Towing a Bigfoot 25 - Reccomendations

[nhall0306]

We are looking to purchase a Bigfoot 25 foot travel trailer (probably the 25RQ model). We have not purchased a tow vehicle yet and would like any recommendations you could make. We are thinking about getting a Ram 1500 Big Horn.

Please let me know what you use to tow your Bigfoot 25 foot trailers and any suggestions you may have. Thanks!

[Bruce H]

Get a 3/4 ton or one ton single rear wheel truck with a towing package that includes built in brake controller and large extendable mirrors that include large convex mirrors. I tow mine with an F-350 Ford with the gasoline engine. My fuel mileage is within 3mpg of a 1/2 ton and it is well worth it. Plenty of power, much more stable and safer plus I was able to throw away my much hated "equalizer bars". I have tried several different 1/2 tons and I like this much better.

[FredM]

I too have a 2008 3/4 ton Dodge RAM. Mine has the Cummins Diesel engine.
I had a 1/2 ton but felt the 3/4 ton springs could handle the tongue weight better, and weight distribution would not have to work as hard. I wanted a gas hemi when I went shopping but all were gone at the end of the model year. The dealer made me an offer I could not refuse on the diesel as they wanted rid of it at end the model year! It ended up being a sound selection for me. I really appreciate the exhaust brake feature of the Cummins. Great help coming down steep mountain highways. Takes some wear off of the brakes! Mileage is acceptable and I always have plenty of power to pull hills!

[JimKE]

I endorse the 3/4 ton route. I find my Chev 2500HD pulls my 25RQ like a dream, and I am in a mountainous terrain. My truck has a Allison tranny and is a gasser, but this last trip I pulled just shy of 10 mpg, which I was thrilled with since my truck has a 8.1 v8.



But, you need to buy the truck that will fit most options for you, not specific to one RV type.



But some questions arise:


1) What other units are you considering and would those units be better served by being pulled with a 3/4 ton?


2) What happens if the Bigfoot does not meet your expectations, i.e. internal living space?



3) How are you going to use your unit? Occasional camping, touring, ?


4) How much extra weight do you plan on carrying in addition to the weight of the RV?



5) Type of terrain you will mostly be traveling in?


Just some thoughts for you to consider.

[steve dunham]

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 Big Horn with the 5.7 liter Hemi V8 , the 3.92 rearend and air bags . I would not attempt or even consider towing a 25 ft Big Foot with my truck
The Ram 2500 with the Cummins diesel would be my recommendation

[swip]

I had the truck first (2017 Ram 4x4 1500 short box, extended cab 5.7Hemi, Tow Package for 10,000) then the 25RQ that you are thinking of buying. I have towed across the continent twice with it and have had no issues. The truck handles the trailer well and I would recommend it as viable choice. I do have the weight bars but I think when you can get strong cross winds this is a highly recommended addition no matter what combination you have. I have had in my life several different trucks and trailer combinations. It's hard to argue against a Cummins engine on most points and if money is no object it is an excellent choice.
When I bought the truck I was looking for excellent gas mileage, plain and simple. By itself I believe it is still number one in fuel mileage. We plan on doing a lot of touring and with fuel going up all the time we choice this combination. The trailer cost money to move but I didn't buy it to park it in one campground for the season. We love the Bigfoot 25RQ and I would buy it again. There are a number of features in it that make it unique. Everyone is looking for something different.

[mike_bc]

I have a 25RQ and I pull it with a GMC 3500HD Diesel. I used to pull it with a 2500 Dodge Hemi. While I liked the 3/4 ton, it now feels like it was the bare minimum. Definitely would not even contemplate a 1/2 ton.
Remember it's not all about the power to move forward, but also the muscle to stop quickly and safely.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by mike_bc

Remember it's not all about the power to move forward, but also the muscle to stop quickly and safely.

If you have your trailer brakes set up properly this would not be an issue with just about any tow vehicle. The trailer brakes should be set to adequately stop the trailer weight and not rely on the tow vehicle at all. Too many have them set to weakly not feeling comfortable with the pulling feeling they sometimes get.

