Choosing the right tow vehicle.

[Punxsy1994]

We currently own a Forest River 29' Wildwood X-lite, 4400 lb. dry (probably 1-2 hundred pounds less). We had it parked for past two summers, but this spring we will look to take it out. I won't be hauling water, just the wife, 3 kids under age 11, two dogs and typical gear for a family of 5. What would be best for us to tow with, yet be roomy enough? Could we go with a Suburban? Should we go with Ram 1500? This would also serve as our family vehicle for a short period of time. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. We will be camping primarily through Pennsylvania, possible southern trip to FL (maybe).


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[Rockwood Rollers]

I pull a 2016 Ultra V, weighs about 6500 dry, with a 2008 Silverado 1500, 5.3, 315 hp, 3.73 rears. If you are going to buy a newer vehicle, a half ton Chevy, 5.3 lt, 3.73 rears and crew cab would be a good choice.

[wyo700]

I have a tundra crewmax. The cab is huge. I have had three kids in the back seat and there is more than enough room. I tow 7000 pound toy hauler my truck has the 5.7. Truck pulls great plenty of power never had any issues with hills and I have towed in the mountains. But really any half ton crew cab should work for you.

[yetavon]

Well you have few things to keep in mind.
Seating for 5 means 4 doors, and a full back seat.
Hauling room.... open bed or SUV...A Suburban has more room than a Tahoe. Do you need a pickup bed for bigger stuff. Some pick ups have a bed to small to be of any good. Avalanche comes to mind....
Tow rating.... This is the big one and can be very confusing....would you believe me if I told you that the 97 1500 2WD is rated to tow more than the 2500 by 1000Lbs...yet my truck is rated to tow more than its rated to stop...
My next TV will be a 2000-2006 C1500 HD extra cab with a 3.73 gear posi track from the research I have done. Our son has an 02 Ram quad hemi and loves it, tows great but daily MPG isn't great.

If your looking for used, learn to research RPO codes, that will tell you exactly what was on the truck from the factory. Many have a hitch put on at the dealer and called a Factory Tow Package.

Good luck with your search.

[keith_h]

I would start by looking at the manufacturer towing guides for the vehicles you are considering. These will give you the towing specifications for the various configurations that the same truck can have and allows you know what to look for. You can find the towing guides by Googling the manufacturer name and "towing guide".

Another question you need to answer is if you are planning on replacing the trailer during the lifetime of your truck ownership. If you are will the new trailer be heavier? If this is a possibility it is better to buy more truck than you need to accommodate a heavier trailer in the future.

All this being said we are looking at replacing our TV and I am leaning towards an F-150 Extended cab with the 2.7L Ecoboost and a 3.73 rear end. This will give me 8300 lbs towing capacity which is more than enough for our current 3600 lb GVWR TT. We expect our next trailer to come in around 6000 lbs GVWR so this will also give us plenty of capacity when we buy a new one a few years from now. Another part of picking the 2.7L engine was this being my daily driver and getting better gas mileage around town. All things considered this truck should cover our needs for the 10-15 years I tend to keep a vehicle. If we had planned to go a lot bigger on our next trailer I would have looked at the 3.5L Ecoboost with a 3.73 rear end or a diesel in a bigger truck if the next trailer was going to be huge.

[Kenny kustom]

Originally Posted by keith_h

Another question you need to answer is if you are planning on replacing the trailer during the lifetime of your truck ownership. If you are will the new trailer be heavier? If this is a possibility it is better to buy more truck than you need to accommodate a heavier trailer in the future.

Very good advice right here!!!


2016 Sabre 36QBOK
2015 Ram 3500 CUMMINS

I am nice!

[Mr Havercamp]

Originally Posted by Punxsy1994

We currently own a Forest River 29' Wildwood X-lite, 4400 lb. dry (probably 1-2 hundred pounds less). We had it parked for past two summers, but this spring we will look to take it out. I won't be hauling water, just the wife, 3 kids under age 11, two dogs and typical gear for a family of 5. What would be best for us to tow with, yet be roomy enough? Could we go with a Suburban? Should we go with Ram 1500? This would also serve as our family vehicle for a short period of time. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. We will be camping primarily through Pennsylvania, possible southern trip to FL (maybe).


