# Houston... We Have A Problem...



## DebtManWalking (Jul 7, 2007)

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Well, here I am asking for help again...

We currently own a Dodge 3500 Cummins Mega Cab and have just found out on New Years Eve, that we are expecting our third child (yaaaaa for us!!!).

My wife said to me very honestly, that the truck just won't cut it anymore, it's too rough and both of our kids get sick riding in the back. With that said, it's the only thing we can figure that will tow our 32 and we are not 100% sure we want to give up our TT as it's our family time together.

Our dilemma is that if all 3 kids are with us, wife in the front, then strollers, baby bags, etc. will have to be placed in the box of the truck and if it's raining, you all know the result.

My wife wants us to look at something like a suburban so that we can all fit with lot's of room for storage, but $70,000 is ridiculous for something I can't even tow my trailer with.

Any suggestions on good SUV's that are capable of towing or am I just better to lose the trailer and get back into it once our kid's are a little older.

I have to be honest, the truck is my daily commuter and even I get nauseas driving to and fro.

Thanks in advance!

DebtManWalking


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

I believe a 3/4 ton Suburban with the 8.1 would pull your trailer. Might check for one. Try Autotrader. That's where I found mine.

Mark


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

I suffer from motion sickness when riding in the back of vehicles and know how awful the feeling is. My daughter unfortunately inherited this. If your kids have the kind of motion sickness myself and my daughter get - the type of vehicle you drive isn't going to make a difference.

If not - have you considered an air-bag suspension?

-CC


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Ok, now to the TV:

The Excursions were towing beasts, but they are hard to find in the Diesel variant. 
Of course if you are looking at one of those used, you could always check out a used 3/4 ton Suburban (I'm not familiar with those for towing capacity).

I can think of two probably less desirable options:
1. Park the trailer for a couple of years in a Campground...
2. Get a smaller trailer that could be pulled with a full size SUV...

Then, one wild card option: an air suspension for the Dodge to make it more comfortable?!?!


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Try Bilstein shocks on the Dodge........they seem to be the best riding shock out there, according to the diesel forums.

If that still doesn't do it for, you won't loose anything, because people want those 5.9 Cummins trucks!!!

Steve


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Congrats on the pregnancy!!

We have a 3/4 ton Suburban and it pulls our 28RSS without a problem. I have the 6.0 liter (gas) engine and wouldn't be able to tow your existing Outback. I got the 6.0 liter in order to get the Quadrasteer. I know for sure the 8.0 liter Suburbans would do just fine for you.

As far at $70,000 goes...WOW!!!! Where are you shopping? That seems like an unreal number. Used should be about half that.

A quick google search bring at numbers from $38k-$42k. I think you can get into the 50's with a lot of extra's.
http://www.motortrend.com/cars/2008/chevro...burban/pricing/


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## DebtManWalking (Jul 7, 2007)

Thank you too everyone who has replied!!!

My wife is threatening a Mini Van, so I am kind of stuck between giving up my TT (







) or finding a vehicle with covered storage not a topper for the truck as he wants access to it from the cab.

I will look into the shocks and air bag suspension, it can't hurt... We'd also love to find an Excursion but they are very difficult to find up here.

As for the Suburban / Yukon's, in Canada they are damn expensive, here is a listing from our local dealer;

2008 GMC Yukon XL :::: K1500 SLE 4X4 SUV
Condition NEW 
Kilometers 8 
Doors 5 
Exterior Colour Silver Birch Metallic 
Interior 194 
Engine 5.3L V8 
Transmission 4 Spd Automatic 
Drive Type 4WD 
Fuel Unleaded

PRICE: $78,285
STOCK#: 80335

OUCH!!!

Thanks again!

DebtManWalking


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

DebtManWalking said:


> Thank you too everyone who has replied!!!
> 
> My wife is threatening a Mini Van, so I am kind of stuck between giving up my TT (
> 
> ...


OUCH is RIGHT!!!








Care to move to the US? We may not have national health care (better wait until after the birth) and our Dollar isn't worth what it used to be, but at least our cars are reasonably priced.








