who has switched from a 1/2 ton TV to a 3/4 or larger TT and why?

[demoore]

Had 2010 Sierra 1/2 ton, but could not handle the load and engine screamed at 3000 rpm most of the time. Upgraded to Silverado 2500 with LML Duramax....what a difference.

[Len & Cheri]

Looking at a 2010 F250 tomorrow. I'm just scared that if I get it that I will lead to me wanting a bigger RV because I have the capabilty to tow more

[boubou]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

Looking at a 2010 F250 tomorrow. I'm just scared that if I get it that I will lead to me wanting a bigger RV because I have the capabilty to tow more

Sounds like you have a plan lol

[Len & Cheri]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

Looking at a 2010 F250 tomorrow. I'm just scared that if I get it that I will lead to me wanting a bigger RV because I have the capabilty to tow more

Sorry, I'll have to blame my grammar goofs on my Iphone.

[kz08h5]

We have a 26 ft V-Lite that I originally pulled with a Jeep Commander that had a 5.7. We used the Jeep for 2 years. The Jeep could tow on flat terrain with out too much problem. The Rockies were a different story. I spent on whole day in Wyoming with the Jeep in 2nd and 3rd gear due to head winds and grades. Seemed like I spent more time in gas stations than driving. I was also a nervous wreck when I pulled in for the night. The Jeep's problem was lack of power and too short of wheelbase.

I now have a 2500 HD Silverado with a Duramax. The main reason for the Duramax is a future purchase of a 5th wheel. The difference is unbelievable. It is a crewcab so the wheelbase is much longer, and it makes a huge difference in the handling. I hardly know the trailer is back there. Wind is not much of a problem and semis do not cause me any problems.

With the diesel I get at least 30% better fuel mileage. When I get pull in for the night I feel nice and relaxed and can get a good nights sleep. That alone is worth the move up to me.

[4bnabird]

We went from a 1/2 ton to 3/4 ton 7 years ago. We use let our son race gokarts on a national level and only had a 12 foot enclosed race trailer and our 16 foot shasta TT that we only used a couple times of year (because we raced practically every weekend from end of April to 1st of November then again at the Tulsa Shootout in Dec/Jan).

After realizing that we were often in a different city/state every weekend and sometimes more, we wanted the security of new truck with warrenty. Hubby at that time said no to 1/2 ton and insisted on 3/4 simply because he wanted to be able to haul bigger trailers without straining the truck. 6 years later we no longer race gokarts but was able to enjoy going to a much bigger fifth wheel. And still have the same truck. Getting ready to pick up our new fifth wheel next week so during the 7 years that we have owned our truck it will now have pulled 6 different trailers.

[flaggy]

Our TT is a 2012 23LBH. When we bought the TT, we thought and were told the 2003 GMC Sonoma crew cab 4.3 L would pull it ok. We now tow with a 2006 F259 Powerstroke. MPG while towing went from 8 to 12. It is hard to tell the TT is back there!

[papamcgown]

Resumed the RV life after a few years without on April 06, 2007 purchased a Starcraft Homestead Lite 292 RKS TT and towed with a 2006 Dodge Durango with Hemi, the Durango pulled it but was giving all it had especially in hilly country and was in fact slightly over the rated towing limit. In August 2010 we got chance to trade the Durango in for a 2010 Dodge Ram Quad Cab 2500 HD with the Diesel engine...best choice we ever made, it hardly knew the TT was behind it. As the Starcraft was somewhat uncomfortable especially when some of the kids & grand-kids wanted to go we started looking into a camper upgrade, especially now that we had a very good tow vehicle....on April 10th we ordered & on July 3 this year we picked up our new FW "Salem Hemisphere Lite 346 QBUD" and started the life as a Forest River Owner. The 3/4 ton Dodge Ram HD handles the trailer quite well, much better than the Durango did the earlier TT. We will be towing to Branson later this month so will see how it handles in some hills, but at this point foresee no problems. This is also our first FW & looks to be a good experience, looking forward to many trips, especially in 6 years + when I retire.

[Coops1]

We went from a 07 Escalade 6.2 403HP... the truck had no problems pulling the trailer and was a great ride... MPG was around 10 but I didn't like the unstable ride in the wind even with the reese duo cam. The new DenaliHD LML we have is simply amazing and more than enough truck for our current trailer so lots of room to grow. One thing I real love is how the Allison transmission, break controller and the exhaust break work when descending down step grades... The feeling of total control is very reassuring.

[pwrstroke2012]

Sounds like no one regrets changing up to heavier truck. I have a 09' Rockwood 8306 SS that I towed with an 09' F150 with MTP (says it can tow 11,300). Had plenty of motor but ride was a white knuckle experience, you know, feels like you were steering a boat most of the time. Had Firestone air bags, equalizer hitch and made sure everything was loaded even. What cinched it for me was when we headed for Lake Erie to do some scuba diving in the local quarries. Had 4 tanks and all the gear, 5 people and loaded trailer. I have to keep it around 50 mph cause I didn't feel safe with it. I also have plans to go west with trailer. I bit the bullet and bought a 2012 F350 with the new 6.7 diesel. What a difference, the ride, handling, no "porpoising" or "chucking" at all. I forgot the trailer was even back there sometimes. No more the tail wagging the dog. I was leary on the diesel cause TV is mostly a daily truck and tow occassionaly but I was glad I did. 12-13 MPG going 65 on flat ground and trailer felt secure and tight. Upgrade to the super duty truck was a good choice.
It was nice to see no one bashing Ford, Chevy or Dodge on thread. It is hard to believe that even tho the F150 was rated to pull TT I have, the peace of mind you have with bigger TV.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by pwrstroke2012

... What a difference, the ride, handling, no "porpoising" or "chucking" at all...

