New To Towing an Airstream - What is a good vehicle?

[jrbmpls]

Hi everyone! My wife and I have decided to take a year off from work and travel by airstream around the Lower 48 and Alaska. We are thinking of buying a 27' International, but are unsure what towing vehicle to buy. We prefer more power then less, and a diesel, but that's the extent of our wish list (maybe sirius radio as well). We are looking at 3/4 or 1 ton vehicles, as I think a 1/2 ton is too light for towing. Am I wrong about this?

We would be very appreciative of any comments/suggestions that you may have, as well as if the 27' trailer is to large to tow on this type of trip. Thanks!

[Jammer]

I would agree that a 1/2 ton is too light to be ideal. You're on the right track.

In practice the reasonable choices are 3/4 ton pickups and Suburbans on 3/4 ton chassis. The 1 ton setups don't really offer any benefit, vans don't have 4wd, and everything else is too small (except for some corner cases like certain Ford Expeditions, now discontinued).

People take 27' and larger trailers all over the place. Come visit sometime and we can take my rig to town and back if you're curious.

[bob34787]

towed my 28' with an f250 diesel crewcab short box, never had a problem

[Foiled Again]

I'd recommend the quad cab - it will truly hold 4 to 6 adults - a crew cab is OK for children but hideously cramped for a grown person.

You'll likely fill the back with stuff until you put a bed cover of some sort on... more is more when it comes to towing safely and comfortably.

I got the long bed - too much of a good thing when not towing! Also go for 4wd. You'll rarely need it but when you do.... you need it badly. I've got the Chevy Silverado, but many like the Ford F-250 (and I think Mike Rowe is cuter than Howie Long!).

Happy trails. Oh, and love your A/S choice too.

Paula

[handn]

I agree with the other posters, a 3/4th ton vehicle is the way to go.
Which one is your call, all of the big three brands have supporters and you may hear from import fans also, but all imports are half ton. You need to get out and kick some tires.
The way you describe your adventure, you will be essentially full timing it for a year. You are a heavy user and would be best served with a diesel. I have been well served by my 2000 Excursion but there are lots of Dodge and GM supporters on the forum. It depends on price and preference.

[barts]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

I'd recommend the quad cab - it will truly hold 4 to 6 adults - a crew cab is OK for children but hideously cramped for a grown person.

Keep in mind that different manufacturers use different names for the various cab sizes... for Ford, a crewcab is a full size cab w/ four doors.

We're very happy pulling our 25' Tradewind with our 96 diesel 4x4 crewcab F250.

- Bart

[Jammer]

Bart makes a good point.

Ford and Chevrolet have for some time offered a standard cab, an extended cab, and a crew cab. On the Suburban side of things, the usual configuration is three rows of seats with bucket seats in front and middle rows, so you have seven seating positions. The rear ones lack leg clearance though.

Dodge used to offer a standard cab, an extended cab, and a "quad cab" which is about halfway in size between the extended cab and the crew cab. I may be mistaken but I believe that they've changed it to be the same size as a crew cab in the last year or two.

If it's just the two of you any of those will work but inevitably situations will arise where you wish you had room for another passenger.

[moosetags]

First off, welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

Yes, you are on the right track. You are probably going to want a 3/4 ton tow vehicle.

We have a 2005 25FB, named Lucy, who weighs in at 7400# ready to camp. We have towed Lucy almost 60,000 miles and have spent over 650 nights in her. We tow Lucy with two 2500 Suburbans.

We would definitely recommend a 3/4 to something.

Brian

[cosmotini]

It appears that I have the configuration you're probably wanting.

The Ford F-250 6.0 Diesel Crew Cab long bed tows our 27' FB CCD without effort.

I had to order the truck in 2005 because I only wanted 2wd and they were near impossible to find. Haven't needed 4wd or had to be towed yet. The 2wd sits a little lower and supposedly has a smoother ride when not towing.

The truck ride is much smoother when hitched.

On my last LONG trip, 370 miles each way, using the trip computer, I got 14 mpg going and 13.8 coming back. I checked it by hand and it was accurate.

I only got the long bed because that was the only way Ford would install the larger (36 gallon) fuel tank, but it's been very useful. We occasionally will roll up the tonneau and take 2 Honda scooters along.

I'd highly recommend a hard roll-up tonneau or a topper for the bed since it will be more useful to keep things in and secured.

Good luck with your decision.

[Mexray]

Check out the used Ford Excursions...they are built on 3/4 ton pickup chassis...their last year in production was 2005, and you can find some great deals for these highly equipped TV's....

We get between 9.5 and 10.5 towing our 28ft Ambassador - sure that's about 4 gallons less in fuel mileage than the diesel powered TV's, but our V-10 has far less maintenance costs when compared with diesel power...

