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06-22-2016, 04:30 PM
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#1
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Walnut Creek
, California
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,952
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Purpose Built Tow Vehicle
A purpose built tow vehicle is not the norm. Very interesting to find one.
This is a 1999 that the current owner purchased in 2012. He said that it was one of the early years that Freight Liner built a tow vehicle. Weighs 12K lbs, has 8-1/2" of ground clearance, and is powered by a CAT. Only issues mentioned were that it rides like a buckboard without a load and the AC is a little light duty for hot climates.
Travel safe. Pat
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06-22-2016, 04:48 PM
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#2
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Rivet Master
1986 25' Sovereign
2008 F350, 6.4L diesel
, Oak Harbor, WA
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 605
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Can he switch to air ride? or at least in the seats.
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06-22-2016, 05:19 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
2013 31' Classic
billings
, Montana
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 3,570
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A bit overkill for an airstream, any 3/4 ton diesel pickup will do about all you want,even have an exhaust brake
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06-22-2016, 06:30 PM
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#4
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3 Rivet Member
1974 25' Tradewind
Calgary
, Alberta
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 109
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So what do they offer that will tow more than a Bambi?
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06-22-2016, 06:59 PM
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#5
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Walnut Creek
, California
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,952
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It has air ride and the owner is looking to upgrade it for a better ride, however with his trailer hooked up, it rides Cadillac smooth. Air ride on the hitch too.
Bambi - surely you jest.
Why? Look at all that storage. No payload constraint. It has a low center of gravity. It has a long wheelbase. It has a short overhang. No need to wait for Tesla to develop high capacity battery for AS. Just install a lead acid high capacity bank in the bed. Get it worked on at any truck stop. No one will mistake it for a minivan. Should last a million miles. What is not to like?
Travel safe! Pat
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06-23-2016, 12:08 PM
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#6
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1 Rivet Member
1982 31' Excella
Missoula
, Montana
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 19
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Wait till you buy your first set of tires, or want to drive to downtown Scottsdale and shop. Thats why I bought my airstream so my daily driver is with me at all times. I get my tires rotated for free, my oil change is $69, and I can run it thru the car wash.
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06-23-2016, 12:15 PM
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#7
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Rivet Master
2009 27' FB Flying Cloud
1982 31' International
1991 35' Airstream 350
Jay
, Oklahoma
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,706
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The cowboys and rodeo folks have been using those light/medium rigs for several years, since the availability of the RV/horse combination trailers.
Of course, with a rig of that sort, one could simply haul his Airstream trailer instead of towing it.
Regards,
JD
__________________
Jeff & Cindy
'09 27FB Flying Cloud;'82 31 International
'91 350 LE MH; '21 Interstate 24GT
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06-23-2016, 03:16 PM
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#8
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Walnut Creek
, California
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,952
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdalrymple
The cowboys and rodeo folks have been using those light/medium rigs for several years, since the availability of the RV/horse combination trailers.
Of course, with a rig of that sort, one could simply haul his Airstream trailer instead of towing it.
Regards,
JD
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JD - yes, that is how this one was sourced. Family was no longer using it and ready to pass it along.
VB - Tires should not be so bad, since the size is much smaller than the monsters you see on big tractors. They were one of the upgrades made in the first year. The original spec tires on the front were overloaded and performed poorly. But you are right. It's not a daily driver.
Enjoy your toys and travel safe. Pat
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06-23-2016, 03:47 PM
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#9
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2 Rivet Member
2014 25' FB Flying Cloud
Micanopy
, Florida
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 60
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My best friend from way back had one of those. Towed 38-40 ft 5 th wheel. He said it was the worst riding vehicle he ever had . Actually had air ride installed, seats and frame at the insistence of his wife. Big bucks! They were full timers. 1 yr later they got rid of it and bought phaeton coach. Good luck with it.
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06-23-2016, 07:57 PM
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#10
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4 Rivet Member
2015 30' Classic
Sherwood
, Oregon
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 479
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I recently pulled up to a diesel pump and one of these rigs was in the adjacent aisle. I thought it was a regular tractor then noticed the small 5th wheel plate so asked what he towed so he showed me a photo on his phone. As I recall, it was a 40' 5er but what got my attention was the Fiat riding across the back of the cab. Glad he had his fuel bill and I had mine.