"porpoising" or "chucking" is not common with tt, but sure is with 5ers.

[dezolen]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

"porpoising" or "chucking" is not common with tt, but sure is with 5ers.

Total misinformation. As with any towing application improper setup can cause towing problems.
A properly set up rig will exibit none of these problems.
Our 5th tows so well I often forget it's behind me. No jerking, bouncing, chucking etc.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by dezolen

Total misinformation. As with any towing application improper setup can cause towing problems.
A properly set up rig will exibit none of these problems.
Our 5th tows so well I often forget it's behind me. No jerking, bouncing, chucking etc.

Didn't mean to ruffle your feathers, I was mearly pointing out that a tongue trailer does not porpoise or dophin, but it is a symptom usually exhibited by a 5er. Didn't say all 5ers had it. Mine had it and I didn't change anything but add shocks to the trailer and that stopped it.

[lbrjet]

I started with a 3/4 ton to begin with. No regrets.

[Len & Cheri]

Picked up a 2010 F250, 4X4, 6.4L, Cabela's Edition yesterday and I'm stoked about having a bigger truck. My F150 always performed well towing all my TT's I've had, but the tongue weight with the Palomino was a little over sometimes. I did my best to mitigate this by loading heavy in the rear. This still would not allow me to carry any water (fresh/gray/black) in the tanks. I was originally going to wait until late next year and hopefully get a redesigned F150 Ecoboost. 2 problems with that; the F150 may not be redesigned for 2014 and the payments would be huge. Starting looking at F250's and the payments on a used one would be very reasonable and I'd be no where close on the tounge weight. The operating and maintenance costs will be more for the diesel, but it should be a wash in the end. Now I just need to get a bigger TV, lol. Here she is:

[pwrstroke2012]

Nice looking truck Len! Congrats! I bet you can't wait to hook up the TT. The diesel won't be an issue if you change fuel filters and oil like you should. I towed for the first time with a Ford diesel and the RPM's stayed around 1500 at 65 mph towing a 30' Rockwood. On hills the turbo just boosted up a bit and it never missed a beat. I went from a F150 to the F350 and towing is night and day. Have fun with it.

[baldy]

I tow a 8306SS with a properly equipped F150. Bikes and kayaks in the truck. I would imagine if weighed I would be at or slightly over the RAWR but all else is fine. It is connected with a Equal-i-zer WDH. The combination is more than adequate. I do not tow in mountains but do tow in northern Ontario and I have no complaints. The 5.4 revs a little but it works fine. I can tow as fast as I need to and it is more than stable. I need to upgrade the tires. I puff them up to max pressure when towing.

Now as for a 3/4 ton. I have no doubt the experience would so much better especially with a diesel. We'll see about a F350 when the time comes. If I'm still towing and not parked I believe I will spring for one. It's more about the cargo capacity than anything.

For right now what I'm doing the F150 is perfect. I definitely have the right trailer now!

[fordmantpw]

Nice truck! I love the Cabela's edition, and looked for one when looking for my truck, but the only one I could find was a V10 gasser. I thought about going for a V10, but it was more expensive than my Lariat diesel!

Congrats!

[Len & Cheri]

Originally Posted by fordmantpw

Nice truck! I love the Cabela's edition, and looked for one when looking for my truck, but the only one I could find was a V10 gasser. I thought about going for a V10, but it was more expensive than my Lariat diesel!

Congrats!

Thanks. I wasn't real impressed when I saw it on the internet the first time, but the more I looked at it the more I liked it, and man it's sharp in person. I really the the lockable gun storage under the back seat. I don't carry guns in it, just my junk (tie downs, tow strap, gloves, ect.) Not to sure on the lockable center console part. Seems to take up a bunch of room.

[Beausdog]

Well lets see, back in 2006 I bought a new Ford F150. In 2007, my wife and I purchased our first TT. It was a Springdale 28'. We loved it, took it on two trips (in Alaska, where we were living at the time). The trailer was about 7k lbs and max tow for the truck was about 7500. You could hear the engine straining and working hard to get up the hills. As I was slated to move to DC, we calculated the decision and decided in Feb 08 to upgrade as to not get stuck in the mountains throughout Canada with an issue and no cell reception. Chevy gave me more for my ford than ford offered so I got a 07 Chevy 2500 DMax. Loved the truck and towed beautiful.

Here is the fun part, I decided to read the owner's manual and researched the truck a bit, and learned I could tow about 12,500 on the hitch with a W/D system. So like any guy who likes his toys, I upgraded to the TT next to a 2009 Four Winds 31N which was 10k lbs and almost 36' in length. The 2500 towed it beautifully through the mountains, though the crosswinds after crossing into Montana were horrible and could only drive about 5 mph through the farm land but anyways thats for a different thread.

Which brings us to current time, I loved my 2500 and my TT, although it had its issues at time. I started to shop a bit for a new TV just to see what was out and around. I was looking at F250/2500's. I got in the Ford and the Power Stroke was just so quiet, and the DW fell in love with it. So we began to work numbers. Didnt pan out at the dealership but I went to a different one. Everything worked out and they found me one in the color we wanted sitting on a lot in Delaware. Only thing is, it was a F350. Well by my sig block it is obvious I bought it. Then re-read the fun part without the towing problems and that is how I ended up with my 5er.

Anyways, my point is, if you are looking at F250's and 2500's. Talk to them about the SRW F350 or 3500. Not much of a price difference but a couple hundred bucks and you get the higher GVWR/GCWR for more room to play with, especially if you are looking to upgrade as well as any future upgrades of a trailer after your current one. I think my sticker was about 63k and I walked out the door at 51k or so before my trade in. Just my .02 and I hope it helps.

And most importantly