What to tow with? Coming to the experts!

[tuffr2]

Is diesel worth it?

Only when towing.

[runamuck]

we have been looking at some toy haulers lately because we have a cpl. Harleys and if not taking them somewhere we would toss in a cpl. kayaks and our two 80# dogs and their stuff. practically no toy hauler of any size will be very good to tow with a 1500 and we have a pretty good one. the new style haulers with the bed slide-out are just too heavy especially the tongue wts.. save yourself some stress and expand your toy hauler options by just getting a 3/4 ton truck. some friends of ours recently got back to Texas from a trip with their Grand Design G class smallest model and all they could talk about was how stressed out they were pulling it with their also new f-150 with heavy duty tow and all they had in the back was a BMW touring bike. probably not near the 850# empty wt. of my ultra classic.

[jjackrash]

Originally Posted by KaseyinTX

We are open to either diesel or gas, just wasn't sure if the extra cost of the diesel would be worth it.

If you are running a business and need to justify the purchase to bean counters, the need for a diesel is debatable. If you just want to enjoy the truck, IMO, there are few things more enjoyable than driving a modern HD diesel. They are unbelievable and will put a smile on your face every time you drive it. I will never not have an HD diesel in my stable as long as they are legal and I can afford it.

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by AlaskaKeller

This is pretty bad advice. You claim you can tow with what ever vehicle you want as long as you have a special hitch. An undersized vehicle is still an undersized vehicle no matter how you look at it. Brakes, suspension, frame, just to name a few.

A pig with lipstick is still a pig!

Okay, I agree that my statement was worded poorly. The point of my post was:

1. People spend a lot of money on their travel trailers and their tow vehicle. For some we like to use our daily driver as a tow vehicle.
2. With all that is invested in the rig, it may be worth spending $2k more for a very good hitch system. It can make towing less stressful in high winds and improve safety.
3. On towing forums you almost always get a bias that you can only tow with a big truck. Not true. So why not consult a company that has years of experience setting up and testing rigs. Then you can make a decision based on knowledge rather than numerous opinions.

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by SteveNdebbie

Tow with whatever but invest in a Hensley hitch. Contact Can Am RV in London, Ontario to get expert advice (Andy and crew) instead of countless opinions (except for tuffr2 who appears to have had experience with different set-ups).

Steve M. - the “Acura MDX Towing Expert”

(Not self-proclaimed, just one of the few doing it).

CanAm is great for getting the hitch set up, but I would never go with some of the vehicles he claims you can use for towing. It is too dangerous towing with a under or minimally sized vehicle.

For that trailer, a 3/4 ton vehicle is needed. Gas or diesel depending on how much you will be using the RV and if you will be in the mountains.

Ken

[SteveNdebbie]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

CanAm is great for getting the hitch set up, but I would never go with some of the vehicles he claims you can use for towing. It is too dangerous towing with a under or minimally sized vehicle.

For that trailer, a 3/4 ton vehicle is needed. Gas or diesel depending on how much you will be using the RV and if you will be in the mountains.

Ken

Well, yes - Our 2006 25’ FB Airstream Safari has similar specs for dry weight, GVWR, and tongue weight but I imagine the Forest River would tow quite differently. I wouldn’t disagree that a 3/4 ton vehicle is needed, van or truck. CanAm does many set-ups with trucks as well.

[BrokeDown]

Originally Posted by Dieselguy4

If you are buying a truck get a 3/4 ton. A 1/2 ton will pull it but it will not be a comfortable tow. Gas or diesel? Gas will pull it but a diesel will be effortless. I always buy more truck then I need then when I buy a bigger camper I don't need to buy another truck. ��

Yup...

The other thing to remember is that your truck's carrying capacity includes you, your family, anything in the bed of the truck, a bed topper (if you have one), the hitch, the gas, the trailer hitch weight.... it all adds up.

I agree with Dieselguy...get the 3/4 ton. Your first trailer is not likely to be your last.

