New RVer, need truck advice

[LadyWindrider]

Digs, the post about chevy states "Also, the gmc/chevys have air shocks so you will not need to install airbags ever." Make sure your truck has air shocks, and don't believe everything you read. The 2500 series may not need air shocks or air bags in your application. Check the payload with and without air shock option, assuming it is an option. Good Luck.

[Mr.B]

Note: If you are seriously considering the extended cab vs. crew cab on whatever brand. I strongly suggest that you load up the kids in both vehicles consider their sizes now and where they will be in 3 plus years. I have an F250 extended cab that I really like. Problem is my 14 year old daughter hates riding in the back seat. She and her friends complain of being cramped (no leg room). I constantly get jabbed in the back with thier knees.

[TheDiGs]

Originally Posted by Mr.B

Note: If you are seriously considering the extended cab vs. crew cab on whatever brand. I strongly suggest that you load up the kids in both vehicles consider their sizes now and where they will be in 3 plus years. I have an F250 extended cab that I really like. Problem is my 14 year old daughter hates riding in the back seat. She and her friends complain of being cramped (no leg room). I constantly get jabbed in the back with thier knees.

Thanks! I'm actually waiting for the salesman to call me back on a Chevy 2500 Crew Cab right now. With any luck, I'm going to bring that truck home tonight, it comes the closest to what we want.

Wind, you're right about the air shocks, they are not usually on the 2500s, he said it could be added, but I'd pay for it. Not a big deal, if I can make a deal on this truck today, I will definitely be a happy camper, and we'll look into the air bags down the road.

[LadyWindrider]

One last thing I forgot, when checking on GVW of the truck, don't forget to add the weight of the cargo top. Also if you have the truck, might want to sneak and weigh it. Mine with a low top on it weighed 800 pounds more than stated. The top only weighs 200 pounds, so the truck was listed light. Good Luck. Also if you get the chance, hook your camper up and go for a ride, city and highway.

[TheDiGs]

Originally Posted by windrider

One last thing I forgot, when checking on GVW of the truck, don't forget to add the weight of the cargo top. Also if you have the truck, might want to sneak and weigh it. Mine with a low top on it weighed 800 pounds more than stated. The top only weighs 200 pounds, so the truck was listed light. Good Luck. Also if you get the chance, hook your camper up and go for a ride, city and highway.

Ahhhh, Wind, while you were typing this, I was signing the paperwork LOL. We will weigh her out in the coming weeks, probably going to drive her to Anchorage for our trip next weekend just to get the break in miles on her so we can possibly get in a camping trip before winter socks us. (It'll take us two months to get 500 miles on her if we don't take her LOL)

I'm glad to be done vehicle shopping, I'm very happy with what we bought, and I cannot thank all of you enough for the help with my questions, you really did save us a costly mistake.

She's an '09 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LT, crew cab, 5 passenger, the shorter bed.

[MtnGuy]

Sweet !!!

[LadyWindrider]

Nice truck, and I'm sure you'll be happy with the truck and camper, especially as a combination. Just make sure you follow the maintenance schedule and you'll have many happy years together. Make sure and plan a few practice tows before you plan on camping the first time. You may have to make hitch adjustments, and you want to get the feel of towing before you get everyone loaded and all excited about the trip. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy.

[bikeman]

Nice truck, i'm jealous!

The Windrider is correct the air-suspention may be an option. I assumed (duh) that since mine had it they all come with it. If your truck is equiped with it it will say on the Window sticker, something like "Auto-ride suspention" That is what is on mine but they may have changed the language. Regardless, beautifull truck should do the job easily.

[TheDiGs]

Originally Posted by windrider

Nice truck, and I'm sure you'll be happy with the truck and camper, especially as a combination. Just make sure you follow the maintenance schedule and you'll have many happy years together. Make sure and plan a few practice tows before you plan on camping the first time. You may have to make hitch adjustments, and you want to get the feel of towing before you get everyone loaded and all excited about the trip. Good luck, be safe, and enjoy.

I'll hit up another forum for checklists for the camper and camping, but a quick ?

The WDH is in the camper, looks to be fairly self explanatory to connect (haven't tried), I know it will need adjusting, but to get the camper to the RV place, we'll need to tow it about 8 miles through the city (fairly straight run, no hills, traffic isn't bad).

Is there a way to measure what type of hitch? to buy for the truck? It has the factory towing package of course, I'm talking about the piece that the ball attaches to to go into the truck's receiver. The one I have on my van lifts the tongue of the trailer and I'm fairly certain I usually see one with a drop on a truck, and I know they come in varying sizes...how do I know what to buy for it? I can't take the TT and the truck in together because i can't tow it without the thing and ball LOL.

I think the WDH has a ball on it...do I just use that to pull it across town or should I go buy a normal one and a ball to take it to the RV place for the inspection and help getting the WDH adjusted? (Sorry guys, I know you're probably laughing because I'm sooooooooo ignorant about all this stuff right now)

And, my other question, is the WDH also the sway control I hear people talk about?

