Truck advice

[doctor20]

Seeking advice on the best truck/engine which would be best based on your experience to tow a new 320rs columbus 5th wheel. We put the cart before the horse and had our new rv delivered. Planning on towing next year, please help. Thanks.

[donanddona]

At over 14,000lbs GVRW? Gotta go with that big Ford 450 twin turbo... Yea baby..

[ironj]

well...im sure your sure to get a LOT of brand war based opinion on this one, but truthfully, any of the big 3 diesel trucks would do the job just fine...and a lot of it depends on what you want and what your willing to sacrifice.....i would have liked a dually, but didnt really want to drive the thing around...

as you can tell by my sig i am a ford owner FOR NOW, as i buy things based on what i feel is the best option at the moment....i only put about 3000 miles towing with it this year, but it impressed in every sense of the word....i have towed with dodges, gmcs, and even a couple of internationals.....they all have things going for them and are quite capable beasts......in the end, i just felt the ford was better suited for me and my wants....

my thoughts have always been you cant have enough torque, HP, and a/c BTU's when towing and camping!! LOL...im sure you will get many more opinions on THIS fourm...haha

[ironj]

Originally Posted by donanddona

At over 14,000lbs GVRW? Gotta go with that big Ford 450 twin turbo... Yea baby..

the newer fords are a single, sequential turbo setup....its a variable vane design so twins are not "theoritiacally" needed....the ecobeast however has the twin design....

and taht F450 is one bad towing beast......and pretty much impractical for anything else LOL.....bet it tows good tho!!

[Lynkage]

I just bought a 2012 F-450 and really like the truck alot!! I am biased and always buy Fords but the wife really likes this one as well. Very nice ride and I averaged 12.9 MPG going from Denver to Moab on I-70 and back with my almost 40' 355BHQ Crusader 14K 5er attached Fully loaded!!

I really like this truck!!

[donanddona]

Lynkage has a heart stopper fursure fursure... But really... Any 5th wheel over 12,00lbs GVRW should have a dully for stowing stabillity.. I'm sure their are harden towers that say their 350 "HD" pull just fine. However I travel as I drag the anchor 53mph, and have seen many a swayers too....

[crasher]

The 320 has a 20% pin weight, so it should tow nicely. Several on here are reporting that they are towing with a 3/4 ton just fine. That is what I'm intending to do.

Max loading could put you at 14,000 lbs, but that would also make the pin weight potentially 2800 lbs. I think that scenario is extreme. Most likely you'll be 2200 to 2500lbs, which would be a the max of most 3/4 ton trucks.

Moving up to a 1 ton truck is not without considerable cost as well as the inconveniences of driving a dually when not towing. So you have to weigh all the pros and cons, that are surely to follow my post.

However, anyone with any sense knows that the Chevy is the best truck out there, by far, so with that said, you only have to decide 2500 or 3500!

[Len & Cheri]

Someone will be along soon to say their's is the best (happens all the time). Your best bet is drive them all and decide for yourself what you like. Don't listen to the narrow minded ones on here. All the trucks have good and bad, but all are pretty close to equal.

That's a sharp truck Lynkage! I saw one in person the other day and I don't think pictures do it justice. Much better looking in person.

[Lynkage]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

Someone will be along soon to say their's is the best (happens all the time). Your best bet is drive them all and decide for yourself what you like. Don't listen to the narrow minded ones on here. All the trucks have good and bad, but all are pretty close to equal.

That's a sharp truck Lynkage! I saw one in person the other day and I don't think pictures do it justice. Much better looking in person.

Thanks for the dibbs!!

My truck is best...........

For my family that is. It has the safety features we want for our 3 kids and us, as well as I agree about 12,000 lbs and duallys. I have a 2006 SRW F-350 with 35,000 miles but opted to stay safe and get a bigger truck as I would have been truly over weight with the 355BHQ.

I have a small construction company and I tow my 20K dump and excavator with an F-550 and I would NEVER go lighter than a 550 ever.
Just not safe.
JMO

Stay safe out there fellow RV'ers!!

[Cajun Po-Boy]

Originally Posted by doctor20

Seeking advice on the best truck/engine which would be best based on your experience to tow a new 320rs columbus 5th wheel. We put the cart before the horse and had our new rv delivered. Planning on towing next year, please help. Thanks.

Any of the big 3 diesel truck makers will work....I'd recommend a SRW 350/3500 model for sure but if I was traveling around the country full timing or most timing I'd opt for the DRW 350/3500 models.
Have fun and take your time on the "horse" purchase

[ependydad]

For me, not being a motor head nor knowing the details behind things - I have to go by the black and white of the "books". My decision for a 3500 DRW truck was based on the published specs of what my approximate pin weight was going to be, the payload available on the truck and the gross-combined weight if I were loaded full-tilt between the truck and the camper.

Heck, I wanted a Ram 3500 DRW Megacab - even w/ it's short bed. But the numbers just wouldn't add up for me. Here is a posts about my learning and decision making:
RV.net post about the MegaCab + payload capacities

If you know more about trucks than I do (likely) and can make an educated decision about overloading one or more parameters of your truck, I can't argue with you or make claims otherwise. I can only tell you - for me, it was strictly by the numbers of what I expected my fifth wheel to weigh, what the truck weighed and what we thought we would be adding to it.

[Len & Cheri]

doctor20, like these guys did, do your research and you'll get the best results. Starting here was a smart idea.

[amxpress]

I tow our Columbus 320RS with a RAM 2500 6.7 Cummins Turbo Diesel.
I don't overload the fiver and it tows fine. I'm within my numbers and I have plenty of power to tow. I feel very safe towing it and have driven through the mountains with no problem.
That being said, if I had to do it over again, I would purchase a 3500 RAM dually with the 4.10 rear end. This would allow me to go bigger down the road, if I wanted to.
My 2500 was a deciding factor when buying the 320RS. I can't go any bigger, but we're happy and the truck performs flawlessly.
I had Firestone airbags installed from my previous fiver. It keeps the truck level so I can see better at night. It also helps stablize the towing, that and the Roto-Flex hitch pin.
Good luck with your new 320RS

[EdJunior]

A properly equipped (please note the "properly equipped) 250/2500 will work if the GVWR is 14,000. However, I would recommend at least a 350/3500, and as mentioned, a dually would be the best for stability. The F-450 by Ford actually has a tighter turning radius than the 250/350, but it does have a wide rear end! If I were pulling a lot, I would probably opt for the F-450 (me being a Ford guy), but in my current tow mode (I'm a weekender...weekends here and there with an occasional long trip), for that trailer, I would probably opt for a 350/3500.

By the way, you actually did it the right way by getting the trailer first. Now you can get the right truck for the job.

[joelek]

I second what Ragin Cajun just said. 3/4 ton will do it but is going to be pushing its capability. Empty the 320RS is about 11K and full figure 14K. I would pick a 1 ton non dually long bed if I was getting a new truck.

Here is my EMPTY 320RS behind a 2006 F350 dually crew cab long box. When you see how big the combination is parked next to a semi, ask yourself if you really want to drag her around with a 3/4 ton truck or should you pony up for the 1 ton.