TV Advice for new Classic 30!

[ksteve06]

I have a 2017 F350 srw Diesel and tow a 17 Classic, my payload is 3555lbs. The only way you will get that kind of payload in a F250 is with a gas model.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Indeed none of these models come in only one "size" anymore. You can boost the springs through multiple steps on all of them. Toss in this or that option and the axle ratings change even on the same model. About the only way to be *sure* of what any individual version is rated at is to check the real sticker on one set up exactly the way you want it.

Bob

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

Being inclined to the K.I.S.S. approach, I'd be driving a 3/4 or 1 ton crew cab 4x4 if I were pulling a Classic.

Currently I drive a '17 F250 crew cab 4x4 that has 3,100 pounds of cargo capacity.......NICE!

So I gave up 800 lbs for my bells and whistles and the diesel. Ouch, however it works for me. My payload including 1,040 lbs tongue weight typically runs around 1,900 lbs total so it works for me just fine. That was the main reason I had to give up my much beloved F-150 Platinum Eco with only a 1,560 lbs payload. It became a tail wagging the dog situation with the 30' Classic.

[AIRHEDS]

Originally Posted by kendrick.l.j

I have a 2017 Classic. I also have a RAM 2500 and wish I would have gone with the 3500. My bad. I’m ok and well within the limits but it’s just me and two small dogs. I travel very lite, no bikes, no generator, no extra stuff, no cap, no bed rack, nothing.
Everyone has their own opinions on TV so only you will be able to decide what you want to do with your money. Pulling the Classic is a breeze, you just want to make sure you have the right brakes.

Funny. I have a RAM 3500 CTD CC std bed and wish I bought a RAM 2500 CTD ext cab long bed.

[rmkrum]

Sometimes I wonder if the massive discussions on tow vehicles are related to the perceived need for a different tow vehicle from what someone is running. Maybe its a dissatisfaction thing, or a 'want something different, but not sure what?

[ITSNO60]

Originally Posted by gr.austin

Don't do what I did. Think all F250's can pull a Classic 30'. They can pull but not stop. My F250 with a payload of 1956# has a tongue weight of 1250 (fully loaded with food, water, and all the stuff you need in the trailer) Trailer weight is 8600# with 15% tonque weight. Now my wife and I weigh 400#, Stuff in the backseat, maps, audio CDs, Books on audio, umbrellas, flashlights, and a lot of misc things you might need 50#. This brings the total payload to 1700#. I have a cap enclosure over the bed of the truck that weights 300#. What a blunder I made $72,000 down the drain. I can't even put 2 empty suitcases in the bed of the truck. The tires on the truck are overloaded as are the breaks. What do I do with the folding chairs and table, the grill, the propane, fishing gear, bicycles, emergency tools, i am illegal all the time until I buy that 1 ton F350. Don't be a fool like I was and buy a tow vehicle just because it can pull the load. Make sure the breaks and tires and axles are up to the job as well. (The F350 cost only $600 more than the F250).
Happy Streaming....

My F350 has a GVWR of 9,900 LBS. I weighed it last Friday with a full tank of fuel, two people, fiberglass topper and some tools and a small floor jack in the back, along with a few gallons of oil and coolant and a suitcase of clothes. I have the long bed crew cab 4X4 diesel, she weighed in at 8,860. This only leaves me with 1,040 Lbs left for tongue weight. The rig weighs about 7,540 empty and with no topper which leaves 2,360 payload but as you can see I ate that up quick.

[ITSNO60]

A further observation, my front GAWR is 5,200 LBS and I am at 5,080 with two people in the front seat and a full tank of fuel....not much of a margin there.

Another one: I looked up my payload numbers from Ford and it is 2,930 lbs. So even empty and no topper somehow I gained almost 600 lbs. Unless Ford counted the 38 gallons of fuel as payload, and maybe the spare tire? I can account for another 230 lbs....I was sitting in the cab at the 7,540 weigh. That would about come to the 600 lbs.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

With the stuff we roll with, the F-250 stops just fine with a 30' Classic behind it. The bed is full of junk, we are in front with the two dogs. Total added weight (not including the trailer ) is between 800 and 1,000 pounds. The trailer runs around 9,000 pounds in our typical "ready to go" loading.

Bob

[franklyfrank]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Sometimes I wonder if the massive discussions on tow vehicles are related to the perceived need for a different tow vehicle from what someone is running. Maybe its a dissatisfaction thing, or a 'want something different, but not sure what?

