Tow vehicle

[dalen]

Shopping for tow vehicle and wondering what others thoughts on towing 28 ft airstream with 8 ft bed vs 6 ft bed pickup manuverability in state and national parks are, please?
Thanks,
Dale

[jeffmc306]

dalen, unless you specific need the 8’ bed, go with the 6’ box. Most crew cab trucks are long enough as it is but adding an 8’ box increases your turning radius.

We tow a 27’ Globetrotter (27’ 11”) with a RAM 2500 with the 6’4” box. It’s a good combination of usable space plus not so big that we can’t maneuver around the campgrounds. We’ve been to some older state parks with narrow roads and just barely missed trees on the far side backing in.


Hope that helps!

[dalen]

Thanks !! Super helpful and I appreciate the advice!!

I may be long term on the road, so storage is reason I’d consider longer bed - 27’ International FBQ measures about 28 ft and not much extra storage …

[AgBullet]

Short bed (6'9") F250 has been awesome for us. Plenty of storage space.

[Daquenzer]

I tow with a 1/2 ton, and I went from a 5.5’ bed for a 6.5’ to get some exta room. That 1’ makes a significant difference for turning radius.

[dalen]

Thanks !!

[dalen]

Thank you !!

[SVTRIDE]

I’ve gone through 5 Super Duties since 2004. All short beds, all diesels until my latest '22 is a long bed 7.3 gasser. Kicking myself for having waiting so long to get a long bed. Lot more room, higher payload (diesel power was fun but not needed), bigger gas tank, greater towing stability. I live in SE Michigan suburbs and I can’t recall turning radius being an issue. Just plan accordingly.

[DewTheDew]

When I moved up from an F150 (5' 5" bed) pulling a 27' FC to an F250 (6' 5"?) I noticed it was trickier to back in within the confines of our storage lot. Then we moved up to a 30' Classic and an F350; I debated the long bed because storage is nice but decided that here in the east coast everything is too tight compared to when I lived out west so I stuck with the shorter. Personally I'd go for as much space as possible. I doubt it would be a complete barrier to most campgrounds or driving (it's only 18" or so longer, right?) but I didn't want to fight it when maneuvering the camper.

One thing I read when considering a large fifth wheel some years ago; the F450 was a better turning radius than the F350 :-)

[AlbertF]

I have found that for maneuvering in tight spaces, tow vehicle wheelbase is an important factor. Trailer length, less so.

The ideal tow vehicle has a reasonably short wheelbase, offset by a very short rear overhang. You won't get that with a pickup truck, so you need to find the best compromise for you.

[jeffb831]

Originally Posted by dalen

Shopping for tow vehicle and wondering what others thoughts on towing 28 ft airstream with 8 ft bed vs 6 ft bed pickup manuverability in state and national parks are, please?
Thanks,
Dale

I only have a standard bed Chevy (82") and have plenty of storage. The long bed is 98" long so it only increases the length by 16", or just over 1 foot.

In reality, the difference when the rig is 50' or 51' in total, isn't really meaningful if you really want the longer truck. If the campground would be maneuverable with a 50' rig but not a 51' rig, then the tolerance would be so tight that a normal recreational driver wouldn't be able to navigate the park at either length.

[skucera]

Wheelbase is important for the turning radius, but I think it's more important to focus on having sufficient towing capacity and enough weight capacity to handle the tongue weight plus the people, dogs, and gear aboard the truck to remain within the manufacturer's recommendations. These are all equally important, as I'm sure you've read on many other threads on the forum.

Personally, I chose overkill with an F350 Powerstroke crew cab long bed. I can confirm that the long wheelbase is a handful in a tight campground. However, I started by towing my new (to me) 27' Excella home with a Land Rover Discovery II, and the trailer exceeded both the maximum towing weight and tongue weight maximums of that poor Disco because the seller of the trailer misidentified the length of the trailer I bought from him. That was an entirely less comfortable "handful," let me tell you.

Good luck and choose wisely.