When you add up the initial additional purchase cost, higher fuel prices, and maintenance issues (especially on higher mileage units, injectors, fuel pump issues, etc) I believe you'll be ahead $ wise with the V-10, which has plenty of capacity and power to tow your AS in style!

We picked up a 2001 Exc Limited, 4x4, V-10, 44 gal fuel tank, New Michelin tires, all leather interior, dual AC, etc... - about 110K on the clock when we bought it a couple of years ago for about $7K ! Where are you going to find a TV built like these Excursions for such a great price...dealers don't give much as trade-ins due to MPG issues...we wanted ours for towing, not commuting to work, and it's one of the best, IMHO!

Our heavy Exc tows our AS steady as a rock - no sway, even in crosswinds and semi's flying past on the interstate!...we never get that 'tail wagging the dog' sensation with our Exc towing our AS!

Ray

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Jammer

and everything else is too small (except for some corner cases like certain Ford Expeditions, now discontinued).

Hi, easy to do, but I think you meant Excursions.

Originally Posted by moosetags

We have a 2005 25FB, named Lucy, who weighs in at 7400# ready to camp. We have towed Lucy almost 60,000 miles and have spent over 650 nights in her. We tow Lucy with two 2500 Suburbans.

Brian

Hi, Brians trailer must be very heavy if Lucy needs two 2500 Suburbans to tow her.

[4RXLA]

27' is not too long for a trip like you are planning. While a 1/2 ton can do the job, a 3/4 is preferred as you have more payload capacity in the bed. If you are on the road for months, you surely will acquire some things along the way and would probably benefit from a shell to maximize storage capacity. I just bought a 2010 3/4 ton Ford V10 for my 31' and I don't even know the trailer is behind me. More than enough power and no sway issues. I made a 500 mile maiden trip from Palm Springs to home in Sacramento last month and went over Cajon Pass and Tehachapi in 3rd gear at 65 mph. 18 wheelers and ever present winds in the Mojave area gave no trouble either. The stiffer suspension of a 3/4 ton makes a difference in my view. The diesel will give you similar results I'm sure with probably fewer fuel stops. It was my first time towing an Airstream and compared to towing a box trailer with a 1/2 ton vehicle., it was refreshing to not have to be clutching the steering wheel for dear life for 500 miles and not constantly looking in the mirror to see if a high profile vehicle is going to suck me in and then push me out as it passes. After 9 hours of towing I was not exhausted and could have gone more if needed. The ability to tow with confidence and comfort is important, especially if you are going to drive for thousands of miles.

[JFScheck]

Agreed - you are going to want to fill up your trailer and the bed of the truck all increasing your stock weights - 3/4 ton won't beat up the trailer, should be comfortable to travel in - and with diesel power be good to go! :-)

[MrBeast]

I am going to throw in my .02 here. (actually gonna be 10 bucks by the time im done but here it goes)

I have towed with everything from a half ton pulling a little 10' bumper pull to a Kenworth with a 53' triple axle van on the back and a huge variety in between.

What you are going to find is that the length of the tow vehicle is going to greatly effect how much trailer you can pull, the leingth of the trailer is an important factor, but more important is the weight of a trailer, and the weight distribution of the trailer.

However, something to consider when selecting a tow pig is the longer the wheel base the wider the turning radius, and the longer your trailer the more it is going to amplify this.

With what you are looking at, a 27' International, it is going to have a 7600lb GVWR, this isnt a large trailer by any means. It is a thousand pounds lighter than a comparable Jayco Jayflight 28'.

I would be really comfortable pulling this in a regular cab long bed, or a short bed extended cab 3/4 ton pickup.

Something to keep in mind is that when traveling the extended cab on an extended cab truck tends to turn into a garbage pit, Because of this I would rather have a regular cab with a topper, I know leer makes a nice one where the side windows open upward to allow you access to the whole bed as well as from the rear. It is also nice because everything is secure and not in the passenger area.

As an alternative you could tow with an suv such as a tahoe or suburban, but if you go for a tahoe you will be in a half ton. Now you can get around this with a set of air bags to help out carrying the weight.

When I was a kid my dad ran us all over the countryside up in Montana in our 26' Fleetwood Prowler, There is no good reason a burban wont tow a Airstream which is a far superior trailer that has better towing characteristics.

I know for my next trailer I am going to get between a 27 and 31' Airstream, and I am going to be using a old Willys Wagon for a tow vehicle with a Fuel Injected Chevy 350 a 5 speed manual, and a set of 1 ton axles under it, and when I construct it I am moving the back axle reaarward 2" and the forward up 4" that will stretch the wheel base to 110" that is 7" shorter than a Tahoe.

The key to making it enjoyable to tow with will be keeping the weight distribution right and using an equalizer hitch.

