Tow vehicle for NT 24RBS

[warmd]

This is our first post to this forum and we've never towed a TT before. We've bought a 2011 24RBS but need to buy a tow vehicle. Joanne will be doing a lot of the driving (she gets motion sickness) so the new vehicle will be hers. She doesn't want a pick-up so we've been looking at a Ford Expedition, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Dodge Durango. Money is an object since we may be retiring later this year and won't be able to afford a large car payment. Because of elderly family member concerns we're looking for something that seats 6. The Jeep does not, unfortunately, but we like it a lot. Just concerned about the size vs. the size of the trailer.

We'd like to hear from anyone who is towing a 24RBS to let us know what they are driving and any advice they can give. Neither of us has ever towed a trailer before!

Joanne & Bill
Bel Air, MD

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Joanne and Bill,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

I can't help you with a tow vehicle recommendation, but I am going to move the thread to the North Trail area where I think you will get more response from other NT owners.

Hope you enjoy your new NT and make many good memories with it.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[GOTTOYS]

Any of your choices would be okay, but just okay... keep in mind, the longer the wheelbase the more stable it will be while towing. Maybe a Tahoe or even better a Suburban might work better. If they're all V8's they mileage will be pretty much the same between all of them. If you are pulling the trailer and hauling a bunch of passengers at the same time you need to be concerned about your total carrying capacity. Bigger is usually better for towing...Don

 

[OhioJay]

We have the 2010 NT 32QBSS. I tow with a new Suburban 3/4 ton. I love that truck. It get's the job done towing, has plenty of room, and has enclosed, lockable "storage" (as compared to a pickup).

Depending on how much your rig weighs, you might be able to get away with a Tahoe, almost surely a Suburban.

I could not be more happy with my Suburban, and would recommend one to any one.

 

[warmd]

Thanks Jim. We're sure to have some great times with our NT.

Happy RV-ing!

Hi Joanne and Bill,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and Family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

I can't help you with a tow vehicle recommendation, but I am going to move the thread to the North Trail area where I think you will get more response from other NT owners.

Hope you enjoy your new NT and make many good memories with it.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[warmd]

Thanks Don & Kathy. We appreciate your reply. We were actually out in the cold this evening looking at Tahoe's!

Any of your choices would be okay, but just okay... keep in mind, the longer the wheelbase the more stable it will be while towing. Maybe a Tahoe or even better a Suburban might work better. If they're all V8's they mileage will be pretty much the same between all of them. If you are pulling the trailer and hauling a bunch of passengers at the same time you need to be concerned about your total carrying capacity. Bigger is usually better for towing...Don

 

[warmd]

Our NT weighs only 5460 lbs. We did go out looking at Tahoe's and Suburbans this evening. Thanks for your response

We have the 2010 NT 32QBSS. I tow with a new Suburban 3/4 ton. I love that truck. It get's the job done towing, has plenty of room, and has enclosed, lockable "storage" (as compared to a pickup).

Depending on how much your rig weighs, you might be able to get away with a Tahoe, almost surely a Suburban.

I could not be more happy with my Suburban, and would recommend one to any one.

 

[irvin56]

your weight is only dry (empty) weight. You need to look at total weight issue. you need to look at total weight unless your planning to tow an empty trailer . Look at the gross weight for trailer on sticker, it is around 6900 lbs that's about what it will be once loaded. Any vehicle with a bigger v-8 will do.
I have a 4.8 liter and I am maxed out with trailer behind. Look at a vehicle that has a trailer pulling wieght of around 8,000 lbs. just to be safe.

My 31qbs is only 5600 dry but loaded to camp mine is closer to max 6900 lbs.
Also a good weight distribution hitch with sway contol.
Take is slow, ask questions at dealers to make sure you get big enough truck and enjoy the new toys. lots pull with the trucks you are looking at.

 

[TravelTiger]

Wheelbase length of the tow vehicle is also important. Check this out: http://www.davidsrvtips.blogspot.com/

Good luck in your search!

