From time to time, I will attempt to answer email queries in this space. Today I received a nice email from a couple of prospective Airstream owners. After asking a little about Airstreams (they are considering 28-foot Safari and International models), they really focused on the truck end of things.
That’s one aspect of buying a towable RV; for many of us, we need to go shopping TWICE. Personally, I never owned a pickup truck before becoming an RV owner.
This photo was taken on our way to Key West, early in The Long Long Honeymoon.
In the future I’m planning to do a video about tow vehicle options (starring our faithful truck SEEMORE). But for now, I’ll let this visitor to The Long Long Honeymoon take the floor:
My husband and I have decided to begin our “second long, long honeymoon” — it’s our 37th year together! We are planning to buy an Airstream and truck. While doing our research we ran across your website and videos… we’ve spent hours watching and have learned so much from them. Thank you!
Hey, it’s my pleasure. Thanks for watching. Tell your friends. Pass it around!
The truck decision is hard… We have received so much advice from dealerships, websites and friends…even those without any towing experience have weighed-in. The latest advice has us in a 350 diesel, which seems like way more truck than we need. The cost of the two vehicles is also a consideration, my husband is retired and I will be retiring in a few short years. We are hoping that you would share a little advice, based on your experience with pulling an Airstream.
I will offer my advice and opinions. Take them for what they are worth. I’ll never claim to know what’s best for everyone. But I’m happy to relay our experiences and what we’ve learned.
You mentioned that you have a Ford 250 diesel truck —
Yeeeeeesssssssss?
1. What model/year is this truck?
Our truck is a 2007 Ford F250 Supercab Powerstroke Diesel with a short bed.
Ford changed model designs in 2008, so we bought one in the final year of the “old” design.
Personally, I feel more confident buying a vehicle that’s a few years along in a production run, because the manufacturer has had plenty of time to work out the bugs and perfect the design. Of course, the “all new” 2008 models offered many improvements; but they came along with many teething issues. Also, we got a better deal on the ’07 because the dealer just wanted to move them off the lot. (I don’t have the numbers handy, but it seems like we received over 20% off the MSRP!)
Our truck is a “Supercab” which means it has a half backseat. The rear doors open in “suicide” style, if you know what I mean. The rear seats also fold up for extra storage.
2. What towing package do you have?
We have a limited slip rear differential, which I’m told is good for towing. We also have the “tow / haul” package, which engages the engine as a brake. The tow / haul package is fantastic! It really enhances one’s confidence when towing, especially when traversing steep declines. We towed our Airstream down many tall mountains in Montana, and I never needed to “ride the brakes” because the engine braking system helps to maintain a steady speed. So, yes, I definitely have a tow package and strongly recommend it.
3. Are you still happy with it?
I love it! Really, I love owning a pickup truck. I don’t know how we got along without one before.
As an RV tow vehicle it has done all we’ve asked, and we’ve asked a lot.
I’m a little miffed that the cost of diesel fuel now exceeds the cost of premium gasoline, but that’s not the truck’s fault.
4. Do you feel that it is “enough truck” for your 25 footer?
Plenty. It’s arguably slight overkill, but I recommend that you buy a little more truck than you need. Why? It’s a safety issue. I’m concerned that buying “just enough truck” may cause an accident down the road.
You mentioned buying an F350. In my book, that’s buying a LOT more truck than you need. You should be able to tow the Airstreams you mentioned (Safari and International models) with an F250 just fine. The Safari, especially, is designed to be light weight.
The Classic models are a little heavier, thanks to oak cabinetry and Corian countertops. If you were going for a 34-foot Classic, then I think you should probably step up to an F350 or similar truck.
5. Do you feel it should have been bigger and more powerful?
Personally, no. I’ve been very happy with our truck.
Bigger? It’s already a monstrosity. 😉 Some would say that for ultimate towing stability, we should have opted for a crew cab (full backseat four-door) model with a long bed. Those trucks have a longer wheelbase, and therefore deliver even more stability when towing. But they are the size of a battleship.
More powerful? The beast has enough torque to HAUL said battleship. The diesel engine is fantastic. Yes, it sounds like a school bus, but it generates gobs of power and gets about 12 MPG when towing (about 17 MPG when not towing). I have no complaints about the engine.
6. Is there anything that you feel is missing from your truck options? What are they?
Ahhh, options. Here’s where the price of a vehicle can run amuck.
