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Old 07-24-2021, 10:24 AM   #1
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Tow vehicle selection help

We're looking a Classic 30. What do we need to pull this unit? Thanks.
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Old 07-24-2021, 10:40 AM   #2
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I’m buying a Classic 33 and I’m swapping my Ram1500 for a 2500. These trailers have close to, or in my case a little over, 1000# tongue weight and a 10,000lb gvwr. Which is more than a typical half ton pickup will be capable of handling well.
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Old 07-24-2021, 10:53 AM   #3
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Pete,

Welcome to Airforums from a bit north of you near Darlington.

A note of caution. Tow Vehicle TV selection can be a very debatable topic.

One thing to add to your data file on this question, how much "gear" do you need or want when YOU go camping? Need to carry a pop up canopy, grill, how big? cooking equipment, bikes, kayaks, generator fill in the blanks.

Make a list or compile the gear and estimate it's weight and add that to your TV payload calculation. It adds up.

I had my 3/4T PU before I got my 30' Slide Out and for ME and MY gear requirements i couldn't do w/o my 3/4T

Also what ya doing this October? Alumalina just a bit up 95 to 26 and 40 to Marion NC gets you there, kick tires BS and see a bunch of Airstreams. https://www.airforums.com/forums/f47...-a-224707.html

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Old 07-24-2021, 12:39 PM   #4
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Classics are pretty heavy. Probably a 3/4 or 1 ton. Whether gas or diesel it depends upon where you are spending most of your time towing. If in the mountains you will want the braking of the diesel. If you aren’t in heavy mountains a gas will do fine. As to model, right now they are all pretty decent with various pros and cons. Suggest you check out TFLtruck.com. They review and give their opinions of different trucks. They are pretty objective in my opinion. I will have to say that now is not the greatest time to buy a truck. You will pay a premium.
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Old 07-24-2021, 12:57 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Kellos View Post
We're looking a Classic 30. What do we need to pull this unit? Thanks.
A lotta truck. No SUV can realistically handle that. Your limiting factor will be payload. Secondarily, you’ll need to think about range (gassers refuel a lot sooner), and hills.

If you have more than two people in the truck or carry a lot of gear, seriously think about 1T Diesel. I live in CA, so we do a lot of mountains. I pull 27’ GT with 3/4 T Diesel crew cab short bed with a tonneau and love it, except for the cargo space constraints. AS don’t have built in generators, and they don’t have a lot of exterior storage, so a lot goes in the truck bed.

If I could go back, I’d put a cap on a 1T, install a generator exhaust vent, and call it a day.
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Old 07-24-2021, 01:02 PM   #6
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there are a number of threads (some older, some more recent) about tow vehicle selection, that is a great place to start. Just search for "tow vehicle" but you will get all kinds of opinions, some factual some just speculate, but it will be your task to sort it out and see which make sense to you and your circumstances. Many many opinions ... for your immediate question I will just say my personal recommendation is to get a 3/4 ton or heavier tow vehicle. I have gas, I think thats more than adequate but many on the forum prefer the diesel. I have plenty of power (7.3L gas), thats for sure.
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Old 07-24-2021, 01:13 PM   #7
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Hi

Backing off a bit:

Now is not a good time to buy a *used* car / SUV / truck / RV / boat .... They all are commanding prices well above the "norm". If you place an order for a new one of any of them, expect a bit of a wait for delivery. Anything in the 6 to 18 month range seems to be possible depending on what you are looking at.

So, to me, this suggests that if you can wait (and that is a very big if) it's a better time to buy new than used. Yes, that's a very arguable point.

Truck wise (yes with a Classic 30 it's going to be a truck) the world goes round and round on gas vs diesel. These days the differences between the two are not as great as they once were. Still diesel has it's fans. Diesel (if you go that way) adds considerable weight to the truck. It will bump you up a bit in terms of how big you need.

Many of us debate the 2WD vs 4WD decision. Bottom line is that most seem to tow with a 4WD truck. We have needed it on wet grass in various campgrounds. Again it's an option that adds weight.

Two folks with no pets might fit in a small cab truck. Four folks and a dog or two might struggle in a super duper maxi biggie cab. Again, both the folks and the cab add weight.

Some just have to bring the golf cart and the mud bikes and the gold bar collection and the jet skis and the ATV along with them. Work this out now, before you buy a truck. If you *really* need all that, give Freightliner or Peterbuilt a call for your tow vehicle

What's reasonable to haul along? A coupe hundred pounds of stuff is tough to avoid. Something around 500 to 700 pounds in the bed of the truck is not unusual.

Working out just what the payload of a given truck is ..... not at all easy. The door sticker is the only "authoritative" source. As you go to this or that trim level and this or that option set, working out what's what is hard. Best to ask around about what folks see on their door stickers. A 2021 King Ranch F-350 Diesel 4x4 might come in at 4110 pounds of payload.

I would take whatever numbers you add up ( trailer at 1200 pounds, hitch, shank, people, stuff ....) and put at least another 20% on top of that. Then start looking at door sticker payload numbers for various trucks. Your answers to the questions above will be different than somebody else's answers. Your target truck may be different than theirs.

To further complicate things. TFL truck on You Tube has a video about "Why did my F-150 overheat?". Take a look at it for a deep dive into why the numbers on the truck aren't really the numbers on the truck ( thus the "add at least 20%).

Fun !!!

Bob
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Old 07-24-2021, 01:32 PM   #8
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Tow vehicle selection help

10,000 lb trailer. It's heavy.

