Tow vehicle

[twells]

What vehicle do most of you tow your Riverstone with? We just bought a 43' RiverstoneFK

[hutchman]

We tow with a new Ram 3500 CCLB, with 4.10s and an Aizin. Great combination with our new 39FL.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by hutchman

We tow with a new Ram 3500 CCLB, with 4.10s and an Aizin. Great combination with our new 39FL.

I have a friend with a RAM truck and that Aisin transmission. I have heard and read nothing but wonderful reviews about that Aisin transmission. I am told that is actually a copy of the GM Allison 1000 transmission. So close in fact that the transmission manufacturer pays Allison a royalty for every transmission produced.

I have a Silverado 2500HD and absolutely LOVE the Allison transmission. If this one is like mine, you will LOVE the way it tows! Of course, Im partial to the Duramax/Allison combination, but what truck owner is not partial to what they have.

Just make sure you get enough truck for the weight of your camper. Do the math First!

[dblr]

We tow our Legacy 38mb with a 2001 Kenworth T2000 with the Cummins N-14 and a 10speed Eaton trans

[Cowracer]

Originally Posted by dblr

We tow our Legacy 38mb with a 2001 Kenworth T2000 with the Cummins N-14 and a 10speed Eaton trans

With a Smart Car kicker for the big hills...

[emoji12]

Tim

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by dblr

We tow our Legacy 38mb with a 2001 Kenworth T2000 with the Cummins N-14 and a 10speed Eaton trans

The N-14 and 10 speed Eaton are a match made in heaven for a light tow, how is your truck geared if you don't mind me asking.

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by twells

What vehicle do most of you tow your Riverstone with? We just bought a 43' RiverstoneFK

See the truck in my signature, crew cab btw.
With the 80 gal. aux. fuel tank and very little other stuff in the back I'm right at the ceiling of 14,000 lbs with zero wiggle room.

[dblr]

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

The N-14 and 10 speed Eaton are a match made in heaven for a light tow, how is your truck geared if you don't mind me asking.

Not sure what the gearing is, the truck was a CFI freight truck but sold and converted to a rv hauler, we are the 3rd owner using it for rv hauling.

[hutchman]

I have a Laramie with no sunroof and no bucket seats, which should make it 50-100 lbs lighter than a Longhorn or Limited. I have a 55 gal fuel tank in place of the stock tank, a tool box in the bed with all my tools, and an Andersen Ultimate hitch to save about 140# over the other hitch I had.

Our 39FL only has 2 batteries, no solar, and the washer and dryer in the far back, which shoul help with the pin weight. I do not know how this floor plan compares weight wise to the others, but I do belive the "just plain" RiverStone should be slightly lighter than a Legacy due to the extras on the Legacy.

Here are the actual weights of my truck and coach:

Full tank of fuel, myself, wife, granddaughter (9 yrs), tools and hitch in the bed.

Empty

Frt axle 5500
Rear axle 3750

Total 9250

Loaded with the coach

Frt axle 5400
Rear axle 7600
Total 13000

pin wt 3750
Axles 14400
Total 18150

Combined wt

Truck 13000
Trailer 14400
Total 27400

We full time in this, so we will most likely gain some weight as time goes along.

Set up the way it is, I have 2100# margin to the rear axle limit, 1000# to the GVWR, and 850# to the trailer GWR. This truck has a 39,100 GCWR and 30310 MTWR, so we will never come close to either of those.

I'm very satisfied with the way it tows and stops and will keep it for the next few years. However, eventually I will probably buy a HDT.....not because I need one but the little boy in me would like to have one!

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by dblr

Not sure what the gearing is, the truck was a CFI freight truck but sold and converted to a rv hauler, we are the 3rd owner using it for rv hauling.

No worries, I should have said rear differential , which could be between 1:2.92 and 1:5.8 (hope that's the correct ratios, I'm getting a bit rusty), where the lower number gets you the best fuel mileage and lets you cruise down the highway in 10h gear with the engine doing 1200 - 1300 RPM, but they are really hard to find in a highway tractor.

[Cypressloser]

Originally Posted by hutchman

I have a Laramie with no sunroof and no bucket seats, which should make it 50-100 lbs lighter than a Longhorn or Limited. I have a 55 gal fuel tank in place of the stock tank, a tool box in the bed with all my tools, and an Andersen Ultimate hitch to save about 140# over the other hitch I had.

Our 39FL only has 2 batteries, no solar, and the washer and dryer in the far back, which shoul help with the pin weight. I do not know how this floor plan compares weight wise to the others, but I do belive the "just plain" RiverStone should be slightly lighter than a Legacy due to the extras on the Legacy.

Here are the actual weights of my truck and coach:

Full tank of fuel, myself, wife, granddaughter (9 yrs), tools and hitch in the bed.