__________________
2015 Classic 30A, Blue OX Sway Pro, 2016 F350 4x4 Ultimate Lariat crew cab SRW, LWB, 6.7 PSD, 20" wheels, Ingot Silver Metallic, DiamondBack tonneau cover, TrailFX wheel-to-wheel step bars.
Sold: 2014 25FB International Serenity
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06-23-2016, 08:20 PM
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#11
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4 Rivet Member
1977 31' Sovereign
Lynnwood
, Washington
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 311
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I knew a guy that had one of these about 15 yrs ago. His rig had a sleeper cab. Much like a professional truck driver, he was a private contractor and hauled RV's all around the country.
Tom
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06-26-2016, 05:47 AM
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#12
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Rivet Master
2014 27' Flying Cloud
Wenatchee
, Washington
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 512
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No offense intended but a truck without 4WD is worthless to me. My '12 Ram 3500 SRW CCSB CTD 4x4 pickup does just about everything I need a truck to do, to include towing our '14 FC 27FB without difficulty. YMMV.
Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums
__________________
2018 Ram 3500 SLT CTD 4X4 pickup
2014 Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB
WBCCI #7180
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06-26-2016, 02:43 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Walnut Creek
, California
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,952
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 21Airstream
No offense intended but a truck without 4WD is worthless to me. My '12 Ram 3500 SRW CCSB CTD 4x4 pickup does just about everything I need a truck to do, to include towing our '14 FC 27FB without difficulty. YMMV.
Sent from my iPhone using Airstream Forums
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21 - no offense taken. It's not a rig that I would purchase as I have my dedicated tow vehicle, but the idea of purpose built solutions is intriguing. The equipment boxes on that rig seem much better than having to heft stuff into a pickup bed. A low center of gravity should be safer for towing. The rough ride seems unnecessary with an air ride independent suspension. Always thought CAT power was really cool too.
Understand that while most folks do not need 4 wheel drive, some folks really do use it. It certainly comes in handy when the weather gets a bit snotty. Torque vectoring kind of helps too. Have always wondered if the original HumVees would be a good tow vehicle. Independent suspension all around, wide stance, diesel power, and a rigid chassis. Unfortunately, you don't see many and cost is a significant hurdle.
Now, you travel safe. Pat
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06-26-2016, 07:18 PM
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#14
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Sioux Falls
, South Dakota
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,164
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Some of the high end 5'ers can weigh 24,000 pounds. With 25% of the weight on the pin, that's 6000 pounds right over the axle. Add 250 pounds for the hitch itself and you can see why a heavier truck is needed. Remember that nearly anything can drag a trailer down the road (for a ways, anyway), but the real test is stopping it. That's why so many of the full-timers with those heavy 5'ers use at least a medium duty truck, and quite a few use a heavy duty truck (think semi). Yes, they either carry a tiny car on the back or one person drives the truck and the other drives the car.
Right now our Foretravel weighs just under 30,000 pounds and tows about 5000 pounds of Jeep. When we switch to the Airstream and F250 the pair will be under 20,000 pounds. I just wish that I had the $$$ to buy a new truck and have a custom bed on it.
__________________
David Lininger, kb0zke
AIR 54240
Heartland mpg 181 (sold)
1993 Foretravel U300 (sold)
2022 Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS
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06-27-2016, 07:12 PM
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#15
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Rivet Master
2014 27' Flying Cloud
Wenatchee
, Washington
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 512
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That's a good point. I started out with a 31', traded it in on a 33' (both SOB travel trailers) then bought an Airstream FC 27FB because for us, less is more (since we're not full-timers). If we felt the need for one of those behemoths, a larger tow rig would be desirable.
__________________
2018 Ram 3500 SLT CTD 4X4 pickup
2014 Airstream Flying Cloud 27FB
WBCCI #7180
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06-27-2016, 07:21 PM
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#16
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Rivet Master
Currently Looking...
Walnut Creek
, California
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 3,952
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New Truck. Custom Bed. Cool Idea it is. Hope it works out for you some day. Pat
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