Ford offers a completely over the top interior option called “King Ranch.” It’s completely absurd in that your truck interior will be nicer than the average Porsche interior (thicker saddle leather & stitching, yadda yadda). But wow, it is nice. I certainly wouldn’t recommend paying full MSRP for this feature, but if I were shopping the pre-owned market and saw a King Ranch truck, I would check it out. Options usually lose quite a bit of value upon resale.
Our interior is called “Lariat” and it’s pretty bare bones. The LED display on the dashboard is pathetic. The stereo is decent but lacks iPod support. But hey, at the end of the day, it’s a pickup truck.
7. What maintenance is needed on this vehicle?
Oil changes are regularly required, as with any other vehicle, but they are on the expensive side (like just over $100). The monster engine needs a LOT of oil.
But now for the good news! Diesels are generally very reliable and durable, moreso than gasoline engines. Some people claim that a diesel truck with 100,000 miles is just getting broken in. They are built to work.
So, if cost is a factor, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy a well-maintained, used diesel truck. Let someone else take the hit on depreciation.
Note that although we have a Ford, I’ve also heard good things about the GMC equivalent diesel. The Chevy has an Allison transmission which all of the truck guys seem to hold in high regard.
8. Now that you have logged so many miles, how is the truck holding up?
We’ve logged about 32,000 miles on the truck so far. SEEMORE is holding up like a tank.
We have had one problem, that that was the failure of a small air-conditioning motor that pushed cool air through the main vents into the cabin. The A/C itself did not fail, but the loss of the motor meant that the cool air was restricted to the windshield vents (no small problem in Arizona in July). This problem was fixed under warranty in a couple of hours.
9. Any other thoughts?
I would like to reiterate that the choice of tow vehicle is a SAFETY ISSUE. Towing too much RV with not enough truck is a recipe for disaster. DEFINITELY GET A STOUT TOW VEHICLE. If cost is an issue, look to the used market. They’re all “used” once they’re driven off the lot, anyway. I would much, much rather tow with a 5-year old SAFE tow vehicle than a brand new unsafe one.
Very Nice. We perfer the Gas model due to the odor and rattling. But, more to the issue of… hurry to the store. While the Diesel is a great engine to haul the mail with, it does not lend itself to liking the starts… no waiting for warm up… run to the store.. en home agian. No more the diesels like the start, warm up, get on the road and spend hour after hour at it. The good old gas engine is good for the quick starts and short runs to the store, etc…
Cost is another factor that most don’t take into consideration.
Have you had any work done on the engine yet? ouch that going to hurt.. is what we have said when we had one. They all break at some point.
Any complaints about you trying to sneak out early in the morning … quiet ‘ly.
We had one neighbor that read us the riot act for starting up and letting it warm up. (noise and smell)
After getting gas ‘ed .. does Kristie comment about the new wonderful body … smell you aquire when you spill some on your clothing? Mine wouldn’t let me get back in the trailer until after I … lost the odor…man it got cold outside and I had to submit …that was tough…arr arr arrr… grin… not so with the gas now.
And the fun of REALLY COLD WEATHER.. and no engine pre heat and at altitude (7000 ft) (acutally had illusions of building a fire under the engine to warm it up so it would start) Been their .. done that yet?
Ok so now what about the hitch? which type and all?
Brake controller? which one did your truck come with?
And…. Tires… on the truck… rock hard 10 ply (to keep kristie bouncing and getting sedimentary) or soft ride…??
and the ever important rear axle ratio. Yours?
Keep telling you that you need a 4×4 grin.. but hey at least you have the hooks on the front … .when you get stuck…
Sure enjoy your blog. Pass it on to others too.
GMAs
Ha! GMAs, you are certainly correct with regard to your comments about the noise. There’s no such thing as a quiet exit when you have a diesel truck. When we are going through drive-thrus, I’ve learned to just shut the engine off. It does make quite a racket.
One of the improvements Ford made in the ’08 models concerned noise. The new diesels are MUCH MUCH quieter than the one we own. They sound more like gas engines.
As for the smell, I haven’t found it to be too bad.
The cold weather? We don’t get much in the South. But I agree that’s an additional consideration in colder climes. Our truck has an outlet plug… You can plug the engine into an electrical outlet at night to keep ‘er warm.
Diesels have their compromises for sure. But I think we all agree that safety comes first, whether you opt for diesel or gas.
And thanks for the comments!
