Deciding Between Two Very Different TVs

[cballard]

Hello Airstream Forums!

We are very close (almost ready to book the flight, just finishing up final details) to buying our first AS next week. We found the unit of our dreams, have gotten it inspected, done LOTS of research, and are excited to start this journey. We will be full-timing with two adults, two kids, and a 70 lb Great Dane/Boxer mix. We currently do not have a TV, and will be purchasing one. The seller of the AS we fell in love with also have a TV for sale for what I think is a pretty good price. However, it's quite old and I'm not finding towing specs for it very easily. We also have a newer truck picked out that I know would handle what we need. Here's the specs on everything:

Airstream:
- 1995 Airstream Excella 1000 34ft
- 8900 lbs GVWR (according to Airstream's historical docs)

TV #1:
- 1999 F-350 7.3 Diesel Dually
- 4x2
- Reese Hitch 10,000 lbs with 2 inch ball (We plan on buying a Hensley, but might delay a bit if we experience decent towing with the Reese)
- A few upgrades (mud flaps, running boards, etc.)
- Auxiliary Transmission Cooler
- Tow Brake Controller
- Factory Tow Package
- $15,000 asking
- Crew Cab
- Regular Bed
- Private Seller
- This particular truck towed the AS we would be buying
- 64,000 miles
- From the research I've done (stats that far back are kind of hard to find) F-350 crew cab SD DRW 7.3 TD has a Tow Rating of 13,200 lbs
- GCWR is around 20,000 I think? Again, can't find solid specs.

TV #2:
- 2014 Dodge Ram 2500 SLT 5.7
- 4x4
- No Hitch (we plan on buying a Hensley)
- Lots of upgrades compared to the 1999 truck since it's quite a few years newer
- Auxiliary Transmission Cooler
- Not positive about the Automatic Transmission Cooler (waiting to hear back from the dealer)
- Not positive about the Two Brake Controller (waiting to hear back from the dealer)
- Not positive about the Factory Tow Package (waiting to hear back from the dealer)
- $31,998 asking
- Crew Cab
- Regular Bed
- Dealer
- Hasn't towed before as far as I know, was used as a rental vehicle
- 42,000 miles
- Tow Rating 17,030 lbs
- GCWR 18,000

My question is...which is the better buy? Would I be safe in either? I've used the Husky Tow Calculator and I think either would be fine, but this will be my first time towing. I obviously love the price on the older truck and a diesel with that few miles on it is practically brand new, but I worry about the tow capacity. We are also used to the creature comforts of a much newer vehicle, so I wonder if I would regret the decision if we went with the older one. Does the price difference outweigh all the cons of the older truck? What do you think?

[Silver Otter]

See your FB messages from me.

[GCinSC2]

Good luck on all counts. Not having seen the truck but I think many ford owners wish ford had stuck with the 7.3L and just refined it. It ain’t the fastest but AFAIK has a good following if reasonably taken care of.

[Countryboy59]

Go a little higher in price and find a Dodge with the Cummins. 7.3s are nice too.

[Bill M.]

Either of those TV's have plenty of capacity for the Airstream listed.

Will you have another vehicle for running around or will the TV be your everyday ride also? Will you pull the trailer a whole lot or only move it every few months. Do you expect to carry a heavy load in the truck bed? Like a motorcycle or something. Eastern or Western US?. It is a 2 5/16 ball to tow an Airstream. I use a Reese straight line hitch. I have no desire to "upgrade" to a Hensley.

I do not know much about Ford diesels. I have never owned a dually. I drive a Dodge diesel. It is also my everyday ride. There is more maintenance, tire costs, and probably more risk of a large expenditure for repair for the Ford diesel in question. The increased fuel millage from a diesel tow will only accumulate if you are towing a lot. But it is a good ride. If I were you I would consider making an offer on the Ford if I had enough cash in reserve to fix it if it breaks or to take a loss and sell it. If finances are really tight I might not take the chance.

My diesel is 11 years old, has 220000 miles on it, and I carry the title on long trips. But I certainly am not going to sell it unless something bad happens. I would rather have the risk and keep a vehicle I like than to take the certain depreciation from a new one.

[dmbecke]

I would go with the Ram 2500 as it is plenty of truck for your needs

[overlander64]

Greetings cballard!

