Looking at other tow rigs for the race trailer, which is a steel 24' enclosed with a 2k lb car and 500lbs of gear in it. Total weight just north of 5k lbs.
Why do I ask what I can tow it with when most trucks can handle that? Enclosed trailers catch a lot of wind, which is why some say you need at least a 3/4 ton truck for hauling them. Thoughts?
Can I get away with an E350 or a big Burban? What I really want is a early 000's diesel Ford Excursion.
Mortgage your house, get the Excursion. Prices on those things are ridiculous.
I would think you could probably get away with either of those as long as you don't load heavy and you manage your tongue weight and load distribution. I would definitely be looking at the longest wheelbase vans to help manage trailer sway on a larger enclosed trailer.
Yeah, those should tow it just fine. In some ways, it may be easier, because they punch a bigger hole in the air.
...assuming they've got a big enough motor and trans cooler.
Some 'burbs, etc. have pretty small engines (designed for top end fuel economy, not torque).
V-nose or flat? Towing my 26' flat nose is like pulling a parachute behind the truck. Terrain plays a big role too. Pretty hilly around here, and for that I'm very thankful to have a diesel F350. Flat ground, I could get by with less power.
It's a flat nose and New England - so hilly. That's why I'm looking at diesels - or maybe a Chevy cargo van with the 6.0.
A 6.6 duramax 2500HD will do 68mph and get about 14mpg all day long over hill and dale while you don't notice any sort of trailer weight at all back there.
In reply to DaveEstey:
What you really want is a early 000's diesel Ford Excursion.
The big E350's also come in diesel, they are just a little harder to find. The Excursion is the ticket if you need 4WD, because while I have heard 4WD/Powerstroke vans exist, I have never personally seen one.
SEADave wrote: The Excursion is the ticket if you need 4WD, because while I have heard 4WD/Powerstroke vans exist, I have never personally seen one.
They didn't come from Ford that way, but are conversions.
I've been towing a typical 24' enclosed trailer for 10 years with a 2005 Ford Expedition 4WD (standard, not EL). It works reasonably well, though it gets about 7 mpg when towing at around 70 mpg. I have towed through some hills, and it works, but it sure feels like it's working hard. It works well enough overall that I just upgraded to a 2014 version of the same thing.
Having said that, though, my first Expedition replaced a Powerstroke F250, and that was definitely a much better tow vehicle. I imagine the Excursion would be a great choice. I was tempted to go that way when I got the first Expedition, but the Excursion is so big it would be a pain in the secondary use as a people hauler.
By the way, when I recently got the newer Expedition, I looked into Tahoe/Suburban options, and they have 1000+lb lower tow ratings. Also the Tahoe has a much smaller third row seat. The only thing that made sense is a 2500 Suburban, but they stopped making them a few years ago, and they are hard to find around here anyway.
Hmm, lived in New England for many years but I'm not sure I'd describe it as hilly. Guess my perspective is warped living in the Rockies...
The big block burban will do it fine. The mpgs will be terrible but of you can find a gmt800 with the 8.1l you will have no problems and it will cost a ton less than the diesels.
Yeah, 3/4 ton gmt800 Suburban is a good choice. 3/4 ton gmt800 Silverado with the Duramax is a better one, but will cost at least twice as much. There are lots of 100K mile Suburbans on CL around here that haven't been further off road than the mall parking lot in their lives.
I used to tow a 20" enclosed flat-nose trailer with a big generator on the front with my 99 F-150. No issues with towing behavior or safety, but I was lucky to get 7-8mpg doing it. The 5.4 was working pretty hard. 
Funny but I just sold a 00 Excursion Powerstroke. It was rwd w/ 210k miles. Got $9k for it but next closest offer was in the low $8k.
Great tow rig but a bit heavy. The truck might actually tow an enclosed a little better since it is lighter and has stiffer springs. I struggled to get 10-11 mpg with my 20' enclosed where I had been getting 14-16 with an open trailer towing from the SF Bay Area to Willows. I suspect I could have gotten a little better MPG with an upgraded turbo wheel. My turbo seemed to spool up slower than my last F250 Powerstroke so it might have had wear.
To OP, you should verify that weight.
My steel 24' steel enclosed weighs closer to 5k lbs empty. I had been assuming about 3.5k (just trailer, not including 2k car and stuff), got pulled over by State Patrol for not having a weighted tag, and found out my whole rig was 14k lbs - only 5k of that was my 2wd Nissan Titan (which has towed the trailer just fine for the last 8 years, btw).
My dad's '13 Tundra handles a similar 24' enclosed trailer just fine. It has a weight distribution hitch, and he added air bags on the truck. I don't think the bags were necessary, but when he gets his mind set on something, he's going to go through with it.
You can't tow it with the same truck you tow horse trailers with?
bigdaddylee82 wrote: My dad's '13 Tundra handles a similar 24' enclosed trailer just fine. It has a weight distribution hitch, and he added air bags on the truck. I don't think the bags were necessary, but when he gets his mind set on something, he's going to go through with it.
This is a good idea, specifically the lod distributing hitch. My dad put a pull right travel trailer load distributing sway hitch and air bags on a half ton ford van (among other things like the aforementioned tranny cooler), and it towed a 6k lb trailer beautifully.
Anything 3/4 ton or above should work fine.
In reply to Vigo:
Yes, but not when the truck is tied up with horse duty.
Dave look around and see if you can find a "Well's cargo Bubble" there a fiberglass bubble that give the top 1/4 of the trailer a rounded surface to help easy the air over the top. The bubbles really help trucks with out caps but if your in a Bourbon or Excursion you will not notice the flat front much.
Those really work? I've got plenty of fiberglass - I could make my own!
Couple E350's in PA/NJ area for sale:
http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/5536952305.html
http://cnj.craigslist.org/cto/5514488016.html
http://cnj.craigslist.org/ctd/5516491972.html
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