Hi Serpa4,
I haven't read all of the comments in your post yet due to lack of time but I did read your intro post. I had a '11 Dmax in a LB DRW with a 9' TC and a 20' enclosed trailer to tow my rock crawler '87 Jeep Wrangler. My trailer is 8' high and 8' wide to get the Jeep inside with the suspension lift and 35" tires. Trailer, with Jeep, generator, tools, work bench etc weighs in at a little over 9000#.
I had the same dilema you face with lack of space in the TC but to tow the trailer I needed something with lots of horse power to drive through the mountains in Colorado and Utah. The Dmax/Allison combo is hands down the best there is. However, still needing to tow the load and wanting a dry bath and more room I found a 2008 Host 300 Super C on the Ford F550 chassis. I have the 4x4 capability needed, the diesel engine (even though it is a 6.4 Ford and not a Dmax) plus I have the towing capability required. The rig is 30' nose to rear bumper with crew cab. It is basically a large TC on a chassis. The floor of the coach is only 18' long but it has 3 slides. Unlike a TC with a rear slide, we can still get into the coach through the cab of the truck when all 3 slides are in. We can access the fridge and the bathroom and absolutly love that!! For our needs, this was the perfect rig. The Ford diesel still only gets about 7 mpg towing with the 4.56 gears in the huge Dana rear end, (it also has a Dana 60 front axle under it) but I am going to fix that. I am going to install some new goodies, more than likely from Banks Engineering, and increase the HP and the MPG. I consider the up front expense an investment or buying diesel fuel in advance because my calculations show the modifications paying for themselves in 17,000 to 20,000 miles using $4/gal of fuel as my benchmark.
I am NOT trying to sell Host Campers, however, they make a 33' Tow Hauler, a 27 and the 30 footers. The Coach is built very solid and we have GINORMACE storage inside and out. I have had the rig for 1 month now and other than being a Ford, I am very satisfied. I will make my mods over the next several months and see what actual fuel improvements I get in real world. Good luck on your research!
