Help deciding on a tow vehicle - Page 6 - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 09-27-2017, 05:32 AM   #101
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
Well I've done a little footwork and made a decision.

I went to the local Chevy dealer yesterday armed with my tape measure. I wanted to know what the bed height of the 2500 was. What I got was a total bed height to the top of the box of 58" and to the bed of 37". This gave me a box side of 21". I need to make sure the Scamp 5th wheel can live with in those dimensions.
I've decided that the Chevy 2500 with the gas engine 6ltr V8, 4WD, WT is what I'm going for. I did some research on the maintenance associated with the diesel and don't see the benefit unless you just really need the torque. It was the addition of the exhaust fluid that really changed my mind. I've worked on diesels for a living and I remember them as a simple, strong and reliable machine. Sure you had to do your maintenance but with proper maintenance they would never quit unless you did something stupid. My experience with them was as a heavy equipment mechanic 35 years ago, things sure have changed.
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 05:57 AM   #102
Senior Member
 
Perryb67's Avatar
 
Name: Perry
Trailer: 2016 Bigfoot 25RQ
Lanesboro, Minnesota, between Whalan and Fountain
Posts: 759
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
PS : My comments do not apply to the Ford Motor Co. or owners of Ford Motor Co. vehicles **


Enjoy,

Perry
__________________
2016 Bigfoot 25RQ - 2019 Ford F-150, 3.5 V6 Ecoboost,

Previous Eggs -2018 Escape 5.0 TA, 2001 Scamp 16' Side Bath, 2007 Casita 17' Spirit basic, no bath, water or tanks, 2003 Bigfoot 25B25RQ, that we regreted selling
Perryb67 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 06:50 AM   #103
Senior Member
 
Name: Cliff
Trailer: 2017 Escape 5.0 TA
Connecticut
Posts: 200
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBig1 View Post
I went to the local Chevy dealer yesterday armed with my tape measure. I wanted to know what the bed height of the 2500 was. What I got was a total bed height to the top of the box of 58" and to the bed of 37". This gave me a box side of 21". I need to make sure the Scamp 5th wheel can live with in those dimensions.

I've decided that the Chevy 2500 with the gas engine 6ltr V8, 4WD, WT is what I'm going for. I did some research on the maintenance associated with the diesel and don't see the benefit unless you just really need the torque. It was the addition of the exhaust fluid that really changed my mind. I've worked on diesels for a living and I remember them as a simple, strong and reliable machine. Sure you had to do your maintenance but with proper maintenance they would never quit unless you did something stupid. My experience with them was as a heavy equipment mechanic 35 years ago, things sure have changed.


Well some states allow double towing with a 5th wheel , you'll have enough truck
Cliff Hotchkiss is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 06:51 AM   #104
Senior Member
 
TomK's Avatar
 
Name: Tom
Trailer: Scamp 16
Michigan
Posts: 864
Hey you fellow Ford fans, Don't those Chevy ads that show the phony Ford fans gathered around a Chevy under wraps drive you nuts? They look at the rear bumper steps and the steel cargo box and decide they are now Chevy fans, and ashamed to drive their Fords. It makes my wife and I crazy! Those posers were never Ford fans! You Chevy fans know Chevy is working feverishly on their own version of an aluminum pick-up truck, right? Nothing against Chevy fans, but no way would a true-blue Ford fan sell his soul for a few pieces of silver like this.
Rant over. I feel better now. Tom

https://youtu.be/fSxYLkOHDtk
TomK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 07:06 AM   #105
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by TomK View Post
Hey you fellow Ford fans, Don't those Chevy ads that show the phony Ford fans gathered around a Chevy under wraps drive you nuts? They look at the rear bumper steps and the steel cargo box and decide they are now Chevy fans, and ashamed to drive their Fords. It makes my wife and I crazy! Those posers were never Ford fans! You Chevy fans know Chevy is working feverishly on their own version of an aluminum pick-up truck, right? Nothing against Chevy fans, but no way would a true-blue Ford fan sell his soul for a few pieces of silver like this.
Rant over. I feel better now. Tom

https://youtu.be/fSxYLkOHDtk
At least the Chevy ad has a grain of truth in it.
My favorite piece of BS vehicle advertising
was the Toyota ad where they had a 4 cylinder Tacoma tow the space shuttle up the side of Mount Everest with 6 Tibetans in the cab and still got 73 MPG's.
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 10:00 AM   #106
Senior Member
 
Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
Posts: 825
Ray, the Chevy 2500 HD 6L is a strong truck and tows well although it may be thirsty.
Mike_L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 10:15 AM   #107
Senior Member
 
Name: Michael
Trailer: Trail Cruiser
Alberta
Posts: 825
Tom, I was a die hard GM fan for many years. Then in 1998 I bought a new Safari van. The build quality was terrible! One problem after another.
I've had 3 Rangers and their build quality is much better although they have Mazda I4 engines which seem to run forever.
My F250 diesel has an International 7.3l. The build quality of the truck is excellent and I've heard nothing but good things about that engine. Starts easily, runs well, good fuel mileage and massive power.
A heavy truck is very stable for highway towing. Even if a lighter tow vehicle has the power, stability is important to me as well.
Having said that I would be hard pressed to put out the coin to buy a new diesel just to pull my trailer.
Mike_L is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 11:34 AM   #108
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike_L View Post
Ray, the Chevy 2500 HD 6L is a strong truck and tows well although it may be thirsty.
Mike I'm sure it will be. Big truck, 4:10 gear ratio, 6L. I probably will get about the same mileage towing the Scamp as barefoot, terrible. It's payload that I'm considering. Figure the tongue weight some where at 500-700lbs, 50 gal water tank (400lbs), Honda 3000i gen set (200lbs) and so on. I figure you can get heavy fast.
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 03:22 PM   #109
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
Well Back to the Drawing Board

You guys aren't gonna believe this. I gave Scamp a call just a few minutes ago and found out that the maximum bed height they can work with is 57". The Chevy 3/4 ton is 58" and yes I asked if they could deal with that and was told, No. So it's a good thing I haven't spent any more money yet. I never anticipated this process being this involved. Tacoma I4 to small, Chevrolet 2500 to big. I'm still holding out for a 3/4 ton truck, so it's off to other dealers tape measure in hand.
Here I come Ford and Dodge. Like you guys have pointed out, today brand really doesn't matter. But that said I prefer Ford over Dodge only based on past purchases. I got a lemon mini van.
Oh, by the way, I'm not trying to drag this thread out. It just seems to be difficult to find a rig that meets all my specs. Every where I turn there seems to be a trade off of one kind or another.
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 04:02 PM   #110
Senior Member
 
Alf S.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 2007 19 ft Escape 5.0 / 2002 GMC (1973 Boler project)
Posts: 4,148
Registry
Send a message via Yahoo to Alf S.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBig1 View Post
You guys aren't gonna believe this. I gave Scamp a call just a few minutes ago and found out that the maximum bed height they can work with is 57". The Chevy 3/4 ton is 58" and yes I asked if they could deal with that and was told, No. So it's a good thing I haven't spent any more money yet. I never anticipated this process being this involved. Tacoma I4 to small, Chevrolet 2500 to big. I'm still holding out for a 3/4 ton truck, so it's off to other dealers tape measure in hand.
Here I come Ford and Dodge. Like you guys have pointed out, today brand really doesn't matter. But that said I prefer Ford over Dodge only based on past purchases. I got a lemon mini van.
Oh, by the way, I'm not trying to drag this thread out. It just seems to be difficult to find a rig that meets all my specs. Every where I turn there seems to be a trade off of one kind or another.
Hi: MrBig1... You aren't gonna believe this!!! Here's a pic of our rig on the way up the Natchez Trace in Miss. We were heading back to Canada in March.
Some folks said it can't be so... but I told you so!!!Call Escape Trailer Ind. #604 703 1650 cause they build 'em for mid sized trucks as well as "Biggin's" Too.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie
Attached Thumbnails
P1040548.jpg  
Alf S. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 04:32 PM   #111
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
It's remarkable how you can modify or photoshop a picture now days . You would almost think it was real if you didn't know better !
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 04:37 PM   #112
Senior Member
 