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Forget the dry weight. Use the GVW of the trailer or a little less. Or do you always tow the trailer completely empty?

Forget the manufacturers listed hitch weight, add the battery/batteries and propane weight to it, then you have to add a percentage of gear in the trailer that is ahead of the axle. You don't say the model of trailer but if Wildwood says the hitch weight is 500 lbs it is probably closer to 750 lbs.

Whatever TV you are looking at, start with its payload, and deduct that hitch weight, along with the kids and dogs and maybe even the wife, along with any other gear you plan on having in the TV.

You can have all the tow capacity in the world but if you're over on payload from the beginning you're in trouble.

[D_B Travelers]

X2 on the published hitch weight for the trailer. FR said ours was 860# and I found it was over 1,000#. We pull our 35' Windjammer with a 1/2 GMC, 5.3 ltr. 3.73 gears and have had no issues. Loaded we are at 14,500 GVW which isn't under the rated weight by much but pulled up and over the 8,000' mountains in the NW this spring just fine.
That said, I agree with Keith and would recommend you go ahead and get the 3/4 ton in diesel for the next rig. You know you will want to go bigger and heavier at some time and if you already have the TV, it makes it so much easier to upgrade.

[Robbsails]

I agree with DB Travelers...go with the extra TV to handle whatever you want to move up to. My mistake was I got a good deal on a Silverado 1500 with HD Tow pkg but a high ratio rear end. It's fine for my current TT but now I am limited on moving up to a more comfortable TT! Good luck!

[dmdomokos]

I am towing a Rockwood 2702ws (6250 dry, 7700 GVW) with a suburban rated for 8000lbs. I had to add a transmission cooler, brake controller, LT tires (blew a passenger tire it came with) and Monroe Reflex shocks. It's right at the limit but works fine because it's just myself, wife and 7 year old. We are looking to upgrade to a 2500HD however soon because the open road, hills and wind will make you wish you had more. I didn't believe folks in the forums suggesting to buy a bigger truck, now I do.

[PSU Turf]

For safety sake, get as much towing capacity as you can afford. The current crop of diesel pickups have tremendous pulling power but also have great features for stopping your truck and trailer. (exhaust brake, integrated trailer brake controller, transmission tow mode) I switched from an 03 Chevy 2500HD, 8.1L gas, and Allison to a 15 GMC 2500HD with diesel, Allison transmission, and integrated brake controller. The difference in stopping time was very noticeable.

[jking46]

Your decision can be based on 2 factors
1. Are you planning to buy a much bigger camper than you currently have during the time you expect to have this new tow vehicle
2. How tall is the stack of green in your wallet

You can pull your current unit with a burb but a half ton will give you a much bigger safety cushion. I pull a 5000 lb dry Shamrock hybrid with a Ram 1500 quad cab 4wd 5.7 hemi. Great tow vehicle. Tons of power, great brakes, stable suspension. That being said, if I were to get a much bigger camper, I would get a 2500 diesel. Again, all about that safety margin. I don't want to be near the limits of my tv with DW and probably grandkids on board. So the best advise is to watch the weights and capacities closely, plan for the future, and get the most capable vehicle you can afford. Good luck.

[numbersman]

I agree with everything that was said above. We were down in Florida and found a F-450. It can pull anything without any effort, but the downside is everything is geared so low, that the best gas mileage I can get is 12 mpg. The second downside is insurance costs (most of your ambulances have a base that is F-450) so insurance on this size is very high. Ride is not quite as good as my 2500, but all other options on our Lariat are really nice. Buy larger, but F-350 or smaller. Dually are hard to get used to for parking and around curbs, I would not get a Dually if you don't need. Our GVW is almost 17,000 lbs on our 2014 CC 38FL. WE HAVE HAD DIESEL the last 13 years, the power and pulling difference is extraordinary!!

