Help Selecting a Tow Vehicle for someone new to TTs

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.

I can speak to the appropriateness of a Ford F150 with the 3.5 Ecoboost V6. It is a strong engine for pulling. I pulled a smaller trailer than you are anticipating to California and back last year with a 2005 Ford F150 that had the old 5.4 V8 Trition. My new 3.5 ecoboost is better in every way than the old 5.4V8.

As long as the trailer you buy is really towable by a 1/2 ton pickup the 3.5 will pull it with no problem.

dtoste77 wrote:
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 possible 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!

Yes, yes, and yes!

Those three two vehicles are a good choice IMHO. As would a 2015 Dodge Durango. Just make sure to get a full sway control hitch such as the Hensley.

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.

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..

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!!!

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?

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

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…..

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!