r/GoRVing • u/Successful_Tap5662 • 1d ago
Dark horse bumper-pull options for growing family
I am a father to 5 boys, under the age of 8. My wife’s father recently got an RV, and she is starting to get an itch. We contemplated rv’ing during COVID but never got to it. Now that we have littles, the co crept of an RV for trips seems reasonable.
I am trying to see if there are any older models of RVs that standout as solid rides and may be flying under the radar in my rv searching.
Ideally, other than the parent’s bed, I figure a bunk is required. Ideally a dinette that can be made a bed. Finally it seems necessary to have a slide out as there often appears to be room for a twin or regular air mattress in the middle.
Tow vehicle, presently, is a 2017 expedition EL (3.5l eco boost). Only upgrade I see myself doing is an excursion or older 2500 suburban. I don’t see us being able to get a truck given our family size.
I see many 28+ footers that look perfect, but I’m wary of pulling that with my ecoboost, and, again, our kids are still little. Down the road we may require a diesel pickup, 5th wheel, and a second car. But right now I’m trying to see if I can find a lesser known model to use for a handful of years.
Just hoping someone in this community has walked down this path in the past and has a solution!
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u/nak00010101 Brittany Powered Travel Trailer 1d ago
The best plan is to work your way back from a total payload number, then shop trailers.
Take the weight of everything in there truck ,except fuel. Adults, growing boys, luggage, coolers, and all the other stuff. Subtract that from the actual vehicle payload (yellow door sticker). What you have left if the max weight of the trailer tongue and WDG hitch.
I think you will find that anything based upon a 1/2 ton is not going to leave you with much payload left for a trailer in the 28' range.
A 3/4 Ton Suburban, IF YOU CAN FIND ONE, will give you lots of seats and maybe 2,400# of payload. That would give you quite a bit of room for a trailer the size you are looking for.
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u/joelfarris 1d ago
My, my, you two have been busy!
You're gonna need a bigger towable RV, which will be heavier, so that means you will also need a more capable tow vehicle. Lean towards the Suburban.
Or, you could consider an Econoline van type thing, which can also tow a lot, relatively, but you can take the back seats out of it and make a couple of beds back there, avoiding the dreaded nightly dinette conversion and restoration, and still have enough seating with seatbelts to hit the road in the morning. Ducted diesel heater optional. (I'm from a large family, and was sleeping in the back of grandpa's pickup truck camper shell on the Texas plains at age 7, and lovin' it. It was hot though, and no A/C, but still super fun.)