The only thing I worry about with your floor plan is the bed is in the front, and there is a lot of storage in and around it, you could get your tongue loaded pretty heavy, if you go for a shorter base tow vehicle you may want to consider going with a model that has the bunk in the rear, and the largest amount of open space over the tongue.

[Jammer]

I believe we have frightened away the OP.

[Pinky65]

Originally Posted by MrBeast

As an alternative you could tow with an suv such as a tahoe or suburban, but if you go for a tahoe you will be in a half ton. Now you can get around this with a set of air bags to help out carrying the weight.

Hey there MrBeast - can you tell me what you mean about "set of air bags"? Are you talking side air bags - or am I being a girl

Can you answer me a tow question, too? I am looking at a 2005 28' International CCD with a GVWR of 7300. Find out if I get it next Tuesday

For a tow vehicle, I am seriously considering a 2010 Ford Expedition EL 4x2 with a 5.4L V8, 3.73 axle ratio, factory trailer sway control, factory heavy duty trailer package, and factory load leveling suspension, wheelbase of 131". Horespower 310 @ 5100 rpm. Torque 265 @ 3600 rpm. 33.5 gallon tank. It seems to me that this falls somewhere between the ratings of a Suburban 1500 and 2500, and I need an SUV for daily driving.

Gonna buy an Equalizer for my weight distributing hitch. The specs say the Expedition EL will tow 8900 pounds and has a GVWR of 7474. The GCWR is rated 15,000. Tongue load of 890.

Would you buy this Tow Vehicle for the 28' Airstream International CCD? If so, why? If not, why?

Thanks for any thoughts you can give me!
Pinky

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by Pinky65

Hey there MrBeast - can you tell me what you mean about "set of air bags"? Are you talking side air bags - or am I being a girl

Can you answer me a tow question, too? I am looking at a 2005 28' International CCD with a GVWR of 7300. Find out if I get it next Tuesday

For a tow vehicle, I am seriously considering a 2010 Ford Expedition EL 4x2 with a 5.4L V8, 3.73 axle ratio, factory trailer sway control, factory heavy duty trailer package, and factory load leveling suspension, wheelbase of 131". Horespower 310 @ 5100 rpm. Torque 265 @ 3600 rpm. 33.5 gallon tank. It seems to me that this falls somewhere between the ratings of a Suburban 1500 and 2500, and I need an SUV for daily driving.

Gonna buy an Equalizer for my weight distributing hitch. The specs say the Expedition EL will tow 8900 pounds and has a GVWR of 7474. The GCWR is rated 15,000. Tongue load of 890.

Would you buy this Tow Vehicle for the 28' Airstream International CCD? If so, why? If not, why?

Thanks for any thoughts you can give me!
Pinky

Pinky, by air bags I mean load helper airbags, they are a bellows style air bag like a big rig has only smaller that installs over your leaf springs in the rear and you can add air to them to help level out your vehicle to carry the weight.

The expedition if it has a factory load leveling system already has them, but a word of warning, is that if you ever break down, and they load your car on a flat bed to tow it, when they strap it down it can activate the load leveling system, and cause it to overpressure the system and mess it up really bad. The term FUBAR comes to mind.

Other than being a Ford, the Expedition should tow the trailer just fine, allthough if you are going to go the Ford route, id see if you can find an excursion with the 7.3 powerstroke, even if you find one with 100,000 miles, that engine still has 2/3 its life left if it has been well maintained. Do not under any circumstances buy a Ford with the 6.0 diesel, they have a bad habbit of blowing up and the repair can cost upwards of 10K its because they have to lift the body off the frame to change the engine.

Speaking from personal experince, we had a 04 expedition at my old job, and it was junk, I hated driving it, it had good power, but it had 75,000 miles on it, the suspension was getting weak and it was prone to leaving you stranded.

IMHO if you want the best rig you can get for the money id say see if you can find a 96-99 suburban that is real clean expecially if you can find one with the 7400 Vortec, its a great motor, and you can find those trucks with about 100K on them for less than 5 grand. They are a little hard to find with the 7.4 though because the folks who have em love them and dont want to part with them.

They arent going to depriciate much more, and 5 grand will get you a brand spankin new engine for them that are easy to find and plentiful, and a new and I mean new tranny with all the good components can be put togeather by most reasonable shops for under 2 grand including stuffing it back in the truck for you.

As far as I know the Expedition only comes in a half ton, if you are going to do a lot of towing, you will be hating life. If you are only going to be making a towing trip once in a while you will be fine.

The equaliszer setup is a good idea allthough I have done a ton of towing with out one and still been fine. It really depends from vehicle to vehicle if you are going to need one. For instance I might be able to hook your trailer up behind my dually and tear off down the road at 90mph and not have an issue, and you might get the expedition and find it throws you all over the road.