Getting to the WDH is a bit of a pain because i cannot seem to get into the storage area on the camper through the doors, I guess I'm going to have to send a kid down from inside to pull the hitch to me, and replacing the locks on those doors are a priority because I just bend the key when I'm trying to get them open.

[dezolen]

Nice truck,
Hope you are getting either an Equalizer brand or Reese/Drawtight dual cam weight distr'n assembly. Ball will be needed on head assembly usually 2 5/8". I have towed without tension bars for short distances and slow speed if needed. Not really recommended unless tongue weight does not weigh rear of truck down too much
Tension bars should be close to your tongue weight. ie 750 tongue= 800# bars, 900tongue = 1000# bars etc
If you follow instructions that come with it they are quite simple to install and set up. Measure twice and read instructions twice and you should be ok. Will need some large 3/4 drive sockets and larger drill bits to do install. Setup of the bars is key to having no sway. Not enough tension on the bars and trailer will tend to sway. You will find correct link adjustment with some trial and error
Happy trailering.

[LadyWindrider]

Digs, if you have a minivan, it most likely has a small hitch, and won't even fit the truck with a 2 in receiver. Since the camper place isn't far, ask them cost to send a tech out with enough stuff to get you going for the short tow back to the lot for final adjustments. They have done enough they should know what to bring. Since you will be buying new, negotiate "off-site" installation in the deal. Good Luck again.

[LadyWindrider]

Digs, This may show up twice, can't find last post. The hitch adapter for your pop-up probably won't work with your new trailer. Slide on the minivan could be smaller than the 2 inch receiver on the truck. Also the ball soze is probably wrong. Get the camper place to send a tech out and get you going. He'll know what to bring if you can tell them what you have. For swat, I have a Reese Dual Cam. Some use an Equalizer. Both seem to be adequate, and do a good job. Negotiate the "off site" installation in the price.

[redtang02]

Digs, you didn't say what motor you were getting if you went with the F350. Be careful, if you get the F350 with a 5.4L gas motor you may have a 1 ton capacity but your max tow capacity is around 9200 lbs. If you get a V10 like dezolen then that is an excellent truck. If you are set on a 3/4 ton or 1 ton then get the V10. (I am a die hard Ford guy so I don't know anything about GM) Just because it is a 1 ton (no matter what make) doesn't mean it can tow more than say a F150. it just means it can haul a 1 ton load (see my post on education on tow vehicles) I was also in same boat and was shocked to find out a 2009 F150 5.4L with the max trailer tow feature can out tow a F350 5.4L. Read Ford's website and you will be impressed with the 2009 F150 safety features. Plus, the back of the super crew is HUGE compared to earlier models. The F150 also has an integrated trailer brake control, anti sway technology, air bags everywhere (top, front, side) Good luck.

[TheDiGs]

Originally Posted by windrider

Digs, This may show up twice, can't find last post. The hitch adapter for your pop-up probably won't work with your new trailer. Slide on the minivan could be smaller than the 2 inch receiver on the truck. Also the ball soze is probably wrong. Get the camper place to send a tech out and get you going. He'll know what to bring if you can tell them what you have. For swat, I have a Reese Dual Cam. Some use an Equalizer. Both seem to be adequate, and do a good job. Negotiate the "off site" installation in the price.

Nah, I have the heavy duty hitch on my minivan (I have towed a lot with my minivans, I always go with the 2" receiver on my vehicles, but normally my towing involved a 6' trailer with a riding mower or junk on it...and the small Uhaul trailers for moving.) The thing the ball is attached to will fit the truck receiver, I'm just pretty sure it's the wrong one. I'll probably just get a friend to tow the camper to the RV place, they have a larger Wildwood, and from there I'll get my truck/camper set up to work together. (I treat my minivan like an SUV, i drive hubby crazy, I've had to be towed several times because I've gotten her stuck places I shouldn't be without 4WD...her towing days are through now, I swear I heard her breathe a sigh of relief when she saw a new truck in our driveway! I always minded the "towing capacity", I had no idea about payload until this week.)

I don't know what brand the WDH is, I can't get to the darn thing just yet since I can't get the storage doors open on the TT (and it isn't at my house, so I'll make sure I take a kid with me to crawl through next time I go visit the TT)

[TheDiGs]

Originally Posted by redtang02

Digs, you didn't say what motor you were getting if you went with the F350. Be careful, if you get the F350 with a 5.4L gas motor you may have a 1 ton capacity but your max tow capacity is around 9200 lbs. If you get a V10 like dezolen then that is an excellent truck. If you are set on a 3/4 ton or 1 ton then get the V10. (I am a die hard Ford guy so I don't know anything about GM) Just because it is a 1 ton (no matter what make) doesn't mean it can tow more than say a F150. it just means it can haul a 1 ton load (see my post on education on tow vehicles) I was also in same boat and was shocked to find out a 2009 F150 5.4L with the max trailer tow feature can out tow a F350 5.4L. Read Ford's website and you will be impressed with the 2009 F150 safety features. Plus, the back of the super crew is HUGE compared to earlier models. The F150 also has an integrated trailer brake control, anti sway technology, air bags everywhere (top, front, side) Good luck.

