Reminder of happiness with 1/2 ton

[lsbrodsky]

Yesterday I drove 400 miles round trip to drop off my AS for service, so 200 mi with the trailer, 200 without. When I tow I drive 55 mph and just drive my own drive. But coming home, I drove the speed limit(plus) and just stayed with the traffic on I-40. The 70+ mph drive home reminded me, strongly, of why I am happy with my 1/2 ton truck as a TV. It is as comfortable as a car and for the back end of a very long day I was glad for the nice ride. 13 mpg towing and 23 mpg for the trip home on 87 octane. From time to time, I crave "more power, Scotty", but I have been reminded why I am just fine.

Larry

[Ultradog]

Good post.
Lots of folks here think they need a gargantuan 3/4 or 1 ton with a stinky, noisy diesel.
But a 1/2 ton for anything under 30' is ample.
But, to each his own I guess.

[lsbrodsky]

Yes, it is an active debate, long-standing. But I just wanted to post a reminder why I love my 1/2 ton. Love the one you are with....
Larry

[thiel]

Larry,

What are your TV and Trailer models if you don't mind me asking.

I have a Tundra and was planning on a 25'.

[lsbrodsky]

International Serenity 25FB and a Chevrolet Silverado 1500 5.3L, 3.42 with the factory towing package. Seen many a Tundra pulling 25's.

Larry

[FCStreamer]

That is one of the reasons I stayed away from the Classic 30. There's over 1000 lb difference between the Classic and the International/Flying Cloud. The Classic is gorgeous, but I could not tow it with my F150 or my Escalade. The FC 30 I can. Payload on the Escalade is 1600, and towing is 8300. And it is a lot easier daily driver.

[lsbrodsky]

1/2 tons today are rated for 10,000 or more, but the payload capacity is limiting. We do not haul around a lot of stuff. Did not want to repeat the debate...just wanted to smile about my ride quality.
Larry

[rjack]

We use a Tundra (our fourth one) and have pulled an '08 25' Safari FB over 50,000 miles including Alaska and many mountain ranges. We have a shell bed cover and load it with spares, generator, full tool set, etc. The rig pulls terrific and fits us perfectly. Then, when parked, our truck is a comfortable driver. In my opinion, two huge keys are 1. Moderate speed such as 60 on open highways, and 2. New tires before you think you need them, and make sure they are of very recent manufacture. There is not really a good vs. bad choice, some are just better fits for one's situation. Safe travels.

[dkottum]

We have had three half-tons for our Airstreams, and just bought a new one. Each time we carefully researched the numbers and qualities of each, considered the huge difference a good weight distribution hitch setup makes, looked at our own needs and use, and settled without any doubt on another new half-ton.

Just finished a 3,000+ mile cross-country tow with it. Rock-solid stability in all conditions, smooth comfortable ride, plenty of power, handles and brakes beautifully, and 15-17 mpg gallon towing, 28-30 mpg when not towing. And when we are not towing it's a great daily driver. No compromises here, love it.

[m.hony]

I love my truck.
Some have said they don't like the Tundra because it feels like a very large Camry.
That would be an attribute, right?
I like to think of it as a very large Camry with and extremely large trunk.
I like the quick, responsive steering, brakes, and throttle and smoothness and precision.
The Tundra has about the same turning radius as my Nissan Pathfinder, which is much smaller.
It just feels like a Toyota. That is just how Toyotas feel across all model lines.
I like it.
I am used to it.
It is a very large truck.

[tjdonahoe]

25' fine, try it with a 31' classic above sea level out West, I like my 3/4 ton dodge with a 6.7 ....

[J. Morgan]

There is something to be said about being able to tow an Airstream up any grade at 75 plus.

For my use, that isn't that important to me. If I did most of my driving in Montana or western Colorado, etc, I would probably want more than my 5.3 to pull my 7,800 pound trailer.


Superat stultitia.