[BusyRetirees]

Whatever pickup you buy, make sure it is a supercrew cab. This type will accommodate 6 people comfortably. Also get the max tow packages.

[High Pockets]

You ask the right question? I have camped since I was 6, 63 years, I pull my camper with a GMC duramax diesel and had more than enough room for four adults on a recent trip to Florida and had great room. I also have something you might like it's an e 350 Ford van. Really rides smooth windows all around and a raised roof. Get the tv with earphones and people in the back can entertain themselves between windows and tv. It's just an idea, but makes a great auto for a family and maybe friends to travel around town and good storage in the back. I put Firestone air lift for the back of my hd GMC. It allows you to level your rig with just a few pounds of air, very easy to install.

My best suggestion is to rent an auto, any type you want and use it to go to Florida. Many come with unlimited miles and cost about seven hundred a week, it lets you know if you really like them. You can also borrow your friends truck for a few days and use it, costs you nothing.

[tankroady]

Originally Posted by Punxsy1994

We currently own a Forest River 29' Wildwood X-lite, 4400 lb. dry (probably 1-2 hundred pounds less). We had it parked for past two summers, but this spring we will look to take it out. I won't be hauling water, just the wife, 3 kids under age 11, two dogs and typical gear for a family of 5. What would be best for us to tow with, yet be roomy enough? Could we go with a Suburban? Should we go with Ram 1500? This would also serve as our family vehicle for a short period of time. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. We will be camping primarily through Pennsylvania, possible southern trip to FL (maybe).


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Have you looked at full sized vans? I run a E350 Ford van pulling a 31' Rockwood ultra light. Paid 20k for it 2 year old with low Kms. Tons of room

[keeprr]

I pulled a 26 ft Mini Lite 4400 UVW and 527 hitch weight with an Avalanche 5.3L 3.73 gears. I wasn't happy with performance in the mountains or on the interstates. I do not like running an engine in the higher rpm ranges which the 5.3 does in modest mountains.
Knowing I'm going to upgrade in a year or two, I went big enough to handle whatever we feel will satisfy the two of us. I bought a GMC 2500 with Duramax diesel.
Overkill for the Mini Lite, but adequate for the next rig.

[UltraV]

I skimped on size to begin with and then purchased a Ford F150 this year. (A rather expensive lapse in judgment but ultimately very satisfying.) I was totally confused until I did the research because there are many models and configurations within each model. There can be huge difference within one model. Dig into the details and be sure that you know its towing capacity. Most would say you should have at least a 25-35% margin in capacity. That is, if the total trailer weight is 5000 your tow capacity should be at least 6250. More is always better. Make sure it has a towing package to cool the transmission and a brake controller. Don't assume the car dealer knows what he/she is talking about. Next its time to think about a hitch and a weight distribution system. Its only money but its all worth it. Have fun.

[3hooligans]

We are a family of five, there are few things to consider as they get bigger....their stuff gets bigger. Mine are 8,10,11. I have 4 full size bikes and a Bmx bike. Carrying those on as SUV is a pain, can you put them in the TT? Also as they get bigger their other stuff does as well. More room needed.

We only have a Pop up just shy of 3400. We tow with a 2012 F150 eco boost 3.5 with a 3.55 rear end. Good daily driver quiet, easy ride and fair mileage. We can get 18-19 without the trailer. With about 16.
We have plenty of room with the crew cab. Not all are as big as the Ford or Tundra Crew Max.
We toy around with the idea of an expedition or Yukon, but we love the fact of the bed, you can throw any thing in it wet, dry smelly or muddy without issue.

Good luck, go drive a few see what you like and buy more than you need. Better rear end and higher payload in a pick up.


Me the missus and three hooligans
2014 rockwood premier 2317g
2012 F 150 super crew Eco boost.

[Joe-Barb]

Look at the Ram mega cab. The back seat folds down like an suv,its plenty of room for the kids. We are very happy with our Ram 2500 mega cab which we tow our Rockwood 30ft ultra lite.