Sorry in advance for the 1 millionth "new to RVing" thread. But I'm trying to get some advice (and/or feedback) before landing my new tow vehicle. I have a young family, a wife with 3 sons, 6months, 2 and 4 years of age. I'm in the position to buy a new (or newer) TT this fall. Before I do so, I have to solidify my TV. I currently have a Midsize SUV (Buick Rainier) that I am selling. I'm in the market for a replacement fullsize SUV that will driven as a TV almost exclusively. My future travel trailer will have a gross dry weight of less than 5000 lbs. Hitch weight will hopefully be no greater than 700lbs. I do plan on buying a nice quality WDH.We do have some long haul out-of-state trips planned over the next few years (at least 4 with round trip distances between 2-3K miles). However, most of the time, the TT will see 400 round trip weekend miles in our home state of Michigan.As my objective has been defined, my options are limited as we have budgetary constraints. TV spending will be no more than $15-16K on a 2004 or newer vehicle, with less than 125K miles. This is not an easy search.Vehicles that I'm considering include Suburbans, Yukon XL's, Escalade ESV, and Expedition EL's. I've looked at a 3/4 ton SUV like a Chevy burb 2500 but they are too few and far between. I've expanded my search to Dodge Durango's/Chrysler Aspens but don't know how a shorter wheel base truck will handle the task of moving a ultralight 25ft trailer over multiple states. I do have to consider fuel efficiency too as I don't want to log 6 MPG's on my long hauls. Would like to be around 12 if possible with my setup.Anyone have some good TV recommendations that can safely pull less than 7000 lbs comfortably without breaking the bank in fuel costs? Would prefer not to write a journal on my white knuckle trips.

Good luck in your search. We are very happy with our '05 1/2 ton Suburban. However, I think you will be hard pressed to accomplish your 12 mpg goal. That is not likely to happen with a full height TT and a gas engine in your TV. 8 to 11 is more likely. I average in the 9s. To get 12, you will need to go diesel, and that increases the cost of your TV purchase by quite a few thousand.

With a family of five, I would keep looking in the 3/4 ton range. Since this will be a dedicated TV, consider a 3/4 ton passenger van like an older Econoline. I'm hoping that your considering payload capacity over stated tow rating and know that things like tongue weight subtracts from available payload - among other things.Get something that's safe and has the ability to tow the large TT your looking for, and let MPG fall where it falls.

You need to budget for 8mpg for any gas powered vehicle towing any high walled TV. You might get 9-10 at 60mph. Never 12mpg. Even 12mpg with a modern diesel 3/4+ ton pickup is not consistent enough to budget towards. 12mpg towing is reasonable average for one of the 6-cyl diesel powered SUVs, like Jeep Grand Cherokee, VW Touareg, Qudi Q7, MB ML 350D, etc. There just are no good 3-row options for RVing with a diesel and those are premium vehicles that can otherwise pay for a lot of fuel at 8mpg instead of 12mpg.5k dry is fair for all brands of full sized half tons. You do want to make sure the one you buy has the respective towing equipment. For example, the majority of the GM twins on lots and sold have tow ratings in the 5000 pound range. They need the 3.42 axle and HD towing equipment to get up to 8000 pound range.I bought my TT when my kids were about the ages of yours 5 years ago. We started in a crew cab pickup and lasted two years before changing to 3-rows of seats. 3 kids strapped into child seats all within arms reach of each other was not always a fun ride to the campground.I highly recommend something with 6+sped transmission. That means 2007+ Ford Expedition, 2007 GM Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon/XL, 2007+ Escalade/Yukon XL Denali.I also highly recommend the long wheelbased version of whichever you choose. We had a SWB Yukon Denali for a weekend before we bought our Suburban. My wife opened the tailgate and laughed when she saw it could barely hold the kids school backpacks, let alone groceries with the 3rd row seat up, plus the cramped 3rd row space.A 2007+ Yukon XL Denali AWD is probably your best bet. They all come with the HD tow package, 3.42 axle, 400+hp 6.2L V8, 6-spd trans. Payload should be in the 1350-1400 pound range, plenty for a young family and 700-800 pounds of TW. If you can find a 2008+ Suburban/Yukon XL 2500 it will also do you very well. We love ours!