We also have mirco breweries that make up for the domestic beer....


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## jedmunson (Apr 14, 2006)

A Excursion with diesel would fit your bill.....they CAN be hard to find, but not impossible.

We checked eBay and Truck Trader/Auto Trader EVERYDAY....We had our $$ ready so we could pull the trigger immediately.

If you have your choice, pick the Ex with the quad seats - Buckets up front and on the front row too....it makes getting to the very back for one of the munchkins easier than flipping over the middle bench.

Good luck and at least you have some time before you need the extra seat....If gas prices continue to rise you may find one sooner than you think







Also, dont give up the camper, its the best thing you can do with the 3 munckins...

Happy Hunting and most importantly - CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Get ready to go from man to man defense to zone.....its a wild ride


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

jedmunson said:


> Get ready to go from man to man defense to zone.....its a wild ride


That is too funny. I have to remember that comment next time someone tells me they are expecting a 3rd child.


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## 1jeep (Jul 24, 2007)

DebtManWalking said:


> Thank you too everyone who has replied!!!
> 
> My wife is threatening a Mini Van, so I am kind of stuck between giving up my TT (
> 
> ...


Congrats on the future addition!

Now and this is coming from a person towing with a 1/2 ton truck......That 5.3 yukon is not going to like that trailer behind it at all and i can easily say you will run out of cargo capacity! Then there is the short wheelbase issue......is that yukon even rated to tow 8klbs?
You have a nice truck and i would really look into toning down the suspension a bit as others have suggested.

if you really need to have something sprung a little softer i will bring you a nice toyota in trade!


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## GarethsDad (Apr 4, 2007)

I would add a topper style cap, now things in the box will not get wet and can be locked in (unless you have a 5er). Tell the kids riding in the truck will build character (as my father told me). Or chang up the suspension to soften the ride. James


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## sleecjr (Mar 24, 2006)

DebtManWalking said:


> Happy New Year Everyone!!!
> 
> Well, here I am asking for help again...
> 
> ...


I had a simalar problem. I wanted storage that was dry so i could carry my little ones stuff. I purchased one of these. It works great! its 100% dry. It locks and unlocks with my factory remote. It has a lite so i can see and it is huge! I can cary just about anything and keep it dry. I have had a few different trucks with a few different covers and this is by far the best! If you deside to go this route, go to a marine store and pick up an one of these Its great to help get things from the front of the bed.


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

sleecjr said:


> Happy New Year Everyone!!!
> 
> Well, here I am asking for help again...
> 
> ...


I had a simalar problem. I wanted storage that was dry so i could carry my little ones stuff. I purchased one of these. It works great! its 100% dry. It locks and unlocks with my factory remote. It has a lite so i can see and it is huge! I can cary just about anything and keep it dry. I have had a few different trucks with a few different covers and this is by far the best! If you deside to go this route, go to a marine store and pick up an one of these Its great to help get things from the front of the bed.
[/quote]

I've seen these before and they really look sharp on a TV.


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## NJMikeC (Mar 29, 2006)

What does a rough ride mean?

Does it mean rough toting the kids around town in an un-loaded 1 ton truck? Nothing you can do about that.

Does it mean a rough ride with the tongue weight on it? If so Bilsteins may help a little but beware of what they do to your un-loaded ride. They will make it wash-board rough as there intent is to smooth out a loaded ride. If your wife just plain old don't like the oscillations in towing then that is yet a real bad story.

Best of luck to you!


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Try some Gabriel Maxx Control shocks. The have a double piston in them.. They are the best kept secret in shocks.. Not many run them. They are high pressure gas like bilstien, but with the dual piston ride like no other..

I love ours on our dodge.

Carey


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## Jeannie (Oct 26, 2006)

First of all congratulations!

You won't be happy or feel safe pulling with a 1/2 ton SUV. Especially with the vehicle loaded for a family of 5. Trust me. We towed our 32BHDS for a year with a '07 Expedition 5.4L with a 6 speed and did okay for our family of 3, after adding a Hensley hitch. However, we could only carry a few lightweight items in the back of the vehicle and had to be very careful loading the trailer. Now that we have a 3/4 ton truck I realize what a struggle it was towing with a 1/2 ton SUV.


