When size matters- Choosing a truck

[pearlbalt]

We're about to purchase a truck to haul the fifth wheel we hope to buy. In both cases we are looking at used vehicles. We are newbies and want to keep it simple. What is the best sized bed to use a standard fifth wheel hitch? Will 6' do it or do we need 8'? We are looking at 30 ft rvs and hoping to haul into mountainous areas. What kind of suspension and engine size should we seek to keep it easy and safe? I think that we are sold on diesels, but do we need a dually? Any tips on vehicle make, engine type and model? Thanks in advance for your input.

[Ford Idaho]

My lite is 30 foot long, the 250 does a fine job pulling and stopping.

My hitch.



Works well in a long bed.

In the mountain's a diesel will serve you better.

I suggest a one ton, dually if you plan on a larger trailer at some point.

Much depends on the trailer, some here suggest you buy the trailer first.

[stevewise]

Be careful when I got my first TT (30ft) I bought a used F250 with the 6.0L diesel, at the time I did not know about the problems Ford had with these engines. It ended up costing a lot in repairs while I was on the road. Came home and bought a new F350. It is nice to have a warranty.

Good luck

[mud yapster]

I'd make sure it had a 6.7L diesel Cummins or Ford engine and an 8 foot bed will be better along with a dually set up.

[MeepMeep]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

My lite is 30 foot long, the 250 does a fine job pulling and stopping.

My hitch.



Works well in a long bed.

In the mountain's a diesel will serve you better.

I suggest a one ton, dually if you plan on a larger trailer at some point.

Much depends on the trailer, some here suggest you buy the trailer first.

Words to live by....if there's even a REMOTE possibility of trading up the fifth wheel later, get the biggest truck you can afford first. That way it won't matter what size trailer you're pulling (or where you're pulling it)

[Mikehend]

Love my truck/5er combo.
We have a 36' long Sabre and pull with a short bed (6.5') Chevy 2500 HD Duramax Diesel.
My brother in law and I go back and forth a lot about his Ford Diesel vs. mine, but then he had his head bolts go out on the truck and put a few thousand into it...the ribbing has quieted down a bit!

The only thing about the short bed is I can't jackknife quite as far, but with my rounded front cap on the Sabre I can go almost 90 degrees. I can only think of 1 or 2 times it might have helped to have more, but I've always been able to work it out.

I also have the Hensley, Trailer Saver air hitch in the bed. A bit costly, but it makes a HUGE difference in towing. I like that option rather than one on the pin box, because then I can take it with me when I trade trucks/trailers in the future.

Everybody has their opinions, but I really like my combination...pulls great and averaging 11-13 mpg depending on the situation.

[The_Rhino]

Although a 1 ton diesel dually w/8' bed would provide the most stability, folks have to determine if they have room in the garage for such a beast & other factors, like whether or not the TV is used as someone's daily driver.

Personally, I would not want to spend $30K+ on a nicer (used) diesel TV & then have to leave it out in the weather because it doesn't fit in the garage. Therefore, if I were upgrading to a diesel I would choose a 1 ton diesel SRW w/6.5' bed & match it to a hitch & 5er designed for 6.5' beds... A Ram 3500 SRW w/Cummins TD & Aisin tranny has a payload over 5,000 & tow rating over 25,000. Specs vary depending on year & trim but IMO that'll handle most 5ers on the market except for a few of the largest toy haulers...

From personal experience, I know that Ram honors their 100K mile Powertrain warranty even if you are the 2nd owner & even if the first owner cannot provide maintenance records. In 2013 I bought a used 2011 Ram 2500 for $14K with 85K miles. At 96K miles the Hemi blew during my daily commute & Ram replaced it with a newly rebuilt Hemi, no questions asked. The replacement engine has a fresh 100k mile/3 year warranty. So after that positive experience I am keeping Rams at the top of my list & you can't go wrong with a Ram w/Cummins TD...

[Harkerr]

Definitely diesel. Dually if you have the room. Duramax/Allison is a good combo.

[jkoenig24]

You have NOT said one word about weights. All tow vehicles and trailers have weight ratings. More than 50% of RVs are actually OUTSIDE of their legal limits in at least one parameter. You need to determine how much total weight your trailer will be, then add a suitable safety margin (say 20%). You also need to make sure the hitch you'll be using can handle the total weight as well as the tongue weight. Do yourself a HUGE favor. Find and attend an RV Boot Camp. Escapees RV Club runs an excellent one. There are other groups that run RV Boot Camps as well as online resources. The time and money you'll spend on RV Boot Camp will be VERY well spent. Mistakes made with RVs are usually expensive and sometimes dangerous. MOST pick up trucks are operating at the upper end of their capacity (if not beyond). Many RVers are moving to HDTs (Heavy Duty Trucks) to safely haul their trailers. I know you want to get on the road NOW but if you can, resist the urge, get educated and then, start shopping. In the long run, you'll save money and quite possibly, avoid a catastrophic accident.

[RubberNail]

I have a 2007 GMC HD2500 4x4 Duramax SWB with SuperGlide hitch and pull a Montana 2955. Absolutely no problems with towing this Combo and we've been most everywhere, including an Alaska tow up the ALCAN. If I traded (not likely) the only change I would make is to get a HD3500, not to cure any problem but to just have more cushion, but again, short box and single rear wheels. When you are disconnected you can go anywhere a car can go. Had a couple of duals and that wasn't true of them. I would not part with the SuperGlide hitch. If has saved me a many time.

[53jimc]

I won't speak to which brand to buy (I have a F250 with the 6.0 diesel, bought it used) but I will say that the difference between pulling with gas vs. diesel is night and day.
I bought a "lightweight" SV291 thinking my Z71 with 5.3 would pull it with no problem, I was mistaken. It struggled the entire time. The F250 has no problem at all and fuel mileage doubled. (6 to 12) Haven't pulled it to the mountains yet. I wouldn't even try with the Z71.

