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Old 10-22-2018, 09:10 AM   #1
DanTerri
 
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What Vehicle to Tow With

We own a 2018 Ram 4x4 3/4 ton diesel to tow our 30' International. It is a beautiful truck with more than enough power and ability. However, it has 20" tires, Bilstein shocks, is higher overall off the ground than a "standard" truck. My wife feels it is too "beefy" and would prefer a "normal" truck, meaning one riding lower with a more normal car feel.

Any suggestions.

Dan
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Old 10-22-2018, 09:14 AM   #2
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Greetings from the Florida Panhandle

Hi Dan. Welcome to the Forums. We are glad to have you with us.

If you have an interest in one of the larger Airstreams (25' and up), you probably already own the ideal tow vehicle. When towing a trailer that is over 7,000# in weight, "beefy" is good, "normal" can be insufficient.

Brian
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Old 10-22-2018, 09:18 AM   #3
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Welcome to the forum, Dan.


"If momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy." If she wants to spend the money to trade in a new truck for another new truck, go for it. Go to the dealership and price the new truck. While you are there, talk to the service people to see if it is possible to "undo" those aspects of your current truck without adversely affecting your towing ability. Find out how much that would cost. She may decide that that money would be better spent traveling.
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Old 10-22-2018, 09:40 AM   #4
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You have the right truck. Trade the wife...
(Just kidding)
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Old 10-22-2018, 09:51 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Anderson View Post
We own a 2018 Ram 4x4 3/4 ton diesel to tow our 30' International. It is a beautiful truck with more than enough power and ability. However, it has 20" tires, Bilstein shocks, is higher overall off the ground than a "standard" truck. My wife feels it is too "beefy" and would prefer a "normal" truck, meaning one riding lower with a more normal car feel.

Any suggestions.

Dan
Porche Cayenne is a great tow vehicle.
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Old 10-22-2018, 01:01 PM   #6
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I put 30K comfortable miles on my FC27 towed by a 2015 Ram/Cummins 2500 with 18" wheels. I then traded in my 2500 for a 2018 Ram/Cummins 3500 with 18" wheels, which, too, is comfortable as long as I'm towing the AS. Without the AS behind, it's pretty bumpy.

Another feature that reduces the bumpiness significantly and makes it a more comfortable ride is using an AirSafe hitch along with my Blue Ox WD hitch. That smooths out the "porpoising" while driving over bumps in the road.
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Old 10-22-2018, 01:51 PM   #7
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Hi

Simple way to get most new trucks lower to the ground - go from 4x4 to 2WD. If you do, be sure to get a manual (pushbutton) locking rear end.

If ride rather than height is the key issue, shop around. You may find another brand that does not shake things up quite so much.

All that said, you do have a more than adequate truck already. Trading it in on something else isn't going to be easy emotionally or financially.

Bob
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Old 10-22-2018, 01:53 PM   #8
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Keep it or trade it for a Ford 150 with eco boost and good towing capacity. That will tow the Airstream just fine.

I put power running boards on our Dodge 3/4 ton when my wife had her second knee operation.

I am in a different position. My wife does not want to get rid of our 11 year old Dodge diesel that truly rides like a truck.
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Old 10-22-2018, 01:55 PM   #9
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We have the 2011 version of your truck with 18" rims, Bilsteins, and Goodyear all-terrain tires. Once loaded down with supplies and hooked up, the ride is considerably improved and quite comfortable on all day drives.

I did add the exterior drop steps for easier ingress/egress as my wife is 5'1." I much prefer it over our previously "normal" 2500 two-wheel drive for many reasons including the 4x4 for wet grassy area escapes, the exhaust brake for mountainous terrain hauling, and greater all around capabilities. The 4x4 and heavier tires did reduce my mileage by 1.5 mpg over the prior TV.

Has your spouse actually driven/ridden in it while towing before giving her assessment or is it just an appearance issue?
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Old 10-23-2018, 03:19 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Anderson View Post
We own a 2018 Ram 4x4 3/4 ton diesel to tow our 30' International. It is a beautiful truck with more than enough power and ability. However, it has 20" tires, Bilstein shocks, is higher overall off the ground than a "standard" truck. My wife feels it is too "beefy" and would prefer a "normal" truck, meaning one riding lower with a more normal car feel.

Any suggestions.

Dan
Lower the truck. My wife laughed about my “giant truck” at first but likes towing with it.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:28 AM   #11
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Wish I could think of his handle on here, but there is a regular contributor on AirForums that put a full air suspension system on his Ram HD. Sounds very sweet..........and it might cost you less than trading, and allow you to keep the awesomeness of that truck!

We love our Ecoboost, and it does a lot of towing, (of our Pete, and a lot of other stuff), but it's no Cummins 6.7! I have that engine in my school bus, and it is a sweet powerplant..........
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Old 10-23-2018, 06:19 AM   #12
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I too have a 2018 RAM 2500 4X4 diesel TV. I previously had a RAM 1500 and loved that truck but wanted a more in a TV. Aside from the 2500 being bigger it is a great TV with plenty of power and capacity.

I really didn't want a bigger vehicle but now that I've had it awhile it doesn't seem that big. Getting comfortable with it I guess. So I don't know how long you've had the 2018 RAM but I would suggest giving it more time.

