*Truck and Towing thread........ask your questions here.*

[PaHunter]

Chris, what do you tow with?
I know Ed has over 200K on his Suburban too, so I think with more maintenance we can keep ours. I like my Burb and don't want to replace it until we have to. (I don't like the chipping paint though).

We tow with the Volvo Semi truck in our picture. Trucks like this have a lifespan of 1 million miles. We have not put that many on it, maybe 10k. The rest of those miles were from when it was a working truck. We have been replacing parts that need it as we can. Our door and one side panel need to be replaced. Garage just quoted me nearly 7k for the replacement. I told DW we will source parts from a salvage yard and get it repainted to match.

 

[sirenia88]

! So...
we are buying a 21-23' hybrid, which will be around 5K gross and towing with a Suburban (loaded with 2 adults and 4 skinny kids until 13).
We want to get a weight distribution hitch to help with any sway- but I don't want to spend $500 OR have to unhook to back up because we will forget and break something.

Best suggestions and why would I not go with the chain link type?

Congrats on the trailer. WDH set ups can be tricky. I had a Reese Pro series WDH with Anti Sway for a number of years. It was recommended to us by the sales rep during our purchase. I thought it was a headache to use. Every time I had to back into a space, I had to unhook the A/S off and sometimes the bars themselves. When we traded in our previous trailer and getting ready for the purchase of the current trailer, I wanted something different. The one sales rep we worked with at the dealer wanted us to keep our old set up saying it was good enough. I laughed and passed on it. Our original sales rep was back with us (He was off the day we came in for another walk through and made the decision to purchase.) he made several suggestions. One of them was a brand and model that impressed me at an RV show in which they had a booth there, Blue Ox Sway Pro. The new trailer needed 1500# rated spring bars. Super simple for hook up. Works great for back ups. Never had an issue with sway due to the hitch. trailer weight balancing was another story that was easily fixed. Our price was fairly OK for a dealership. I want to say it was around $850 installed with tax. Set up took about 40 minutes from start to finish in which I watched and then trained on using the system. I know it is more money than other brands but I have not had any bad experiences with the product given the fact I tow a 36 foot, 9,500 pound trailer that is about 11 1/2 feet high.

So I generally suggest the Blue Ox product as a good choice for towing. If you look around you will probably find one used for about the half the cost of new. The crazy part is I sold my old Reese WDH with A/S for 200 locally. So it really only cost me around $600 to upgrade my hitch set up. Now on the other hand, my parents tow a 17 foot, 3500 pound Hybrid trailer with a 2008 Ford Explorer powered by a V8 with 6 speed auto and tow package. My father doesn't run any sway control on the trailer. He has dealt with some weather and a number of tractor trailers without an issue. He said the trailer just tracks true and steady. The vehicle has plenty of power for climbing hills and the like. Since the trailer is 3,500 pounds he tows with a 2 inch drop 2 inch ball and that's it. I think it is because the trailer is a fairly low trailer to begin with. The Explorer is punching a pretty large hole in the air before it gets to the trailer. Hence the nice and easy towing characteristics of the trailer. Plus his Explorer gets good fuel mileage with the trailer in tow. I have seen them get in the 12-14 MPG on some trips.

Fuel Mileage I tend to stick with a 8 MPG estimate for my truck and trailer combos. My previous trailer (30' ,6000 pounds) and truck (F250) got around 8-9 MPG on some trips and depending the time of year. In one trip we pulled around 10 MPG which I think all my calculations were off but they were not. My current truck and trailer gets around 7.5-8.5 MPG, road conditions, traffic, etc. However I did see a 9.5 MPG return on one of my last trips of the year in 2019. The truck and the trailer were just really nice and I had an easy going ride for most of the way. Little traffic few stop and go's. I expected a larger drop with the new trailer being taller, longer and heavier. It was not that far off from the old one. Back to the main point of all this, if you route plan, figure 8 MPG for most of the trip. If you get lucky and get better mileage, great. If mileage tanks you have planned for that occurrence.

Good luck.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

How many miles is "too many" on a tow vehicle?
Our Suburban just rolled over 205K and I had planned on keeping it until 300K- BUT I am reconsidering now that we are towing a 5,000 pound camper.

I agree with Christ - a lot has to do with the health of the vehicle itself.

For us, as many on here know, we finally bit the bullet and ditched our Suburban just recently. It was an '06 with the big block engine and only 116,000 miles on it. From a mechanical perspective, the engine likely had another 150,000 miles on it. The problem was that after 15 years in the northern salt-riddled winters, the rust was playing havoc with everything else. It stranded us 2x last year (both related to underbody corrosion), and we'd spent over $7,000 in repairs in 1 year! The end result was that we were reluctant to take it anywhere beyond the local region because we weren't sure the Suburban could/would handle it.

If you feel comfortable with the reliability and safety of your Suburban, stick with it. If/when you start planning your camping around what you believe your Suburban can handle, however, that's when it might be time to hang it up!