Sean
My 2 cents: I have driven since 1965 almost exclusively (a Jeep CJ-5) 1 ton and 3/4 ton trucks and Suburbans. Towing my Jeep on trailer ~6,000# east from deep powder skiing Colorado in winter with a one ton, I had my one and only faded brake failure; I can still taste the adrenalinagainagain!
Wide ratio gearing was the problem on steep, long down hill stretches. I had a big block 6-cylinder with 4-speed manual transmission and a 4.56 rear end. Even big brakes faded. It needed an overdrive unit to split gears to avoid redlining or brakes-only controlling speed downhill.
I now drive an ’08 F-450 crew 4×4 6.4 D/5-spd auto with tow/haul with 4.88 specifically to pull and stop anything that I can hook up drive over mountain passes in inclement weather. I bought at the summer’s panic price peak. It was too cheap not to buy discounted so. Very Big – yes. Fun – yes! Economical – no – unless one factors in the damage & wear costs avoided by the near impossibility of losing control of truck with up to 8 tons of trailer.
“08s on give up perhaps two mpg because of political emission systems foisted upon us because of wrong data “science” demanding 15ppm Sulphur fuel. I expect 300,000-400,000 miles out of the engine with my light duty use. Each step up from 1/2 tons gain in frame-suspension-axel-brake strength = durability. I get 11.6 mpg – not towing! Look at low milage ’07s too.
I would advise a 3/4 ton crew 2×4 6-speed diesel, if high miles per year, or big block gas if you drive <10,000 miles per year. The diesel engine should last at least twice the miles of a gasser. A 3.73 rear end not in overdrive will pull 6-7,000# easily even in low altitude hills unless you attack the Rockies’ passes all year round. If your AS is over 7,000# consider the 4.11 or 4.56, with gas, depending on the transmission’s overdrive ratio, e.g. 0.72. 4 doors are convenient and a short-bed good enough if available. Get a roll bar – not a light bar, just in case. Single rear wheels is fine with best quality tires – I like 32″ tall LT265R70x17 E-or near equivalent.
Every 1,000 foot in elevation costs about 4% in engine’s power. Diesels have much more torque at 2,000 RPM than gas at 3,500 RPM. Understand your gearing & engine’s power curve.
Best of luck. With all advice, you need the luck.
Kilgore
Thanks for sharing your advice, Kilgore. They haven´t bought their Airstream yet, but are thinking about the 28-foot Safari and International models. I think your truck recommendation sounds spot on!
wow F450 is quite a BIG truck.
I think if they are going to buy a 28 ft… a F250 truck like semore .. is about perfict and not so much over kill.
What I think has been the bst vehicle to have so far… 1996 F-250 HD 4×4.. w/ winch gas 460 ci. Stock it made 18 mpg @ 60 mph cruse. We just got back from a adventure/work up north and it made 15mph country driving. Pulling the AS normally is around 10 mpg. We have stock 3.55 gears in it. ( I would recommend 3.73 gears in the new trucks) Now over 100,000 miles and still going strong. Some ask about the 4×4 use. Yes we have used it several times both pulling and solo. We like to go exploring in the back country off main roads.
Mainly it works out good in soft areas to get you though without stopping. (beach, snow, mud etc)
We also use the Low range (leaving the front hubs unlocked) to help get the trailer into position .. just so.. it gives you better control in tight places. that being said… we also installed the front reciever not only to carry items but also to hook the trailer to .. which then allows better manuvering while seeing the trailers position.
I can not tell a lie… the warn winch has never been used on my truck for my getting stuck. It has however seen lots of use on others who didn’t have 4 wheel drive… and got stuck big time trying to power their way through…. at the ranch we use it mainly for moving things, tightening the fences etc…
I don’t recommend you waist the money on a winch, dual tires or 4 wheel drive for the truck if you always use it on pavement/roads. Weight is costly in mileage.
Kilgore and I probably go back about the same time. Both of us could probably write a thick book on the adventures we have had… I have never added up all the miles we have pulled /pushed RV’s it would be interesting to have a side slot on your site showing .. mileage to date…log… grin
GMAs, that’s a great idea about mileage to date! Hmmmm, maybe we can add that feature to our website.
With regard to 4×4, we don’t have it, and I have learned not to venture onto soft terrain with our truck. Ironically the one time we got stuck was on our own property (just turning around SEEMORE on some soft ground). F250 are heavy vehicles, and they tend to sink in soft earth and sand. So now we stick to pavement and hard earth.
We get about 12 MPG when towing our Airstream.