I agree with getting a 3/4 ton. I had an 2013 Silverado 1500, ext cab, 4x4, 5.3 with a tow capacity of 9600 lb. I had the bed fully loaded with just over 1,650 of cargo and tongue weight. My TT was a 1997 Jayco Hawk 24 fb loaded at 5,000 lb. It pulled good and basically got 10 mpg. I wouldn't want to pull much more unless I was staying local. I think the Jayco was supposed to be about 3,400 dry but with the addition of all the accessories like microwave, awning, batteries and propane the sticker was not true. At some point in time the industry started including everything in the dry weight and I have even seen some with a sticker near the door that says factory certified weight. So the dry weight as I remember was probably closer to 3,600 or so. When I bought it I towed it home with a 2012 Chevy Traverse with a 5,200 pound tow package. It did it but it was about the max I would want to pull with it and I would only want to have done local campgrounds with it. A 3/4 ton van may be a nice choice with kids, car seats, play pen, strollers etc. All vehicles within a class such as 3/4 ton will vary somewhat depending on the manufacturer or model but let me just give you these 3 vehicles as a comparison:My old 2013 Silverado 1500= Payload of 1,650Sons 2012 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4, CC, long bed, CTD= 2,130 payload and about 480 pounds more than the 1500 ChevyMy current 2014 Dodge 3500, CC, 4x4, short bed= 3804 and about 1,700 more than a 3/4 ton.Going to a 3/4 will not be overkill in any way. Just plan on 10 mpg. If you hit smaller hills rolling hills you may see a touch less. If you do mountain areas you may see as low as 8 at times. Others can tell you more about that. In hilly areas my 2013 Silverado was getting under 10 mpg. Also remember rule number 1. WATER DAMAGE. Go over ever inch of the rv roof feeling for soft spots. Go over every inch of the floor looking for soft spots. Put a lot of time into this issue. Do not fall in love when you think you have walked into your dream RV. DO NOT get in a hurry. DO NOT get frustrated and settle for something. You can replace a refrigerator or a/c unit and you will then have an upgraded appliance. If you have water damage you now have hell on your hands and a heart breaking experience. This is about fun and joy and excitement. Don't let someone sell you junk. It can be tricky to see water damage at times.

I've owned both a 2008 Expedition and a 2010 Suburban. My old trailer was 5500-6000lbs loaded. Neither got great mileage. Both, 3.4 rear ends. You're looking at 6-7mpg. The 5.4l is a better tow engine, hands down. It would at least do 65. I couldn't get over 55-60mph in the Chevy without the tranny temps skyrocketing. And I can't even begin to tell you how gutless that engine felt until you hit about 3500rpms. The new ones are supposed to be a little better. However, the longer wheelbase on the suburban did feel more stable.I would scratch both and look at a crew cab truck with a better tow engine...which is pretty much any modern engine (personally, I'd still avoid the 5.3l). There is more room in the back seat of most trucks than either of those SUV's middle seat...and they tend to be cheaper. Get a truck cap and you have plenty of storage.My $.02.

Yes...another "New to RVing" thread | Good Sam Community

20 Replies

busterbrown73
Explorer
Jun 28, 2015
LarryJM wrote:
Personally I think you can't beat a full sized Van for towing and carrying larger numbers of young passengers.

Believe me, I've looked at full size E-350 passenger vans but there are even fewer of those available in my market. One's that are tend to be very high mileage and beat to death. I think the "full size family van" is a dying breed. Anything late model 2010 and above commands more $$$ than I'm willing to spend.
LarryJM
Explorer II
Jun 28, 2015
Personally I think you can't beat a full sized Van for towing and carrying larger numbers of young passengers. Especially one equipped with at least 2 passenger Captain's chairs in the second row. We've been a Van towing family for over 35 years and raised two sons along with two smaller dogs traveling extensively (like 2 coast to coast moves) and numerous longer trips (over 1000 mi each) when I was in the military on active duty. The ability to have each child with their "own space" along with the "all weather" secure cargo capacity and accessibility when on the road is worth it's weight in gold and forgoing the "cool factor" with the more utilitarian Van looks. We got so used to the flexibility of Vans for traveling and towing we even bought our current one when we were finally "empty nesters" almost 15 years ago.

Larry
westend
Explorer
Jun 28, 2015
How can you estimate the vehicle's towing ability with nothing on the ball? Passing gear is not going to be used with 6-7000 lbs. behind you, at least not for passing acceleration. Likewise, off the line speed.

