Towing vehicle cunundrum

[njdad2016]

Hi everyone

Just signed up bcs of all the info and great posts here. I am sure similar posts have been discussed before but here's my situation for your opinions. Please feel free to share your thoughts - I truly appreciate every response I'll get.

We have a 31' TT and an Excursion to tow. I have 3 small kids and the 3rd row of the Ex, combined with its 3/4ton capabilities has served me well. BUT, the Ex is showing its age and is getting me worried for my family's safety. It has A LOT of rust everywhere, brake lines got rusted thru and gave way one day, tranny fluid lines rusted also, popped a plug on my last trip to FL that took half a day to helicoil while the family waited in the sun, power is starting to fade, AC is weak at best and on and on, you get the idea.

I will need to replace it soon and I am torn as heck on what to get next. Is a big investment and with the kids growing more expenses will incur so I have to be very smart about this. We are also contemplating getting a bigger (heavier) camper in about 5 years - maybe a 5th wheel. So I've been looking at pick ups but none has the 3rd row and 3 car seats in the back bench with the dog on the bottom space is going to be a war zone with pulling, kicking, pinching and so on.

The SUVs do not have the setup to pull these things well anymore as they're all 1/2ton capacity and very low payload. Also forget about the 5th wheel if I go that route. My TV seats on the driveway 95% of the time as we have commuter cars. I only use it to tow and seldom trip to hardware store for a sheet of plywood, mulch, or to haul some furniture. Even with this in mind, pickups are better as you don't get the smells and debris all over the inside - right now forget about spilling a drop of gas in the back cargo area.

As far as pick ups, I may go that way and have a body shop put in some work and take a couple feet form the bed to give me a 3rd row. For this reason I'd need a 8foot bed pick up.

Than the question becomes diesel or gas. I keep my vehicles for a long time and very handy with gas engines. Never had a diesel before, but I understand when it comes to towing they're king, as they outperform gassers in torque and payload. Maintenance wise those trucks are much more expensive, and we camp about 3-4 times a year (~6000miles) with the rest of the time in idle as I mentioned before. Price wise the newer ones are more or less the same (and very expensive at that) so I need to make a wise choice I won't regret in a few years and see thousands $$ wash down the drain.

So what do you guys think? SUV like an Expedition EL? Pick up? Gas or diesel? SRW or DRW? What has been your experience?

Thank you and be safe wherever the road takes you.

[modern_family]

crazyro wrote:

njdad2016 wrote:

crazyro wrote:
You may need to give the guys at http://stretchmytruck.com/ a call. 😉 They'll hook you up with a 6 door, third row of seats, truck.

I've seen them - love what they do but is so expensive. It is the right way to make the two worlds (SUV and Pickup) marry though. Can you imagine the 6 door with a long box and a TT? Talk about a train going down the road... lol They don't make gas stations for that kind of convoy!!

My Megacab is long enough but I would LOVE to get a long bed put on it. Too far and too much $ for this project, but it would be fun.
Yes, negotiating gas stations would be a challenge for sure. As it is, I almost blocked an entire one just pulling my 24' on our last trip. Flying J station, but very tight...

You would think they would make flying J stations a little more TT friendly. That is another reason a would get a diesel.. Fill up with the big rigs! At around 60 feet long total, it is not easy getting gas for me.

[2012Coleman]

I just saw a 6 person landscaping crew in a big chevy 2500. 3 big dudes sitting in back - there is more than enough room to seat 3 kids back there. I'm not sure how you can get away without having a pickup if your talking about a fifth wheel.

So IMO, your choices for towing your current TT are to get something that will work, like a van or used late model crew cab, or sink some money into your current TV which is showing it's age. Nothing is impossible without the accompanying cash-flow. Which reminds me of something I posted in a similar thread:

As Spock would say - "There are always alternatives."





The bottom picture is way cool. Wish I could do that. Good luck

[crazyro]

njdad2016 wrote:

crazyro wrote:
You may need to give the guys at http://stretchmytruck.com/ a call. 😉 They'll hook you up with a 6 door, third row of seats, truck.