[Sodbust1]

Gotten along just fine with our 1/2 ton with the little hemi.. We pull out 72/Overlander with our Yamaha Rhino loaded in the bed. Right on the lines for payload but some added air bags leveled things out just fine without using a WD hitch system.
Seeing 20 mpg pulling post holes and 13.5 loaded with the trailer and Rhino. For being a 4x4 pu I am real happy over all..
When pricing a new pu I could buy 2 1/2 tons for the price of 1 new diesel...
We use our 1/2 for farm duty also.. Mostly pulling a 10 Bale trailer that loaded is over 18000 lbs.. Other projects is shagging 1000 gallon fertilizer trailers.. They also run over 13000 lbs loaded..
It's just common sense of how hard and fast a person needs to go.. For safety and long pu life..
Sodbust

[Americal]

We pull our 27' international with a Chevy Tahoe, 5.3 motor. So far we have been happy with it.

Larry

[m.hony]

Originally Posted by tjdonahoe

25' fine, try it with a 31' classic above sea level out West, I like my 3/4 ton dodge with a 6.7 ....

I live in Mississippi.
For the occasional trip out west I can just pull the grades at 45 mph.
Not gonna base a purchase on the mountains out west-


Sent from my iPad using Airstream Forums

[Brawny]

Originally Posted by FCStreamer

That is one of the reasons I stayed away from the Classic 30. There's over 1000 lb difference between the Classic and the International/Flying Cloud. The Classic is gorgeous, but I could not tow it with my F150 or my Escalade. The FC 30 I can. Payload on the Escalade is 1600, and towing is 8300. And it is a lot easier daily driver.

Just picked up our 2004 30' Classic last Tuesday, and spent the weekend at 'The Pinery', a nice provincial park an hour from our house. No issues towing.

[FCStreamer]

Originally Posted by Brawny

Just picked up our 2004 30' Classic last Tuesday, and spent the weekend at 'The Pinery', a nice provincial park an hour from our house. No issues towing.

How much does a 2004 30; classic weigh? Because the newer ones were pushing 8000 and maxed out at 10,000. I could not swing that.

[Chevyman]

I under stood the original post completely. Then ULTRADOG called my 3/4 ton 'Gargantuan, stinky, smelly". My 3/4 ton is the same size as a 1/2 ton. It's not a stinky smelly diesel. It's a 2002 GMC, he was probably thinking of those other trucks. I fell into my 02 GMC by chance and it was not until later on, my mechanic friend told me that the 02 Duramax was the better year for GMC. I have 287,000 miles on it and it has the original brakes. I will admit it is overkill for our 1976 Argosy 22, but it was purchased for our 13,000 lb 5th wheel. In fact, it is almost dangerous to pull the 22' AS because I forget it is back there. What is overkill anyhow? I say it is a greater safety margin. I have seen people pull 28 foot square box trailers with Chevy Astro vans. The book said it could pull the weight. Did the book say what would happen in an emergency maneuver at highway speeds? Some people might think I have age induced paranoia. ( that's where you might have tried it at twenty and been alright, but the law of averages start to catch up to you, and age or wisdom starts to drive the way you do things)
So, gargantuan, smelly, stinky; I think not, rather, it is powerful enough to pull my trailers up any hill with ease and it gets better mileage than a gas powered 3/4 ton truck. But, 'To each his own' or 'Whatever floats your boat' or whatever saying you wish to use. Live long and prosper!

[Foiled Again]

I had the Ford EcoBoost - and it was darn good with a 25' Airstream. Didn't do badly even in most of the Rockies. Unfortunately I very seldom did any distance driving without towing, so I had little experience in long distance driving even when I sold it.

I'm a lot happier with a 2500 GMC for the Pewter Palace... which at ten meters makes a 34 foot Airstream look petite. I did manage to pull the palace from Ohio to Baltimore to have Frank's Trailerworks do the inside, but that was really an unwise combination.

I don't find the 2500 all that bad as a daily driver, but the truck is high off the ground. One size does not fit all. To me the EcoBoost is good at 25' and smaller, and d a 3/4 ton vehicle is better for the bigger rigs. If you like Ford products and don't tow in mountainous territory - you're probably fine with a 1/2 ton up to the 27/28 foot models.

Paula

[Arcticfox]

I'm with the original poster. We tow our 28 FC with a 2014 F150 Eco, 6.5'box, with Max tow and LT tires. We travel extensively and recorded just under 100,000 Km (about 60,000 miles) towing. The truck has been flawless and we have been very happy with what its capable of.