Help Selecting a Tow Vehicle for someone new to TTs

[dtoste77]

Hello Everyone,

Growing up RVing I've now started my own family and looking to purchase our first TT. Although I grew up traveling with an RV it was a Class A coach and not a TT. My wife and I like the freedom of being able to unhook and discover new places, etc.

We haven't yet purchased a TT and don't have a tow vehicle either. We're still some time out so I want to make sure we do our research and determine the right size TT, TV, etc.

So far we've really liked the Dutchman Aerolite 242BHS with the blow specs:

Average Shipping Weight (lbs.) 5,574
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.) 735
Cargo Capacity (lbs.) 1,026
Length 28' 6''

We are a family of four with two young children. I don't expect us to travel more then 300-600 per trip. We'd like to utilize our tow vehicle as a family vehicle as well so would prefer an SUV. These are some of the vehicles we had in mind. Does anyone have some insight on whether these vehicles could do the job?

2015 - Chevy Tahoe
2015 - Nissan Armada
2015 - Toyota Sequoia

Although we prefer an SUV I would consider a 1/2 ton truck like an F-150. I see that most of the F-150 are V6 EB which list tow capacity as around 9k lbs. I was always under the impression that you would need a V8 engine to tow a TT. Would the V6 Ford be capable of towing the above trailer.

Thanks for the help!

[2012Coleman]

Just remember to not concentrate on the fabled "Tow capacity number". As stated above lots of stuff contributes to the weight your TV is carrying, especially the tongue weight. You can calculate it by multiplying the Gross weight of the TT by 12%. You then need to subtract the weight of the WDH setup.

There is a member on here who insisted that the Sequopia they just purchased was good enough to pull a certain TT they had their heart set on. Against all advice, they went for it anyway, and a few months later started asking questions about a new TV.

It is difficult to pick out both TT and TV at the same time. My advice is to get close on both and then buy the TV that is capable of pulling it first. You can then use the real numbers of that TV to consider what it can handle.

Have you looked at Lance? They have a bunk house model that is really nice. Jayco products have a two year warranty.

Just remember, options like 4x4 and nerf bars subtract from payload.

Here are a few links for more reading on the subject.

Clicky1

Clicky2

Good luck!

[rbpru]

I have an F-150 4x4 with the E-Boost engine. The max cargo is 1411 lbs. The max cargo varies with accessories that are included on your individual vehicle.

My 5000 lb. dry weight TT weighs 6600 lbs when fully loaded according to the CAT scales. It has over 700 lbs of tongue weight. The DW and me with the dog add another 500 lbs. This leave about 200 lbs for toys, truck cap and camp gear.

If you know the weight of your family, toys, camp gear etc.and the stuff you are adding to your TV , and you have a rough idea of the loaded TT tongue weight. You have an idea the cargo capacity you need.

Almost every vehicle can tow far more than it can carry.

Good luck.

[Kevinwa]

If you do want to stay in the 150 size truck the F150 ford with the 3.5 ego boost has a "max payload" option. It will limit you on what other options you can package it when ordering, but I think it gets you about 2400 pounds of payload. This option is rarely stocked by dealers, and would probably have to be ordered in.

[Need-A-Vacation]

dtoste77 wrote:
Excuse my ignorance but doesn't an F-150 come with at least 2k in payload which can be increased with a heavy duty payload package. Wouldn't that eleviate any concern with payload?

I am not sure the "average" F150 has more than about 15-1700lbs payload WITHOUT the HD Payload package. But finding a truck with the HD package is very rare without ordering..... And last I read the HD package is on hold for ordering.

Keep this in mind though: If you have a truck that weighs ~5k lbs (not sure what the new all Aluminum F150 weighs) towing a 6k lb trailer vs a 6500lb truck towing the same trailer, the heavier truck will be more stable towing. Example truck weights without any passengers or cargo, just throwing an example trailer weight out. Not saying the lighter truck can't do it, but if the trailer starts trying to move the truck around (tail wagging the dog), the heavier truck can be the difference.

[itguy08]

dtoste77 wrote:
Excuse my ignorance but doesn't an F-150 come with at least 2k in payload which can be increased with a heavy duty payload package. Wouldn't that eleviate any concern with payload?

Certain models do. Max Tow will get you about 1800 or so - ours is a little over 1800 lbs in SuperCrew 4x4 configuration. You can stack them and get Max Payload and Max Tow to get over 2k lbs of payload.

