Decided on the 26 flying cloud. Now for the tow vehicle

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Scott59

When I put the truck into Trailer Mode it changes once of my dash gauges from battery to oil temp, so handy.

Fantastic idea!
Everyone should do that. Or better yet, transmission temp.

It also has an exhaust brake, or Jake brake as the big rigs call it, which slows me down on long decent without using the transmission of the brakes, this is very nice to have.

That's not a Jake Brake, that's a exhaust brake, needed because diesels have NO compression braking. A real Jake or Jacob's brake changes the valve timing to create back pressure, and the loud "Brattttt", you hear when engaged.

I get 14.5mpg while pulling the AS, gas will not come close to that.

Math. If you drive 500 miles you will burn about 35 gallons of fuel, at $2.80/gal that costs $96.
Let's say a gas engine gets 10 mpg. IN 500 miles he burns 50 gallons of gas. At $2.15/gal he spends $107.50. You win!
But it's not as big a difference as it first appears when you consider the cost of a diesel's filters and oil changes.

It has land departure warning.

I would think water would be a dead giveaway!

Can you tell I love this truck. It will last longer than me.

Good for you. I hope it does. (wait, what?)

[spclkaz]

Get a 3/4 truck...with an extended cab and a full 8 ft. bed if you can find one.
The extended wheelbase, while sometimes a pain to park, will add alot of stability going down the road. Then get a topper for the back of the truck where you can secure your extra gear and lock it up.

The question of gas vs diesel is a little more complicated. Where do you tow most? In the mountainous West or the flatlands of the East? Diesel will provide better MPG, but it will cost more. Gas engines these days are bigger and gas is cheaper than diesel in most places. I pull my 9500 lb Excella all over the West at about 11-12 MPG which is acceptable to me. The ONLY time I wish I had a diesel is going up a long 9% grade at 35 MPH.

Try to get a truck with a trailer package and a HD alternator and transmission cooler (very important in the mountains of the SW deserts.)

If you DO decide on a diesel and their much high acquisition costs, be prepared for higher oil changes costs and the higher overhaul costs you will pay down the road (if you keep it a long time...)

Do your research, think carefully about what your requirements REALLY are, and then make an informed choice... but... GET A TRUCK, preferably a 3/4 ton... be safer, be happier...

[DRPREECE]

We have the 2017 26U queen and love it. We tow with a 2017 F250 diesel crew cab, short bed platinum with a ProPride hitch. After several thousand miles and a few "emergency" and "panic" stops, I would only recommend a 3/4 ton TV. Choose your favorite brand - the diesel makes mountains a non-event in both directions and it weighs the same or a little more than the 26U so during those quick stops, the trailer doesn't push the truck.

As others have mentioned, it cost more to buy and maintain and it isn't the best every day vehicle (unless you are towing your 26U every day). However, if you have the means, it is worth it to keep you, your passengers, and other drivers safer.

We love our F250 and 26U and hope you enjoy yours too!

[Moflash]

My last three have been F350 6.7 TD SuperCrews with 8ft box.We enjoy taking Kayaks ,ATV,fishing gear and gold prospecting stuff at times on our adventures.$600 more for a F350 vs F250 and they ride exactly the same.The F350 has a much better payload capacity when needed with no adverse effects on ride quality and they are the same exact truck.A standard F250 has almost the same payload rating as some F150's.
The majority of buyers are not aware of this.

[supercubep]

All I know is this, it is always better to over do it than under do it in the tow vehicle . I selected a Dodge
Ram 3500 crew cab turbo Cummins diesel long bed. I tow a 1969 Airstream 31' Sovereign International Land Yacht. You do not know the trailer is there. Engine brakes, etc. better safe than sorry.

[davidrrand]

Originally Posted by Moflash

My last three have been F350 6.7 TD SuperCrews with 8ft box.We enjoy taking Kayaks ,ATV,fishing gear and gold prospecting stuff at times on our adventures.$600 more for a F350 vs F250 and they ride exactly the same.The F350 has a much better payload capacity when needed with no adverse effects on ride quality and they are the same exact truck.A standard F250 has almost the same payload rating as some F150's.
The majority of buyers are not aware of this.

