Towing NT 32BUDS - Needing Some Quality Advice

We have owned our 2012 NT 32BUDS (bought it new) for about a year now knowing that we are going to have upgrade the tow vehicle so that we can take longer trips with it. The trailer weighs on the order of 7,200 lbs empty, so I am guessing we are at about 8,000 lbs loaded (no water). Currently I have been using my trusty 2006 Dodge Ram 4.7 (under powered, I know) to haul it around. Most of our camping is done with 25 miles of our house, but we do 2 - 3 trips a year that are 2 - 3 hours or more away. We average about 10 camping trips a year, as our kids love it and it's an inexpensive weekend getaway. I have been doing countless hours of research on a suitable tow vehicle for this camper keeping in mind our usage of it as noted above.

I added Monroe coil over rear shocks to my truck and it helped tremendously with the way the truck sits with the camper on it. I do use a weight distribution hitch for it, and with the help of the new rear shocks the truck sits level when towing.

The new vehicle is going to be a daily driver as well as the tow vehicle for the camper. Can anyone with more knowledge than me, point me in the direction of a quality tow vehicle that won't break the bank. The wife really likes the thought of using a Tahoe (or equivalent) to tow it, but I am not convinced that it will have the capability to do so. I see many people on the road with campers equivalent to mine being towed by Dodge Ram 1500's with the 5.7L. Let's here the comments and suggestions...

Chris

The new Chevy 1500 with 5.3L will tow 9000-11300lbs depending on the rear axle.

The tahoes max out at about 8000lbs but your limit would be the payload if your tongue weight was 15% of your 8000lbs at 1200lbs leaving about 400lbs for passengers and cargo in the Tahoe.

A Chevy 1500 crew cab with 5.3L and 3.42rear axle. would leave about 1900lbs for the cargo. A 3.73 rear axles would add 2k more to that number.

I understand your points completely. The rear gearing has a lot to do with the towing aspect thats for sure. My biggest concern in the transmission and the brakes in a 1500 series truck (GM or RAM). 8,000 lbs is a lot of weight and I certainly know it's back there right now on my truck I currently have. I have some time before I buy, be it GM or RAM, I am brand indifferent on those two. Ideally I would to have a 3.73 as a minimum rear gear for either brand. 4.10's would be very nice for when I get into the hills of northern Michigan, but would sacrifice some MPG on a daily basis. This is the dilemma I am faced with, do I buy a 1500 series or step up to the 2500 series for the better tranny and brake system. Decisions, decisions...

Guess you're not interested in the Ford. Have you looked at Toyota or Nissan?

If you really want daily driver mileage I'd look into the new 3.0L diesel in the RAM 1500.


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Consider how long you plan to keep your current north trail and truck. If you don't plan to upgrade either for a while I would stick with the 1500 series. If you think you may want to keep your truck a while and upgrade the trailer to a 5th wheel in the next couple years, then consider the larger truck.

Consider the 3500 single rear wheel over the 2500 not much difference in price but you gain lots of payload capacity.
I need to upgrade my 1500 and am looking at moving to a 3500 for this very reason.

The new 3.0L diesel, from what I have seen, will not have the towing capacity that I will need. No offense to anyone driving a Toyota or Nissan but I won't do it, don't like them and being in the heart of the big 3 it's not really the thing to do. With Ford I have never really like the design of them.

We do plan on keeping the camper for quite a while. Our kids are young and there is plenty of room in it for our family for a long time to come. We upgraded last year from a Starcraft Centennial series pop-up that we had for 4 years. It became too much of a pain for setup and tear down with everything we needed. Now, with the new rig we pull in, level, hookup and we are camping. It's certainly amazing at how much better the TT rides and tows versus the pop-up.

Now it's time convince the wife that a Tahoe just isn't going to cut it. I have been telling her that for quite some time but she is insistent. Such is life...

Consider the wheelbase length of the tow vehicle with that looong trailer. Tried to tow a fairly light 21fbs with a v8 4runner. Tail wagged dog, even though we had weight-distribution hitch, sway bar, and were within specs of our towing capacity.



Erika

TravelTiger said:

Consider the wheelbase length of the tow vehicle with that looong trailer. Tried to tow a fairly light 21fbs with a v8 4runner. Tail wagged dog, even though we had weight-distribution hitch, sway bar, and were within specs of our towing capacity.

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Erika

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Would you have link for the source of this chart?

Sorry, I don't. It was prevalent on the web a few years ago. Harder to find now, so when I found it again, I took a screen grab.


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After a search on more info about the source of this chart. It apparently was published in a book available on the RV Consumers group. The book is titled: How to Select, Inspect, and Buy an RV, by JD Gallant.

The problem with the chart is that it does not address many other factors such as tow vehicle weight, trailer weight, or whether this rule of thumb applies to 5th wheel, Travel trailers, hitch modifiers such as Weight distributing or anti-sway hitches, or any number of other considerations when towing a trailer.

I would recommend looking at a 2500 will handle your current RV well and give room from growth to larger RV. I pulled my first TT a 28ft SOB with a Toyota 4 runner one season on pretty flat terrain and that was enough moved up to a 1500 and with small V8 and wasn't enough after 1 year traded for a 2500 dura max. I had it for 12 years and just recently traded for a 3500. Until we got the 5er we had a nice camper top painted to match the truck it was awesome for camping. Had the looks of a Tahoe or Suburban with a ton of hauling capacity. Wife loved it. I have not driven the 3500 much as I just bought it. I like it so far but the ride is definitely stiffer on the 3500. GM currently has some great rebates on the 2500's and 3500's or at least they did a few weeks ago. As for convincing the wife....you know its often better to ask forgiveness than permission....

There two concerns you need to consider. 1. The towing capacity. 2. The vertical load on the rear axle. To help you understand the details, visit Fifth Wheel St. and read Before You Buy That RV, Truck or Other Tow Vehicle.