I'm in very early planning for trailer traveling/working/living, and I have a question about tow vehicles. I'd be moving the trailer around the country to follow the work I do, but I'd also want to leave the trailer for 2-3 days at a time where I'd like to be able to sleep and work in the vehicle itself if necessary (sitting for computer type of work). So all that open space on the back half of a pickup doesn't do me much good. But I'm considering a 25ft Airstream, at about 7000 lbs loaded weight.
So what do I lose in tow capacity, handling, or other, by going with a 3/4 ton van instead of a 3/4 ton pickup? Or even a 1 ton.
Thanks, all.
Jeff
* This post was
edited 04/10/08 11:12pm by imrama *
If you are going to be full timing in the RV, I would always suggest a 1 ton van or truck, rather than the lighter weight and cargo ratings found on 3/4 ton trucks and vans.
With vans, there is the extended van and the regular length van. The extended van has a 18" or 24" longer van body, so the hitch ball is farther from the rear axle. With a lightweight hitch, it will barely make a difference, but a larger trailer will find more stability with the shorter van.
Of course with a pickup you can still have a cap on the back, and you can sleep in them. But I think the van would be more comfortable. One problem - what to do with the extra seat? Another big advantage of the van is you can sometimes get dual air conditioning, so you can have heat and cooling in the back.
Remember with a 7,000 pound trailer, then you could have between 700 and 1,000 pounds of hitch weight. So a good brake controller and hitch is always going to make it safer to tow. I hear that the Hensley Hitch is the best one in high winds.
Fred.
Money can't buy happiness but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Porsche or Country Coach!
If you are setting up from scratch, why not a cargo van with a semi-custom interior with minimal but nice accomodations for your work/overnights, and tow the Airstream with? could be pretty nice.
Another similar option is a pickup with a small Truck Camper on it. small enough to get around in, big enough to work and sleep in, and tow the Airstream with.
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
I agree with previous suggestions - for a full-timing rig, I'd find a one ton van.
I would highly recommend finding you a Ford E-350 van. They make excellent tow vehicles, can be had for very reasonable prices, and have tons of room and payload capacity inside. You could pull most of the back seats, have plenty of room to set you up a bed or whatever you'd need back there.
Find you a slightly used E350 with the V10 engine, it will easily pull a trailer like you're talking about. If you go with the 25' Airstream, you might could be OK with a 5.4 V8 powered E350.
Class B rig would be real nice, too, if you could afford such. Only problem would be finding one with enough tow capacity, and the $$ involved. By the time you purchase both a Class B van and an RV trailer, thats an awful lot of $$. Just a regular E350 van and trailer would be a lot less expensive.
Good luck whatever you decide on. Sounds really cool, what you're talking about doing.
Will & Angela
2 wonderful children that love camping, Stephen & Allison
2003 Ford Excursion V10 4x4
2003 Thor Citation 33M, Hensley Arrow hitch, Brakesmart Brake Control
(wanna see? Here is a picture of it )
We use a one-ton extended Dodge van. It has beds, sink, water supply and 12V overhead lighting (from when it was our only RV.) It is very comfortable to travel in. The non-driver can go back and take a nap or fix a snack. The extended van has shown no stability problems. To the contrary, in turning corners, the long rear body "kicks" out the front of the trailer, causing it to track the TV without ever cutting the corner.
I think you would have a better time Full Timing in a 1 Ton truck with a good sized truck camper. They are less expensive than the Airstream you are looking at and would be with you all the time while driving your truck.
2006 Hornet 28BHDS-Bunk House, Dual Slides
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 HD
5.7L Hemi, Factory Towing Package
Reese Brake Controller, WD Hitch and Sway Bar
I think that a van is the most versatile vehicle that you can have, at least for us that is true. You can tow, haul a 4' X 8' sheet of plywood, haul people, and just haul stuff with it. I would recommend a E-350 1 ton van. A V-10 would be nice, but a 5.4 would get the job done for 7000#.
This isn't directly related to your question, but I recommend that you reconsider the 25' Airstream. As a former fulltimer in a 30' Airstream, you will find they are pretty small. I would look for a nice TT with one or two slides for fulltiming.
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