I have been involved with tow vehicles for a long time. My parents started trailering back in 19 and 59...with a Rambler trailer and a '59 Chevy wagon.
They went through quite a few trailers and the tow vehicles that towed them.
I followed their lead and towed trailers.
The tow vehicles whether in the 1950's or currently, have always been relatively the same...rear wheel drive, automatic transmission, big, beefy V series engine, mostly V8's. Used to be the big car...now, more often the pickup truck.
We have diesels now and they're like gas V8's, only more so, when it comes to big cubes, big power,
Heard on the radio that gas is going to take a big leap upwards. Probably will, wouldn't surprise me.
Now I'm wondering am I driving the last of the bigger vehicles with nice big displacement that gives you gobs of creamy, strong low and mid range power ? I'm going to miss that torquey power..really will.
Because of the price of fuel going up..will I be reduced to a buzzy 4 cylinder, or a small turbodiesel, or a hybrid as my next vehicle?
How will anyone tow a trailer say around 30 feet or more...say ten years from now?
Will there be 30 foot and up...trailers in 10 years?
I know the Europeans tow with 4 cylinder, front wheel drive...but the trailers they tow are a lot smaller and lighter than what's available in North America.
Some of us who fulltime won't be able to move to small, lightweight trailers. We just need the room. However, if push comes to shove, I'm prepared to downsize as much as necessary in order to continue my lifestyle. If it means getting a Class B, so be it....
Mr. Ed (fulltiming since 1987)
2007 Hitchhiker II LS Model 29.5 LKTG
2007 Dodge Ram 3500/6.7 CTD/QC/4X4/SB/SRW/6-speed man/Big Horn edition
I feel, that well all still have the Bigger engines but they won't be fuel oil. perhaps Hydrogen. Ford and a few others are working on that right now. Ford is claiming it will run any engine on the market now, with a conversion kit. You presently can change your engine from gas to LP for about six grand. There is a locale out fit doing it here. They claim it is cheaper to run then gas. I don't see it, there promising $1.89 a gallon for LP to there conversion coustomers. JM2Cents Bill
Les.. Our history's are similar. Our family got into towing back in 1955 when my dad built his first aluminum box type tent trailer. Towed it with a 1955 6 cyl Plymouth.
If the technology advances don't come through for us and the price of gas continues to escalate ( probably will ) we will have to follow the off shore lead and tow with more fuel efficient TV's. At least most of us will. As in Europe there are the wealthy that tow with the guzzlers but they can afford it.
We are already seeing the trend. More RV manufacturers are building smaller, lighter units. Airstream is one example who recently introduced a light weight Euro model that could easily be converted for sale in NA.
Many of us have seen the light already. This household has been towing for the last 13 years with small V6 vehicles. A friend of mine tows his mid sized Airstream with a 5 cyl Volvo. No issues although there are many who continue to try to figure out why it shouldn't work when in reality it does?!?!
Although there are many myths regarding towing with small vehicles with small engines the truth is they work very well when set up optimally. Our 3.5 V6 towing our 23' Airstream has more power than we will ever need and they are so quiet when towing on the highway at 60MPH (2,600 RPM).
I recall back in the late 70's when the corp I worked for reduced our mileage dollars per klm. The reason was that they assumed we would be getting smaller more fuel efficient vehicles as the price of fuel was rising. A number of my fellow employees whined about there was no way they were going to drive a shoe box and give up their big Buicks and Old's. Funny thing.... The two guys that did all the complaining are now driving a Toyota Camry and the other guy drives a Chev Nova. Neither of them are complaining. They luv their smaller cars.
People will adapt. It will just take time.
PS... 4 cyl engines don't buzz anymore. You must be thinking of the good old days.......Pintos and Vegas...lol
If I am still able and my truck hasn't been totaled in ten years I will still be using it. No choice. Retired, can't afford a new truck. What will really hurt is when the day comes that fuel is too expensive to use the bigger rigs and you won't be able to give them away. Then what are you going to do? Plant flowers in it and get a bike? Nope, I'll have to keep mine even if it cuts me down to one short trip per year. What else are you going to do?
05 Dodge Ram 3500 SLT SC DRW 4X4 CTD G56 373's CAI,Edge Juice/Attitude,Jake,Rancho9000x,Torklift tie downs,Superhitch,Stable Loads
04 S&S Avalanche 9' with slide 26th Marines RVN 69-70 Semper Fi M-14 was the only Woodstock I saw in 1969.
Road Ruler wrote: Les.. Our history's are similar. Our family got into towing back in 1955 when my dad built his first aluminum box type tent trailer. Towed it with a 1955 6 cyl Plymouth.
If the technology advances don't come through for us and the price of gas continues to escalate ( probably will ) we will have to follow the off shore lead and tow with more fuel efficient TV's. At least most of us will. As in Europe there are the wealthy that tow with the guzzlers but they can afford it.
We are already seeing the trend. More RV manufacturers are building smaller, lighter units. Airstream is one example who recently introduced a light weight Euro model that could easily be converted for sale in NA.
Many of us have seen the light already. This household has been towing for the last 13 years with small V6 vehicles. A friend of mine tows his mid sized Airstream with a 5 cyl Volvo. No issues although there are many who continue to try to figure out why it shouldn't work when in reality it does?!?!
Although there are many myths regarding towing with small vehicles with small engines the truth is they work very well when set up optimally. Our 3.5 V6 towing our 23' Airstream has more power than we will ever need and they are so quiet when towing on the highway at 60MPH (2,600 RPM).
I recall back in the late 70's when the corp I worked for reduced our mileage dollars per klm. The reason was that they assumed we would be getting smaller more fuel efficient vehicles as the price of fuel was rising. A number of my fellow employees whined about there was no way they were going to drive a shoe box and give up their big Buicks and Old's. Funny thing.... The two guys that did all the complaining are now driving a Toyota Camry and the other guy drives a Chev Nova. Neither of them are complaining. They luv their smaller cars.
People will adapt. It will just take time.
PS... 4 cyl engines don't buzz anymore. You must be thinking of the good old days.......Pintos and Vegas...lol
Huh?? My '73 Vega never buzzed. Um, it needed a quart of oil every hundred miles by 1978... but it never buzzed. Well, not that I can recall anyway!
I agree, the smaller TVs are quite capable nowadays. And they will save some fuel when not towing. But during towing? I'm not sure they will make much difference. Even with lighter trailers, even if it only weighed 1500 lb. you still have to also make them significantly shorter in height, narrower, and more rounded to add much to the MPGs because you are pushing so much wind. And as for towing 30'+ length TTs like Les mentioned... well, break out the Hensleys, that's the only way I'd even think of trying it!
Mike & Sherry
2000 Mercury Mountaineer
2008 Toyota Highlander
2005 Rockwood 2304s
= Equal-i-zer hitch =
If you want to see the future of RVing, look to the Brits. Their gas prices have been exhorbitantly high for years, most drive compact cars, yet "caravaning" is as much a phenomenon over there as RVing is over here.
There are going to be a lot more popups and hybrids being towed by compact cars and minivans, and a lot fewer TTs, 5vers, TCs, and motorhomes. You'll see more spartan interiors with lighter composite materials, rather than "all the comforts of home."
TV: Mint 1972 Ford F-250 XLT
TT: 1969 19' Excel; entertains 6, feeds 4, sleeps 2 You don't shoot to kill, you shoot to stay alive.
I don't carry because I have to, I carry because I get to. I like new things-
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Um, it needed a quart of oil every hundred miles by 1978... but it never buzzed. Well, not that I can recall anyway! 
