What tows a 15,000lb 5th Wheel???

[DJP6371]

My son wants to enter the RV world. He has his sights set on a 10-13,000 lb 5th wheel and is considering his tow vehicle. He is partial to the Ford F250. He is torn between a diesel or the gas engine.

He being led to believe that occasionally towing the 5th wheel and just driving back and forth to work will do more harm than good to a diesel engine. Every where he turns for advice, he gets a different opinion.

Are there any experienced users out that that can offer advice in his choice of gas or diesel F250 for a 10-13,000 lb RV?

[davel1971]

an F350 dually is in order here, or any other dually, as the pin weight of a camper that size it most likely to much for most any 3/4 ton truck. As far as gas or diesel, gas will do it, diesel will do it with less effort and less fuel.

[ependydad]

My fifth wheel weighs in somewhere between 13,800 and 14,800 pounds depending on how we're loaded. We have pin weights (the amount pushing down on the truck at the king pin) of 2,300 - 2,500 lbs. which is actually fairly low for a camper this size (about 17% vs. the "standard" of 20%-25%).

I'm pulling with a 2013 Ram 3500 dual rear wheel truck. We are usually within 500-800 pounds of the truck's GVWR with this setup.

IMO, that's out of a 3/4-ton truck's range but lots of folks are doing it.

[jwedell]

Had a 15,000 lb Montana and towed it with a 3/4 ton chevy diesel and it wasn't enough truck. Traded it For a 1 ton dually diesel and worked out great.

[Todouble]

Is there even a gasser out there rated to pull a 15k fiver. I don't think there is. I know ford has the 6.2 but thought it was only good for 13k or so. Def not gonna be fun at all towing that heavy with a gasser. It would be better for his short commutes to work where as this is not good for the diesels. I would narrow down the fifth wheel first then seek a truck. Most 350/3500 srw diesels will
Pull the 15k fiver but a dually will be more stable.

[OL Creeker]

Our 5er weighs close to 16,500. Our TV is a 3/4 ton GMC with a Duramax/Allison. We get 11.2 mpg when towing. This is a SRW truck. The difference between a 3/4 vs a one ton is around 300 lbs towing capacity. There's a big difference in purchase price.

[davel1971]

Originally Posted by OL Creeker

Our 5er weighs close to 16,500. Our TV is a 3/4 ton GMC with a Duramax/Allison. We get 11.2 mpg when towing. This is a SRW truck. The difference between a 3/4 vs a one ton is around 300 lbs towing capacity. There's a big difference in purchase price.

the difference in a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton single wheel is almost nothing in price. The difference in payload capacity, which is what you need for pin weight, between your truck and my single wheel 1 ton is 1600 lbs. That's a very big difference for a little more money. Just a little more for a dually, but it adds ALOT of towing capacity.

[dsrace]

what people are stating, when they say short trips are not good on a diesel is if the engine doesn't reach operating temps before you shut it off, often, it tends to wear diff parts out faster but first it soots up the exhaust and affiliated emission parts, which add up to costly repairs even more costly if you can't fix them yourself.

as far a fiver that weight......1 ton dually all the way especially if he plans on long drives or interstate travel. if he is only driving 10 min's from home to camp or 50 miles or so then he could prob do just fine with 3/4 ton srw gasser. I am about 10500 lbs to 11k lbs loaded in just my fiver and I pull with a 1 ton f350 dually, pulled with a 3/4 ton f250 srw before. the f250 did they job and was ok but had it's moments but this f350 dually is far far more stable especially on the interstate when I get passed by rigs which isn't common it's usually the other way around since most are governed at 65 mph lol

[TheFordes]

Until this year we pulled a 14500 dry weight
No clue. Loaded weight with a srw F350 2004 diesel
Which is for sale I might add on the classifieds. Also I am not a light packer. We just upgraded to a drw F450. The older truck did good. We did do the EGR delete kit. Besides that no problem
The upgrade was a lot due to the fact that it was just that vehicle time. We rotate on what gets upgraded on a schedule The new truck pulls the mountains like it was nothing. Sorry to ramble and hope this helps.

Final thought Diesel all the way! !

[jtstromsburg]

I pull a 13-14 K lb fiver with an F250 V10 gasser and do quite well. If I pulled in the mountains, even a couple times a year, I'd probably be looking for a good used diesel, but my gas burner was only $11K and is paid for so fuel is cheap. I only drive an average of 15k miles a year. I also only have a 5 minute commute.

