Howdy, from Texas

[Ramble On]

Just bought 2004 CCD 28 footer, will retrieve Saturday.At first I had Buyers remorse, but that quickly faded when I realized that this is what we really wanted.

New to RV'ing. Any and all input welcome. I have been lurking on this forum for more than a year and have found it to be informative. We look forward to exploring our great country and all of the it's natural wonders.

Next step is to buy the appropriate Tow vehicle. Any suggestions?
I have considered the Ford F 150 Eco boost w/ the Max trailer tow package.

[DKB_SATX]

Howdy! Are you an Ag? Or you just treat howdy as something any Texan might say? (guess where I got my undergraduate degree!)

I think the Ecoboost F150 you describe should have no real problem, but do steel yourself for the long line of people who are going to tell you that if you don't immediately get a dually diesel you're going to cause the magnetic poles of the earth to reverse themselves and doom us like dinosaurs.

You may be a little tight for a 3KW generator, a full tank of fresh water, a couple of dirt bikes, a giant gas grill and 4 ice chests full of ice and cheap beer plus the tongue weight of the CCD and 4 fat bastards in the truck. If you find a good deal on an HD truck you won't regret it until you try to park it at the grocery store, but if you're using the TV for other things between monthly trips in the Airstream it'll do nicely.

[CaddyGrn]

Welcome to the forums! Congrats on your new Airstream! Post some pictures as soon as you can, we love pictures! Very nice trailer I am sure you will enjoy!

[RUMSHIP]

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

Howdy! Are you an Ag? Or you just treat howdy as something any Texan might say? (guess where I got my undergraduate degree!)

I think the Ecoboost F150 you describe should have no real problem, but do steel yourself for the long line of people who are going to tell you that if you don't immediately get a dually diesel you're going to cause the magnetic poles of the earth to reverse themselves and doom us like dinosaurs.

You may be a little tight for a 3KW generator, a full tank of fresh water, a couple of dirt bikes, a giant gas grill and 4 ice chests full of ice and cheap beer plus the tongue weight of the CCD and 4 fat bastards in the truck. If you find a good deal on an HD truck you won't regret it until you try to park it at the grocery store, but if you're using the TV for other things between monthly trips in the Airstream it'll do nicely.

Lol. Yes the poles will now shift! The ford Eco boost sounds like its doing well out there but the 28 foot will put it through its paces. With that size rig a Diesel is of course the best choice. You don't need a dully or even a 4 wheel drive. I do find the 6.7 letter Dodge to be a superior truck of the lot. Enjoy your rig.

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us. Have a great time seeing the USA in your Airstream. An Airstream is the ideal way to get the most out of your travel.

The Ford half ton might work for you, depending on how you plan to use your Airstream. Any half ton is a little on the weak side when you are talking about pulling a travel trailer weighing 8,000#. A half ton will limit the amount of stuff and passengers that you can safely carry in the tow vehicle.

Do your research and choose your tow vehicle carefully. Remember that an inadequate tow vehicle can turn a perfectly good Airstream into a very expensive piece of yard art.

You will hear all of the tow vehicle opinions here on Airforums. There are some that will tell you that you need a one diesel dually, and others who will tell you that any small tow vehicle can be made to work. The answer is most likely somewhere in between. You need to decide what will work for you.

Brian

[Goal15]

Welcome to AIR Forums and the greater AS community.

You are cordially invited to the Texas Piney Woods: The Sequel rally at Mill Creek Park on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, Nov. 9-11.

A good rally to get your feet wet.

Dana

[urnmor]

Welcome to the forum and congradulations on your new AS.

Brian is correct. Owners are definitly passionate when it comes to their TV. owever I do agree with him about the half ton. I own a 2007 Yukon (gas). It will definitly pull our 25' FC, howeve,r to me it feels sluggish going up steep grades. I have decided to look at new TVs for that reason and the fact it has 125 K on it. We also plan on taking loner trips starting this fall.