 

[jmgratz]

Try driving a 3/4 ton pickup crew cab. I think you will find it drives and handles better than an SUV or Suburban. You can put a bed cover on it and it looks like a Suburban or Tahoe. The hauling capacity is more too. MHO

 

[Saildogs]

We have a 2011 NT 24RBS and towed with a 2006 Ford Expedition. It did well but the short wheelbase was always a concern of Diane's. If you go for an Expedition, get the EL as the wheelbase is 131 inches. We upgraded to a 2011 Ford F-150 with a 157 inch wheelbase and supercrew cab and there is a difference with the longer wheelbase.

Enjoy that new TT! We love ours.

 

[TeJay]

Hi,
We also just ordered a 2011 24RBS. We owned two motor homes (23-ft. & 34-ft.) previous to buying a trailer but have have never towed a trailer before so this is a new adventure. Today before we purchased we towed a 22FBS which is a little heavier than the 24RBS. They hooked up a W/D hitch but did not hook up the anti-sway option. We have a 2010 F-150 gas with the 4.6-L engine, tow package & computer controlled anti-sway options. I believe the CC anti-sway option was new in 2010. I know the trailer was not loaded down with stuff and I only pulled it about 20 miles but the F-150 did just fine. I got it cruising up to 65-MPH with no problem. The gas mileage dropped to around 10.5 for that short distance and I usually get over 20 on the highway. We opted for the 4.6-L because it's all aluminum therefore better MPG. I don't think Ford offers the 4.6 on the 2011. I believe your only option will be the 5.3-L or the V-6 twin turbo.
We do not have 4-W/D. I am a retired teacher and I taught automotive for those 35 years. I don't have all the answers but I know that having 4-W/D adds weight to the vehicle which reduces your MPG and adds about $2,000 to your initial cost. The other consideration is how often do you really need 4-W/D??? Most guys buy it (so I've been told by the Ford salesmen) because it's cool and they almost never use it. Now if you live in an area that needs it & plan on not allowing a little bad weather stopping you from camping by all mean get it.
Many people will tell you that you can't have enough HP. That's probably true but you also have to have enough $$$ to afford the HP. As a retired teacher and a wife who is a retired nurse, while we are comfortable in retirement we still can't drop 45 or so grand on a new diesel rig.
I'll bet the Ford dealership might allow you to take a vehicle hook your trailer up to it for a test pull. I think it would be worth a try. It never hurts to ask. Or maybe you could rent one for half a day to check it out. It's a big investment and one needs to be careful and comfortable with ones purchases. I hope this info helps in trying to make a decision.
TeJay & Liz
Lowell, AR.

 

[irvin56]

Test tow?? A new vehicle needs a break in period before you can tow, and needs to be rigged up to tow. Unless it's used and all ready has been towing trailers you might get a try. BUT I highly doubt it, as they don't want anything to happen to truck untill it's payed for and off lot. Now if it was a trailer for a test tow, dealer may do it okay if your commited to buying it.

As for a rental, again it has to be set for towing and the paper work is crazy for that. Most are not rigged for towing,as again they don't want anything tore up in their units.

 

[APT]

My wife has no problems driving our half ton pickup. It was her daily driver/commuter for a few years. But she has never towed anything any is not comfortable towing our TT with it. We are planning on replacing this truck with something newer and probably a 3/4 ton Suburban. That should be a lot more comfortable for her to drive while towing so I can rest on lover trips.

Your TT will weigh 6500-7000 pounds when it is loaded up for a long trip. You will also need a lot of payload if you need to tow AND carry 6 people. I highly recommend a 2500 Suburban/Yukon XL or Ford Excursion. Any of them will tow the weight and size of your TT easily and have enough room/space/payload for 6 people and their stuff. The GM twins drive better unloaded/non towing.

Fuel economy does not matter much towing. Any gas engine will be 7-10mpg towing. Unloaded, some will get better than others, but the 2500 SUVs are in the 10-15mph range.

