Which tow vehicle to buy?

[Retiresoon]

First time entry into this forum and I am looking for information. I am ready to buy a tow vehicle and my first airstream, and am shopping for both. I am looking for a 25' airstream and need information on the tow vehicle I should buy. Currently, I am shopping a Tundra and F-150. Any suggestions?
Thanks for the help...

[Mikethefixit]

Two words buy american.

[moparjohn]

I'm a Mopar man myself, check out the new Ram, quite impressive, the Ford is a great truck also. MPJ

[Minno]

Find out the GVW rating of the trailer you want, and then find a TV that will tow that weight. Aim for no more than about 80% of the TV's towing capacity, especially if you plan on towing in mountains. After that, it's then a personal preference of what brand you buy. 1/2 ton trucks tend to ride smoother than 3/4 or 1 ton trucks. Also, a longer wheel base will tend to ride smoother too. Buy a good weight distributing hitch with sway control, and tow mirrors if the truck doesn't come with them. Don't buy bigger w/d bars than you need. In other words, don't buy 10,000 lb bars if your trailer only weighs 5,000 lbs.

Chris

[smhx4]

We've been very happy with the quality and performance of our 08 Tundra. No truck is all American. Just more American parts or employs more Americans than another.

[Florida 55]

My wife and I are in exactly the same place you are except we are still looking at both 25' and 27'. We have decided to go 1/2 ton tow vehicle and are currently leaning toward the Ford F150 crew cab with the max tow package and Ecoboost engine. Having driven the prospective TV my only concern is the engine is in its first year and unproven in real service. The endurance testing Ford has done on this engine is impressive and the initial comments on the Ford truck blogs from actual users are so far very positive for both fuel economy and towing.

[n2916s]

The odometer on my 2004 Titan just clicked over 123000 miles (about 45000 of it towing the Sovereign) with nary a glitch (knock on wood). There was a service bulletin on the brakes and on a relay.

That being said, if I was buying a replacement, I'd seriously consider the Ford w/Ecoboost and the Tundra.

Sure a 3/4 ton with a diesel will let you roar up the long inclines but the huge difference in price is hard to make up over the life of your truck unless you are planning to keep it for 400,000 miles.

Me, I get in the pokey lane in 3rd and do 45 up the hill.

Get a good w/d hitch and have fun!

mike

[Splitrock]

If I'm gonna camp, I'd get me a pickup. If I'm gonna use hookup campgrounds, I'll go with a Yukon XL.

[mysecondjoy]

I just purchased a Safari 28 and a F-150. The F-150 is a 2X4 SuperCrew with the Ecoboost and max. tow package. To date, I have only pulled the AS in FL, so my experience is over flat ground. I am extreemly pleased and if I had it to do over I would not change a thing. The principle features I like about the truck are the comfort of the seats, the sound insulation is supurb, I ordered the tailgate step which is the ticket, the roomness in the entire cabin and the tow mirrors. According to the onboard computer I am getting 12.5 MPG under tow. Thus far, the Ecoboost has ample of power to spare. I leave for the mountains in a week or so which could alter my position. I also have an Equalizer hitch which I am pleased with; although messy.
John Dibble

[dkottum]

All of the current half tons (with adequate tow options) are capable of handling the 25'. Which is best is a contentious subject. Do your research and shop the best deal, used late model price savings can buy a lot of gas, then drive it decently and maintain it. It will last a long time.

More importantly, buy the trailer first. You may end up with your best deal on, say a 30' trailer, and the truck not up to it.

Doug K

[ROBERT CROSS]

Better to have more than you need, than need more than you got...


You will get an abundance of opinions.

This was our choice....

[Retiresoon]

Thanks for all of the advice.

Does the axle ratio matter?

[ROBERT CROSS]

Yes...the same TV with 4:10 will have a higher rating than one with 3:70's.

[Splitrock]

I bought one tow vehicle new and the other used. I bought both with axles designed for economy non towing. Both are automatics, both are 4 wheel drives, and for the one hill between here and Minneapolis, I select down on the transmission selector with no problems when towing.