The problem is finding the Max Tow or Max Payload packages either new or on used dealers' lots. It was luck and timing I found a used Max Tow F150 at a decent price. The only other I found only lasted a couple days at a dealer before it was gone.

[dtoste77]

Excuse my ignorance but doesn't an F-150 come with at least 2k in payload which can be increased with a heavy duty payload package. Wouldn't that eleviate any concern with payload?

[deltabravo]

Still Searchin' wrote:
... chevy yukon XLT. .

Chevy doesn't have a Yukon, GMC does.
Chevy has the Tahoe and Suburban.
GMC: Yukon and Yukon XL

[itguy08]

dtoste77 wrote:

Although we prefer an SUV I would consider a 1/2 ton truck like an F-150. I see that most of the F-150 are V6 EB which list tow capacity as around 9k lbs. I was always under the impression that you would need a V8 engine to tow a TT. Would the V6 Ford be capable of towing the above trailer.

Yes, Yes, and Yes as long as you watch your payload and tongue weights carefully. We have a 2011 F-150 Max Tow Ecoboost SuperCrew and it handles our 35', 9.5k Open Range LT272RLS very well. We use an Equalizer brand hitch. Have almost 2k miles on the trailer so far and it's doing very well. Left Kitty Hawk this AM and fought the wind the whole way to mid VA. We did just fine and there is more than enough power and handling so far with tis combo. Only bad thing is MPG is about the same and any other V8 while towing (single digits).

But you have to watch your payload very carefully no matter which way you go as that will mostly be your limiting factor.

[dtoste77]

Thanks, everyone! Very insightful and gives me a much better idea of what to look for. Didn't think of all the accessories like berliners, bars, etc. I can see how it can all add up. I'm glad I'm staring the education process a bit early. It gives me time to soak this all in.

Thanks again!

[RVNevada]

D77, I have been RVing since 2000 and have had from a Truck Camper to my 43ft Toy Hauler, Like the person above, don't just go by the weight on the books, they don't add All the stuff you bring, your kids will get bigger, they may want to bring friends, more stuff will come as they get older, you may want to get a bigger RV at a later date, so get the Truck or Vehicle now, that will pull a BIGGER RV, even if you never get one, you will be ahead of the game…..

[Need-A-Vacation]

dtoste77 wrote:
Thanks for the insight on payload! So to be clear, when considering payload I need to consider weight of passenger any load we load into to the bed plus the hitch weight correct? Not an issue wit the cargo and passenger but when loading another 800lbs of hitch weight is where it gets close. Am I correct in this assumption?

Yes. As an example, our '10 Chevy 1500 ccsb 4x4 5.3/6spd/3.42 truck had about 1550lbs for payload per the yellow sticker in the drivers door jamb.

We had about 450lbs for passengers, about 100lbs for the wdh, about 200lbs for a cab high truck topper (all accessories: nerf bars, mud flaps, tonneau cover, etc, add toward total payload also!!!), up to about 200lbs in the truck bed (bikes if we took them, tool box, wood for leveling the trailer at the campsite), and about 900lbs of tw.. These weights are from what I recall from 2yrs ago.

So:
1550-(450+100+200+200+900)= -300lbs!!! When I relized just how we heavy we were loaded we ended up stepping up to a 2500HD. With the 1500, we were over the gvwr of the truck, but just under the trucks rear axle rating. Which some say as long as you are under the axles rating, you are ok since most axle ratings when added together (front + rear axle) are higher than the gvwr.... Up to you what you want to go by.

We used to load the coolers and firewood (when we could take it) in our old trailer with the 1500. Wife wanted at least the firewood OUT, and the coolers also if possible!!! Our last trailer we still had the coolers inside, but with the 2500HD we have about 2750lbs of payload. Even with our new Jayco that has 1400lbs tw we are still under the gvwr!!!!

It is crazy how quikly the weight adds up!!!! Almost as fast as kids grow!!! Lol

[dtoste77]

Thanks for the insight on payload! So to be clear, when considering payload I need to consider weight of passenger any load we load into to the bed plus the hitch weight correct? Not an issue wit the cargo and passenger but when loading another 800lbs of hitch weight is where it gets close. Am I correct in this assumption?