You certainly do have a choice ahead of you. While I wouldn't immediately discount either of your options, you might want to do a little research on the Ford with the Diesel. The diesel motor in that truck was designed and manufacturer by International Harvester/Navastar. There is a rather detailed summary of the history of this motor at this link. It may not be as sophisticated nor as powerful as some of the motors 20 years its junior, it is a durable motor -- the box truck that we have on the farm has the normally aspirated version of this motor with more than 240,000 miles and it still starts, runs, and performs flawlessly. While not terribly complete, I did find some fairly detailed specifications for this (the one you are considering) truck at this link. The regularly scheduled maintenance is about twice as expensive as a comparable gasoline V8, but it is only required about half as often to the cost tends to balance out unless you find yourself performing recommended service on a time rather than mileage schedule.


I have several of friends who own Dodges with the 5.7 Liter Hemi, and they are quite pleased with its performance as a tow vehicle but their trailers are mostly around 7,000 pounds. The only grumbles that I haver heard from them is the labor cost for a comprehensive tune-up on the Hemi.


Good luck with your investigation!


Kevin

[CBWELL]

I pull a '94 34' with a 3/4 ton Duramax, 2012 model. My previous truck was a 2002 3/4 ton Duramax. Mileage on the 2002 model was approx 14 mpg (imperial gallon) and with the 2012 I am getting approx 16 mpg (imperial gallon). A good friend pulls his '95 34' Excella with a Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi. He tells me his mileage averages approx 8 mpg (imperial gallon) when towing. I am partial to diesel for pulling this size of trailer. You will get many different opinions on tow vehicles, just look back at the many threads on this topic in the forum. Good luck with whatever you choose, and welcome to the forum and Airstreaming! Chris

[QC TORPEDO]

Ford. The 7.3 is the most sought-after diesel that Ford ever made. Great for pulling.

[sbowman]

Reading the OP, all that comes to mind is wow.........


Best regards and safe travels

[cballard]

Originally Posted by sbowman

Reading the OP, all that comes to mind is wow.........


Best regards and safe travels

Ha! Yes - it's going to be tight. We're looking forward to an adventure though, and if we hate it, we can always go back!

Originally Posted by CBWELL

I pull a '94 34' with a 3/4 ton Duramax, 2012 model. My previous truck was a 2002 3/4 ton Duramax. Mileage on the 2002 model was approx 14 mpg (imperial gallon) and with the 2012 I am getting approx 16 mpg (imperial gallon). A good friend pulls his '95 34' Excella with a Ram 1500 with a 5.7 Hemi. He tells me his mileage averages approx 8 mpg (imperial gallon) when towing. I am partial to diesel for pulling this size of trailer. You will get many different opinions on tow vehicles, just look back at the many threads on this topic in the forum. Good luck with whatever you choose, and welcome to the forum and Airstreaming! Chris

Thank you for the info! I hadn't considered fuel economy, so that's great to know.

Originally Posted by overlander64

Greetings cballard!

You certainly do have a choice ahead of you. While I wouldn't immediately discount either of your options, you might want to do a little research on the Ford with the Diesel. The diesel motor in that truck was designed and manufacturer by International Harvester/Navastar. There is a rather detailed summary of the history of this motor at this link. It may not be as sophisticated nor as powerful as some of the motors 20 years its junior, it is a durable motor -- the box truck that we have on the farm has the normally aspirated version of this motor with more than 240,000 miles and it still starts, runs, and performs flawlessly. While not terribly complete, I did find some fairly detailed specifications for this (the one you are considering) truck at this link. The regularly scheduled maintenance is about twice as expensive as a comparable gasoline V8, but it is only required about half as often to the cost tends to balance out unless you find yourself performing recommended service on a time rather than mileage schedule.


I have several of friends who own Dodges with the 5.7 Liter Hemi, and they are quite pleased with its performance as a tow vehicle but their trailers are mostly around 7,000 pounds. The only grumbles that I haver heard from them is the labor cost for a comprehensive tune-up on the Hemi.


Good luck with your investigation!


Kevin

Thank you so much for those links - I learned a ton!

Originally Posted by GCinSC2

Good luck on all counts. Not having seen the truck but I think many ford owners wish ford had stuck with the 7.3L and just refined it. It ain’t the fastest but AFAIK has a good following if reasonably taken care of.

I've definitely heard that as well. People seem less than thrilled with the ecoboost.

[cballard]

Just an update for everyone - we were ready to book the flight to go get the airstream, but at the last minute had to pull out of the deal. We need to finance for 2-3 months until we sell our house, and somehow I didn't realize that you can't finance a 1995 Airstream. (I totally understand why, but it still breaks my heart). We even thought about getting a personal loan for it, but the interest rates were terrible.