We have decided on a new 3/4 ton diesel as our TV, even though we have never owned one before. From reading the Forum and other articles on the web all three manufactures, Dodge, Ford and GM, all make comparable diesel trucks. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses. My recommendation would be to look at all three and then decide on which one is right for you.

John

[SStar]

Howdy back, I’m also down here in Texas and also just bought a 2004 28’ classic, so I can relate. We had been thinking about an RV for awhile and just decided to go ahead and pull the trigger. It is an on-going learning experience for sure. I have a 2007 Yukon XL to pull it with, 6 liter, 4 speed, 4.10 rear end, with the full tow package. I pulled the trailer home basically empty with nothing in the Yukon. Coming from Lubbock down to Midland it really seemed like all the load I would want with the Yukon, which is basically same a ¾ ton HD pickup. Two weeks ago we pulled down to Alpine and back, 500 miles RT still pretty much empty. The trailer pulled great at 60 to 65 mph on the flats, the small hills down around Alpine pulled me down quite a lot. The Yukon had to down shift. I think the Yukon will work fine here in Texas, I’m wondering about trips to the real mountains. I use the Yukon in my job, if not I would be in a ¾ ton diesel pickup.
I don’t know any thing about the Ford Ecoboost as far as pulling ability, but from past recent experience I would really hesitate to pull with less than a ¾ ton rig. My son just went thru the whole cycle, trying to pull a 30 foot Jayfeather with a Tahoe. He upgraded to a GMC ¾ ton diesel and is real happy with it. He pulled to Silverton Co. with no problem. With the Tahoe he said the trailer tended to push him around with a lot of sway, said the trucks on the interstates was a real adventure. There are a lot of factors to consider, hitch, wheelbase. Suspension, terrain, how much and where you will be pulling. Good Luck, what part of Texas are you in?

[Goal15]

Originally Posted by Ramble On

Just bought 2004 CCD 28 footer, will retrieve Saturday.At first I had Buyers remorse, but that quickly faded when I realized that this is what we really wanted.

New to RV'ing. Any and all input welcome. I have been lurking on this forum for more than a year and have found it to be informative. We look forward to exploring our great country and all of the it's natural wonders.

Next step is to buy the appropriate Tow vehicle. Any suggestions?
I have considered the Ford F 150 Eco boost w/ the Max trailer tow package.

Ramble....

just saw your post on real computer, looks like we are just about neighbors.

Let me know if there's anything AS related I can help with.

Dana

[Ramble On]

Thanks for the welcome.
In response to DKB SATX, my college allegiance is RED and BLACK from the land of sandstorms and tornadoes. Wreck'em Tech.

As for the the TV, I am more confused than ever.
The biggest issue with the F150 eco boost is it's payload capacity.
It's towing capacity is more than sufficient (11,000 + lbs) 420 ft-lb torque.
I guess I will get the scientific calculator out.

I hope to have everything squared away so that we can attend the Texas Piney Woods rally.

[Wazbro]

If you go with the Ecoboost make sure you get the heavy duty payload package to not just the heavy duty towing package.

[Foiled Again]

I've got a 25 FB and a 2500 Silverado Long bed Quad Cab Diesel I fondly call "The Mother-Truck".

IMHO (and you're totally NOT obligated to believe my opinion is worth a pitcher of warm spit) DO NOT buy a diesel truck unless you can get it lightly used for a heckuva bargain and/or you really need a vehicle like that for work purposes and will actually live long enough to put 300,000 - 600,000 miles on it.

Diesels are more fuel efficient and diesel is far less explosive than gas, and in a sane world diesel should be cheaper than regular gas... but it isn't in this reality. There is a savings in increased mileage, but then there's all of the other small expenses - starting with 9 quarts of synthetic oil every time you change oil!

Gas trucks are much better than they used to be, and they're considerably less expensive to buy - and at 11:00 pm in a small town you can find a GAS station!

So the half ton is good unless you're planning on traveling in serious mountains or just putting on a lot of miles every year. The more you travel the more you appreciate the POWER of a 3/4 ton vehicle.