You are so right! I have noticed the same thing. Some of the higher end 250s with diesels only have around 2200-2300# payloads. My '15 F150 Lariat Super Cab has 2031. Only way I would go with a 250 is with the gas engine which gets you closer to 3000#. 350 makes more sense to me, especially if its a diesel. However, recently checking Ford's website shows the 350 is about $1100.00 more than an equivalent trim 250. I had a '99 F350 PS and it was only about $400.00 more than the 250. It sure was noisy but I loved the manual 6-spd! Wife, not so much.

[ronderful]

The place to start is with the GTWR of the trailer. Subtract that from the GCWR of the truck in question and compare the remainder to the GVWR of the truck. If it is bigger or equal it will work fine. Secondly, I would keep in mind that nothing is free in comparing diesel vs. gas. If you want to know the comparative costs, pick any brand that offers both and start adding up the numbers. As an aside, for a bunch of folks who use trucks for towing you sure don't know much about sizing trucks.

[RandyNH]

Originally Posted by ronderful

As an aside, for a bunch of folks who use trucks for towing you sure don't know much about sizing trucks.

Please, elaborate and clearly explain to all of us, the knowledge of which we do not possess, so that someday we may be as insightful as you clearly must be.

I await your expert tutelage...

[majorairhead]

I'd be getting a new F250 crew cab 4x4 with the 6.2 gas V8 and 4.30 rear, add the stuff you want, and roll with it

[dkottum]

Originally Posted by majorairhead

I'd be getting a new F250 . . . and roll with it

That would be my concern with a top-heavy pickup, buggy springs and solid axle suspension. And why I would stick with the Expedition suggestion.

[AbbottAir]

2017 Jeep Ecodiesel is back! 16 to 17 mpg pulling our 26D and 24-30 mpg otherwise. 7200lb tow capacity correctly equipped & plenty of cargo (if you don't have extra folks). Using solar panels for boondocking. Nice vehicle to have.

[AbbottAir]

Originally Posted by AbbottAir

2017 Jeep Ecodiesel is back! 16 to 17 mpg pulling our 26D and 24-30 mpg otherwise. 7200lb tow capacity correctly equipped & plenty of cargo (if you don't have extra folks). Using solar panels for boondocking. Nice vehicle to have.

The Jeep is everything we need and nothing we don't. ..works for our two vehicle family.

[DC Bruce]

The half tons make much better daily drivers than the 3/4 tons, and the Diesel engine will not be happy doing sustained grocery-getter duty. We pull our FC 27 with a GMC 1500 with the 6.2 gas engine. With the max trailer tow package our rated payload is 1940 lbs., which we found to be fine for a 10-month full-time trip to most of the major parks in the west and two x-country trips. 30k Mike's total. Like some of the others, we were not fond of the idea of having a gasoline generator and its fuel inside the vehicle with us. So, no SUVs. Plus, none of them have the payload. With 420 hp and an 8-speed, we never lacked power for grades and the engine usually lived between 1750 and 2250 rpm. The transmission does have grade logic and will downshift to maintain a set speed going downhill. We never got the service brakes hot enough to smell on downgrades. Fuel burn was 11-14 mpg at 60, our chosen speed, if allowed. The gas engines offered in 3/4 tons are less powerful than this, and they are pushing a truck that weighs at least 1000 lbs more, empty. So don't expect that performance that we got with 420 hp in the half ton.

[rodsterinfl]

That is a great floor plan and model. Congratulations. If you need the TV as a daily driver then go with an F150. If not, the 250- my opinion.

[Countryboy59]

Originally Posted by dkottum

That would be my concern with a top-heavy pickup, buggy springs and solid axle suspension. And why I would stick with the Expedition suggestion.

Plenty of 'em get rolled due to driver error, not because of "buggy springs" etc.

"I cut it twice and it's still too short! This tape measure sucks!" Lol

[ronderful]

http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/tow...-the-standard/

SAE J2807 levels the playing field when comparing ALL tow characteristics for vehicles under 14000lbs. GVW. I strongly urge you to take a look at any of the brief descriptions available on the internet. I attempted to add a link to one. Once upon a time tow ratings were essentially meaningless since OEMs could devise there own secret tests. I know a little about this, it was as much about "marketing" as engineering. Not anymore. If the TWR says it will tow your trailer then you can be confident that it will do so safely, with good handling characteristics, up and down 12% grades. Airstream just a piece about 4 cylinder cars towing there trailers. Yes you can do that with the right car/trailer combined weight. If we want young families to be able to enjoy Airstream living, we have to get past the "biggest truck I can afford" syndrome. Based on thousands of hours of work done by SAE, it's wrong, wasteful, and creates a hurdle many families can't afford who I'd like to meet at a rally someday.