If you have any other questions feel free to shoot them at me

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Pinky65

Hey there MrBeast - can you tell me what you mean about "set of air bags"? Are you talking side air bags - or am I being a girl

Can you answer me a tow question, too? I am looking at a 2005 28' International CCD with a GVWR of 7300. Find out if I get it next Tuesday

For a tow vehicle, I am seriously considering a 2010 Ford Expedition EL 4x2 with a 5.4L V8, 3.73 axle ratio, factory trailer sway control, factory heavy duty trailer package, and factory load leveling suspension, wheelbase of 131". Horespower 310 @ 5100 rpm. Torque 265 @ 3600 rpm. 33.5 gallon tank. It seems to me that this falls somewhere between the ratings of a Suburban 1500 and 2500, and I need an SUV for daily driving.

Gonna buy an Equalizer for my weight distributing hitch. The specs say the Expedition EL will tow 8900 pounds and has a GVWR of 7474. The GCWR is rated 15,000. Tongue load of 890.

Would you buy this Tow Vehicle for the 28' Airstream International CCD? If so, why? If not, why?

Thanks for any thoughts you can give me!
Pinky

Hi, Pinky. I will compare your Expedition to my Navigator; And my trailer is rated at 1,000 lbs less. [6,300 lbs]

Horse power: Lincoln= 300 5.4L V-8............Expedition= 310 5.4L V-8

Torque.......: Lincoln=355@ 2,750 RPM........Expedition=365 @ 3,600RPM

Transmission: Lincoln= 4 Speed..................Expedition=6 Speed

Wheel base..: Lincoln=119"........................Expedition EL=131"

Fuel tank.....:Lincoln=30 gallons..................Expedition=33.5 gallons

Rear Gears...:Lincoln 3:73..........................Expedition: 3:73

You have a longer wheel base, that's good. You have a few more ponies, under the hood. You have slightly more torque, but at a higher RPM. You have two more gears, which might help quite a bit. Your tow rateing is exactly the same as mine. For me personally, a 28'er would be too much for my Lincoln. Will the longer wheel base, 6 speed trans, 10+ horse power, and 10+ torque make enough difference, I'm not sure.

[Easyrider06]

Hi, we see that you are registered as an AS volunteer inspector, are you still willing to do that? My wife and I found an AS in St. Cloud, Minn. and are trying to find someone willing to check it out prior to us making the trip from upstate NY to look at it ourselves. Our main concern is the usual corrosion, leakage, body decay, etc. issues that can be found in older rigs. If your not interested, maybe you could direct us to someone that could help... Thank you in advance,

James and Rebecca

[DC Bruce]

Answering the OP's original post: if you want a diesel, then you're into a 3/4 ton for sure. If you look at the numbers, especially payload, for the Ram eco diesel, they just don't add up for anything but a stripped "work truck" regular cab.
That said, understand that with a 3/4 ton, your engine is pulling between 1000 and 1500 additional pounds of vehicle weight as compared to a half ton. You can get a half ton with close to 2000 lbs cargo capacity. (I own one -- a 2015 GMC 1500 crew cab with max trailer tow package.) So check your payload sticker on the driver's side door frame before you assume you'll get gobs more cargo with a 3/4 ton. Add a heavy Diesel engine, and the difference may be even less. I pull an FC 27, same weight as yours. My 420 hp 6.2 liter gas engine has pulled it up 6-7 percent grades in W.Va., rarely exceeding 3000 rpm. On our last 400 mile round trip, through the highest part of the state, we averaged 12.5 mpg, doing 60 or the speed limit, whichever was lower. With our ProPride hitch, there was no sway and we didn't get blown around by the semis passing us at 75 on the downhill. The Ford 3.5 Ecoboost is an equally capable engine and has been in service long enough to have a track record of reliability.
So, I would urge the OP to consider a properly equipped Ford, Chevy or GMC half ton. You will have to look hard and wide to find a truck with the right equipment - or special order from the factory - but for the 2014 model year and up there are 1/2 ton crew cabs that are not stripped that have rated payloads of 1900 lbs and engines with the capability to move that weight. Before 2014, the most cargo capacity available in a 1/2 ton crew cab that was nicely trimmed out was Ford's F-150 Lariat crew with the max payload and max trailer tow packages. Those had a payload of over 1700 lbs. with either the 5 liter V-8 or the 3.5 liter V-6 Ecoboost. For just two people and a 27-foot Airstream, that would be pretty good also.
The real difference between a half ton and a 3/4 ton, is that you can just walk on the lot and find a 3/4 ton that will do the job (except I found trailer towing mirrors to be uncommon, even in that size). You will have to work much harder to find a 1/2 ton that meets your needs--but they are out there. I found mine on cars.com and flew from DC to Denver to get it.