What kind of towing vehicle should I get for a 26ft bnkhs

Over 5000 lbs. dry would be better served by a F-250 sized vehicle.

I have an e-boost F-150 and my 5004 lb. dry weight TT when loaded for the road will max out my TV.

Of course bigger is always better when it comes to towing. But for your size, with the possibility of a little "expansion" in the future, I'd think an F250 or 2500 GM would do you well. (Of course a 3500 / F350 would be an awesome tow). Really, consider what may lay in your future, two possibilities?

1. If you decide the camper is not your life style and you sell it. What happens to the truck. Is the truck now an over-kill?

2. If you someday decide on a bigger camper, a 5er, or something else, is the truck under par now?

Either way, try to anticipate where you will be 5 years from now, and what will you use the truck for when not towing the trailer?

(please see my signature line below, it tells the whole story).

Most RV'ers end up going through 3 RV's before they finally get one that truly meets their needs. I would suggest at least a vehicle that has as much capacity as you can afford so that you will be ready for the second RV you'll want to get once you discover you need more than the 26ft bunkhouse model offers. A E-250 or 2500 van or f-250 or 2500 crewcab long bed pickup would be a good choice at minimum.

Bear, I must be slow..... it took me 8 before I " think " I am done...... I went through everything but a class B motorhome, I have had TV that range from a 1967 Caprice, to an Olds Cutlass, to 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton, 1 ton, and even thought about a 4500 for a while, then started going back down in camper size.


Of corse I know I am dreaming when I say ( this is the last camper I will buy ).


The camper industry should love me.

I have a 28ft zinger bh it weighs about 6000 loaded pull it with a 2003 chevy 1500hd with a 6.0. it pulls okay, had the truck already when I got trailer.

Bunkhouse - how many kids?
A crew cab 1/2-ton will be nearly max'd out with just passengers and kids. I'd opt for a 3/4 ton.

New or used?
New I would order or look for a 2016-17 F150 Super Crew (BH means you have kids) with the 6.5" bed, 3.5 Eco and 3.55 gears. I would also buy a really nice weight distribution hitch with built in sway.
Used I would opt for a 3/4 ton gasser of choice.
Main reason between the two is payload. The newer F150's have a higher payload because of the aluminum bodies. Naturally a 3/4 gasser will have a high payload. It's harder to find a 1/2 ton with enough payload for that heavy of a TT plus a family and gear.

Maxed out means nothing, that's why it has a " max " tow rating, and a MAX weight rating, and a MAX axle rating. When you reach that number, it just means the components are not designed to have more than that much weight. I've noticed on this forum you get a lot of " 1/2 ton won't tow anything ", I would take much of it with a grain of salt.

Provide us with the dry weight, tongue weight, and then provide us with the year , make, and model of your truck. If you can, check the yellow sticker in the door, provide us with the GVWR and the RAWR , it honestly shouldn't matter if you're within one pound of the max weight rating, NOTHING happens when you reach that max weight rating, the world won't end, and you won't die. The truck will drive perfectly fine, it's literally designed to haul that much weight. Being at the low end of that scale, versus being at the high end of the scale comes with the exact same consequences if something goes wrong. you do not have a higher probability of having a bad ride because you're maxxed out, contrary to what it seems everyong, and I do mean everyone, here seems to think / say.

mbopp wrote:
Bunkhouse - how many kids?
A crew cab 1/2-ton will be nearly max'd out with just passengers and kids. I'd opt for a 3/4 ton.

Lol, not really, mine had 1710 lbs of payload and it's not even a max tow configuration. That said numbers generally show that a 6k empty TT will max out or exceed the payload of the majority of half tons when you include an average family.

I started with a 2010 F-150 Super-Crew 4-wheel drive with tow package and a 29BHS (Keystone). It did ok... great, really. Went from east coast to west. Only one time (mountain pass in New Mexico, I seem to recall) did the Ford anti-sway kick in and the event was over before I realized what happened. All was terrific.

Yes, as someone above mentioned, you may want to "move up". Well, we did. We went to a class A. Now, I had a truck that I thoroughly enjoyed driving as an SUV. As a daily driver (rather than a tow vehicle) in Los Angeles, it was superior in that I could see over the others on the freeways. Let me tell you... in LA, that is worth gold. Anyway, I digress.

The point is, an F-150 will be sufficient for you. If you move up to more trailer, maybe not so much. If you move up to a motorhome, you'll still enjoy the truck but you won't need more, certainly not a dually. Let me tell you... numerous times I thanked the Lord I didn't buy a dually that I would then have to drive through LA and the Hollywood Hills!