We'll keep looking for now at the newer models (so we can finance for a few months before we sell our house to pay it off) and I'll continue to look for a tow vehicle. Thank you all for the knowledge you gave me! I learned a lot, and will continue to do research to make sure I can provide my family with the safest possible TV.

Thank you everyone!

[tbashin]

The Ford is a fair deal and will be trouble free. No Hensley required either. The Dodge is a gas hog compared to the Ford and less reliable once miles start adding up. The 7.3 will go 3-4 hundred thousand miles no problems. The 5.7 Heim about half that at best.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

You will have the same issue with financing a 1999 truck. Once you get past a certain age (car, boat, truck, trailer, motor home ....) the banks really don't want to deal with working out what a proper valuation is. There is no way to say you can "never" finance any of these past some magic year cutoff, but that's the way it works in the vast majority of cases. Yes, it also carries over into insurance hassles (on all of them ....).

=====

Getting back to the truck - a very basic (but fully tow capable / with tow package) "no fancy options" truck can be had brand new from any of the big three for < $35,000. Just how bad do you need those other options?

Bob

[Countryboy59]

Hemis go over 200k easily. Both engines good with proper care.

[Countryboy59]

OP have you considered going smaller than a 34’? My 27’ is still pretty spacious and tows no problem with most pickups or large SUVs. You can get a nice 3 year old pickup still new enough to finance for well under $30k. Keep in mind, when you finance a used vehicle you are under water before you even drive off the lot.

The 7.3 is legendary but power wise it’s way behind the newer stuff. The older truck is technologically years behind also. The newer diesels have way more power and torque than the 7.3. You will want to do the oil, filters (oil and fuel) and coolant flush on any diesel you buy. For my Ram Cummins I used over $100 worth of HOAT coolant, $30 oil filter, $90 fuel filters, and about $175 of synthetic oil. I don’t mind the maintenance cost; I ignored the brand new dealer oil change sticker on mine when I bought it. I don’t trust dealer oil or “lifetime” oil changes. The lack of payments makes up for any maintenance.

Just hate to see someone get underwater on a 20 year old truck and camper right off the bat. This is not a “bare bones” hobby. The annual costs are up to par with a four seat airplane. Get the house sold and jump in!

[brick1]

Consider using a home equity loan to bridge until you sell the house.
brick

[journeydog]

The 7.3L-powered Ford is a major beast. If I were in your shoes, I'd go for the '99 and if it doesn't work out, you can probably get all your bucks + back. As the saying goes YMMV....

Good luck with your venture!!

[Adiredneck]

Just my own experience and humble opinion: No one, in an emergency situation, has cried out "I wish I had less truck!". I pull my '14 27FB Classic (9,000lb GVW), with a '15 Ram 3500 4x4 crew cab, 8' bed with tool boxes, cover and bedroller, Cummins diesel and 6 speed stickshift. It is rated to tow over 14,000lbs and has a GVW of 12,300lbs. With all tools and supplies on board and hitched, I usually run close to 17,800 GCVW, per CAT scale, with around 10k on the truck and 7k on the trailer. That puts me around a ton *under* capacity on both TV and TT, and over 1000 lbs under axle capacities. I use a combo Equal-i-zer and AirSafe hitches. Tows effortlessly, rides like a Caddy, and I average 14.5 mpg running Mississippi to the Adirondacks twice a year @ 67mph. Pictures under my avatar of truck and accessories. Just my $0.02 worth...

[crispyboy]

cballard,
I see that you have had to postpone your purchase of truck and trailer. Presented with the trucks presented in your thread I would have opted for the newer truck.
Both trucks presented would do the job very well but as a person who has DIY'd repaired every vehicle I have owned it is always better to keep upgrading your rolling stock to something newer due to the fact the all the plastic and rubber components (suspension, hoses, etc...) just go bad over time and must be replaced or repaired. It can get to be a down right frustrating pain in the butt! Also you face the issue of parts obsolescence as a vehicle get older. If the parts are available thru the dealership they typically are priced extremely high because they are trying to recoup the cost of that part sitting on the warehouse shelf for all these years.
Here is an example from this past week. The old car I drive to work (2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee) needs new top and bottom coil spring isolators as the old rubber ones have deteriorated. I went to my local parts house (which is a good one) and they cannot get these parts. The Mopar OEM parts were available at $119 each... I found Moog brand (aftermarket) for $9 each at rockauto.com. I got lucky this time in finding the parts. This example shows what you are up against in keeping an older vehicle in reliable shape. I am keeping my eyes open for another decent newer used Jeep to jump on when I see it.