I buy a tow vehicle like I buy a dining room table. If I have 12 people at the table very day, I buy a table that's comfortable for 12 people. If I tow every day, I buy a transport vehicle.

I seldom tow and going forward, I expect to seldom tow, so I have a couple vehicles I can tow with comfortably a few hundred miles. My dining room table seats 4, and expands to six. We have additional casual seating for 9 more.

Glad you're posting. Hope all your travels are happy times.

Gary

[Gene]

It has been posted on the Forum that the Tundra has more American parts than Ford, Chevy and Dodge. That seems to confuse the Buy American issue.

Our Tundra easily tows our 25'. I'm sure it would do well with a 27' or a 28'. With 1/2 ton trucks the issue is payload—weight of driver, passengers, cargo, tongue weight.

Toyota's vehicles are not made as well as they used to be, but still may be more reliable than anyone else's trucks.

If I were buying a tow vehicle today I'd check Chevy, Ford and Toyota—test drive, check specs, check reviews. There are endless threads here about what truck is best—do a search and read them and possibly get more confused.

Most everyone who will post has the best truck ever made.

Gene

[Silver Otter]

We just got our Excella two months ago. We looked at 25s and 27s but settled on a 30. Our GMC 1500 5.3 V8 was not up to the challenge. We did a LOT of research on a replacement TV. Knowledgeable mechanics pointed me away from Ford and Dodge, and to the 2007-2008 GMC or Chevy 2500HD 6.6 diesel with the Allison tranny. Got our 2008 Chevy and just got home from the first trip pulling with it. Heaven on Earth in the hilly Blue Ridge of Virginia compared to the gassey.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Retiresoon

Thanks for all of the advice.

Does the axle ratio matter?

If you get a 6 speed transmission the gear ratio can be higher, for better fuel milage.

I tow a 25' Safari with a 1/2 ton 2010 Chevy Crew with a 6 speed tranny with a 5.3L gasser geared 3.42. I tow in the Appalachains regularly without a problem. I also pulled a 30' Excella with this truck untill last fall, but the trailer was too heavy in the mountains. Towing on flat or low hilly land from Michigan to Florida was ok.

My prior truck, a 2000 Chevy extended cab 4 door, had a 4 speed tranny with a 5.3L gasser geared 3.73. I puilled a 30' Excella ok in the flat lands, but going downhill in the mountains was not good. The truck was to light for the 30' trailer. I put 230,000 miles on this truck. Replaced water pump, alternator, battery, and brakes around 120,000 miles. Nothing else other than regular scheduled maintenance and tires.

If you go above a 25' trailer length I reccomend a 3/4 ton or larger if you go to the mountains.
Buy American made!

[wrochdvm]

Just got through what you are facing. We bought a 25' Safari then bought the Ford F-250 Superduty diesel. A big factor was the positive reports about this truck from so many and our own impression when driving it. It is certainly more truck than needed for the 25 footer, but we took into consideration the possibility of upsizing in the future.
While we only have 1,500 miles on the truck and less than 600 towing the trailer we are very pleased. We have a good weight distribution hitch but no anti-sway system. We have not experienced any problems with sway so far despite being passed by many big rigs. My wife, who had no previous towing experience felt comfortable on the highway driving the TV with the AS.
Fuel economy is impressive, 20mpg without and 14mpg with the trailer.

It is quiet and with the full size cab, has plenty of room for passengers. It comes with 5 years of roadside assistance (lock out, fuel, flat tire).

We were able to get a deep discount from the sticker price due to current economic conditions. We are very happy with this truck so far.

Hope this helps.

[klattu]

You get a much better trans, brakes, tires in a 3/4 ton

[wrochdvm]

Originally Posted by klattu

You get a much better trans, brakes, tires in a 3/4 ton

Yes, that was another factor in our decision. Plus, we are far from maxing out the capabilities of the TV