XD Cummins diesel.

[interstateflyer]

I tow my 25B with a 2016 RAM 2500 Diesel 6.7. Love the mileage, power, exhaust braking and huge cargo capacity.

[TinTurtle]

We tow our 25 Safari with a Silverado Ext Cab / 5.3 w/tow package. It does an excellent job with 12-14 mpg towing @ 62 mph. I'm pretty light footed on the throttle and consistently get 20+ mpg empty. One thing that some owners complain about is the Active Fuel Management (AFM ) For us it's never been a problem. We chose the Chevrolet over other brands because the local dealership is strong and no hassle to do business with.

[A W Warn]

12-14 towing, 17-18 around town, 20+ highway

see below

[1965 mustang]

2011 Tundra, crappy mpg, lots of power. 8-11 towing, 14 around town, 17-18 hwy. I would consider the ford 150 with the bigger ecoboost.

[Stormalong]

We previously towed with a 1500 ecodiesel, great mileage but no load capacity. Now have a 2500 ram 6.7, perfect in all respects. Love the exhaust break, tow/haul mode. Just Moseies down the road. Have towed about 5000 miles so far.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by Bambii

We are getting a 25FB and need a tow vehicle.

It was part of the criteria when we upgraded to the 25' RB International that it would be easily towed by our 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as we like to off-road. It has the Pentastar 3.6 Litre gas engine with automatic transmission. The Jeep is also great around town and can out manoeuvre any pickup truck in tight spaces in many campgrounds.

Andy Thompson at CanAm in London ON designed and fabricated a Class IV hitch that can handle up to 10,000 lbs. He recommended an Eaz-Lift weight distribution hitch with two Husky sway control bars. It has been set up so that the front axle is within 1/8" of starting height. The weight transferred to the Jeep keeps it within GVW as measured at a CAT scale. Andy has many happy customers who tow with everything from a Honda Oddesy, Chrysler 300 and on up.

This rig tows extremely well with the sway control on the hitch and the electronic sway control in the Jeep. Many here will not be happy without an F250 diesel (or equivalent) so they can go up mountain passes at 70 mph, but the Jeep is able to do those same passes, but at a lower speed. The combination of large brakes on the jeep and four brakes on the trailer (with a Prodigy P3 brake controller) and speed control with the transmission in a lower gear, downhill is not an issue. As well, I usually travel at about 60 mph.

Almost any SUV is capable with a properly designed hitch. You need to tow with what you feel comfortable and is within your budget.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by Adventure.AS

It was part of the criteria when we upgraded to the 25' RB International that it would be easily towed by our 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited as we like to off-road. It has the Pentastar 3.6 Litre gas engine with automatic transmission. The Jeep is also great around town and can out manoeuvre any pickup truck in tight spaces in many campgrounds.

Andy Thompson at CanAm in London ON designed and fabricated a Class IV hitch that can handle up to 10,000 lbs. He recommended an Eaz-Lift weight distribution hitch with two Husky sway control bars. It has been set up so that the front axle is within 1/8" of starting height. The weight transferred to the Jeep keeps it within GVW as measured at a CAT scale. Andy has many happy customers who tow with everything from a Honda Oddesy, Chrysler 300 and on up.

This rig tows extremely well with the sway control on the hitch and the electronic sway control in the Jeep. Many here will not be happy without an F250 diesel (or equivalent) so they can go up mountain passes at 70 mph, but the Jeep is able to do those same passes, but at a lower speed. The combination of large brakes on the jeep and four brakes on the trailer (with a Prodigy P3 brake controller) and speed control with the transmission in a lower gear, downhill is not an issue. As well, I usually travel at about 60 mph.

Almost any SUV is capable with a properly designed hitch. You need to tow with what you feel comfortable and is within your budget.

OP, investigate this first. As a subject.

Otherwise it comes down to how much junk people carry with them. That's the only time a pickup is justified. Otherwise the crudely suspended pickups carry a safety risk compared to a better chosen vehicle.

Take your time.


1990 35' Silver Streak
2004 555 Cummins

[dkottum]

My first choice for an all-around 25' Airstream tow vehicle and daily driver is an SUV with independent suspension front and rear.

However, we could not get near the lower price of a comparably equipped pickup truck. So we have towed our Airstream 25 with a used 2006 Tundra V8, new 2012 Ram reg cab 5.7 Hemi, and new Ram crew cab EcoDiesel, as well as general utility hauling and towing at home.

