Tow Vehicle Advice

[lukeandluna]

Hi All,
Been lurking for a while I have some questions on a tow vehicle.
A little about my set up

Currently
Family of 5 me wife 3 youngins 4,9 and 12

2003 1500 Chevy Silverado
Door Tag Reads
GVWR 6900lbs
GAWR FRT 3925 lbs
GAWR RR 4000 lbs

2017
Gulf Stream Travel Trailer
Conquest 268BH
GVWR 7660 lbs
GAWR Front 3500 lbs
GAWR Rear 3500lbs

Hopefully I got all the specs out of the way.
So I purchased this trailer last year used it less then a handful of times.
The chevy pulled it but after doing some reading and towing it a few times I felt like an upgrade on the TV was needed.
My main goal is to place my family in a safe situation no need to endanger them or anyone else on the road.

So it seems like the masses recommend a pickup.I would love to get the best bang for my my buck in a people hauler/tow vehicle currently we are packed in the silverado.
Is there an SUV that would fit my needs?

Vehicles I have been browsing on line all used BTW.
3/4 ton Suburban ..which would give me some nice space when not towing.
F250 super duty,2500HD silverado and the ram 2500 all gas no diesel bank account here.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

[450Donn]

If you want a truck a 2500 MegaCab Ram would be great. Otherwise the 2500 Suburban would be my other top choice.

[ASTMedic]

Originally Posted by lukeandluna

Hi All,

Been lurking for a while I have some questions on a tow vehicle.

A little about my set up



Currently

Family of 5 me wife 3 youngins 4,9 and 12



2003 1500 Chevy Silverado

Door Tag Reads

GVWR 6900lbs

GAWR FRT 3925 lbs

GAWR RR 4000 lbs



2017

Gulf Stream Travel Trailer

Conquest 268BH

GVWR 7660 lbs

GAWR Front 3500 lbs

GAWR Rear 3500lbs



Hopefully I got all the specs out of the way.

So I purchased this trailer last year used it less then a handful of times.

The chevy pulled it but after doing some reading and towing it a few times I felt like an upgrade on the TV was needed.

My main goal is to place my family in a safe situation no need to endanger them or anyone else on the road.



So it seems like the masses recommend a pickup.I would love to get the best bang for my my buck in a people hauler/tow vehicle currently we are packed in the silverado.

Is there an SUV that would fit my needs?



Vehicles I have been browsing on line all used BTW.

3/4 ton Suburban ..which would give me some nice space when not towing.

F250 super duty,2500HD silverado and the ram 2500 all gas no diesel bank account here.



Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Might take the curnet setup to a scale and see what the tongue weight is and that would help you make some decisions.

[lukeandluna]

Thanks for the quick reply 450
I will look into the Mega Cab
I want the Suburban to work searches come back high mileage older vehicles hige price tag.If I did go the Suburban route it would be wifeys ride so it needs to be right !

[lukeandluna]

Thanks for the reply medic
A search on Gulf Streams website states 660 lbs for hitch weight
Is this the same as tongue weight ?
Obviously that number does not include my WDH

[ASTMedic]

Originally Posted by lukeandluna

Thanks for the reply medic
A search on Gulf Streams website states 660 lbs for hitch weight
Is this the same as tongue weight ?
Obviously that number does not include my WDH

Yes, but it's approximate and not based on your loaded trailer and hitch setup. All that can weigh more so a scale weight would be good with the family and everything you take on a normal trip. Even if it's in the vehicle you own now it will give you a fairly accurate idea of what you're working with.

[lukeandluna]

Gotcha
Thanks for the reply

[tuffr2]

A crew cab pick-up can carry 5 people and carry stuff like bikes in the bed. To do that you probably need a 3/4 ton truck. Look for a 2011 or newer as that was the year improvements were make in Chevy, Ram and Ford.

Good Luck

[Normal_Dave]

Respect the van...man!

It won't win the popularity contest against a Suburban, but you can't beat the power and utility. Yank out the rear seat (or two), setup an inside bike rack or kayak carrier for the kids.

Legendary for reliability, the 6.8L V10 is rated to tow 10,000LBS in an E-350 Wagon. Factory rear A/C and heat, power options package on top of the lowly XL package. The heavy duty rubber flooring is great for kids and camping trips.
https://www.idealcarsyork.com/detail...wagon/51229112

What other kind of tow rig can you get for that kind of money, and that low miles? Dress it up with some aftermarket wheels. Install a flip down DVD system in the ceiling for those long trips. The E-350 is a great tow platform, good visibility for the driver, awesome room for the family. (You're thinking about it already aren't you...).