-B

[CharlesinGA]

The only gas truck I would consider is the Ford Super Dutys with the 7.3L Godzilla engine. It was designed from the ground up as a truck engine and works real well. GM has a 6.6L to replace the older 6.0L but I do not know anything about it, except it is also not really designed as a truck engine, it just happened that way.

I bought an older RAM 2500 to tow with. It is a 2003 and that is the first year of the fully electronic, common rail fuel injection design, so its not the old rattle trap sounding diesel, but the newer ones are even quieter. The new diesels all have excellent exhaust braking that almost eliminates the need for using brakes on long mountain downgrades. The gas engines will provide a lot of engine braking but its a toss up as to which is better. I suspect the diesel will win the downgrade test. My old '03 doesn't have exhaust braking so I have to slow well before a downgrade and gear down very low and watch my engine RPM on downgrades, so its a lot more work. New trucks take the work out of it.

Charles

[wandering1]

Originally Posted by KaseyinTX

Hello everyone, I'm new!

My husband and I recently purchased a 2019 Forest River Wildwood FSX toy hauler. The flooorplan is 280RT. Now we need a truck! Of course every dealer just goes by weight and pretty much guarantees that anything on their lot can pull it. The gentleman we purchased it from used a 1500 Silverado and said he never had an issue. Granted, he never went farther than three hours from home and South Texas is fairly flat.

I would really like to hear what all of the experts here suggest. The last thing we want to do is spend money on a tow vehicle that isn't going to work well.






Additional info: Most of the time it will just be the two of us. My husband will bring his Harley along most trips. We are not in a huge hurry since I am an assistant principal and won't be able to travel until the summer. Thank you!

Specs:
length: 32 ft
dry weight: 5608 lbs
payload capacity: 2152 lbs
GVWR: 7773 lbs
Hitch weight: 760 lbs

Surely this is a joke. The only experts on this forum is tow vechicle expert wannabes.

[Nlambert]

Originally Posted by wandering1

Surely this is a joke. The only experts on this forum is tow vechicle expert wannabes.

You say this, but disregard that many on the forum have been towing for decades and have a lot of real world experience. If those decades of towing both RVs and other real world applications with no accidents or faults don't account for any level of expertise, then what does? Certainly not a degree.

It seems that some like to poke at others who advertise following the manufacturer's data because it misaligns with their desire to gain acceptance of their overloaded rigs. All too often people search for someone to validate their setup even if deep down they know the setup isn't safe or reasonable. It's better to keep an open mind and not get married to one's ideas.

It does seem more often than not that people don't want to accept that they made a mistake when sizing their tow rig to their camper. Mistakes happen especially when someone is new at this, and that's where the "expert" part comes in. The only way you become an expert is through experience.

Many are "experts" because they've gone through all of this and dealt with the pitfalls of overloading a rig. A lot of folks are really just here to help make the experience pleasant for a new owner. Something that quickly gets overshadowed by the back and forth banter of people just wanting to be right.

[mistercee]

Originally Posted by wandering1

Surely this is a joke. The only experts on this forum is tow vechicle expert wannabes.

Yeah.....much better off listening to the expert advice given at the RV or truck dealership, right?

Granted, not every post here is spot on, but you will definitely get much better info here on towing than from any dealer.

[carybosse]

The OP Specs

length: 32 ft
dry weight: 5608 lbs
payload capacity: 2152 lbs
GVWR: 7773 lbs
Hitch weight: 760 lbs

My Specs (Forest River 263BHXL):

length: 31.9 ft
dry weight: 5854 lbs
payload capacity: 1828 lbs
GVWR: 7682 lbs
Hitch weight: 682 lbs

Pretty similar. I am surprised a toy hauler comes in that close to my trailer.

I would say you can do it with a proper half ton. My payload is just over 2K, tow rating is 9900 pounds or so.