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Well I figured I'd add it the towing page, we traded our 16 3500 Silverado for this 2020 F450 Lariat with the new 10 speedtransmission. Found a new used B&W fifthwheel hitch with the Ford pucks on Facebook market place this past weekend. Yesterday I did the adjustment to the hitch and made a short trip down to Dauphin Island with the camper and I was impressed with how well it did. I didn't think to get a picture.


Drove from Mobile, Al to Huntsville, Al going up I did the math on mileage, 406 miles used 26 gallons came out around 15.5 mpg run between 75 and 85 mph, (I65 has som long empty stretches)

 

[Teamubr]

Drove from Mobile, Al to Huntsville, Al going up I did the math on mileage, 406 miles used 26 gallons came out around 15.5 mpg run between 75 and 85 mph, (I65 has some long empty stretches)

That's a good looking truck. Got tired of pulling with the 'Pete?

Is that mileage towing or bobtail? I get a little better than that not towing out of mine going about the same speed. 16-17, depending on wind. The 450 has a bit more power and weight than my truck though.

j

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

That was running empty, haven't towed far enough to get a mileage number yet.

I love pulling with the Pete, but some times it's not feasible, everyday running around is a challenge with Pete. But I still might use the Pete in October.

 

[mickeyfan0805]

Well I figured I'd add it the towing page, we traded our 16 3500 Silverado for this 2020 F450 Lariat with the new 10 speedtransmission.

Nice rig - congrats!

 

[himandher818]

Well, the camper came with a hitch! It does have the chains, and no sway bar but it towed better than we expected.
Except it is a brick. What a shocker after towing popups around. We averaged 9mpg with our Suburban.

How many miles is "too many" on a tow vehicle?
Our Suburban just rolled over 205K and I had planned on keeping it until 300K- BUT I am reconsidering now that we are towing a 5,000 pound camper.

I tow using a F150 with the 5.0L engine and my 5000lb trailer tows well. I get around 10+/- mpg. Like sirenia88, I plan my route around 8 mpg to give me some breathing room. I have the 1000lb 4-point Equilizer hitch, and it does well. I think it runs in the $600-$700 range now.

If the Suburban is still running well you should be fine, but towing is going to put some additional strain on it. I would at least be looking for something else in case a good deal pops up, but not rushing it. I'm guessing you were also towing it empty and without the Suburban loaded with gear.

If you replace it with a truck it might be tight with three kids in the back once the get bigger, and then you have to split the group some in the truck and some in a car.

 

[bama_ed]

Chris, what do you tow with?
I know Ed has over 200K on his Suburban too, so I think with more maintenance we can keep ours. I like my Burb and don't want to replace it until we have to. (I don't like the chipping paint though).

I'm with you. My Suburban (05 model) has paint peeling off the hood, the fabric ceiling panels separating, most dashboard dials non-functional (MPH and temp okay), holes worn out in floor mats, cd player jammed (XM works tho).... All it does is keep running and towing when I need it for that (241k miles).

Since your new trailer is not as low as the old popup, it's no surprise you took a hit on mpg. But all in all it sounds like a fair trade if you can use the current TV for a while. As long as it's rated to handle the weight you are towing, I would continue to use it for the foreseeable future if I were you.

In the end we all eventually need a new tow vehicle but I am in no mood to rush that day in coming.

Bama Ed

 

[rideswithchrist]

I'm with you. My Suburban (05 model) has paint peeling off the hood, the fabric ceiling panels separating, most dashboard dials non-functional (MPH and temp okay), holes worn out in floor mats, cd player jammed (XM works tho).... All it does is keep running and towing when I need it for that (241k miles).

Since your new trailer is not as low as the old popup, it's no surprise you took a hit on mpg. But all in all it sounds like a fair trade if you can use the current TV for a while. As long as it's rated to handle the weight you are towing, I would continue to use it for the foreseeable future if I were you.

In the end we all eventually need a new tow vehicle but I am in no mood to rush that day in coming.

Bama Ed

Yes- the liner is coming down in a few spots, the CD player and DVD player gave up long ago and it needs a seal for the sunroof- so we tape it during rain...and I miss cloth seats- leather is too hot/too cold and then when they split, they are terrible!
That said, I don't want to get another until we HAVE to. I think we will just build up our emergency fund with car replacement in mind and see how the next 3 years go... I'll tell my hubby "as long as Ed has his Suburban, we will keep ours"

 

[rideswithchrist]

I tow using a F150 with the 5.0L engine and my 5000lb trailer tows well. I get around 10+/- mpg. Like sirenia88, I plan my route around 8 mpg to give me some breathing room. I have the 1000lb 4-point Equilizer hitch, and it does well. I think it runs in the $600-$700 range now.

If the Suburban is still running well you should be fine, but towing is going to put some additional strain on it. I would at least be looking for something else in case a good deal pops up, but not rushing it. I'm guessing you were also towing it empty and without the Suburban loaded with gear.