Thanks Red, we were only looking at the V10s in the Fords, the biggest appeal of the F350 was the payload...and that just wasn't enough to sway me to the Ford side. I don't remember all the specifics on our truck at the moment, but we go back to the dealer tomorrow to finalize things, and pick up our owner's manual, so by the end of the day, I'll be able to rattle off everything important about the truck. (I did make sure before we test drove anything it would meet our needs, I just can't remember which truck has which capacity right now, except that the F350 payload was like 5500 LOL)

[northstarfire0693]

Originally Posted by TheDiGs

Thanks Red, we were only looking at the V10s in the Fords, the biggest appeal of the F350 was the payload...and that just wasn't enough to sway me to the Ford side. I don't remember all the specifics on our truck at the moment, but we go back to the dealer tomorrow to finalize things, and pick up our owner's manual, so by the end of the day, I'll be able to rattle off everything important about the truck. (I did make sure before we test drove anything it would meet our needs, I just can't remember which truck has which capacity right now, except that the F350 payload was like 5500 LOL)

Hey Digs,

I live on FT. Wainwright and have been in Alaska for the past 4 years. I dont know if you have ever been up the Alcan hwy or not,, but there are some big pulls on it. You may want to look at getting a diesel. I have a one and I use it for a tow and daily driving. They are not bad at all and I have no trouble in the winter up there with the truck. There are some good vehicles to be found in the Fairbanks area used and new. If you are going to look at diesel stay away from anything with a DPF on it, they are still having engine trouble with all the crap the EPA made them do. 3/4 ton gas is ok, but the fuel bill will eat you up. Diesel you pay more per gal, but the trade off is better MPG to give you an idea I went from Fairbanks to Whitehorse and back. less then a tank each way. at 611 miles I still had just less then 1/4 tank left. That was on a 06 Dodge 2500 diesel all stock and no mods. Just keep doing research and see what you come up with. If you have any questions let me know. I am in Iraq now but I check my computer 2-3 times a day.

PS Is the TT in the pic the one you picked up? I looked at that one when it was on the lemon lot when I was home on r&r.

[TheDiGs]

Long time since I posted, but wanted to pop back on and again say thank you to everyone who helped us pick out our truck.

We've had her going on 7 months now, and WE LOVE OUR TRUCK!!!!

(A laugh for some of you....20 days after we bought the truck, I discovered hubby gifted me with a present when he got home from Iraq. Our new baby boy will be here in 6-8 weeks...some days I sure wish I'd bought the 6 seater!)

Seriously, though...in addition to looking darn good, we are so pleased with the truck. We've got right at 6k miles on her now. We didn't make it camping yet, we've got reservations in Seward for the last week in May, but hubby said she pulled really nicely in traffic. (He moved the camper about 10 miles across town twice)

We did some hefty towing (Uhaul trailer) in September when we moved across town, and I was pretty comfortable pulling their biggest trailer, so I'm hoping the camper won't be too much for me. (I know the Uhaul is much smaller than the camper, but it was my first time towing anything that tall or larger than a popup)

We were very comfortable on our trips to Anchorage (about 350 miles) last year, we're very glad (esp with needing to put a carseat in the truck for the new baby) we got the crew cab, it certainly makes the kids more comfortable.

Put a Leer topper on her in December..she looks a bit like an Excursion to me now, can't wait to move and take that sucker off! We had accessory jacks put in with the topper so if we need to we can get some fans back there for the critters when we move this summer, and I got the topper with sliding windows and screens to help with airflow. Had a window installed in the truck back glass, and I'll monitor temps in the bed of the truck while we travel to keep the animals safe.

Will get more active here in April/May to make sure I'm prepared for our first camping trip, will need some advice about if it's feasible for us to get a generator, and I REALLY want to get a different hitch system. (The camper does have WDH(???)-sway. I know it has sway, don't know if WDH is part of that or not, it appears to be one of those cheap dealer hitches, and I can't find a brand on it, I'll post pictures once our spring weather arrives.)

Joined Good Sam today, and we're hopeful next week we will find out where our next duty station will be, so we can start planning our trip cross-country.

Anyway, thanks for the help figuring out the right truck for us, we're thrilled with it, and now, when we see a Tundra...we're glad we didn't get it, because we like the Chevy so much. (And doubly glad because we would have been part of the recall )

[jd-ford-hd]

I am glad that you are happy with your purchase because that is so much better than buyers remorse!! I also hope that everyone reading this thread hoping to gain info for a truck purchase will consider the facts. Ford is the only company to pull thru this economic slump without asking the tax payers to help. Please dont start hammering me with Nissan, Toyota, Honda arguments!! The history books don't lie. Remember Pearl Harbor? Yes, I AM narrow minded!!! Please reward FORD!! Great trucks from a great company founded by a great man.