At the same time, you are pushing it with a half ton. I am sure I never put 1800 pounds of payload in my trailer. probably less than 1K of cargo. However, I am thinking you are going to be more likely to push that cargo limit with a toy hauler, and possible find yourself sending that (dry) hitch weight up as well.

I would not want to haul anymore than what I have with my half ton. If you could guarantee that you would not load your toy hauler any more than I load my bunkhouse, I would say, go for it. I think the toy hauler is going to tempt you to tempt fate. I vote for a 3/4 ton. (Good luck fining one.)

[77Travco]

Originally Posted by KaseyinTX

Hello everyone, I'm new!

My husband and I recently purchased a 2019 Forest River Wildwood FSX toy hauler. The flooorplan is 280RT. Now we need a truck! Of course every dealer just goes by weight and pretty much guarantees that anything on their lot can pull it. The gentleman we purchased it from used a 1500 Silverado and said he never had an issue. Granted, he never went farther than three hours from home and South Texas is fairly flat.

I would really like to hear what all of the experts here suggest. The last thing we want to do is spend money on a tow vehicle that isn't going to work well.

Additional info: Most of the time it will just be the two of us. My husband will bring his Harley along most trips. We are not in a huge hurry since I am an assistant principal and won't be able to travel until the summer. Thank you!

Specs:
length: 32 ft
dry weight: 5608 lbs
payload capacity: 2152 lbs
GVWR: 7773 lbs
Hitch weight: 760 lbs

Normally I would say an F-150 EcoBoost will tow that with no problem but due to the length of that trailer in addition to it's weight. I would recommend a Heavier 3/4 ton so as to not get pushed around in your own lane as much. I like the SuperDuty with the 7.3 / 10 speed combo.
Of course there are some here that will insist you need a dually as well as a diesel.

[arcaguy]

I'm no towing expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I do know a little about trucks. Since you don't seem to be well educated on the subject let me offer some things about which you need to educate yourself.
The first is the various weight ratings of the truck you are looking at:
GVWR - Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - this is the most your truck can weigh with everything you are going to put into it, including the tongue weight of the trailer.
GCWR - Gross Combined Weight Rating - This is the maximum weight of the the truck and the trailer and should not be exceeded. Typically there is some other rating that will max out before you get to this number but keep it in mind.
RAWR - Rear Axle Weight Rating - this is the most weight you can put on your rear axle. Many times this is the limiting factor on the truck, pay attention to it.
Tongue Weight - this is how much weight the tongue of the trailer will place on the truck - it needs to be included in the GVWR calculation for the truck. As someone else has said it should be about 13% of the GVWR of the trailer. I might use 15% for the calculation so there is some excess capacity.
Trailer GVWR - the total weight of the trailer and whatever you put in it. This is the weight you should use for all of your calculations especially the tongue weight.

That's about all I can think of for weights, the rest of the stuff you need to think about are the towing capabilities of the truck. Some of these are:"
Horsepower and torque - in this case the bigger the better although you will pay for more power with poorer fuel mileage.
Rear End Gear Ratio- in this case the bigger the better is the rule too, as long as you are talking about the numbers. In other works a 4:10:1 gear ratio will tow more than a 3:43: gear ratio. Don't be confused by salesmen talking about a "taller" or "shorter" rear end. In the above example the 3:43 is the "taller" rear end and the 4:10 ratio is the "shorter" rear end. In short the towing capacity goes up a the number goes up but the fuel mileage goes down as the number goes up. It's a little confusing.
Wheelbase - a longer wheelbase vehicle will generally tow better than a shorter wheelbase vehicle everything else being equal but it will be harder to park.

With all of that in mind you don't want to buy too much truck as it will ride much rougher than a lighter truck, but also don't buy a truck that will just barely tow your vehicle, you won't be happy in the long run, you need something with excess capacity but not overkill. Good luck and don't be overwhelmed. Like you said you're in school until next summer.