[Need-A-Vacation]

D77,

Any of the modern 150/1500 series drivetrains (ecoboost, 5.0, 5.3, 5.7, etc) with a 6spd trans and the proper rear gears are more than enough to tow 7k lbs.... The issue towing with a 150/1500 series truck/ suv is the PAYLOAD of the tv (tow vehicle).

Some manufactures listed "brochure" dry weight does not always inlcude some options, even if they are "mandatory options". The dry tw (tongue weight) of a tt (travel trailer) does not include the propane tanks or battery on the tongue either: this alone adds about 120lbs for 2-20lb tanks and battery, or about 160lbs for 2-30lb tanks and battery. On top of this the average family adds about 1k lbs to the tt. And for a stable, safe tow you want on average 12-15% tw (of the loaded tt). This is why some suggest to use 13% tw based on the gvwr of the tt. Though that trailer seems to have a rather heavy dry tw already, not exactly what I would call an "Aerolite".

I mention this because all passengers, cargo inside the tv (coolers, firewood, toys, bikes, etc), the wdh (weight distribution hitch), AND the tw all add toward the payload of the tv. There is a yellow sticker inside the drivers door jamb of all cars & trucks. It states, "All passengers and cargo not to exceed XXXXlbs". This number should not be exceeded. Keep in mind your kids will only get bigger, and HEAVIER as time goes by.

As for the wdh, spend the money for at least a good, middle of the road system with integrated sway control. The Reese Dual Cam, Reese SC, and Equal-I-Zer 4 way systems are very good for the money!!! The Hensley and Pro Pride are better as I understand (never tow with one), but considerably more money.

Do you think your family will be ready to upgrade trailers in a few years? And will the truck/ suv be a daily driver, and if so, how long of trips on average? I ask because maybe it wouldn't hurt to consider a 2500/250 (or even a 3500/350 because price is almost the same as a 2500/250) series truck as mentioned now, so you have the proper truck/ suv for the bigger tt in a handful of years.

Also consider the cargo capacity of the tt. The last thing you don't want is a trailer with hardly any cargo capacity for the food, drinks, clothes, etc needed for an extended trip

One of the things I took into account when we purchased our new Jayco this past July was the axles under different makes and models. One brand we looked at had about a 9500lb gvwr, but only had 2-4400lb rated axles!!!! They didn't include about 700lbs that is on the tv in the trailer axle capacity. Our Jayco has a 9975lb (something like that) gvwr with 2-5k lb axles... And look at the tires on the trailer as well. Some barely have the weight capacity to cover the weight of the loaded trailer minus the tw. There is a very limited sleection of 14" tires available, with 15" tires having a better selection of different sizes and weight ratings. I would rather have a reserve capaity for the axles and tires than running just about their max rating.

This may be something you wouldn't think about until after buying, but look at the location of the outdoor shower if there is one. Friends bought a new 5ver, never considered the outdoor shower. It is under the awning! Who wants a muddy mess there??? Probably could figure something out though.

As I understand on Forest River products, you can purchase a 2nd yr warranty for $150. While we are very happy with our Jayco, we probably would have looked a little closer at them because of it. Even with the outdoor shower issue, there is some nice features on the Puma we liked. Not sure if Thor Industries (makes Dutchmen) does anything similar....

Good luck shopping!!!

[dtoste77]

donn0128 wrote:
No,no, and NO!
For a trailer 28+ feet long you really need a long wheel base vehicle. Full sized Ford van, 2500 series Suburban or a crew cab 2500 series truck are your best options. The SUVs you mentioned might be able to tow the trailer, but I dont think you would like the experience.

Hi Donn,

What about the wheelbase of, let's say a F150 or Tundra Super Cab? As far as the wheelbase of the 3 SUV's, in your opinion what would be the longest trailer you'd recommend?

Thank you to all the others. Fortunately I haven't purchased anything. Just starting my research to ensure I make the right choices. Most of the RV dealerships are telling me the SUVs I mentioned aren't a problem but I think they'll say anything to get the sale..

[Still_Searchin_]

Ditto for a longer wheelbase vehicle. Think chevy yukon XLT. AS many have said in previous posts, your GVWR of the TT is most likely the weight you will be pulling and you will be happier if that weight is 80% of your vehicles towing capacity. We pull a similar 28ft. TT with a 7500# GVWR with the king cab 2500 Silverado below and are very happy with this combo.