The most economical to buy and service with excellent gas economy was the 2012 Ram Hemi. Did everything very well, nothing ever failed in 50k miles, and excellent trade-in value.

Towing stability was never rock solid until we got a ProPride hitch, but it's not economical to buy. A simple Eaze-lift with separate sway control bar(s) would be decent as long as you get the weight distribution set up properly and verified by a truck scale. Near 50/50 total weight on front and rear axles has given us the best handling with these half-ton trucks.

[CRH]

Big block Ford in a half ton is what I use....If I were buying new it would likely be a Tundra.

[gandttimes]

2008 GMC 1500 6L Max Tow. 3 years towing the 25 and totally satisfied with towing and non towing situations.
If I had to trade it would be to the newer Max Tow 1500 and 6.2L.

[kscherzi]

I've towed my 27FB for over 3 years over 10k with a 14 year old Ford Expedition. Never a worry, the independent 4 wheel suspension is very good at traction. Best large SUV for the buck. You'll want a full sized truck or SUV for your trailer.

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by Bambii

We are getting a 25FB and need a tow vehicle. We are trading in our hybrid 😆. It's also going to be our second driver when we're not towing the other 9ish months out of the year. Priorities: dependable, affordable, and good around town (read best of the worst gas mileage). Open to SUVs and trucks.

The Tahoe/Yukon platform can tow a 25ft. Get the one with the tow package.

[wulfraat]

2012 Infiniti QX56... 400hp and 413 ft pounds of torque. 1450lb payload. 8500lb towing capacity with (more importantly) 850lb max tongue weight class IV hitch receiver.

Independent front and rear suspension with coil springs and additional air springs in the rear for assisted leveling.

Tows my 2008 25SS international like a dream (7300 lb gross trailer weight with 760lb tongue weight).

[Bigcgar]

Living in Colo I prefer the power/torque of a diesel, so we chose the 2016 GMC 2500HD Denali to pull my 2015 25' Serenity. It's my second GMC diesel and I love the power and torque it has.


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[JCWDCW]

Call Andy Thompson at CAN AM and discuss your needs. He will recommend a vehicle that can both do the job and be your second car.
I tow with a Dakota 4.7 V8 with 3.55 rear end. Andy said it would pull anything I cared to buy from them (we were looking at early 80's 25 at the time in 2003).
It has been a good tow vehicle for my two 25's, an 89 and a 96 but the newer Pentastar 6 is a bit stronger both HP and Torque. I didn't want a full size truck...still don't so I'm keeping my high mileage Dakota. I would look at a Toyota next time.

This doesn't discount the recommendations for a full size truck. You may need to think about your intended travel route. You need the torque for steep long grades, and maybe stability if you are doing mountains. Still I've never had a problem with long twisty downhills with my Dakota, and I live with the less capable small V8 on 6 and 7% uphill grades
JCW

[GypsyTravlr]

We have the same Airstream and use our 2011 GMC Sierra extended cab 4 wheel drive with the 5.3 liter engine to tow it. Very capable vehicle especially with added load levelers on rear suspension. Two things I recommend though are a Truxedo roll back bed cover and Linex or Rhino Lining spray on bed protection. I also favor the "suicide-door" arrangement of this vintage extended cab. We carry a lot of stuff in the truck bed instead of in the Airstream. I use this truck as my daily driver and could never get by without one again. This is my 3rd GMC built at the GM Fort Wayne Truck Plant. All have performed flawlessly for me for years. Chevy Silverado's come down the same line but I prefer the GMC trim.

[vanster]

We tow with a VW Touareg V10 TDI twin turbo. 585 lbs of torque and 365hp. There is a You Tube video of one pulling a 747. Highway mileage towing is around 20mpg

[Airstrip]

Purchased 25FB in 2009. Towed with 2004 GMC Yukon. No issues. Bought 2010 GMC Sierra 5.3 crew cab. AFM issues and lemon lawed in 2012. Was assured that issue was resolved so bought 2012 version of same vehicle. Big mistake. Transmission went out at 40,000. Lifters replaced at 60,000. Engine replaced at 70,000. Then catalytic converter. And now trailer wiring issues. AFM is still an issue with this engine.