Scott

[RamRider]

Like any other tow vehicle, the final choice is yours - We were offered a new 2018 in Aug 2019, it was a very good deal so we bought it- at the time the long bed was a little long, but a year later we started hauling our new e-ebikes in addition to our normal "stuff", tools, grill, propane, wood blocks air compressor etc, my conclusion is you never have enough storage space when towing your Airstream and the 8 foot bed will meet most of your needs. If you can deal with the longer TV you will not have any regrets when traveling with your Airstream.

[Jacknife]

The longer the wheel base the smoother the ride . More storage in the bed . I have a 50 gal tank in my bed ( had a 5th wheel ) takes up 18 inches . 8 ft bed really 6.5 which is plenty of space .

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by dalen

Shopping for tow vehicle and wondering what others thoughts on towing 28 ft airstream with 8 ft bed vs 6 ft bed pickup manuverability in state and national parks are, please?
Thanks,
Dale

When we moved up from our 25' AS's in 2017, we also shopped for new 3/4T TV. We took a few "new" demo models out for a spin from GM, RAM, and Ford. Ford had just come out with a new suspension in 2017, and it was similar ride to my F150 we had used for last 5 years. We ended up getting the F250 6.7L 4x4 King Ranch model with 6' bed, to tow our 28' FCTwin. Cargo/passenger including trailer tongue weight capacity is 2138lbs; tongue weight alone is 1150lbs. We have 178K miles now on the F250 with 0 problems. Lots of power, handles very well when towing, enough capacity for our needs, and the engine brake makes towing effortless. Parking is a "skill" that takes some practice as the F250 6' bed has a foot longer wheel base which took some getting use to. I am sure the 8' would be even more challenging, but have no experience with that one. (others can chime in) Driving around town and parking can be challenging vs the shorter wheel base 1/2T, but we got the F250 to tow, so we deal with it while traveling. Nice vehicle to ride/travel in for sure. It fits the needs of just wife and I. If I had a lot more "gear" or passengers along (kids), would recommend looking at the 1T, F350. Good luck!

[Lvanden]

We have a Chevy 2500 with the 8’ bed. Turning radius is definitely poor, but we want to carry full size e-bikes, solo stove, Blackstone, chairs, etc. so far no issues with being able to make turns in state or national parks, but driving around town and parking is a challenge. But I wouldn’t give up the two feet now for anything.

[rheston1947]

Until recently my TOW vehicle for our 2019 33' Classic was a RAM 2500 with the 6'4" bed with RAM Boxes. The boxes prevented us from putting a cap on the truck for more secure, covered storage of all the gear we were transporting to the Scottish Games. We had experienced a loss of constant towing power when we traversed through the Rockies enroute to and from our destination.

In October 2024 we picked up a RAM 3500 dually diesel with 8' bed. We did put a cap on it. For us it was the right decision. The towing through the mountains was the smoothest we have had with our coach and the larger and covered bed really helped ease our concerns about things getting wet or blowing out of the bed. It was a close call getting it into the garage with only 2" clearance on each side because of the wider "hips" on her but other than that we've been really happy with the move.

[David in Lex]

Our Ford F250 short bed with crew cab was plenty big enough to tow our AS 30. If your truck is also going to be a daily driver, you’ll find the 8-foot bed to be extremely inconvenient. The ‘short’ bed is awkward enough!

[nuttinbutxs]

Didn't see what you currently drive but I went from an extended cab GMC 2500 to a crew cab 2500 and that extra length was very noticeable when backing into a parking area. If you add the even more length for a long bed I think it will take some practice when backing.

[akarakos]

I have a 2023, 28ft International RBT. I had a Ram 2500, 6.7L diesel for 8 years w/ short bed. I purchase a 2024 Ram diesel Laramie sport, also a short bed. You can basically tow anything and get much better mileage than gas both towing and not towing. The only thing I did this time around was put on a flatbed cover instead of a very large Leer top.. I had both fuel tanks which were 31 gal tanks replaced by a Titan fuel tank that is 52 gals. The only thing I’ll caution you about with a 28 foot trailer is that you should check out the state park info before you go to them. Some can be very tight & they might depend on your towing and backing experience.