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## DebtManWalking (Jul 7, 2007)

Hi there and thanks to all for the replies...

I should clarify, we are not planning on a 1/2 ton, believe me, we bought the 1 ton based on a year or so of towing a 27' with a 1/2 ton.

We love our truck, but ultimately, it's totally impractical for a family of three kids and two adults, plus, very cost prohibitive (last maintenance bill was over $500.00) and that happens every 6 months or so and a $850+/mth payment.

We are a one income family now, so we have to either buy used or down size and get rid of the trailer and buy a truck and 5'r later in life once the kids are a little older and my wife either returns back to work or my business provides us with a little more income than it does now.

I could easily make well over 6 figures a year, but I don't because I spend a lot of time with my wife and kids and only work from 6:30 to 3:00. I don't want to sell my body, mind and spirit to the ol' mighty dollar as I can get that later in life but I'll never get my memories with my kid's back if I pass up on them now just to work longer to make more money.

Thanks again, seriously, it is greatly appreciated!

DebtManWalking


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I love the way my truck rides and I can not see getting anything else to replace it. You can soften the daily commute feel to the ride by dropping the tire pressure to 45 psi front and 40 in the back. As for car sick in the MegaCab then your kids may get car sick in any car or truck so you may need to look at what they are doing when they get sick. Are they watching a DVD or reading a book? Have them look out the window as that help the equilibrium.

I do my own maintenance and I have no idea what could cost $500 every 6 months to have taken care of. I am coming up on 2 years ownership and it has only been fluids, filters and inspections of belts and such.

I feel your pain but do not see a fix that will not result in the same issues. Car sick is car sick and a rig strong enough to tow your trailer will require the same cost of maintenance if you do not do it yourself.


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## bpedrotty (Nov 3, 2006)

First Congrats! We are recently expecting our second and (to steal the figure of speech) are already a little timid about going from double coverage to man-to-man. Having to go zone is frightening just to think of!

Motion Sickness:

There are a _lot_ of remedies out there. I have tested more of them than I care to recount and have found one or two that work fairly well and would be safe for kids. 
1- Triple strength ginger cookies. I can post or e-mail the recipe if you are interested. Just double or triple the amount of ginger and do the rest per the instructions. Plus side is that the kids keep something in their stomach and the ginger does really work (more fun than taking the ginger supplements you can find at the store)
2- "Bonin" hard to find drug that says it is OK for kids 6 and up. I have used it and it works great with no drowsiness and no other side effects. I'd be a little nervous giving it to a kid under (or possibly even at six).

If the ginger does not seem to cut it and the Bonin doesn't work or can't be found, there's always the snack method. I have been known to munch through an entire box of mini-Ritz crackers over a twelve hour period. That method worked for me in an environment when I could not see outside. I would also encourage them to look out the front (as much as they can) and stay away from watching DVDs or reading books for a little while anyway.

I would agree that changing from the truck to a brub may not do a lot for the motion sickness. At the same time, I know when I tested the big three trucks (GM, Dodge, and Ford), I ended up with the GM due to the perception of a smooth ride. I've got the 3/4 ton extended cab (a little shorter wheel base) and all three of us enjoy the ride.

Good luck with the decision-making and congratulations again on -3.








If you're really desperate, go with ice cream sandwiches, they taste nearly the same coming up as they did going down.









Walleye


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

walleye said:


> If you're really desperate, go with ice cream sandwiches, they taste nearly the same coming up as they did going down.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


LOLOL!!

I agree with CamperAndy on all accounts...

Try reducing the air pressure in the tires...You can also place some sandbags in the rear of the truck bed. My dh added about 6 bags for an additional 300 lbs of weight back there and you can totally notice the difference in the ride. We used to laugh at the sound of our voices bouncing down the freeway, but with the added weight, it's nice and smooth.

And, as previously suggested, add a shell or bed cover.

Please try a few of our tried and true ideas before you do something drastic









And NO...selling your Outback is NOT an option!


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