Question for everyone. I have a 33ft sunset creek travel trailer that I pull with my 2013 f150. The camper`s dry weight is 6700 pounds but with 4 kids we most likely come in around 8200 with everything loaded. We are looking at getting a new vechicle that can tow this camper( have thought of switching campers but this has a double bunk and it's in great shape so we don't want to get rid of it). Looking for vechicles that can tow but allow for the most comfortable ride and most importantly a safe ride. We don't want our son in the middle of the bench seat in the truck so are exploring suvs and vans. We have it narrowed down to an expedition max, suburban/yukon, chevy express passenger van and Nissan nv nl 3500 van. Problem is the suburban would be at the highest rated tow capacity and I'd like some wiggle room and the rest ofthe choices we have narrowed down to I want real knowledgeable people that know what they can pull (dealers will tell you a car can pull but have no idea since they just want the sale). Are we going down the wrong roas and need to just stick to a pickup truck? Thank you in advance.

Are you going down the wrong road? Not at all, the Express van and Nissan are very popular tow vehicles for larger families. The Express van in passenger form with the V8 diesel are super rare though zero listed on cars.com anywhere in the US currently), the 6.0 is a little more available. The Nissan is a great choice all around and actually available used with the 5.6.

There’s passenger space, chassis capability and power. Unfortunately you can’t really get the maximum of all 3 in the same rig in anything new or newish. A well equipped leaf sprung pickup can provide you the best chassis and power. A big suv will give you the best power and more passenger room and even more expensive. But generally the nice ones are air ride and not super ideal for big tongue weights but will work. And vans give you the chassis and passenger space and are milquetoast for power (by today’s standards). Hard to believe one can’t buy any number of the above vehicles and not be a compromise, but there’s no such thing anymore that has HD chassis, blistering power and room for more than 5 people without 3 up front.

afidel wrote:Are you going down the wrong road? Not at all, the Express van and Nissan are very popular tow vehicles for larger families. The Express van in passenger form with the V8 diesel are super rare though zero listed on cars.com anywhere in the US currently), the 6.0 is a little more available. The Nissan is a great choice all around and actually available used with the 5.6.Diesel isn't needed for an 8k trailer even with a van full of people and stuff.I would go the van route because there's a good chance those kids will want to bring friends along occasionally. If you get up to 8-10 passengers, nothing beats a full size van (when comparing to SUVs).

valhalla360 wrote:Diesel isn't needed for an 8k trailer even with a van full of people and stuff.Maybe needed - maybe not be needed - but sure is nice. Once you tow with a diesel, you will never want to go back.

I really wish Ford would bring back the Excursion for families like this. It seems it would be the perfect vehicle in this situation. My son and I saw one the other days and were talking about what a shame it was they quite making them.

Looking for new tow vehicle | Good Sam Community

Grit_dog
Navigator
Jun 30, 2021
The 6.0 Flowerjokes were significantly detuned to a very milquetoast unimpressive power level in the van applications. 240/440 or something like that. They also lived longer healthier lives with respect to some of the common 6.0 issues like headgaskets and egr, due to the reduced power. They were/are still just a finicky on maintenance, alot due to the maligned (without pristine maintenance) oil fired injection pump (HPOP) and some issues like FICM and waterpump, which are easy fixes compared to head studs.

I too would expect better service out of the detuned versions of these engines.
SloeJoe
Explorer
Jun 30, 2021
Pretty strong opinion without having seen the van. Anyways, what would you recommend?

No offense intended, but I just looked on A_totrader. I found no reasonably-priced diesel passenger vans nationwide that could seat 4 people in real seats, store four days worth of camping equipment in the back, and easily pull a loaded enclosed car trailer to Pittsburgh.
CharlesinGA
Explorer
Jul 01, 2021
afidel wrote:
Are you going down the wrong road? Not at all, the Express van and Nissan are very popular tow vehicles for larger families. The Express van in passenger form with the V8 diesel are super rare though zero listed on cars.com anywhere in the US currently), the 6.0 is a little more available. The Nissan is a great choice all around and actually available used with the 5.6.

The last year for the Duramax diesel in the Express/Savannah was 2016. Basically he would need to find a church bus in 3500. The 6.0L engine would be more than enough. Be aware that the max weight is the same, be it short or long WB and the long WB is heavier thus a lower cargo carrying capacity in the van. Long wheelbase is best for towing stability. The Youtube channel Less Junk, More Journey used one for a couple of years pulling a 30 ft Airstream.

Charles
Frenchracer21
Explorer
Jul 02, 2021
We are definitely looking into the nissan and chevy vans still. I have come across a few 2500 and 3500 chevy express uplifter vans. They are definitely nicer than regular express but they look like the same tow ratings as the regular express vans. Can anyone confirm that or if they use this type of van?
theoldwizard1
Explorer II
Jul 07, 2021
FordMastertech wrote:

I have a 2000 Ford Excursion Limited 4x4 7.3 diesel with around 103k on it and plan on taking this to my grave, best vehicle I have ever owned but I will say she is a garage queen and only comes out for towing and traveling,

Because it is a garage queen is the only reason it has not turned into a pile of rust !

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