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.

[Santa_Fe]

Check out the combo in my signature. Works great, no complaints. Great truck and great trailer!

[aclay]

As others have said, get more truck than you need. We started with a Jayco 26BH and towed with a Yukon XL (5.3L). It was a struggle, and I'm sure I was right up against the limits with loads. The 26BH ended up being too small for all of us (3 growing teenage boys and two small dogs, with no slides...), so we upgraded. Always have more truck than you need.

[Vintage465]

I'm in the camp that a little more than you need is great. I have a 2500 Diesel and pull a 6200 pound(loaded)trailer. It is super easy towing, never a power problem. And if the bride and I decide we need swivel rockers and a larger trailer to go along with the swivel rockers we are all set. I would say the disadvantage to having a new Diesel is the constant maintenance that is needed to maintain warranty and annoying warning lights on the dash. But the power and tow mileage are pretty much unmatched(just my opinion)

[wrenchbender]

Get at least a 3/4 ton diesel you can climb thru Provo canyon with ease

[Camper_G]

My. 02. I had a 15 Silverado 1500. It pulled the rig in my sig just fine, but it's 23' and 6k gvwr. The "26'" bh is actually 29+ feet overall and 7- 7500 GVWR. Jayco 26bh and similar. Would my Silverado have pulled a rig like that? Probably. It had 1704lbs of pay. But with my family of 4, all our gear, etc, I'd have been right up against or over my payload limit.

I upgraded to the truck in my sig the very end of December 2016. I love it, if i can afford it, I'll always have a 3/4 or one ton truck going forward.

"Better to have and not need, than need and not have" especially when things go bad. Just my opinion.

[RPreeb]

hellfirehydra wrote:
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.

While I don't deny that it would be easy to overload a 1/2 ton with a 30 foot TT, there is no reason not to have enough gas to have a normal range. My F-150 has a 36 gallon tank, which is fine for towing my 5000 pound TT.

[troubledwaters]

myredracer, about - I'll never understand those who say "naw, a 1/2 ton will be plenty fine".

A Kenworth W900 will haul that trailer of yours even better then the 3/4 ton, and you'll have even better brakes, acceleration, and power. And if you want to buy a bigger trailer in the future, or even a 5th wheel, you'll be good to pull anything on the dealers lot.

Point being, in my opinion everyone should have an adequate tow vehicle for the load they are towing. But there is a difference between adequate and practical.
For you, adequate and practical is a 3/4 ton. For others adequate and practical may be a Kenworth W900, and for others it may be a 1/2 ton.

What's the matter with a 1/2 ton being just fine if that is their choice? Just because it's not for shouldn't make it hard to understand it may be for someone else.

Just for the record, I have a 3/4 ton I use for towing, my next truck will be a 1/2 ton for towing. I also own a 1/2 ton (it's not equipped for towing) and have had three other 1/2 tons in the last 20 years. So I know for myself the advantages and disadvantages of each.

[myredracer]

The line between today's 1/2 ton and traditional 3/4 ton is pretty blurred and a 1/2 ton's capability depends a lot on how it was optioned out. We tow a 7K lb TT and replaced our F150 with an F250 and the difference is huge and we have no problems with brakes on steep downhills, power up steep grades, accelerating, sway or extra payload in the bed on longer trips. I'm now a big 3/4 ton fan. We went through Utah last summer and if that's where you are and plan to get around much, I'd go 3/4 ton. I love our 4.10 rear end for hills and accelerating. What I don't like is 4WD and would rather not have it. You might even find down the road that you want a longer and heavier TT and then your 3/4 ton would be able to handle more. I'll never understand those who say "naw, a 1/2 ton will be plenty fine". Have they towed near it's limit in mountainous areas or towed with a 1/2 & 3/4 ton and had real life comparisons? If we were planning to only camp close to home and wanted to use the truck for regular commuting to work I might look closer a 1/2 ton truck (if properly optioned for towing 6K lbs).