[rsadams]

I towed a 33' TT w/my F250 super duty V10. Personally, I think the gas's burners should have a look at. There must be a reason most of the class a coaches on the road today are powered by the ford V10 engine. Maybe repair costs and fuel costs. Just my 2 cents!

[pearlbalt]

There's a lot of information to digest here. My husband is looking at a 2003 Ford 350 dually diesel with a 6.0 engine and a 6 3/4 truck bed, under 50k miles with two previous owners. It's through a dealership and we are babes in the woods. I'm thinking we should let this one go until we become a bit more educated, especially since it seems a bit high at close to $20K for a 13 year old vehicle. It's almost a chicken/egg situation. Tow vehicle or rv first?

[wbdavey]

I owned a 2005 F350 with the 6.0 diesel. Most unreliable new vehicle I ever owned! Be aware that some versions of the Chevy Duramax and 2007-2008 Dodge Cummins also had problems. My advice is either educate yourself about diesels or find a dealer you really trust. I'm also of the school that thinks you should pick your trailer first, then buy a truck that is more than capable of towing it safely and comfortably.

[Twice]

I bought a new Dodge 2500 4x4 Cummins Mega Cab. I love it but...I should have bought a 3500 for the increased tow capacity if needed, and got the Crew Cab for better visibility when backing. Mega cab has too many blindspots when backing 35 foot 5er!

[Blackhat6mike]

Avoid the 6.0 ltr Ford like the plague. Nothing but trouble from day one. I personally recommend the LML Duramax/Allison with tow package as I own one with only 71,000 miles, but no problems. Just towed a 10,600 lb, 34 ft TT from one end of the Blue Ridge Parkway to the other end [465 miles of nothing but steep ups and downs].
If you are going with a 5er, seriously consider a dually. IMHO
Only a diesel!

[prestonj12]

I am amazed by the people towing heavy bumper pull toy haulers with Tundras and other 1/2 ton tucks with gasoline engines. I had a 2002 K2500HD with 4.10 gears with the gas engine and it absolutely wouldn't go over 40 mph pulling 6000 lbs up a 7 percent or more grade. I pulled a 10+ percent grade in 100 degree heat one time and thought I was going to slide downhill backwards. Bought a 2008 Duramax K2500HD and can not believe how well it pulls the same, and heavier rig. Same grades, and I can pull as fast as I want too. And, I get almost double the mileage towing with the diesel than I got with the gas engine. I'll never have a gas engine truck again.


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[Fred and Christine]

When we upgraded from a 25' TT to a 37' 5th wheel we went with a 2008 F350. As noted above the 2007 and earlier Fords have the 6.0. 2008 - 2010 have the 6.4 a very strong and reliable drive train.

[The_Rhino]

My husband is looking at a 2003 Ford 350 dually diesel with a 6.0 engine and a 6 3/4 truck bed, under 50k miles... it seems a bit high at close to $20K for a 13 year old vehicle. It's almost a chicken/egg situation. Tow vehicle or rv first?

OP, since we also needed to buy a TV & TT within the same year, we also chose to buy both used. First we went to local RV dealers & a RV show to narrow-down our floor plan choices. (Once you fall in love with a floor plan concept, it's hard to consider anything else, especially anything smaller...) Older TT's & 5ers tend to be more heavy for any given floor plan, so I went back 2-4 years & wrote-down all of the weights of used TT's we would consider owning. Look at the GROSS weight of the 5er you are considering & make sure your truck is enough to handle a fully loaded RV. This gives you a safety margin and allows you to haul water into locations when needed... In our case, we wanted a TT with 2 slides which meant we could no longer consider a 1/2 ton - we needed to get a 3/4 ton (newer gas would work in our case but since you are looking at 5ers & will likely go from CA up into the mountains you should keep looking at diesel 1 tons like your DH is already doing...)

I looked at about (20) 2000-2008 era trucks (diesel & gas). All of the diesels were either pricey or rusty (here in Ohio)... It's important to avoid lemons produced during this era, like the Ford 6.0 diesel on the 3500 you are looking at... The gas trucks were a mixed bag (avoid Ford's with 3 valves...) but most of the older gassers do not have enough tow capacity for a 5er unless you find a V10 gas hog. (A V10 paired with a 4 speed tranny will probably only get 5-7 mpg towing & will struggle out West in the mountains...) Ram makes a 6.4 Hemi now but it would limit your 5er choices & also strain in the mountains...

Newer trucks benefit from improved engine & tranny technology (better mpg) & did not have our Ohio rust... To keep within our budget, we chose a 2 year-old Ram 2500 CC ST (stock) w/5.7 Hemi (gas) & high miles (85K miles) for $14K. Buying used means assuming more risk, but ours still had the balance of Ram's 5 Year/100K mile powertrain warranty. At 96K miles, my Hemi blew during my daily commute & Ram replaced it under warranty, no questions asked. Replacement has a 3 year/100K mile warranty. I've owned the TV for 2 years now & it's almost paid-off so I'm really pleased with Ram right now...

Once we had the truck (in 2013), we shopped for (used) TT's. Our truck is a 2011 & we found a 2011 PrimeTime TT so they make a pretty nice pair... Combine cost for both was under $35K & combined payments under $400/mo. which means we can double/triple payments & have all paid-off in less than 5 years... IMO vehicles & RV's depreciate too quickly to buy new especially since the RV boom has depreciated recent build quality...

[kandl]

Originally Posted by jkoenig24

More than 50% of RVs are actually OUTSIDE of their legal limits in at least one parameter.

Says who? Does the NHTSA know this?