If you replace it with a truck it might be tight with three kids in the back once the get bigger, and then you have to split the group some in the truck and some in a car.

*whew* good to know 10 was normal. I knew to expect it, but it was still a shock from the 14 we got with the popup. (note to self, increase Disney gas budget) haha. I figure it will be a wash in gas cost vs hotel cost anyway.
I think we will stick with a 'burban or tahoe, while a 6 seater truck would be nice to toss bikes in...the kids would be that much louder...we really need to space them out LOL.

Chip Winston will keep chugging along as long as he can. My dad has a B300 with over 500K on it, so I laugh when people worry when their cars get close to 100K miles.

 

[bama_ed]

I'll tell my hubby "as long as Ed has his Suburban, we will keep ours"

Tell hubs I have the cracked leather seats and issues with the sunroof seal too (although this last time I got it closed up tight enough to keep the water out and it will NEVER BE OPENED/TOUCHED BY ME AGAIN - it took several attempts).

But at least the electric seat warmers still work! <fist pump>. AC too!

Ed

PS - and yep, the dvd player didn't work long after I bought it used in 2010 with 85K miles. So our vehicles must have rolled off the shop floor in the same week.

 

[tiggerdad]

But at least the electric seat warmers still work! <fist pump>. AC too!

All you need right there!

 

[rideswithchrist]

Wohoo for butt warmers!
Ours are flaky.

 

[tiggerdad]

Ours are flaky.

The seats.....?

 

[Teamubr]

But at least the electric seat warmers still work! <fist pump>.

All you need right there!

I used to think that until I bought the RS. It also has a steering wheel heater. In below freezing weather, that is amazing. Almost better than the seats.

Now the weird thing I could probably do without. My truck also has seat coolers. It cools pretty well, but gives you the sensation you wet your pants. I'll turn it on for passengers without saying anything and then see how long it takes them to start squirming.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

I used to think that until I bought the RS. It also has a steering wheel heater. In below freezing weather, that is amazing. Almost better than the seats.

Now the weird thing I could probably do without. My truck also has seat coolers. It cools pretty well, but gives you the sensation you wet your pants. I'll turn it on for passengers without saying anything and then see how long it takes them to start squirming.

j

With my all black interior the seat coolers are a must in the summer.

I have never noticed the wet sensation however.

On long trips, even in summer, I use the seat heater to help with keeping my back muscles from hurting.

 

[Teamubr]

With my all black interior the seat coolers are a must in the summer.

On long trips, even in summer, I use the seat heater to help with keeping my back muscles from hurting.

My seats are tan, thankfully. If I lived as close to the sun as you do, I'd probably use them more. I don't remember to use them and when I do, the sensation is just weird.

Our crew guy on the race team used to put on the heaters too for the same reason. Luckily I don't have back problems. The back sweating is enough in the Summer without adding heat from the seats.

j

 

[team bradfield]

The rig shakedown was a month in the making between weather and work, but we finally got her out for a short trip.

We love the trailer, but we're a little disappointed with the whole RV industry. So many nail/staple holes with horrible filler jobs. The filler either doesn't match the area or it looks like they applied it with a sausage tied to their fingers. So many little things that you'd think someone would catch between the manufacturer and the dealer. Loose screws, unprogrammed LCI GC 3.0, stickers left all over everything that the installer is supposed to remove, etc.

Nothing that I've found hurts the functionality nor anything in the long haul. Though I'm not sure a rookie RVer could figure out all these problems like we did. Just a good reminder that we look like bags of money instead of people to most of these company.

Nice 5'ver, we've owned 2 Cardinals and 2 Montana's, all of them have the same issues with sawdust, staples, nail filler, etc. I never use the auto level, takes too long, I just use manual mode.
Funny, our first meal in every RV has been homemade pizza (and every Friday while camping) the new ovens work great. If you haven't already, join the Montana owners group, a wealth of information and help with issues. https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/index.php

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Nice 5'ver, we've owned 2 Cardinals and 2 Montana's, all of them have the same issues with sawdust, staples, nail filler, etc. I never use the auto level, takes too long, I just use manual mode.
Funny, our first meal in every RV has been homemade pizza (and every Friday while camping) the new ovens work great. If you haven't already, join the Montana owners group, a wealth of information and help with issues. https://www.montanaowners.com/forums/index.php

Thanks. We're happy with it and it's such a difference from our little starter TT.

Now that the auto level is calibrated I'm quite happy with it. We've camped two more weekends since and while it's finishing up leveling I'm running around getting stuff out of the truck, covering the hitch, etc etc. It works out on timing. I just need to upgrade the battery bank so I don't have to have it plugged to shore power to make sure it will finish auto leveling.

Our oven is a little smaller than our old 30' TT. That was a bit surprising, but we found a pan that works. It's too easy and the kids enjoy it. I agree the oven works well, just need a thermometer to verify the knob's lies.

I've seen you post a few times on MOC. Haven't felt the need to burst out from lurker mode yet.