If you are new to towing and are not working with a firm like CanAm in Ontario and / or you have not fully studied the dynamics of towing a heavy trailer with a passenger vehicle and understand sway dynamics and weight distribution configuration then you want a 3/4 ton minimum.

Only difference between a 3/4 and 1-ton single rear wheel is a little more payload on the rear axle in the 1-ton. How much stuff are you taking in the bed of the truck becomes the question. If unsure just get a 1-ton they are the same price practically.

I’ve towed my 30’ many thousands of miles through flat lands and the Rockies with both a large and very capable 1/2 ton SUV and a 3/4 ton truck. This is after many 1000s of miles towing a 25’ airstream. My experience has been that the 3/4 / 1 ton makes for a more stable and manageable 50’ long 17,000 - 19,000 lb train. Less stress.

I'd recommend a pro-pride hitch if you are new to towing and want the ultimate, stress free journey.

https://www.propridehitch.com/propri...-control-hitch

Towing a trailer that heavy with a smaller vehicle requires a driver who really understands how to properly configure the system. Again, if you are unsure, etc, get a 3/4+ ton truck or you need to work with a towing specialist. 99% of dealer employees are absolutely not towing specialists and will hoarily send you on your way off the lot with an incorrect setup because they don’t know any better. Sad but true.
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Old 07-24-2021, 07:28 PM   #9
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Thanks Gary. I'll check the calendar.
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Old 07-24-2021, 07:36 PM   #10
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Thanks for the advice. I've pulled boats before, but nothing the size of a big AS. I have the luxury of not being in a hurry. The AS dealer I met with today told me 8 months for a new unit.
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Old 07-24-2021, 09:22 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Kellos View Post
Thanks for the advice. I've pulled boats before, but nothing the size of a big AS. I have the luxury of not being in a hurry. The AS dealer I met with today told me 8 months for a new unit.
Its a good thing you're not in a hurry. I'd go with a 3/4 ton gas OR 1 ton Diesel. As mentioned earlier, the diesel engine will eat up about 900 lbs of available payload over the gas.

We tow a 28' FC with an F-350 Diesel. We also fill the back of the truck with stuff :-)
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Old 07-25-2021, 06:18 AM   #12
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I agree with the recommendation to go with a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. Be sure to check the “real” not the brochure payload capacity of the truck. There is a significant difference once you get beyond the most basic model. The more options you choose on the truck, the less payload you have. In this market where new inventory is very low, you may have to shop around to find a similar truck to get a more realistic payload. I looked at GMC, Ford and RAM and all 3 (including Chevy) are good trucks. I chose the RAM mostly because it was the only 3/4 ton truck that would fit in my garage and less important, it has a lot of creature comforts inside that I felt were superior to the other makes. I too had to wait for my truck and my AS and fortunately the truck showed up first and I had a chance to put a few miles on it to break it in before the AS showed up. I will also add that the RAM that was delivered to me was flawless, Can’t say that was true for the AS.
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Old 07-25-2021, 06:22 AM   #13
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One more point. If you go diesel, it will have less payload capacity than the same gas model. That’s because diesels are much heavier. In my case, the gas version of the RAM 2500 HD had a payload capacity that was several hundred pounds more than the same truck with a diesel. If you want to go diesel go with a 1 ton truck.
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Old 07-25-2021, 08:00 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete Kellos View Post
Thanks for the advice. I've pulled boats before, but nothing the size of a big AS. I have the luxury of not being in a hurry. The AS dealer I met with today told me 8 months for a new unit.
Hi

Once the 2022 trucks are all out and you can look over the various specs on the various sites ( and the dealers have pricing info), you might start shopping for a truck. (assuming you go new). Ours took nearly 5 months to get to the dealer. Some folks got their's faster, others are waiting longer. Not much way to predict who's going to get lucky ahead of time. I don't see that changing a whole lot.

Having a trailer and no way to tow it is no fun at all .... I have data on this ...

Bob
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Old 07-25-2021, 09:59 AM   #15
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Here's my bit on tow vehicle selection FWIW:
https://www.journeymanblog.net/blog/...=tow%20vehicle
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Old 07-25-2021, 10:34 AM   #16
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We still like our '06 2500 Burb.

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Old 07-26-2021, 05:28 AM   #17
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CanAm

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Here's my bit on tow vehicle selection FWIW:
https://www.journeymanblog.net/blog/...=tow%20vehicle
Thiel, thanks for the resource links. This got me to CanAm. They have amazed me with what they are towing AS with.
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Old 07-26-2021, 05:39 AM   #18
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When you go shopping, pay attention to the weight rating sticker on the individual truck. You cannot just shop for a 3/4 ton and expect it to meet your needs.
My 2015 Silverado 2500HD has a gas engine, and a 9,500 lb gross weight vehicle rating. I would not pull a Classic with this truck.
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Old 07-26-2021, 06:15 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by Pete Kellos View Post
We're looking a Classic 30. What do we need to pull this unit? Thanks.
Easy 3/4 to….we like our ram 4x4..6.7
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Old 07-26-2021, 07:26 PM   #20
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My tricked out F-150 at 7000# GVWR feels inadequate for my 7300# 25FB so I ordered a 2022 F-250 with the big gasoline engine and 10000# GVWR package. VIN and build date came within a week of ordering. Build date about a month after order date. TBD if it is sitting in my driveway before the fall camping season.
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