-------------------------------

I regularly tow a dump trailer that when loaded is substantially heavier than a 25' Bigfoot with my F-150 and a 3.5 litre EcoBoost with no problem at all. I don't use a WDH with that, though I likely would with this trailer. I have looked at the Bigfoot 25RT model a bunch recently, and would have no hesitation with towing it with this truck.

Until last year I owned a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel pickup for the last near 30 years, using it mostly for work. While they were great tow vehicles, I was so glad to finally get away from those big trucks and into something a bit smaller and better to drive around in.

[mike_bc]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

If you have your trailer brakes set up properly this would not be an issue with just about any tow vehicle. The trailer brakes should be set to adequately stop the trailer weight and not rely on the tow vehicle at all. Too many have them set to weakly not feeling comfortable with the pulling feeling they sometimes get.

-------------------------------

I regularly tow a dump trailer that when loaded is substantially heavier than a 25' Bigfoot with my F-150 and a 3.5 litre EcoBoost with no problem at all. I don't use a WDH with that, though I likely would with this trailer. I have looked at the Bigfoot 25RT model a bunch recently, and would have no hesitation with towing it with this truck.

Until last year I owned a 3/4 or 1 ton diesel pickup for the last near 30 years, using it mostly for work. While they were great tow vehicles, I was so glad to finally get away from those big trucks and into something a bit smaller and better to drive around in.

Coincidentally I went the opposite direction on all 3 platforms.



1st. Ford F150

2nd. Dodge 2500 Heavy Duty

3rd. GMC 3500HD



YMMV
Happy travels..

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by mike_bc

Coincidentally I went the opposite direction on all 3 platforms.



1st. Ford F150

2nd. Dodge 2500 Heavy Duty

3rd. GMC 3500HD



YMMV
Happy travels..

I had my time with the big boy trucks. That phase of my life has now been successfully satisfied. Heck, I even had a Class 1 license that I used for years, but have gladly not renewed, as I hope to never have the need to drive a big rig again.

There has been so much improvement over the last half dozen years in smaller pickups, seeing vast improvement in towing and cargo capacities, especially with the F-150.

Now, if I was to pull a 40' fifth wheel, I would likely go back to my F-350 Powerstroke.

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

There has been so much improvement over the last half dozen years in smaller pickups, seeing vast improvement in towing and cargo capacities, especially with the F-150.

We pulled our 25RQ with a F150 with 3.5 EB and Max Tow Package. No problems even with a 900# hitch. We were well within the towing capacity of the 150, but wouldn't try it with anything smaller. There is a difference between the Max Tow Package and just the Tow package. If all I had was the Tow package I wouldn't even try.

Our 2015 Ford F150 XLT was the only 1/2 with that kind of capacity. If I remember correctly moving to the Lariat package the cargo weight went from 1930 down to around 1500. The only thing the Lariat had that we would have liked was an automatic thermostat for the heater/air conditioner.

The brakes on our F150 are fantastic! Much, much better than the brakes we had on our 2003 Chev Duramax. We live in very hilly country and the first thing I tried was braking. No worry with our brakes/braking.

In a fit of stupidity we sold the Bigfoot and regret it. Spent two years looking for that 25RQ. We pick up a new Escape 5.0 the end of October.

Enjoy,

Perry

[SSBN]

Originally Posted by nhall0306

We are looking to purchase a Bigfoot 25 foot travel trailer (probably the 25RQ model). We have not purchased a tow vehicle yet and would like any recommendations you could make. We are thinking about getting a Ram 1500 Big Horn.

Please let me know what you use to tow your Bigfoot 25 foot trailers and any suggestions you may have. Thanks!

I was driving a 2006 Chevy Silverado 1500 4x4 when I bought my BF25. The trailer towed fine on the east coast between Virginia and Florida. Pretty much flat. I have a equalizer 10,000 lb WDH which I love. 12 MPG

Later I purchased a 2016 Ram 2500 4x4 with the Cummins Diesel because I was concerned about the age of the Chevy truck and future trips out west to mountainous areas. I retained the equalizer hitch. Again the BF tows well. A little better than 12mpg.

The BF has a 7500lb GVWR and about 650lb Hitch Weight. I have NOT weighed the trailer so those numbers are manufacturers numbers and I don’t overload.

[larryc]

Hi Brad,


We towed that exact same trailer. We full timed for a year, traveled from coast to coast, up and down many mountain passes in the west and east.