[jcl]

Originally Posted by ronderful

SAE J2807 levels the playing field when comparing ALL tow characteristics for vehicles under 14000lbs. GVW. ..... If the TWR says it will tow your trailer then you can be confident that it will do so safely, with good handling characteristics, up and down 12% grades.

I like standards. I have used many SAE standards in my work, and was a member of SAE. But I think you are overstating the significance of J2807. It is more of a minimum performance test than a safety test.

The 12% grade is only used for starting off from rest, five times in five minutes, and only for a distance of 16 feet. The gradeability test (climbing) is closer to 5%, and at a minimum of 40 mph, or 35 mph for DRW. Many posters seem to want to drive faster than that. The braking test is from 20 mph, and is one time IIRC. The braking test on a 12% grade is only applicable to the parking brake. And so on.

The biggest issue to me is the focus put on equipment spec over tow vehicle and trailer set up. The standard gets misinterpreted. Some may be led to believe that they are "safe" because they have a vehicle that passed the above tests, ignoring the impacts of proper setup, loading, and operation. That would be a big mistake IMO.

You should be confident that you can start on a grade, not overheat if driving according to the test conditions, and so on. But you should not be confident that you are towing safely just because your vehicle passed the J2807 test.

[slowmover]

J2807 is more or less useful truck to truck. It doesn't say anything worthwhile about towing performance in useful ways.

In fact recommendations about how to set a WD hitch since revised makes things worse, not better (their specious claim).

We're supposed to believe it took FIFTY YEARS to suddenly discover a "mistake"?

Or is it a handy way to ensure only pickups are chosen. Literally the worst roadgoing vehicle by design.

OP, if your solo and towing miles don't both have a heavy load in the back of a pickup (thus no reason for one), start with the suggestion above about the Expedition (and similar vehicles). Engine power and brake type are no longer of concern, everyone's got enough of those.

But suspension and steering sophistication is a whole other matter. As is the FF/RR weight bias of a pickup and its inordinately high COG.

In other words, try for the TV that isn't less stable than the TT, and best suits family solo duties. Those are trump.

And, no, to tow the trailer you don't need 4WD. In fifty something years I remember being towed a few times.

Too many around here can't distinguish between need and want. "More" is generally a mistake.

Reading Andrew Thomson in his Hitch Hints column and in other resources at his Can Am RV website will show the range of what is reasonable.

Good luck

.

[okieyeti]

We just pulled our new 26U on a 2,700 mile trip from Oklahoma to Arizona/Utah and back through Colorado and Kansas. Crossed the Continental divide going out and coming back. Pulled it with a 2015 F250 6.7 powerstroke diesel. Averaged 11.2 mpg. It's a personal preference but I would opt for a 3/4 ton diesel, be it Ford, Chevy or Dodge. Mine has the engine brake which is especially comforting on long downhill grades. Chevy and Dodge have the same thing I believe. I have a 2014 F150 ecoboost pickup that I pull our 20' airstream with. It pulls it ok on hilly terrain around Oklahoma, but it will downshift frequently from 6th to 5th. I would not want to go into real mountains pulling the 26 with it. Up or down hill. I hope this helps.

[ronderful]

I agree with much of what you state, but I would point out that all standards including FMVSS are "minimum". No, the standards does not address the type or use of a hitch how the trailer is loaded, it's design, etc. However, it does do an admirable job in determining tow vehicle adequacy. You may think that this test is less than adequate, but certain manufacturers put off adopting it precisely because they could not meet it. The parking brake test being a one problem area. Many people I observe seem to want to exceed the speed limit towing trailers on interstates but that's no reason to evaluate tow vehicles at 80mph. Will the vehicles in question tow trailers upgrade at speeds greater than tested? I think it is quite likely. It evaluates the specific things that were short comings in current product. I agree, set up and use are extremely important, but originally this was about vehicle selection and I think using this spec is a reliable starting point.