rbryan's Avatar
 
Name: Robert
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Past Tents" 2018 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB SuperCrew
Arkansas
Posts: 1,298
Registry
What's hard to believe (just me so please no overreaction) is that you'd purposely want to tow a Scamp with a 3/4 ton behemoth as a first choice. It's just not necessary imho.
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 04:39 PM   #113
Senior Member
 
Name: Tom
Trailer: Sprinter 'til I buy
Denver, CO
Posts: 944
Have you looked at the Chevy Colorado or cousin, the GMC Canyon. No personal experience, but a friend likes his.
Tom 72 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 05:07 PM   #114
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan View Post
What's hard to believe (just me so please no overreaction) is that you'd purposely want to tow a Scamp with a 3/4 ton behemoth as a first choice. It's just not necessary imho.
Many ( NOT ME) would say the same exact thing about your Fullsize Ford F150.
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 05:52 PM   #115
Senior Member
 
rbryan's Avatar
 
Name: Robert
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 "Past Tents" 2018 F150 Lariat 2.7L EB SuperCrew
Arkansas
Posts: 1,298
Registry
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Many ( NOT ME) would say the same exact thing about your Fullsize Ford F150.
True, but the comparison is hardly accurate. My F150 has a towing capacity of around 7600 lbs. My 19 loaded weighs around 4000 lbs. So, maybe 3600 lbs headroom.

The Chevy 2500 on the other hand has a max towing capacity of around 18000 lbs, while the Scamp 19 might weigh in at 3100-3200 lbs loaded. A difference of a whopping 14,800 - 14,900 lbs. More than the weight of my truck and trailer combined.


And that's just one stat - towing. It's too much truck for the job, but to each his own.

I'll wave at it as I pass by the gas station. [emoji1]
__________________
"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy an RV. And that is pretty close."
rbryan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 06:26 PM   #116
Senior Member
 
Ed Harris's Avatar
 
Trailer: 1982 Fiber Stream and 2001 Casita Spirit Deluxe (I'm down to 2!)
Posts: 1,989
Has anyone even mentioned yet that Scamp actually delivers or has delivered the 19 with a 3.0l Ranger Pickup?

When I have called to talk about it with them they seem like they can not even comprehend the point of the call!

Really I have made this same call several times and it always goes the same way.

I originally found the Tundra when it was an in between size,like the Dakota as the Taco were too small for me inside and the full sized rigs were just silly to me for this.
I have towed all over the place with both a V6 Tundra and the V8 Tundra and neither really needed anything more than they came equipped with,EVER!
The V6 was just fine while the V8 was more fine.
Handling,Stability and performance took me through the Rockies,Smokies and the Southwest without a hiccup at any time.

Now the Taco are bigger than the first Tundra and the Tundra is bigger than almost anything else and the Dakota is gone altogether?

I still do not really understand the point of this whole thing but we each have to find comfort with our own towing requirements so.......Live & Let Live.
Ed Harris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 07:00 PM   #117
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
lol, no overreaction. I don't have feelings.