[keymastr]

Your loaded tongue weight will be well over 1000 pounds. Trailers always end up real close to their gross weight rating with just the normal camping stuff. The brochures always list the lightest trailer without any options so plan on at least 7000 pounds. 12 to 15% of that plus 100 for the hitch itself. 3/4 ton Suburban is a nice ride.

[KD4UPL]

Just guessing from your numbers that when fully loaded you are likely right at or over your current truck's payload capacity.
I recently bought a 2009 2500 Suburban with just under 100,000 miles on it for $18,400. I really like it. It tows my 7,000 pound boat easily. I usually have 5 to 7 people inside going to the lake and it's no problem going over mountains on the interstate with the cruise set on the speed limit.
The last year for the 2500 Sub was 2013, that's part of the reason they are hard to find. I didn't want one older than a 2009 because that's the year that the transmission gained the ability to automatically downshift for both grade braking and to hold the cruise control speed. For towing I think those features are a big benefit, for just driving around town they don't matter.
The main draw back to an '07 or newer Sub is that the integrated (non-replaceable) hitch has a maximum tongue weight of 1,000 pounds. (Nice going GM.) Your trailer should be withing that but just barely. The pre '07 2500 Subs have a hitch that can be replaced with something more capable.
A lot of the 2500 subs were used by the government and were fairly minimal in features. Mine has vinyl floors, cloth seats, and not much fancy. But, I like my vehicles that way. I wish it had vinyl seats. When I get in after launching or retrieving the boat I'm wet and drip all over the floor and seats. Vinyl is great for that. Also, my kids are rough on vehicle interiors with markers, drinks, snacks, muddy shoes, etc.

[shane_the_ee]

Originally Posted by KD4UPL

The last year for the 2500 Sub was 2013, that's part of the reason they are hard to find...

Not true. That was the last year they sold them to retail customers. They were available to fleet buyers up through 2016 or 2017. They pop up in the used market every so often, but you’ll have to act fast and expect to pay about as much as you would for a new half-ton Suburban.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by lukeandluna

...Currently
Family of 5 me wife 3 youngins 4,9 and 12

Gulf Stream Travel Trailer
GVWR 7660 lbs

When loaded for family camping, including a good Weight-distributing (WD)/sway control hitch such as an Equal-I-Zer or Blue Ox, hitch weight will be ~1,100 pounds. That's too much weight for any 150 or 1500 or SUV based on a half-ton chassis. So your only choice is a Suburban 2500 or a 3500 van.

For the Suburban, you want the 8.1L V8 engine. Those have been out of production for years, so good luck in finding one that's not crapped out.

Is there an SUV that would fit my needs?

I agree with Dave, a van is your best bet. But not a half-ton van. For a used van, I'd look for a 15-pax van with biggest engine they made. I prefer the Ford Econoline van with the V-10 engine. A 15-pax E-350 van will give you the payload capacity you need for hauling your family and their stuff plus the hitch weight of your wet and loaded trailer. Remove all the seats except enough for 5 pax, or maybe 8 pax if the kids need more elbow room.

Then fix it up for a family hauler.

With all seats removed, cover the floor in the cargo area with quarter-inch plywood, then 2" of high density foam rubber, then the heaviest, thickest carpet you can find. That makes a nice play area for the kids. Yeah, that thick heavy carpet is expensive, but you need only a remnant about 8'x8' or maybe 8'x10'. Under the seats, omit the plywood and foam but install that thick heavy carpet.

Next add a console over the front sun visors.

In that console install a sterio system of the kids' choice, but without speakers. Install headphone jacks near the rear seats so the kids can blow out their brains with headphones and their favorite music while the adults enjoy their favorite music or Rush Limbaugh from the factory audio and speakers.

BTW, I did exactly that way back when, using a brand new 1977 E-van to get exactly the options I wanted without having to pay for junk I didn't want. That was way before the nanny laws that require the kids to have seatbelts on, so on long trips my two kids played in the back on that nice "bed" of thick carpet over foam. I ordered the van with Captain's Chairs, then found two matching Captain's Chairs in a bone yard, so I wound up with 4-pax luxury family van.

[keymastr]

Looks a little hard to steer Smokey, you must posses incredibly strong fingers.

If it's just the five of you an F250 supercrew is a real comfortable ride and works as a daily driver just as well as an F150. Fits in the same garage or parking space, has a very roomy back seat, most come with high output alternators with AC outlets to plug in laptops, games etc. And plenty of extra capacity in case you desire a larger trailer or want to carry kayaks or dirtbikes with you.