We have a 2016 GMC sierra with the 6.3L gas engine and max tow pkg. The rating on the max tow pkg is 12,000 lbs.


I couldn't recommend a tow vehicle more! It performed flawlessly never struggled up or down a pass. got 12-13 mpg towing 22-23 when not towing.



Only drawback is they are hard to come by in that engine and max tow combination. I believe you would be just as happy with the 6.2L engine and the standard tow pkg.


The torque specs on the engine are close to what a diesel used to be, but nowadays they make ridiculous torque in those diesels. No doubt a diesel will pull more but do you really need it. they do get better mileage but lots of times diesel is 30% higher price than gas. and then you also have the extra maintenance with diesel.


best of luck finding a vehicle

[Nvboatman]

We tow our Bigfoot 25RQ with a 2018 Tundra with tow package 5.7l engine. We live in the West and just returned from a long trip to Idaho and Montana. Averaged 11-12 mpg. I have an Anderson WDH/anti sway. I pulled the trailer quite a lot before we got the WDH, and never once experienced sway, even in brutal sidewinds.
As far as power goes, the Tundra has plenty to get you up and over the mountains.
I also installed airbags on the truck to level everything out when loaded. We are pleased with our setup 👍

[Ruralcowboy]

Remember, it’s not the pulling... it’s the stopping. The brakes on trailers are electric and not usually up to an emergency.

[Roger H]

I towed a '06 Bigfoot 25RQ with an '07 Nissan Titan King Cab 4WD for nine years. The Titan had the 5.6L V8 and the "Big Tow" option package with a 9200 lb tow capacity. It was all the Nissan could handle the 25 RQ.

I sold a 3/4 ton Ford V10 Excursion to buy the Nissan. If I had it to do again, I'd have kept the Excursion. It's good counsel here to go with a 3/4 ton truck.

[Nvboatman]

I have had several incidents where I had to stop quickly. No problem.

[Derek Johnson]

I tow our Bigfoot with an 2005 F150 crew cab with a canopy, 5.4L, 3.73 rear end with tow package. The trailer is 6500 lb. fully loaded with a 600 lb. tongue weight. Even though the truck is rated to tow 8700 lb. I am slightly over the rated GVWR with very little cargo in the bed. Without the equalizer bars I am over by 500 lb. on the rear axle. I did some research and it turns out there is no standard method that manufacturers use to determine their tow ratings. An 8700 lb. tow rating does not mean that you can tow a 8700 lb. trailer. Once you add the weight of the passengers, cargo, canopy, gasoline, etc. the real tow capacity is going to be greatly reduced (if you try to stay under the weight ratings for each axle). For my model F150 I would advise people to stay 2,000 lb. to 3,000 lb. under whatever Ford says. Perhaps the new F150's are better, with different engines, transmission, and aluminum bodies. I don't know about the RAM half ton. My guess, however, is that it will be near capacity if you check the axles at a scale.

I have towed our trailer for 6 years over mountain passes and I have always felt safe, but I know that I am maxed out. You don't see me passing anyone uphill and I pay careful attention to my braking. If I were buying new, I would buy a 3/4 ton. Or, an Escape 19'. We love our Bigfoot, but when you purchase one you are stepping out of the "small" fiberglass realm and it requires a real tow vehicle, unlike when we slapped the Scamp onto the back of our Honda Odyssey.

Derek

[Bob in Maine]

I would not consider towing with anything less than a 3/4 ton, but that is just me.

[Bruce Olive]

We tow our 25RQ with front storage box with a Chevy 2500 High Country with the Duramax diesel. Third Chevy diesel, towed lighter and heavier. Tongue weight is 1,200 pounds, axle weight is 5,680, unhooked and without WDH. This is well under the truck limitations. Tongue weight comes way down using the Equalizer WDH. The published maunufacturer weights are generally not what your trailer will weigh. As soon as you get it, load it and weigh it, hooked up and on its own. Our previous trailer, an Oliver II, was also way heavier than published. The Bigfoot and Chevy combo tows like a dream. Idles up steep hills (1400 rpm) engine brakes down, and brings the train to a halt with no white knuckles. Trailer brakes are adjusted, but you never want them taking control of the whole rig.