Quote:
Originally Posted by rbryan View Post
What's hard to believe (just me so please no overreaction) is that you'd purposely want to tow a Scamp with a 3/4 ton behemoth as a first choice. It's just not necessary imho.
Well, It's not so much the towing capacity of the truck as it is the payload. I know that a smaller truck like the Chevy Colorado with the little baby duramax would tow the Scamp 5th wheel just fine. But, I want payload capacity as well for Boondocking extra supplies. I covered this in a previous response. I'm willing to trade money for the ability to make just one trip to camp. As well as being overpowered so I'm not beating on the truck to make it perform. I mean I guess the "best" tow vehicle means a little something different for all of us.
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 07:29 PM   #118
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ed Harris View Post
I still do not really understand the point of this whole thing but we each have to find comfort with our own towing requirements so.......Live & Let Live.
Like I stated in my original post I'm not just looking at right now but trying to look to the future just a bit. I've read that most full timers change rigs a few times moving toward the one that finally fits. This will make my 4th rig two coachmen and 1 jayco previously. I pulled them with a half ton chevy pu and a chevy suburban with out problem. Never any more mountainous than West Virginia going into Holly River State Park with the Jayco.
Now I want to go out west and desert camp in the winter and summer in the pacific northwest. Boondocking on BLM land and National Forests. I want a vehicle that won't just tow the Scamp but will pack all the heavy stuff needed to make just one trip. That's why I'm going excessive.
Not aggrivated, I'm appreciative for the dialog you guys are throwing out here. I just hope I'm being clear and making sense. The tow vehicle is generally more expensive than the RV and I only want to buy one.
Thanks again guys.
Ray
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 07:49 PM   #119
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrBig1 View Post
Like I stated in my original post I'm not just looking at right now but trying to look to the future just a bit. I've read that most full timers change rigs a few times moving toward the one that finally fits. This will make my 4th rig two coachmen and 1 jayco previously. I pulled them with a half ton chevy pu and a chevy suburban with out problem. Never any more mountainous than West Virginia going into Holly River State Park with the Jayco.
Now I want to go out west and desert camp in the winter and summer in the pacific northwest. Boondocking on BLM land and National Forests. I want a vehicle that won't just tow the Scamp but will pack all the heavy stuff needed to make just one trip. That's why I'm going excessive.
Not aggrivated, I'm appreciative for the dialog you guys are throwing out here. I just hope I'm being clear and making sense. The tow vehicle is generally more expensive than the RV and I only want to buy one.
Thanks again guys.
Ray
Buy what you know you will need and what you want.
You are the only one that has to be satisfied with your purchase especially when you are the only one paying for it..
I understand your position , I have a 1/2 ton truck with a highly limited payload capacity . I am tired of worrying that if I throw an extra bag of marshmallows in my truck I am over my limit.
I have also thought long and hard about getting a 3/4 ton truck just so I can take what I want camping without putting the dog and the grandkids on a crash diet or leaving my wife at home. The concept of sizing everything at the bare minimum doesn't appeal to me , neither does the minimalist philosophy.
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-27-2017, 08:06 PM   #120
Member
 
Name: Ray
Trailer: Oliver Elite II (Pick up in April 2018)
South Carolina
Posts: 43
Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
I understand your position , I have a 1/2 ton truck with a highly limited payload capacity . I am tired of worrying that if I throw an extra bag of marshmallows in my truck I am over my limit.
I have also thought long and hard about getting a 3/4 ton truck just so I can take what I want camping without putting the dog and the grandkids on a crash diet or leaving my wife at home. The concept of sizing everything at the bare minimum doesn't appeal to me , neither does the minimalist philosophy.
Steve it's good to see that someone knows where I'm coming from. Towing capacity is only part of the load rating of a truck. I just looked up the payload capacity of the chevy and ford 1/2ton pu's 2250lbs and 2329lbs respectively. When you consider the weight of a full tank of gas, the trailer tongue weight, passengers, tools, a meaningful amount of extra water, coolers packed with food, extra propane, a 50lb dog and other stuff I can't see it's not a stretch to think that you can max out the payload capacity.
I'm with you. I really don't want to have to worry about it.
MrBig1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Need help deciding on tow vehicle Jane H. Towing, Hitching, Axles and Running Gear 10 02-19-2016 04:25 PM
Brain picking: deciding the future of our '74 Trillium Lilytrilly Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 18 08-26-2015 03:18 PM
Need Help Deciding...... EggRollers Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 9 02-24-2014 10:21 PM
Need help in deciding on a fiberglass trailer Melissa C Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 14 02-05-2013 09:02 AM
Help Deciding on a Casita or Scamp Susan O'C Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 10 06-19-2009 11:06 PM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 04:19 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.