Is the 6000 lb figure you are quoting dry weight or GVWR? Never shop by dry weights only as the actual total weight (GVW) and tongue weight is always higher. If you are new to this and don't know much about cargo carrying capacity and what you'll be loading into the TT, go by GVWR. There is a huge variation in CCC between brands and models and some of them aren't as high as they claim (like ours) plus towing with one or more full holding tanks will add a lot of weight. Don't forget to get a good WDH - we have a Reese DC and because I love it, you should get one too. 🙂

BTW, towing through Utah was great! Never been up at 6600 feet elevation or where there's an 80mph speed limit on the interstate.

[handye9]

When you go truck shopping, keep in mind, an F - whatever or a 1500 / 2500 whatever, are not all created equal. Every truck has it's own (as equipped) payload and max tow rating.

You see and hear advertising that says model XXX can tow up to 10,000 lbs. The key words being "up to". An F150, for example, has versions with 750 lbs payload, and versions all the way up to 3200 lbs. You'll need to check payload and tow capacity on every truck, especially when shopping 1/2 tons. There are also differences in 3/4 ton trucks, but, you find fewer (if any) that won't meet your needs. You need to find a tow vehicle that has the seating and carrying capacity, to carry the total weight of your family, a 100 lb WD hitch, the loaded tongue weight of the trailer, any aftermarket accessories (bed covers, bed liners, tie down systems, undercoating, etc) you might add, and any cargo you might put in or on the truck.

Give yourself some wiggle room.

[1stgenfarmboy]

I am not sure what year it was but a few years ago Ford built a F250 quad cab 4X4 long bed king ranch diesel that was so heavy all you could haul was 4 grown men and 500 lbs in the bed before you were over the "max" pay load for the truck.......how many really believe you were in danger if you were also pulling a 7K lb camper ? ? ?

[1stgenfarmboy]

remember the good-ol days when folks put 4,000+ lb truck campers on 1965 3/4 ton SRW trucks, look what we have been brain washed to think is a deadly desaster, I am 51yrs old, been a farmer,machanic,tractor puller for all of my adult life, I have seen some things that even I think is a very bad idea, but pulling a 6-8k lb tag trailer with a 1/2 ton and a proper hitch is not even on my radar as a danger, come on guys.....have we became a society where we need to be told ( don't stick your hand under your lawn mower )



A good WD hitch, sway control, and good brakes on the TV as well as the TT.

[APT]

6000 pounds dry is reasonable for the more capable half half tons with a good WDH that has been adjusted well. I towed my TT at 6500-7000 pounds with a prior half ton. Adjustment of the WDH was key as it was anywhere from scary at 55mph or stable at 75mph.

Besides tow ratings, consider as equipped payloads when shopping for a half ton to tow an RV. Also, invest in a WDH with integrated sway control (~$500 vs. ~$300) and learn how to adjust it.

Or, nearly every 3/4 ton in the last decade will tow 6k TT with ease.

[Army11Bravo]

I tow my 26 foot bunkhouse with a 1/2 ton because I bought the truck long before I bought the trailer. If I could do it all over again and knew the RV lifestyle was in my future, I would have purchased a 3/4 ton right off the bat. Yes, my 1/2 ton gets the job done even in the mountains of Montana, but it's not always an effortless endeavor.

I'll be upgrading to a 1 ton Duramax diesel just as soon as finances allow because my next rig will be a 5th wheel in the 12K pound range.

Do yourself a favor and buy a 3/4 ton right off the bat. You will appreciate it.

[scbwr]

I certainly agree that it would be better to get a 3/4 or 1 ton pick-up truck as you wouldn't have many problems if you move up to a bigger or heavier trailer.

But, my Tundra and 26'9" Winnebago (less than 6,500 lbs. loaded) works very well as a rig. I've been in the mountains and covered a lot of miles. I would agree that the Tundras advertised 10K towing capacity is misleading to to the payload capaacity. But, I do travel with a couple of folding bikes in the bed along with other gear. However, it's just the DW and me in the truck.

1/2 ton trucks can be good tow vehicles, but you are limited to smaller, lighter trailers and stay under 75-80% of the maximum towing capacity.