RE: Need an 8 passenger TV
Yes, after the twins are born there will be six children :) Two boys (11 and 6), and four girls (9, 3 and the coming twins). I figure me and the boys will be taking "boys only" trips at a rate of, lets say, once a month in the coming years ;)
I'm outnumbered at home...
Wife, two girls (9 and 11), two female dogs (7months and 6 yrs), 1 female cat (8 yrs)...so I can feel your pain!!! At least you have two males in your home with you to help! LOL
I would prefer to keep the discussions to stock vehicles for now.
It seems the Ford E-350 is leading the way from a utility, space standpoint, towing ability stanpoint. Will the 8 cyl be enough to tow the trailer below:
Here are the 32BHDS specs (per Jayco.com)
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 7,800
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.) 850
Gross Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 9,750
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs.) 1,950
Measurements
Exterior Length 35' 6"
I would prefer the V-10, but they seem to be pretty hard to find used. I've been trying to convince Mom that a big van as a daily driver for her would be really cool - don't know if she's buying it ;). I am really leaning that way, but have had 4wd trucks for so long, the thought of not having one is hard to swallow. I know you can get vans modified to 4wd for what amounts to a small fortune, but unless it was already done would probably not pull the trigger myself.
I can offer my experiences with a TT of similar size although my family is smaller (weight inside the TV)...my TV is likely heavier than the full-size van...so may not be too much different.
I roll down the road at ~17,000#'s combined (8000# TV and 9000# TT as verified via the scales).
To answer your question on the 5.4L in the van...Having towed ~18,000 miles in the last three summers with my V10 Excursion...and about 7,000 of those miles rolling at ~15,500#'s...I can honestly say that traveling the areas I do (Rockies, Black Hills, Big Horns, Sandia's, countless peaks in Utah and Arizona, Appalachians and Smokies)...I would NOT want any less motor.
In the flats of Indiana...sure...a 5.4L would do fine for my load...but I know no boundaries...and throw in altitude...and that 5.4L IMO will be huffing hard for that combined load...but that is simply my opinion...
That Jayco layout is INCREDIBLE...you will LOVE IT...you need to also love PULLING IT...
Take your time and you should be able to find the TV with a V10...it will likely take some time...
Edit to add some van searches...all will require some travel...
4x4 one!!!
Berne Indiana
Complete search list
Good luck and congrats on the soon to arrive twins!
joe.
Great find on the 4x4 van - I love it!
RE: Need an 8 passenger TV
If I read the post correctly you have 2 younger kids and are expecting 2,
Joe,
You may be correct...everyone else I think has been reading that he is expecting children numbers FIVE and SIX so we think he already has FOUR kids...
but the twins will be here in a few weeks (children #5&6)so it's time to look to upgrade both.
If you are correct...I will agree an SUV will work...but I do believe he will have SIX kids plus mom and dad for a total of EIGHT when all is said and done...not knowing how many other than the twins that are arriving soon that will be in car seats...No SUV...not even our Excursions will be comfortable for a family of EIGHT...that I am confident in...
Joe.
Yes, after the twins are born there will be six children :) Two boys (11 and 6), and four girls (9, 3 and the coming twins). I figure me and the boys will be taking "boys only" trips at a rate of, lets say, once a month in the coming years ;)
I would prefer to keep the discussions to stock vehicles for now.
It seems the Ford E-350 is leading the way from a utility, space standpoint, towing ability stanpoint. Will the 8 cyl be enough to tow the trailer below:
Here are the 32BHDS specs (per Jayco.com)
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 7,800
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.) 850
Gross Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 9,750
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs.) 1,950
Measurements
Exterior Length 35' 6"
I would prefer the V-10, but they seem to be pretty hard to find used. I've been trying to convince Mom that a big van as a daily driver for her would be really cool - don't know if she's buying it ;). I am really leaning that way, but have had 4wd trucks for so long, the thought of not having one is hard to swallow. I know you can get vans modified to 4wd for what amounts to a small fortune, but unless it was already done would probably not pull the trigger myself.
RE: Need an 8 passenger TV
As I have been looking into vans (the Ford E-350) I have seen very few that specifically call out a "towing package" with transmission coolers and such - is this standard, unnecessary, or just hard to find?
RE: Need an 8 passenger TV
Thanks all for the advice. I've been skimming the prices of full sized vans, and agree there are alot of positives in this. To be perfectly honest, given some of the prices I'm actually considering buys a full sized van just to use a a TV, and for longer family trips and keeping the Armada for trips to and from school and such. Many of the vans really aren't that expensive, all things considered. The only real drawback for me is I always like to have at least one 4x4, and my daily work commuter is a Honda Accord, so it doesn't qualify. If we keep the Armada and Honda, and buy a full size van a couple of years old that may do the trick...
I have to admit (and it's pretty obvious even if I didn't admit it) I am still learning the whole "towing spec / decision" process - pretty confusing stuff.
Need an 8 passenger TV
I'm looking at upgrading my TV - due to a growing family and wanting a bigger camper. Our current setup is a Jayco 232 towed by a Nissan Armada - this has worked well for us, but the twins will be here in a few weeks (children #5&6)so it's time to look to upgrade both.
The biggest drawback to the Armada is with the 3rd row seat up you only have about 10" of cargo space, and although it tows over 9k (and tows the 232 like it's not even there) I don't think it has enough to handle a Jayco 32BHDS (or do I?)