Sent by me

[BigJohnD]

Gotta go with diesel for obvious reasons, it's just day and night from a gas burner. Dually for stability and security reasons. Some will argue, and I respect that, but I like my truck with hips. Ever blow a rear tire with 2500 pounds on the hook and 15k behind you, and those 2 extra tires become your best friend.

[SKnight]

Short trips are bad for any engine, the trick is that the engine needs to reach full operating temps, as mentioned earlier. Diesels tend to take a little longer to warm up fully is all, but once the thermostat opens for the most part 10 miles or 100, it's all the same.

Tell your son to repeat that to whomever told him that. I'm a master mechanic and GM certified diesel master tech.

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Don't let him buy a gasser for those weights...spend your money right the first time and get the diesel!
He'll only want to upgrade camper size in the future and will only travel farther from home as the rv bugs bites him...

[jbrostek]

AT nearing 13k lbs he is going to enjoy a diesel a lot more. I would HIGHLY recommend he go with the F350 over the 250. The costs are usually the same or so close its not a matter of price. But the load capacity in the bed is what you want for a 5th wheel to handle the pin weights properly. As for SRW vs. DRW, I think that is a matter of what trailer, its pin weight and personal choice. I use a SRW with my primetime which has a 15500 GVW and based on my door stickers I have the carry capacity to handle it.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Cajun Po-Boy

Don't let him buy a gasser for those weights...spend your money right the first time and get the diesel!
He'll only want to upgrade camper size in the future and will only travel farther from home as the rv bugs bites him...

I'm terrified that the common theme is you only go bigger! I started at 42'... (ok, I did come from a 20' popup, so maybe I've already gone bigger )

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by ependydad

I'm terrified that the common theme is you only go bigger! I started at 42'... (ok, I did come from a 20' popup, so maybe I've already gone bigger )

Yep...I think one of the most asked questions on this forum comes from 1/2 ton truck owners moving up from TT's to fifth wheels...IMO, think it's more about getting the bigger looking fifth wheel than actually for the space due to so many great TT floor plans that rival some of the best fifth wheel layouts...I always bought little more truck than what we were currently towing, no matter what you tell yourself...the next biggest thing is attractive!

[Tailwind]

I'm currently pulling a 9500 lb 5 et with a 2012 F250 6.2 gasser and do borderline ok. I can't imagine trying to pull 13000 to 15000 lbs unless it was a diesel. As long as there are no hills or headwind, it's fine. I'm down to 5th and occasionally 4th gear with a 15 to 20 mph headwind.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[maddogz]

I am pulling a 16,000 5vr with a 3500 diesel DRW and it is also my daily driver. I just take it on the hwy every couple of days and let her rip.

[jevanb]

Originally Posted by SKnight

Short trips are bad for any engine, the trick is that the engine needs to reach full operating temps, as mentioned earlier. Diesels tend to take a little longer to warm up fully is all, but once the thermostat opens for the most part 10 miles or 100, it's all the same.

Tell your son to repeat that to whomever told him that. I'm a master mechanic and GM certified diesel master tech.

True... my wife drives my truck 2 miles 2 times a day to drop the kids off, been doing this since 2006 and I have o issues, but I do change my oil every 3k and I run syn rotella, but on the weekends I let her rip at the track or on the on ramps to the interstate, or when a kid with a big C in his window thinks he can take me, which happens often..

[BamaBob]

That's a big rig. I have a different take than most 5er owners when you have to start moving into 3/4-1 ton dually TVs.

For my money, I would look at a Motorhome (Class A) for a couple of reasons: The milage is going to be about the same - and in some cases perhaps better in a Motorhome than in a F350 (or 450) beast. Motorhomes almost set themselves up when you get on site (hit the auto-levelers, pop out the slides and hook up.

And the secret weapon of most Class A'ers? Their dinghy! When you get to where you are going - especially if it is a long trip - you unhook your 30+ MPG dinghy from your Motorhome and use IT to tour the area and run errands - not your 10MPG F350 TV

If your son keeps his eye out in the RV trade/for sale press you can get some amazing deals!

Going Class A was going to be our final progression step in the RV trade up however with our new 8289WS 5er and our F150 we may just stick with this setup.

Still...I go to RV shows and walk through the FR Berkshire and get a wistful look (which usually elicits the "Stare-O-Death" from my DW