 

[pegmikef]

I pull my NT 26LRSS just fine with my little F-150 Supercrew 4 x 2 4.6 3v 3.55 Limited Slip, 6 speed. We think it is pretty comfortable and has the trailer tow package and sway control. I did replace the mirrors with towing mirrors, but I was able to sell the original mirrors on ebay and got most of my money back. My F150 has a max tow weight capacity of 9400 lbs (per book) and I'm running around 8000. It runs at about 1800 rpm on flat land and up to 4000 rpm uphill depending on the grade. MPG runs from around 8 to 13 dependent on terrain and wind conditions.​

 

[TeJay]

Hi pegmikef,
I guess we're towing with the same set up. What kind of W/D hitch do you have? We got the Equalizer 4-point set up. The dealer didn't really know how to set it up correctly so I'm going through that now. It towed OK coming home but there was some sway and a lot of bounce on the ruff concrete sections of the interstate. From what I've read the bounce may be reduced or eliminated with the correct set up. At least I'm going to try. I also have air bags and after searched the net I found one equalizer manual that says that they should be kept at the minimum (5-10) when using their hitch. The dealer didn't know what to do with them.

We just got our 24-RBS last Friday and when we got home I checked the weight on the title and it was 5,113 lbs. instead of the 4,640 lbs listed by Heartland. Did your unit come close to the listed weight? I was kind of surprised and asked for a factory answer but have not heard yet. We also had to get the trailer mirrors. I never figured I could get anything for them even on e-bay. I guess I'll have to check that out. I left them at the dealership cause I didn't think I'd ever use them. They said that they'd try to sell them so I can get them back.

 

[pegmikef]

Hey TeJay, I don't know much about air bags because I don't have any. I use the heaviest model (14,400 pounds) EAZ-Lift weight distribution hitch. I had an Edge M21 and the dealer gave it to me for cost (200 bucks) and they installed it. I guess he only used the heavy duty model because I didn't know anything about them and the technician said I really didn't need that stout of hitch. When I bought the NT, I had to do a little research because the height of the tongue was significantly different. Fortunately, the folks I bought the NT from set it up for me (the torque on the nuts is 260 pounds). I read the installation manual (on line) and it details adjusting the height of the hitch ball using something like 1/8th inch above the tongue for each 100 pounds of tongue weight. I may have to do that again because I just ordered a F250 6.7 L (looking ahead for maybe a bigger trailer).

The F150 has pulled the NT through the Texas hill country and the fairly long grades on I-10 just fine and with the eaz-lift wdh I haven't had much bouncing or sway . . . and of course when we decide to go on the road, the good old West Texas wind will be 20 - 30 miles per hour (being almost 0 on the days before and after we travel). One thing is I have had to make sure that I have enough weight in the front of end of mine to get the tongue weight up a little.

In Texas, they just use the weight submitted by the dealer when they register the trailer and it looks like they just take it off the sticker on the side of the trialer. So they matched.

On the mirrors, mine were the electric glass and heated (as are the towing mirrors I had put on). When I bought them, the guy told me that body shops are always looking at EBay for cheap parts. He called his distributor and got me the price of the mirrors (which turned out to be higher than the tow mirrors). I think it was like 373 for the driver side and 225 for the passenger side. I took pictures of them and had my sister put them on ebay for 250 and 150 dollars respectively. The were both sold (one to TN and one to MA) in five days. The buyer pays the shipping, but ebay taps you for about 12 percent so consider that when you price them. You can go to fordparts.com to check the current price for replacement mirrors and use that as your pricing guide. I would list them separately, not as a pair.

 

[jkncjordan]

Wheelbase length of the tow vehicle is also important. Check this out: http://www.davidsrvtips.blogspot.com/

Good luck in your search!

This is something that is often overlooked. Great point!

 

[jkncjordan]

I personally prefer the visibility of a pickup truck as opposed to an SUV when towing. It is easier to see when backing into spots!

 

[Marge]

2010 GMC 1/2 ton 4x4. It has the tow pkg. We have pulled our 24RBS to Calif. and back and it tows great. You hardly know it is back there.