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

[Crad09]

We are looking into get a travel trailer that is around 26 feet and a bunkhouse style. The ones we are looking at are around 6000 pounds. We need to purchase a tow vehicle and need some advice. We are first timers.

[hellfirehydra]

Here is my experience. I work with almost all guys in their early 30's. 3 of us purchased bunkhouse travel trailers with 1/2 ton trucks. The smallest bunkhouse was a 27 foot and the other 2 were 31 feet. The lightest was an empty weight of 6600 and the heaviest was 7800.

One of us had an Ecoboost F-150 max tow, another with a 5.4L f-150, and I had a Tundra.

The 5.4L owner upgraded after about 3 or 4 trips. I made it through the fall and purchased a 3/4 ton in the spring. The ecoboost owner(27 ft trailer) held out through 1 full year of camping and just had a scare with winds while towing and upgraded this week.

All 3 of us upgraded to 3/4 ton trucks within 1.5 years of towing. This was not a case of keeping up with the Jones' either. We all live all over the country now and all came to the same conclusion. We're all military pilots and every single one of us would give you the same advice. The stress of towing at the limit and being uncomfortable isn't worth saving a little bit of money and compromising safety. Get a 3/4 ton and make towing great again!

This is the conversation I just had yesterday with my friend who traded his ecoboost in on a F-250 this week.



While I'm sure he wouldn't have had any transmission issues or anything like that, he still ended up in the same conclusion as the other 2 of us. Towing a close to 30' trailer that weighs 7k lbs with a 1/2 ton just isn't enjoyable. It can be quite stressful.

[nickdarr]

Actually, maxed out has a lot of meaning IMHO. I would rather have too much truck than a truck that is on the edge of the max limits when going up and down some of the grades here, or when the wind is blowing, or when I need to stop quickly. The OP asked about opinions and I agree with the idea of a 250/2500 or larger. I tow a 27 foot BH with an F350 and have done so all over the US and western Canada. I am able to haul the kids toys in the back of the truck and not worry about exceeding any weight limits. I traveled with a friend towing a 25 foot with a 1500 Dodge. After a trip through Nevada, he came home and traded for a 2500 Suburban. He did not like the trailer pushing his 1500 around. Can a truck pull the weight? Sure. Will the driver enjoy it? Depends on the trip. If the TV will be used three weekends a summer and only going to tow a hundred miles in Nebraska, that may be worth the lesser truck. I can assure you, a F350 is a pain in NYC, DC, and Chicago to drive and park. Just my $.02.

[BulldawgFan]

I'd go with a Duece and a half....

[rexlion]

yillb wrote:
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.

(GASP) Heresy!! Where's the tar and the feathers? LOL 😄

[krobbe]

Don't buy "just enough" to tow. Buy "more than enough" and enjoy the drive thru the canyons and mountains. A diesel 2500 or 3500 (since you can't get a gasser big block any more) will have you looking forward to driving instead of dreading it.

[wing_zealot]

Any properly equipped truck or full size SUV with about 2000 lbs. of payload should handle it just fine.

[blangen]

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!

[afidel]

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.

[yillb]

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.

[goducks10]

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.

[mbopp]

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.

[scout_dad]

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.

[1stgenfarmboy]

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.

[the_bear_II]

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.

[DutchmenSport]

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).