Here are the 32BHDS specs (per Jayco.com)
Unloaded Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 7,800
Dry Hitch Weight (lbs.) 850
Gross Vehicle Weight (lbs.) 9,750
Cargo Carrying Capacity (lbs.) 1,950
Measurements
Exterior Length 35' 6"
I know some will suggest a full size van, and there is alot of merit to that, but it's just not what we're looking for right now. I gather an Excursion with a V-10 or Deisel would work, do any Yukons or Suburbans fit the bill as well?
Thanks1
RE: What to Do About Going to Florida and Winterizing!!!!
I would wait until you are a ways down south to de-winterize. When you get into the Southeast (GA, AL, FL) you should be OK. I live in TN and never really "winterize" - I blow out the lines with air, add AF to the traps and tanks and thats about it...
RE: Generator to run a AC unit in the Travel Star ck19
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p320/Ranger431/DSC00448.jpg width=640
I chose a Yamaha EF2800i - very "clean" power, will run everything (including my AC) in the HTT at once. It's a little bigger than the 2400 or Honda 2000, but I wanted something a little bigger at home in case of power outages, etc.
very please with the Yamaha, and Honda's are excellent units as well.
Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum limit of 640px maximum.
RE: Are there regional gettogethers of HTT folks?
We're near Nashville and in the last 3 weekends went to Cedars of Lebanon SP, Jellystone for the 4th (to be near the Nashville fireworks) and just got back from Defeated Creek. Lots of good camping near Nashville.
Now that the kids start football in the next week or two it gets a little harder to get out. We made a mad dash of camping between baseball and football seasons ;)
RE: Holding Tank Tornado Questions
I mounted mine opposite the "exit" and sensors. it is on a Jayco 232, but I had to use the "wedge" since the tank is sloped.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p320/Ranger431/DSC00497.jpg
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p320/Ranger431/DSC00498.jpg
RE: Bye Bye 17Exp
Congratulations from a former 19H owner! Wonderful trailer, you will love it!
Please understand though, you have put the wheels in motion...
I am living proof it will happen...
Have a Windstar minivan - buy an 8' PUP -
Upgrade minivan to a V-6 Explorer,
Upgrade PUP to small hybrid,
Upgrade Explorer to V-8,
Upgrade to a bigger hybrid,
Now I'm looking at an F-150 SuperCrew... :B
Do ya sense a trend here????
I see a trend - and you need to recognize it, by a hauler and a huge 5'er - skip the remaining middle steps! ;)
RE: The Rear of My Jayco 26L is Sagging!
Have you crawled under it to look at the beams of the fram and look for signs of stress, buckeling, or bending? Any chance you can post a picture? I have a 232, and it has the lightweight frame with the holes and haven't had any issues - but when I load up for a trip most of the weight goes between the dinnette and couch - which is centered between the wheels and hitch.
RE: Yamaha EF2400iS...Yea or Nay?
I use an EF2800i thats worked great. it can run the AC and everything else (except the microwave) at the same time. It may be a little bit of overkill, but it is also for backup power at the house in event of an outage.
http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p320/Ranger431/DSC00448.jpg
I can vouche for the Yamaha gennys - theey work great.
RE: Big Family TT Dilema
Thanks for the input everyone - it's not falling on deaf ears, I am continuing to learn in this process. The issue isn't just sleeping arrangements, as tents are fine and we did that for years before buying our current HTT - it has alot to do with being able to "live" in the TT with twins from infants to toddlers. The older ones spend 99+% of the time outside anyway. I also think the wife is getting a bit tired of the "hybrid" side of things, although I love the tentage.
Driving is already interesting with 4 kids, but with the car seats it will be a little different - 2 baby seast by the car doors in the second row with the eldest between them to assist - the other 3 to the back. We are blessed with at least 4 SPs, and numerous other CGs within 2 hours. Given gas prices the way they are, and my job requirements we only take 1 - 2 trips longer than 4 hours a year anyway.
I commute 50+ miles each way a day, so obviously drive a car, the wife uses the Armada for her daily driver - I asked her how she felt about a full sized van - I didn't even have to wait to hear her answer ;)
RE: Big Family TT Dilema
Unfortunately, a new TV is going to be out of the question for a couple of years - with dumping more money into a new trailer, and with the medical expenses they are likely to hit with the twins (even with decent insurance costs are quite high, as many twins require some additional care do to frequently arriving early, times 2 ;) ). Ideally I would wait a few years to buy a camper too, but am afraid we really wouldn't get out too much with the twins in our current rig, especially in the fall and winter (which are my favorite times to camp).
What about the two models I posted - the Laredo "Superlightweight" 31BHS or the Passport 300BH
The Laredo is under the towing capacit of the Armada by several hundred pounds, fully loaded to the GVWR - and the Passport is about 1600 shy of my capacity at full trailer GVWR. We never travel with full tanks.
RE: Big Family TT Dilema
I was only able to find the one thread by the Passport 280 owner, and alhough it's unfortunate - is it a widespread problem? I always thought Keystone was a solid brand?
RE: Big Family TT Dilema
Actually, this might be even better for towing:
Passport 300BH
A Passport by Keystone 300BH
5535 Dry weight, with 2000 pounds of cargo capacity - GVWR would be about 7535.
RE: Big Family TT Dilema
We were looking around and saw this one, it's not quite as "perfect" as the Jayco 32BHDS, but pretty nice and the weights seem to be much better.
Laredo 31BHS
It's 6800 empty with 200 pounds Cargo - about 8800 GVWR - which is below my towing limit, and hitch weight seems manageable - but I am still kind of new to looking at towing capacities - its been very nice having so much excess capacity in that area.
Thanks for all of the congratulations and suggestions! The Good Book says to go forth and multiply - we took it literally ;)