For us going from 1500 to 2500 was the right decision.
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Old 10-23-2018, 07:56 AM   #13
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I found myself in the same position as Dan Anderson (original poster) a few years back only in reverse. I had a RAM 1500 ecodiesel towing my 25' AS & wanted more truck but was reluctant to jump to a 2500 diesel. I ended up with a 2016 Nissan Titan XD/cummins 5.0 diesel. The truck is referred to as a 5/8 ton, more than a half & less than a three quarter ton, it fits my needs perfectly and tows with authority over any terrain. I liked the truck so much I recently upgraded to a 2018 XD/cummins Platinum Reserve, the top trim level.
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Old 10-23-2018, 09:09 AM   #14
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Recommend considering something other than a truck. We recently made the switch. We are enjoying our 2017 Infiniti QX80 towing our 2004 30' Classic. Infiniti QX80 is quiet, comfortable, full of safety features, and works well as your daily vehicle. Con is the 400HP V8, has 14-16 mpg when not towing, which probably is similar to your truck.

73/gus
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Old 10-23-2018, 09:54 AM   #15
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Ram ecodiesel

We had the 2016 Ram 1/2 ton ecodiesel pulling a 25 foot airstream. Did a great job towing and the ride was great. Problem started when I had an oil change at the dealership in Mississippi. The service manager asked me if I had a lot of trouble with the ecodiesel. I responded none should I be having problems? He just smiled. Got back home and started researching the forms and talking to Ram service managers. Found that at around 70,000 miles (just about when your 5 year warranty runs out), the engines may fail. One local dealership installed 3 new engines this year Can,t be fixed. Requires a new engine at $15,000 if you are over the 5 year warranty. So I traded it off for a used Ram 2500 cummings.
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Old 10-23-2018, 10:41 AM   #16
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Porche Cayenne is a great tow vehicle.
So glad to hear! I have a Porsche Cayenne S and am looking to buy my first airstream.
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Old 10-23-2018, 11:20 AM   #17
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You might find a young person that would be happy to trade his stock wheels and tires for your 20" ers for free. Craigslist or local auto trader paper.
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Old 10-23-2018, 12:44 PM   #18
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What Truck you need.

From the sound of a lot of this reply post most are just giving advise by the seat of their pants as to what they have or what they like without considering anything involving science or math.
In order to pick the correct vehicle you need to do the math on the truck and the trailer to pick the right vehicle. First of all all trucks are not created equal. You just cannot say a Ford F-150 or a Ram 1500. You MUST look at the towing capacity of the truck. I have a Ford F-150 XLT ecoboost with the towing capacity of 11,500 pounds. I could have bought the a Ford F-150 with a max towing capacity of 8,800 pounds. Both truck would basicly look alike from the outside. The same will apply to a dodge or GM product. Did you know that a 2 wheel drive vehicle has a greater towing capacity than a four wheel drive. You need to know the max payload ot the truck as well as the tongue weight of the trailer as the tongue weight of the trailer adds weight to the trucks payload weight capacity. You need to know the dry weight of the trailer and the maximum Gross Vehicle Weight of the trailer. (Dont go by the estimated tongue weight given by Airstream. Most of the time that does noy include the weight of the gas tanks filled or anyweight of anything stored. My trailer was rated for 879 pounds but when I weighed it it was right at 1,100 pounds. You can be within the overall combonation of the truck and trailer capacity and still exceed the payload on the truck. Dont just take the advice of anyone. Its like asking the minister to give you advice on how to fix you car. He can give you some advice but is it worth anything.
And one last thing. Do go by what the dealer at the airstream tells you either or the guy trying to sell you a truck. They don't know either. They just want to sell you a truck or trailer. Go to uTube and watch a video called: "payload Problems: How Much Can I Tow? RV Truck and Trailer. when through download the Ecel Spread Sheet and look up the information needed. Some on the inside of the driver door, some on you trailer and some from your truck manufacture on the internet and do the calculation and it will tell you what kind of truck you need to tow you rig.
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Old 10-23-2018, 01:21 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Anderson View Post
We own a 2018 Ram 4x4 3/4 ton diesel to tow our 30' International. It is a beautiful truck with more than enough power and ability. However, it has 20" tires, Bilstein shocks, is higher overall off the ground than a "standard" truck. My wife feels it is too "beefy" and would prefer a "normal" truck, meaning one riding lower with a more normal car feel.

Any suggestions.

Dan
I just did the exact opposite (traded a three month old 2019 1500 for a 2018 2500) to tow my 28’ Serenity.

I know the 1500 was technically able to pull the trailer, but I had the 3.21 gears and also didn’t want to be worrying about TV to TT weight issues in the mountains.

No regrets here.
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Old 10-23-2018, 04:57 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Anderson View Post
We own a 2018 Ram 4x4 3/4 ton diesel to tow our 30' International. It is a beautiful truck with more than enough power and ability. However, it has 20" tires, Bilstein shocks, is higher overall off the ground than a "standard" truck. My wife feels it is too "beefy" and would prefer a "normal" truck, meaning one riding lower with a more normal car feel.

Any suggestions.

Dan
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