I've seen them - love what they do but is so expensive. It is the right way to make the two worlds (SUV and Pickup) marry though. Can you imagine the 6 door with a long box and a TT? Talk about a train going down the road... lol They don't make gas stations for that kind of convoy!!

My Megacab is long enough but I would LOVE to get a long bed put on it. Too far and too much $ for this project, but it would be fun.
Yes, negotiating gas stations would be a challenge for sure. As it is, I almost blocked an entire one just pulling my 24' on our last trip. Flying J station, but very tight...

[Community Alumni]

njdad2016 wrote:
Any idea (anyone) about the payload difference in the same configuration Ram (2500 or 3500 Mega) with 6.4l gas vs the 6.7L diesel?

With the 3500 the 6.4L has about 600 lbs more payload and with the 2500 it's about 900 lbs extra. Have a look at these charts to compare the different configurations.

2500 Weights

3500 Weights

[njdad2016]

crazyro wrote:
You may need to give the guys at http://stretchmytruck.com/ a call. 😉 They'll hook you up with a 6 door, third row of seats, truck.

I've seen them - love what they do but is so expensive. It is the right way to make the two worlds (SUV and Pickup) marry though. Can you imagine the 6 door with a long box and a TT? Talk about a train going down the road... lol They don't make gas stations for that kind of convoy!!

[jersey_traveler]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

Modern diesels are no where near as good as the older ones ! Less power and worse fuel economy. The added cost of DEF plus higher maintenance costs make them a very questionable purchase.

Is your F350 a 6.8L V10 ? A higher rear axle ratio will help a lot.

I wanted to get a diesel van, until I found out how underpowered they are in the vans. GM de-rates the Duramax to about 250HP and bolts it to the same transmission they use for the 6.0L gas engines. I believe it has to do with heat and clearances under the body. My uncle has a diesel van and he says the only advantage he has found is he can go longer between oil changes than I can.

[jersey_traveler]

njdad2016 wrote:

jersey_traveler wrote:
When we were getting ready to have child #5 I realized our Yukon XL was not going to cut it. I found a 2014 model year Chevrolet Express used in the spring of 2014. It was from a rental fleet and had 16K on the odometer. I paid half price for a current model year vehicle! It is a 3500 with the 6.0L gas engine and 6 speed transmission. It is rated at 9600# towing, and it does really well.

When I was looking for a new vehicle my wife totally rejected the idea of a van. Then she saw how many car seats fit in it and changed her mind. We have a full size, commercial grade dog crate in the back, 5 car/booster seats, and plenty of room. As the kids grow out of car seats and sit in normal seats we have even more room. Since it is built on a full ton frame with 80 PSI in the rear tires it is a rougher ride, but you get used to it.

Hi jersey - is your van a 4x4? I need that 4wheel for the boat - and hunting in wet offroad woods. I mentioned I liked the Nissan HD van but they (or Ford) have no intention of offering a 4x4 version and custom conversion is 20K!!!

Nope! It is a stock 2WD van. When I got it I found a company in Pennsylvania that would do the conversion for about $11,000. Since the van was purchased as a daily driver I could not justify the cost. I don't go off road with it at all. When there is nothing in the back it can get stuck on it's own shadow!! It is so bad we have to try and park up hill from the road when we have to park in a field at the county fair!! I keep the Yukon it replaced for really bad weather and off road adventures.

[modern_family]

theoldwizard1 wrote:

modern family wrote:
How old is your TT? Possibly trade for a newer, lighter model and the large suburban and expedition EL with be a fine TV.

CONCUR !

My daughter has 4 kids and the Expedition EL is perfect for them. Grandma and Grandpa can fit in there also, but probably not for long trips.

modern family wrote:
A diesel is a much better TV to an answer that question. Though I do have a gasser F350, my next truck will be diesel. (Especially as you are up north, hills are much easier to travel with a diesel)

Modern diesels are no where near as good as the older ones ! Less power and worse fuel economy. The added cost of DEF plus higher maintenance costs make them a very questionable purchase.