Empty

Frt axle 5500
Rear axle 3750

Total 9250

Loaded with the coach

Frt axle 5400
Rear axle 7600
Total 13000

pin wt 3750
Axles 14400
Total 18150

Combined wt

Truck 13000
Trailer 14400
Total 27400

We full time in this, so we will most likely gain some weight as time goes along.

Set up the way it is, I have 2100# margin to the rear axle limit, 1000# to the GVWR, and 850# to the trailer GWR. This truck has a 39,100 GCWR and 30310 MTWR, so we will never come close to either of those.

I'm very satisfied with the way it tows and stops and will keep it for the next few years. However, eventually I will probably buy a HDT.....not because I need one but the little boy in me would like to have one!

We also fulltime with a home base (no house) that we return to frequently.
Our numbers would look almost identical, the difference being that the 38RE is a heavy beast to begin with, the aux. fuel tank (we do need it), washer and dryer in the front, 6 batteries, the Xantrex inverter/charger, solar panels and the extra weight of the Longhorn package.
When we traded our Trilogy the dealer was not able to put a number on the solar package we had so we had it transferred over to the RiverStone, these 600 lbs are the killer - if hind sight was 20/20...

[dblr]

Hutchman, have you ever checked out the Escapees forum and the HDY sub section? That is where I found my truck already converted and even came with the Smart car. Lots of good info there to read and learn, I read for almost 2 years to gain info and still learn new things from there.
There are also 3 rallies every year to attend if you choose and learn and see hands on, the East Coast rally in TN. usually in April, one out west ( forget where ) and the National Rally in Oct. in Hutchinson Kansas.

[hutchman]

Yes I do! I spend some time every day over there. I would have bought a HDT this time but got in a hurry to trade our Arctic Fox in before it dropped too much in value. We then needed a truck and 3500s are pretty easy to find.

But I keep my eyes open and when the right one pops up, I'll buy one.

I'm really looking for one that has not been singled....I plan to haul a Jeep on it.

[dblr]

Originally Posted by hutchman

Yes I do! I spend some time every day over there. I would have bought a HDT this time but got in a hurry to trade our Arctic Fox in before it dropped too much in value. We then needed a truck and 3500s are pretty easy to find.

But I keep my eyes open and when the right one pops up, I'll buy one.

I'm really looking for one that has not been singled....I plan to haul a Jeep on it.

Bummer, you missed one just a little while ago, went really fast and he had it set up for his jeep. Nice set up I saw it a year ago at the East Coast rally.

[hutchman]

I kow the one you are talking about. If I had been 2 weeks earlier, I probably would have bought it.

[Jeff_n_Deb]

Wife and I just bought a 2014 RAM 3500 4X4 Diesel Dually Laramie Longhorn edition. I'm not sure the tranny in it....All I know is my best friend has one the same year and it pulled our 39FK from the dealership with zero problem.....My F250 squatted so bad when I finally hooked up to the Fifth wheel that Wife and I decided we'd just ite the bullet and get a dually. So far after one week of driving it I'd say it was a good choice......haven't pulled the fifth wheel yet but I'm betting it'll be just fine.

[hutchman]

That truck will make you very happy pulling your RiverStone!

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by Jeff_n_Deb

Wife and I just bought a 2014 RAM 3500 4X4 Diesel Dually Laramie Longhorn edition. I'm not sure the tranny in it....All I know is my best friend has one the same year and it pulled our 39FK from the dealership with zero problem.....My F250 squatted so bad when I finally hooked up to the Fifth wheel that Wife and I decided we'd just ite the bullet and get a dually. So far after one week of driving it I'd say it was a good choice......haven't pulled the fifth wheel yet but I'm betting it'll be just fine.

A friend has a 2016 and it has 5700+ cargo. Mmmm. Real truck.

[DouglasReid]

Originally Posted by Jeff_n_Deb

Wife and I just bought a 2014 RAM 3500 4X4 Diesel Dually Laramie Longhorn edition. I'm not sure the tranny in it....All I know is my best friend has one the same year and it pulled our 39FK from the dealership with zero problem.....My F250 squatted so bad when I finally hooked up to the Fifth wheel that Wife and I decided we'd just ite the bullet and get a dually. So far after one week of driving it I'd say it was a good choice......haven't pulled the fifth wheel yet but I'm betting it'll be just fine.

The transmission is an Aisin. It is only put in Ram's 1 ton as a stock item. It can be added to a 3/4 ton for a huge price increase.

I am told it is such a close copy of the Allison 1000 that Allison sued the manufacturer and won. They pay Allison a royalty for every one they make. It is a FINE transmission!

[Kenny kustom]

Aisin is still an option on the 3500.