Tow vehicle

Have you considered one of the largest Trailmanors? You may not need to upgrade your tow vehicle at all. It is a high quality trailer that will be easy to tow and last a long time. The kids won't want to go after they are 17 or so.

I have a 33 footer that is so big it is difficult to tow long distances. Now that the kids are older, I don't need that much space. If I had bought a Traimanor I would be able to use it a lot more, especially for longer distances.

Yep I would look for a good quality used truck. I found mine with low miles and got it for a great price. There are several models out there to choose from. I think that a 3/4 would be the way to go if your upgrading campers one day. Good luck keep us updated.

ziggystardust1 wrote:
Thanks for all of the advice. Appears the upgrade, truck and new camper, is going to be expensive. 45.000 to 50,000 for a 3/4 ton that will only be used 6 to 8 times a year for towing is tuff to swallow. Need to upgrade to a camper with bunks.

Lots of options for you. If the truck is not a daily driver, you can look for a 3/4 ton in the early 2000's for under $10k, GM 8.1L or Ford V10. Or you can find bunkhouse TT's that are more in line with half ton payloads under 6k dry.

I'm gonna say that you need more truck.

Get a used TV. You don't need diesel in a 250, you can get a gasser.

If you don't like daily driving the TV then you can always get something better for that task so you have a dedicated TV.

The F150 EB is an awesome truck, but I think that TT will probably be too much for it.

hmmmm, one needs to upgrade to bunks...hmmmmm never had bunks with 4 kids! had a 24' TT with a 3/4 double, twin sons slept on couch, daughters the dinette.....never an issue in 12 yrs. OH, we spent most of the nights at a local ski area in the snow and ice and sub freezing temps.

One thing I will say, is those two kiddos will want to bring a friend along, then you have the potential for "6" adult sized folks on board when the kids are teens, and you will have 900-1200 lbs of people in the truck, 1000 lbs of hitchwt. a bike or two or 4 in the bed, some firewood, and you have 3000 lbs of junque in the truck! Not sure too many crew cab 15 series trucks will do this.

Hence why with my 6500-7000 lbs trailer I always had the higher PAYLOAD/gvwr truck I could get in a SW version. Usually a 3500 in reality. BUT< I will admit, I used my truck in my landscape biz, and my paultry 6500 lbs travel trailer was a puny trailer, compared to the one I hauled a bobcat and mini trackhoe on, that was usually 10500-11K on the axels, and 1400-1600 on the hitch! But I did not have my ex and 4 kids totaling 1000 additional lbs to my 220lbs. Oh, did I mention my twin sons were 5'12" on there 13th b-day!

marty

I park my 3/4T Dodge next to a F-150 Eco-Boost at work and the only difference I see is that the Fords hood is higher. The Ford is a 4x4 and my Dodge is a 2x4. The over all length is about the same as is the width. Maybe a used gas truck is what you need. Just food for thought.

Thanks for all of the advice. Appears the upgrade, truck and new camper, is going to be expensive. 45.000 to 50,000 for a 3/4 ton that will only be used 6 to 8 times a year for towing is tuff to swallow. Need to upgrade to a camper with bunks.

ziggystardust1 wrote:
Twins are growing, time to upgrade Travel Trailer and tow vehicle. Looking at 7800 dry weight 32 foot travel trailer. Having a hard time upgrading to a diesel at a cost of $50.000. F-250 is just to much vehicle for my everyday use. Considering a new F-150 Eco with the max towing package. I understand max tow weight is 11300 lbs. Feed back would be appreciated. Thanks

____________________________
that is a long bumper hitch trailer, I have a 27 ft and the wind gives me trouble sometimes,
I pull with an old dodge 2500 quad cab diesel, it has the 10 ply rating tires so there is less sway or roll on the tires than on a lighter duty tire.

I just know from my experience, you have an 18 wheeler on your left, one on your right and one behind you, it gets a little tight (hairy)with all their wind wash whipping you around.

no question the 5th wheel hookup, trailer is more stable, but that may be more cost.

if you buy the tow behind trailer, buy the best stabilizer bar hitch you can afford, as it will turn out to be your best friend.

good luck and enjoy the new truck,

its not mentioned very much, but from my experience, I worry much more about being able to stop the rid when some fool pulls out in front of me, than will I be able to pull the next hill.

bigger trucks come with bigger brakes, just get under the new trucks and look at the size of the brakes and axles.
its a long way down coming out of the smoky mountains, brakes can get hot and there are a lot of big trucks behind you.

just some things to think about!!!!!!!!

The highest receiver rating on half tons is 1200 pounds I believe. At 9000 pounds loaded, that is pushing that limit. Then you have the crew cab F-150 with max towing package in the 1500-1800 pound range of payload which is quickly eaten up.

That said, if the DRy TW is low, say about 800 pounds, then I would recommend the HD payload F-150. It's at least as capable as my 3/4 ton Burb which I would comfortably tow that weight with.

Sounds like a 250 is just what you'll need for the payload. You might squeeze in under the limits of a 150 with small kids, but they tend to grow along with the weight of their toys. :)

Have to try a test drive to see if you find the empty ride acceptable in a 250, I think it's a non-issue. YMMV

Don't need a diesel for that trailer, a 6.2 gas engine will haul it just fine, though it will use more gas empty than an ecoboost.

~~~~~~~~

Just as an aside (NOT to the OP)regarding dry weights, this forum and the guaranteed harping every time someone mentions dry weight. Yes, nobody tows at that weight. Trailer manufacturers also don't sell trailers with YOUR stuff in there, so they can't possibly give you a ready to camp weight. It's an easy exercise to just add 1500 lbs to whatever the dry weight is and you'll be in the ballpark on what it will weigh ready to camp. They are all estimates. I am assuming nobody shops for a trailer by going straight to the scales before you buy it, so give it a rest on using the advertised dry weight to form an estimate.