Choose what is right for your life.

Happy trails! Paula

[dkottum]

Airstreams pull easier and are more stable than any trailer you can buy. There are members of this forum successfully pulling your size trailer with a Honda van and Ford Edge and are quite pleased with them. Others need at least a 3/4 ton diesel. Many are very happy with the F150 Ecoboost.

More importantly is how else you will use the tow vehicle, and the amount of time pulling your Airstream. Your tolerance for money spent up front and the cost of repairs. How patient are you for the few steep mountains you might climb. There are safety advantages to all range of tow vehicles, bigger is not safer, nothing is safe if the driver is careless.

Decide what tow vehicle best suits your daily life and also get your trailer where you want to go when you go camping. You will only find the answer in your own personal needs.

doug k

[Ramble On]

I am borrowing a f250 diesel to retrieve our trailer tomorrow and I am sure it will have no problems. I am not that close to retirement, so I don't want to drive to work in a stiff riding f250. I am use to 1/2 ton pickups. The new ford f150's, fully decked out are as nice and spacious as any Lincoln I have ever owned.

That said, I still don't want a 7300 lb trailer pushing me down a steep grade when crossing the continental divide. I am not worried about ascending the grade as I am about going down. The Eco boost has plenty of torque and is turbo charged vs. naturally aspirated.

I am going truck shopping tomorrow.
As everyone knows, it's Truck Month In Texas.

[Goal15]

where is your trailer?

[Goal15]

If you are going to look at half-tons, don't forget to look at Tundras, I love mine, and the dealership in Rockwall is better than most dealerships I have ever encountered

[Ramble On]

The trailer is in Arlington. I will go by and take a look at Tundras.
I have never owned a fur'en car.

[Goal15]

Tundras, born in Texas, built in Texas by San Antonians.... Buy American! lol

if the trailer is 7300 you would be well within tow capacity of the 5.7 Tundra.... some say payload will be an issue but unless you are going to carry lots of stuff in the back of the pickup... generators and such, it would probably work pretty well.. CrawfordGene on here is towing a 25 (i think) with the previous generation Tundra.... and he lives in mountainous Colorado

[Ramble On]

Interesting. Thanks for muddin'ing the water even more.I will look at the towing and payload specs.
Where do you store your trailer and what is the cost?

[epperp]

Hello and welcome to a truly fun group of people.

We bought our first trailer (a 94 Excella 28 footer) and owned a 2004 F-150 w/towing package at the time. The 94 is nominally around 8500 lbs and was towable with the F-150 but not really that comfortably. We were a little concerned thinking about towing through the mountains with the F-150 based on our experience driving around Iowa, so we decided to purchase a 2011 F-250 diesel 1 1/2 years ago. We are very happy with the F-250 diesel and for us it has been a great investment.

While it does not ride as smooth as the F-150 when empty, we bought it mostly for towing the AS and hauling wood and it works great for both. Best fuel economy on the gas F-150 was 15mpg empty. We have gotten as high as 16 mpg towing at 55 mph with the diesel. We have towed with the diesel on three long trips (two through the Rockies) and the truck exceeded our expectations (especially when we towed in 50+ mph winds on a trip through Colorado). Another big advantage we found with the diesel (especially important in the mountains) is the downhill engine braking. For us it turns the steep and long downhill grades into non events.

I would definitely agree with those that say that the F-150 will handle pulling the trailer safely. However, as one who has pulled a similar size trailer with both trucks, I would never go back to pulling this size trailer with less than the diesel. It is also worth reminding people that the newer diesels all are quiet compared to the older diesels (2011 and newer). This is the reason we bought a new 2011 instead of an older used truck. Also, a diesel truck will hold its value (just check on the prices for a used 2011).

Finally, I also agree with those that say any of the three major brands make a good diesel and it really is your personal preference. We only have about 30,000 on ours but have been very satisfied so far with the Ford.

Best of luck with your new trailer and choice of tow vehicle!