2005 American Star 30 BKCL Tow Vehicle ???

dyky71 · 11-15-2007, 05:52 PM

I am new here and just wanted to ask if anyone on here has an American Star 30 BKCL with the two slides? And if so what tow vehicle do you use?
The dealer told us we could use a 3/4 ton to tow with but I would like to hear from some people who are towing this model fifth wheel.
Will a 3/4 ton do it?
There is a good price on this unit and we really would like to buy it but I want to know what to tow it with.
Thanks in advance for the help.

dyky71 · 11-15-2007, 05:52 PM

I am new here and just wanted to ask if anyone on here has an American Star 30 BKCL with the two slides? And if so what tow vehicle do you use?
The dealer told us we could use a 3/4 ton to tow with but I would like to hear from some people who are towing this model fifth wheel.
Will a 3/4 ton do it?
There is a good price on this unit and we really would like to buy it but I want to know what to tow it with.
Thanks in advance for the help.

**"007"** · 11-16-2007, 09:10 AM

Welcome dyky to the Newmar forum and irv2.

We have to wake up our 5th wheelers they have some nice rigs so not to many problems.

I'll short cut your question over to the 5th wheel forums so we can get more activety on your question. Good luck in your quest enjoy the forums and do post often.

RustyJC · 11-16-2007, 09:28 AM

First, let me welcome you to iRV2.com.

We're glad to have you with us.

Take a look at the following RV and Tow Vehicle Weights weight calculator (see link at the bottom of the article) put together by iRV2.com member Ken Lenger. It will walk you through the process of sizing a truck for a given 5th wheel or travel trailer.

Rusty

K-Star · 11-16-2007, 10:34 AM

I don't remember the weight differences, but I had a Kountry Star 32RKCL which is a heavier unit than a 30' American Star. I towed it with a 1 Ton GMC 3500 dually. The trailer was WELL, WELL within the towing capabilities of that truck. I also had towed 29' Wilderness 5er with a 3/4 and I will tell you this one thing. Even though the Wilderness 5er was within the weight limits of the F-250, the dually felt much more stable when towing. The difference truly was night and day.

That said, I will mimic what Rusty said. Use that calculator, find out what the weight ratings are for that American Star (GVWR and Pin Weight) and then do the math. My guess is that it will be at or close to the 3/4 ton limits. If under, I'm sure there will be no wiggle room. Newmar makes one heavy trailer.

Best of luck.

jojolima · 11-16-2007, 02:59 PM

A 3/4 ton will easily handle your unit. My friend had the same unit. Unfortunately, he had a stroke while camping. I towed the unit back to his home with a Dodge 3/4 ton. NO PROBLEM.

Happy Trails!

dyky71 · 11-16-2007, 07:23 PM

Thanks so much for the replies. I do appreciate it!
We are getting this figured out now. Thank you for the help.

ParTheCourse · 11-17-2007, 02:55 AM

We pulled our '99 with one big slide using a '95 Ford F250, 460 big-block and she had absolutely no problem. Now the 7/9 mpg pulling and 14 around town was another thing.

The F350 diesel, see signature, pulled the 99 and the current 5'er at 14/15 mpg and 18/20 not pulling. Probably no savings now that the cost of diesel has pasted gas but the performance of the diesel and comfort of the crew cab is sure nice.

Welcome to the forum and keep us posted.

xc-mark · 11-17-2007, 03:18 AM

I looked at the specs for a 2008 , the same model. If it has the same weight specs a 3/4 ton would do it depending on the exact specs on the truck. First off if your truck has a small gas motor and 3.73 your going to be up grading as soon as you start pulling this RV. If you have a heavy spec diesel made by any one of the three you should have no problem. any hitch weight over 1500 lbs I would consider airbags and a shock upgrade is a must if its a GM truck.

sheff69 · 12-03-2007, 05:31 PM

I have a 30' American Star with a large single slideout, and have pulled it with both a 3/4 ton and now a 1 ton dually, both with the same diesel engine. Forget about the pulling part, the diesel can handle just about anything you put behind it. The real problem is with the feeling of stability with the 3/4 ton. I found that I was being pushed around by passing trucks and side wind gusts with the 3/4 ton. I also felt uncomfortable going down steep grades with corners, I felt the trailer was controlling where I was going, much more than I wanted it to anyway. Now with the 1 ton, I don't even feel the corners or know there is much of a side wind or a passing truck until it is already along side my window. I find the difference is that the driving is much more "less white knuckle" than it used to be.

Sheff