Good tow vehicle for 30' Airstream?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

silverhorse

silverhorse

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Feb 7, 2009
Threads
192
Messages
1,546
Location
Pensacola, Fl.
Hi Guys, I'm an 80 guy. I know almost nothing about the 100 or 200 series.. I need a daily driver that can tow 6400lbs. from time to time safely! Anyway, I want to get something newer for cross country trips. From what I have read the last couple of days, it doesnt seem like there are drastic difference between years??
03' more power and tranny change
What about this Active height control and Variable suspension, Should i avoid those things like the plague? Sounds like expensive fixes.......

Thanks for an Education! Bill
 
What year and model is the airstream? That sounds like dry weight for a 30'. If I remember correctly,1998-2002 was rated for 6500 lbs and 2003+ for 5000lbs, due to a bumper integrated hitch. the 1998-2002 had a under mounted hitch. I believe you can still install an under mount hitch on a 2003+ and keep the 6500lb rating.

My personal opinion, I wouldn't want to drag a 30' bumper pull across the country in a LX or LC. Sounds like a job for a F250!

I'm going to be in a predicament in a couple of years, I want to take the family around the country with a RV. I'm fine in doing it in a pop-up, but the wife wants a bathroom/shower, etc. I don't like big bumper pulls, and I'd be pushing it in my F-150 with a small 5th wheel. So it's either a small bumper pull (4500 or less) with the LX or I'll be getting a bigger truck, which I'd only have for pulling a trailer essentially.
 
My folks have a 2013 200 series to pull their airstream and are very pleased.

image-785730978.webp
 
Last edited:
^ beautiful combo right there.

What size is that airstream? I'm guessing around a 25'.

I similarly am looking to take the family on extended trips with a travel trailer. A 21' would be the sweet spot for my Hundy. I would do a 25' max, but would only do it with some minor mods such as airbags, hensley hitch, and exhaust mods to boost power.

I've also debated on going to larger tires but it would be at the detriment of towing capability.
 
Do you already own the Airstream? I'd go with a 200-series, Sequoia or Tundra (all with the 5.7L) for towing that amount of weight regularly. The Sequoia is probably the best choice since you need to put 5 car seats in it. Were you planning to off-road a bunch in your tow vehicle or just needed a capable tow vehicle for on-road? Or, sell the airstream and buy a lighter trailer and tow it with a 100-series. For a 100-series, I'd probably try to stay below 5K. But that's really just an opinion without any experience to back it up. My under-mounted hitch states the limit to be 650/6,500.
 
Thanks and great points gents. I have actually talked about the 00'-03'excursion in the 7.3 flavor. that may happen but I'd much rather have a LC for a daily driver. I may just get a smaller Airstream. I need one with twin beds in back so i can add bunk beds above them.... I believe 25' is the smallest for that purpose..
 
I would imagine a fully loaded older Airstream at 30 foot would be 8500+, plus you need to add the recommended 30% when towing. That would put you at 11500. This rules out any LC and the Sequoia. Maybe a 2wd Tundra, but most likely for long term reliability of the vehicle you would want something like an F-250 (I know, that won't fit the family).

Whatever Airstream you go with remember to add 30% on top of the fully loaded weight GVWR. As per the new Airstreams the only comfortable length for a 200 would be a 23'. For a 100 series you are looking at about a 22' Sport or 19' International.

You could tow a heavier trailer short distances, but in general it's just not safe or good for your vehicle. The problem with LC's as tow vehicles is that they have a relatively short wheelbase when compared to the other large SUV's. This makes them wobbly and unstable when towing large long trailers.

200 LC tow rating 8200
100 LC tow rating 6500 ish

New 25' Airstream Intl GVWR 7300 x 30% = 9490 lbs (too heavy)
New 23' Airstream Intl GVWR 6000 x 30% = 7800 lbs
New 22' Airstream Sprt GVWR 4500 x 30% = 5850 lbs
New 19' Airstream Intl GVWR 4500 x 30% = 5850 lbs

In the 70's and 80's the Airstreams trailers weighed up to a 1000 lbs less, so you might be able to get longer if you went with those. In the 90's they started to get heavier. For Example a 1977 27" Overlander has a GVWR of about 6000 lbs. Add in the 30% and you could safely tow that with a 200LC.
 
Last edited:
Great info PatrickFinley!

I spoke with these guys this morning. I noticed several folks with RV's for sale had them. Apparently it stops sway and also adds a little wheelbase. They claim The LC short wheelbase is not an issue once this is installed..... http://hensleymfg.com/faq/hensley-hitch-works/

"In 1993, Hensley Mfg. introduced a concept that changed the way we think about towing a trailer. By using a simple physics concept, Hensley Mfg. projected the pivot point of the trailer forward and over the rear axle of the vehicle, which is exactly what a 5th wheel does. By projecting the pivot point forward and using the power of the trapezoidal linkage system, Hensley Mfg. created a system that makes it virtually impossible for a trailer to sway. That's right. . .virtually impossible.
The Hensley Arrow uses a converging linkage system, which only allows the trailer to turn by forces applied by the tow vehicle and never by forces applied to the side of the trailer, such as wind or uneven roads. It works as a uni-directional tool.
Forces applied to the trailer must move the tow-vehicle and trailer together, making the vehicle and trailer perform like one solid unit. The tow vehicle, however, still maintains the ability to turn and control the trailer. It's simple geometry, but it's amazing what it does to completely eliminate trailer sway."
 
