3 tow vehicle choices for single long haul tow-need help
Hey everybody, I'm new to the site, and need a bit of help. I recently co-inherited a 1966 Airstream with my sister, weighing in at approx 4300 lbs (tandem axle, 26 ft). Long story short, we are giving it to a distant family member as a birthday surprise due to lack of storage on our part, among other things. The problem is we are in B.C, Canada, and the recipient is retired in Florida. This is my first time towing long distance, with most of my limited experience being towing my dad's 16 ft powerboat in city with a Yukon. So far, we have three options for tow vehicles.
option 1: a 2014 Ford Flex 3.5 liter ecoboost, AWD, with factory class 3 tow package,it has all the bells and whistles, trailer sway control, and a 4500 lb capacity- basically brand new with but very close to the max towing capacity.
option 2: a 2003 Toyota Tundra single cab 2WD with a 3.4 liter v6 and 5 speed manual tranny. It has an aftermarket receiver hitch (no tow package), a 2 inch lift, an aftermarket locking rear diff, and apparently a 5000 Lb capacity (has trailer wiring as well).
option 3: get ready for this... a 1976 Chevy Caprice 4 door hardtop. My car guy cousin now owns this and it was the original tow vehicle for the Airstream (if we choose the caprice, he's offered to drive). It has no underside rust, but it hasn't been driven for approx 5 years. It has a factory equipped 7000 lb tow package with rear air (superlift) shocks, a 454 big block, dual exhaust, larger brakes, heavy duty suspension and radiator, tranny or oil cooler (can't remember which) and some other factory tow stuff (posi diff!). It is bone stock except for a general tune up (oil, spark plugs, new tires and brakes, rebuilt carb, etc). He is also in the process of replacing the transmission with a 700R4 overdrive, (the original TH400 was toast). I think he also added aftermarket headers, but I'd have to confirm.
Anyway I'd like to hear some more experienced tow people's thoughts and opinions. I'm sort of conflicted, as the one vehicle that can safely tow the airstream isn't actually running yet and who knows what electrical or mechanical gremlins could pop up during the trip. On the other hand, the Toyota was never meant to tow and there seems to be a very real chance of going over the vehicle weight limit with both it and the Ford. Any help is appriciated
option 1: a 2014 Ford Flex 3.5 liter ecoboost, AWD, with factory class 3 tow package,it has all the bells and whistles, trailer sway control, and a 4500 lb capacity- basically brand new with but very close to the max towing capacity.
option 2: a 2003 Toyota Tundra single cab 2WD with a 3.4 liter v6 and 5 speed manual tranny. It has an aftermarket receiver hitch (no tow package), a 2 inch lift, an aftermarket locking rear diff, and apparently a 5000 Lb capacity (has trailer wiring as well).
option 3: get ready for this... a 1976 Chevy Caprice 4 door hardtop. My car guy cousin now owns this and it was the original tow vehicle for the Airstream (if we choose the caprice, he's offered to drive). It has no underside rust, but it hasn't been driven for approx 5 years. It has a factory equipped 7000 lb tow package with rear air (superlift) shocks, a 454 big block, dual exhaust, larger brakes, heavy duty suspension and radiator, tranny or oil cooler (can't remember which) and some other factory tow stuff (posi diff!). It is bone stock except for a general tune up (oil, spark plugs, new tires and brakes, rebuilt carb, etc). He is also in the process of replacing the transmission with a 700R4 overdrive, (the original TH400 was toast). I think he also added aftermarket headers, but I'd have to confirm.
Anyway I'd like to hear some more experienced tow people's thoughts and opinions. I'm sort of conflicted, as the one vehicle that can safely tow the airstream isn't actually running yet and who knows what electrical or mechanical gremlins could pop up during the trip. On the other hand, the Toyota was never meant to tow and there seems to be a very real chance of going over the vehicle weight limit with both it and the Ford. Any help is appriciated