Since you have all kinds of reasons that the GM vehicles are better, pick one and focus on getting enough weight handling for your needs. As you state, this vehicle would be dedicated for towing the trailer and little else. I'd also suggest you try a couple of trucks. You may like one, who knows.
busterbrown73
Explorer
Jun 28, 2015
By the way, the Excursion with the 6.8L V10 and 3.73 rear didn't really have the power I thought it would. Passing gear seemed sluggish at 50mph. Was not really impressed with the big V10 block even off the line. Seems like the 5.3 and 6.0 push rods from GM are more capable engines. Maybe it was just the gearing. I think for offered a 4.10 rear in its big X but it was optional.
busterbrown73
Explorer
Jun 28, 2015
An update to my TV quest. I test drove a 2005 Excursion today with Ford's Triton V10. It has a custom dual exhaust setup. Clean carfax. Relatively rust free undercarriage. No rust on body sheetmetal. First time driving an X. Drove like a unrefined truck though. No bells and whistles. A bit of cabin noise too. With only 113K miles on the clock, I'm sure it has lots of life left in it. Just don't know if it's practical in my application.

The Burbs/Yukon XL are more pleasurable to drive, especially when loaded up with the family. I did find an 2007 Ford Expedition EL that has the optional tow package. Don't know much about Fords except for their issues with spark plug blow outs on all the 5.4L 3V motors. The Expeditions have independent rear suspension as GM's trio of full size SUV's have a full solid axle. I would only assume that GM wins outright for towing purposes.

So again, it's back to the square one. If I can find a 3/4 ton Burb that's reasonably priced, I'd jump on it. Otherwise, I'm still waiting for the Vortec 6.0 powerplant in a Yukon XL Denali or Caddy ESV to show up on local dealers lots. Budget is an issue as I don't want to spend major $$$ on a SUV that will only be used for our camping trips. (and maybe an occasional grocery trip)

I'm almost debating if I should pick up a 3/4 ton pickup on the cheap just to be in the position to use it in the short term...until a more permanent TV comes available.
danimal53
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
im sure it's been mentioned, but aside from towing capacity and tongue weight numbers, be sure to pay attention to the payload capacity. as a newbie myself, i've found this to be on of the trickier things to consider. Sure (insert vehicle here) can tow 5,000 pounds, but with max payload number, might have to keep the TV empty! Just something to be aware of.
westend
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
I'd suggest to rethink the truck/SUV comparison. For the purpose of moving an RV, a truck is going to win out every time. The trucks have a longer wheelbase and more payload capacity. My Crew Cab F-250 has more room in the rear seating area than any SUV or van I've owned. Forget about MPG for anything you use towing, you're going to be centered around 10 MPG, no matter what you get. An SUV like a Denali or Escalade is going to be more $$$ than a truck or van.

I don't think Ford SUV's have a lock on tranny issues. Search Burb Man's Suburban transmission problems. The inclusion of a good tranny cooler adds miles to a transmission. Maintenance needs to be upticked, also.

Good luck with whatever you get, camping with the family is one of the most rewarding things a guy can do.
kodiakcanuck
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
Personally if your going to be drinking gas with a large SUV , you might as well have a truck. It wont drink it any worse, and may be a little more stable for towing. If you can find a crewcab with a flip up front console (like Ram's) you now have a 6 passenger vehicle for when you are ready for someone in the front. Just a thought....Good luck...
Atlee
Explorer II
Jun 26, 2015
I'm not sure a baby seat along with booster seats for the other two children will fit comfortably in one back seat.

Doug33 wrote:
If the vehicle is primarily for towing, can you consider a pickup truck instead of an SUV? I know you have three kids, but with a quad cab, that could be enough room for everyone. I've even had six people in my Avalanche from time to time.

With a pickup, your options will be significantly increased, especially if you are going with a 3/4 ton. And therefore you have a better chance of getting something in your price range. On AutoTrader, I quick searched for Silverado 2500 and found 2 for less than $15K with less than 100K miles.
Ranger431
Explorer
Jun 26, 2015
I can't speak to the transmissions of the Expeditions, but my Ford Excursion pulls like a champion. You can probably find one that just meets your 2004 criteria, but under 100k miles might be tough. Mine has 160k, but still has a ton of life left in her. Either the V-10 or the diesel are good options, skip the V-8.

Downsides are you will drink gas - but I think you'll find that true with any vehicle while towing. The good thing is you'll have plenty of room - and those boys definitely won't be getting any smaller. The downside is, if you also use it as a DD, like we do, it is big, and I mean BIG. You will be resigned to parking in the back of parking lots forever.

My wife and I have 6 kids, so we are somewhat limited by options as well. Not too many choices for 8 passenger vehicles that can tow near 10K. Not to mention the wife isn't a big fan of vans (I tried to persuade her with no luck). But our Excursion tows like the TT isn't even there.

As a side note, don't go too small with the TT, remember to have some room left to grow into it. For example, letting the kids bring friends on occasion makes it even more fun for them. BTW, that might factor into your TV selection as well.

Good luck, and enjoy!