Look, the 100 does a lot of things well, but towing heavy, long loads is not one of them. I see V10 Excursions for under $10k frequently. Even with airbags, my 100 doesn't tow nearly as well as the half ton sierra it replaced.
 
I found my '06 to have pretty good grunt for 6000 lbs.

Yes, the Hundy does not have huge wheelbase, but it's more stable than at first blush due to its weight and width. It's not only the wheelbase though as it's a ratio of the hitch ball to axle length vs wheelbase that determines stability. Key things can be done such as the Hensley type hitch, or making sure the hitch ball is no farther out the rear than is necessary if towing longer loads.

If you're considering towing at the extremes of what's recommended, there's further things one can do such as even downsizing the tires, swapping pumpkin ratios, and avoiding offroad oriented mods like squishy suspension and armor.

bamabrock said:
Look, the 100 does a lot of things well, but towing heavy, long loads is not one of them. I see V10 Excursions for under $10k frequently. Even with airbags, my 100 doesn't tow nearly as well as the half ton sierra it replaced.
Click to expand...

In what respect did your hundy lack for in towing? Power or stability?
 
Slight hi-jack!
What are you guys towing with 100's doing for mirrors? I sold my travel trailer partly because I could not find mirrors extensions worth a damn.

My boats weights more then my travel trailer and was much more comfortable to pull. Not knowing 100% why, guessing because the travel trailer is a box on wheels.:meh:
 
bamabrock said:
Both. A 100 series is not the vehicle to tow a 30 ft trailer cross-country.
Click to expand...

Amen!

When my children were younger, I had travel trailers and we travelled and camped a lot. My rule of thumb was to never have a dry weight trailer that was more than half of the vehicles capacity. In the case of my 100 series, it has capacity of 6500 so a 3200-3300 # trailer dry weight would be my comfort zone.

I would hate to think that I have 1000 mile trip ahead of me and my tow vehicle is going to be working at 100-110% the entire time. I would rather know that my tow vehicle is pulling rather leisurely 80-85% of the time, but when I ask it to give 100% ( steep grades, passing, sudden stops, etc..), I want to know there is still something left to give. 'Money in the bank' so to speak.

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUD
 
Thanks for the input.......Looks like, at this point it's going to be a 200 series with a 25' or less or an Excursion......... Damn Toyota for not importing more Diesel options! :bang:
 
Preface:
25 year RV'er here.
Land Cruiser guy since High School.
:princess: and I are ready to get back into the RV world. We have been doing a lot of research into tow vehicles.​

I'd forget the LC as a tow vehicle. My 100 works great for our small Pop-Up but for a hard side of any length it would suck. The short wheel base, lack of power and poor fuel economy are just some of the reasons.

You will hate life as soon as you hit any mountain passes even the small ones back east. If you come out west get ready to ride in the emergency lane. You will also need to up grade the brakes for the other side of the hill. Even with trailer brakes the truck brakes will still be working harder due to the tongue weight. While your at it throw a wad of cash at the rear suspension. You will need either air shocks or air bags since you want to DD the rig..... I could go on but I think you get the idea, the LC is not designed for towing.

The Excursion or Suburban would be far better choices IMHO. You might also look at a 3/4 ton van.

It's already been mentioned but it bears repeating; get a tow rig with 10-30% more towing capacity then you think you will need. You will never find yourself wishing you had gone smaller, if you get something that is maxed out I guarantee you will wish you had more capacity.
 
patrickfinley said:
I would imagine a fully loaded older Airstream at 30 foot would be 8500+, plus you need to add the recommended 30% when towing. That would put you at 11500. This rules out any LC and the Sequoia. Maybe a 2wd Tundra, but most likely for long term reliability of the vehicle you would want something like an F-250 (I know, that won't fit the family).

Whatever Airstream you go with remember to add 30% on top of the fully loaded weight GVWR. As per the new Airstreams the only comfortable length for a 200 would be a 23'. For a 100 series you are looking at about a 22' Sport or 19' International.

You could tow a heavier trailer short distances, but in general it's just not safe or good for your vehicle. The problem with LC's as tow vehicles is that they have a relatively short wheelbase when compared to the other large SUV's. This makes them wobbly and unstable when towing large long trailers.

200 LC tow rating 8200
100 LC tow rating 6500 ish

New 25' Airstream Intl GVWR 7300 x 30% = 9490 lbs (too heavy)
New 23' Airstream Intl GVWR 6000 x 30% = 7800 lbs
New 22' Airstream Sprt GVWR 4500 x 30% = 5850 lbs
New 19' Airstream Intl GVWR 4500 x 30% = 5850 lbs

In the 70's and 80's the Airstreams trailers weighed up to a 1000 lbs less, so you might be able to get longer if you went with those. In the 90's they started to get heavier. For Example a 1977 27" Overlander has a GVWR of about 6000 lbs. Add in the 30% and you could safely tow that with a 200LC.
Click to expand...


Why would you add 30% to the GVWR? The GVWR is the MAX weight allowable with all the tanks full including all options AND FULLY LOADED. You cannot legally add more weight beyond the GVWR, so adding 30% doesn't make any sense. I've sold RVS for a while and the general rule of thumb and a much better rule is 80% of the tow rating as max weight. It's easy to find your weight by using a truck scale. Also watch axle ratings etc too.

Also, In every other country outside of North America tow ratings are significantly higher than in USA/Canada. I suspect that may have something to do with how trigger happy people get to sue companies the second something goes wrong. The 80 series enjoys over 7000lb capacity in other countries (yikes! - and no I'm not saying I think that's safe lol)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom