Overwhelmed Choosing a Tow Vehicle
We're hoping to hit the road full-time this November. We don't have an RV or a vehicle to tow it with yet, but we need a new car soon, so we'd like to buy the tow vehicle now. We're just overwhelmed...
Forum Discussion
In my opinion, there are only a few vehicles that are going to match your needs. Most Suburban 2500's have about 2000 to 2200 pound payload. Some of them do not have full floating rear axles either...so be careful there. What this means is that your SUV must carry the weight of your family their gear and the tongue weight of the trailer. With four growing children this may be doable now. But as they grow their weight is going to impact your available payload.
If I were in your shoes and expecting to pull a very heavy trailer, which sounds like you are, the only tow vehicle I would consider would be 3500 series Van... Ford would be my choice with the V10.
The Chevy Express 6.0 or Duramax is also available and has a pretty high tow rating as stated above.
The Excursion is doable for sure, it also suffers from low payload on some models but many have upgraded the rear suspension (F350 springs, etc) to handle the extra loads safely.
So, there, my opinion...12 passenger van with a V10...take out the back seat for the pups, add a quality break controller...and you are good to go.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
If I were in your shoes and expecting to pull a very heavy trailer, which sounds like you are, the only tow vehicle I would consider would be 3500 series Van... Ford would be my choice with the V10.
The Chevy Express 6.0 or Duramax is also available and has a pretty high tow rating as stated above.
The Excursion is doable for sure, it also suffers from low payload on some models but many have upgraded the rear suspension (F350 springs, etc) to handle the extra loads safely.
So, there, my opinion...12 passenger van with a V10...take out the back seat for the pups, add a quality break controller...and you are good to go.
Thanks!
Jeremiah