Is your F350 a 6.8L V10 ? A higher rear axle ratio will help a lot.

They stopped making the V10 around 2008 or 2009. Whenever they changed to the new body style. I have a 2011 and she is paid off. I am fine with the performance and would not spend a dime to make any changes, but when the time comes, I would prefer a diesel,

[crazyro]

You may need to give the guys at http://stretchmytruck.com/ a call. 😉 They'll hook you up with a 6 door, third row of seats, truck.

[theoldwizard1]

modern family wrote:
How old is your TT? Possibly trade for a newer, lighter model and the large suburban and expedition EL with be a fine TV.

CONCUR !

My daughter has 4 kids and the Expedition EL is perfect for them. Grandma and Grandpa can fit in there also, but probably not for long trips.

modern family wrote:
A diesel is a much better TV to an answer that question. Though I do have a gasser F350, my next truck will be diesel. (Especially as you are up north, hills are much easier to travel with a diesel)

Modern diesels are no where near as good as the older ones ! Less power and worse fuel economy. The added cost of DEF plus higher maintenance costs make them a very questionable purchase.

Is your F350 a 6.8L V10 ? A higher rear axle ratio will help a lot.

[rbpru]

Lot of good suggestions and advise but if I only used my RV once or twice a year I would sell it and rent one when needed.

This is especially true if the kids are getting old enough to have schedules of their own and limiting the available camping time.

The easiest would be a class A or C motor coach and toad if necessary. You get the size you need for each trip and you give it back when done.

Locally TT and 5vers are available. I rented a 25 ft. TT for a $1000.00 for 10 days two years ago. I had the TV.

Yes it is expensive and takes some budgeting but you can rent a lot of trips for the cost of the Tow Vehicle you need to properly haul your family and TT.

Good luck with your endeavor.

[falconbrother]

I just sold a class A and am happy to be out from under it. Would it work for you? It would except that so many A's don't sleep a family very well. Class C might do a better job. They tend to have more beds. But, just for me, I don't want another motorhome for the foreseeable future. I briefly looked on-line and saw some sweet 2500 Suburbans that don't have a ton of miles and are under $20,000.

[dodge_guy]

njdad2016 wrote:
I don't mean to offend anyone but the A-class makes no sense to me for 3-4 times a year trips. If I was lifing it on the road than yes, but to have a fancy bus (with insurance, maintenance, and all other costs related) seating in my driveway is wasteful.

Same thinking goes for DownSouth idea - my car, the van as a tv, the small pickup for errands, wife's car... I'll need to hire a fleet manager lol

Well your TT sits the same amount of time a class A would. After having a TT for over 10 years, I would much rather have the class A! Maint. on a gas class A will be nothing more than one oil change a year if you don't use it a lot. Insurance is affordable and can be only a bit more than a TT that will also be insured. I would much rather have a class A. Besides how much is saved when your everyday driver will become unreliable and you have to replace it with a $40-$50k truck?

[njdad2016]

jersey_traveler wrote:
When we were getting ready to have child #5 I realized our Yukon XL was not going to cut it. I found a 2014 model year Chevrolet Express used in the spring of 2014. It was from a rental fleet and had 16K on the odometer. I paid half price for a current model year vehicle! It is a 3500 with the 6.0L gas engine and 6 speed transmission. It is rated at 9600# towing, and it does really well.

When I was looking for a new vehicle my wife totally rejected the idea of a van. Then she saw how many car seats fit in it and changed her mind. We have a full size, commercial grade dog crate in the back, 5 car/booster seats, and plenty of room. As the kids grow out of car seats and sit in normal seats we have even more room. Since it is built on a full ton frame with 80 PSI in the rear tires it is a rougher ride, but you get used to it.

Hi jersey - is your van a 4x4? I need that 4wheel for the boat - and hunting in wet offroad woods. I mentioned I liked the Nissan HD van but they (or Ford) have no intention of offering a 4x4 version and custom conversion is 20K!!!