No doubt for some it is true. However anyone following these threads it becomes obvious that long time AirStreamers tend to gravitate to larger and heavier TV over time. The problem I see over and over that there are some who for nefarious reasons keep confusing the issue by suggesting that smaller lower center of gravity is safer, pick ups have a tendency to roll over etc.etc.
Which of course in the real world is pure nonsense. If one intends to drive a pick up truck or a semi for that matter like a Porsche they better stay away form towing and of the road for all of our sakes. Try an experiment and pull your AS around a 30 MPH curve with a Porsche at 60 MPH . Post the results on the next thread with questions about TV by a newbie.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

If you look at a new F-250, it's *way* off the ground compared to an older version of the same truck or compared to other trucks. Yes I have a 250 ....

Bob

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by franklyfrank

No doubt for some it is true. However anyone following these threads it becomes obvious that long time AirStreamers tend to gravitate to larger and heavier TV over time. The problem I see over and over that there are some who for nefarious reasons keep confusing the issue by suggesting that smaller lower center of gravity is safer, pick ups have a tendency to roll over etc.etc.
Which of course in the real world is pure nonsense. If one intends to drive a pick up truck or a semi for that matter like a Porsche they better stay away form towing and of the road for all of our sakes. Try an experiment and pull your AS around a 30 MPH curve with a Porsche at 60 MPH . Post the results on the next thread with questions about TV by a newbie.

It’s because as a new guy with very limited experience AND basic denial of physics, you and others like you missed the boat as to what matters.

So far as “weight” is concerned, how well the WD hitch distributes tongue weight is all that pertains. Don’t exceed axle limits, is about it.

Design of the TV (as well as the hitch) are crucial. As it was for the trailer. The trailer was the hardest part to get right per design. The TV requirement is SOLO first, tow vehicle second. What you ignore.

Turning the task of trailer towing into work (a pickup or similar) AND making it a higher risk activity than it already is, is the fools path. Your money. Have at it.

The short road to rig stability (the stand-in for “safety”) is a TV with independent suspension and short rear overhang (distance from rear axle to hitch ball). A low Center of Gravity. Essentially the same as with this trailer design. Engine power, brakes are all moot topics. What’s necessary was exceeded many years ago for a wide range of better vehicles.

What’s left is steering and handling.

Sad so many of you focus on what’s not relevant. And haven’t experience of better TVs.

Or better trailer braking using discs, and/or a Hensley-patent hitch. Again, it’s design that matters.

No one used a pickup to really travel with one of these fifty years ago. Why? Dead wrong for family duty, and a low speed design.

And 1000-lb TWs were common. Unibody cars were fine with them. Only lasted 200k with original owner.

Etc.

.

.

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by forssd

Thanks to all who responded to my request for being able to tow a 28' FCRBTwin with a new Expedition. Since my prior two Airstream's were Classic 28' and 31', I am also looking at the new 30' Classic. Is there any SUV capable of handling the Classic 30? If so, what configuration is needed and what has to be added? Prior two Tow vehicles were Suburban 2500 3/4 tons! I prefer the SUV style over a pick-up! Thanks!!

If you wanted to go all the way, then a Porsche Cayenne GTS.

Or a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

More prosaically, an Expedition — like the above, with fully independent suspension — if you’ve a family to take with you.

Plenty of others besides.

.

[wlanford]

We tow our 2017 30’ Classic with a 2015 BMW X5 diesel. We fad our hitch installed and reinforced by Can-Am RV (Andy Thomson). The X5 is an excellent tow vehicle, MUCH better than our previous Tundra 5.7l. We do use a Hensley hitch. Having a shorter wheelbase makes a huge difference in maneuverability. We can get in and out of gas stations very easily now and can make U-turns in narrow spaces. Both of these things were burdens when towing with our Tundra. We recently drove from Kentucky to California on I -80 and averaged 14.5 MPG for the whole trip. We are limited on payload of course but we don’t carry anything heavy in the X5 other than ourselves. We can stop faster and make emergency maneuvers much better than any pick up. And when we get to our destination we don’t have to drive a big vehicle to the grocery store, etc. By the way, our X5 costs less then a similarly configured Ford Expedition.

[tjdonahoe]

Originally Posted by Countryboy59

If it spins that fast you’re doing it wrong. I never even see 4000 rpm. They are designed to run at that rpm, it won’t wear them out.

Oh ? My ram is at 1400 and 63 mph.....