Common tow vechiles

NWTFHunter

Past Missouri Chapter Leaders
Thinking about getting our first 5er and looking at Bighorns, wither a 2955RL or maybe a 3000RL. Do not have the truck yet, have been looking at a 2006 GMC 2500 with Durmax & Allison. According to the numbers this should work as a TV, but since I do not have experience with 5ers wanted to get advice from those who have. Will this work?
 

sislv

Tom & Sharol
Tow Vehicles

I'd say the GMC you mentioned should easily handle either fifth wheel. We have a 2006 GMC Ext. Cab with the Duramax/Allison package and tow a Bighorn 3055RL. We've only made one 12 day trip so far with it but am well satisfied. We'll be heading for Florida this Friday and are confident the tow will go well.

You'll probably hear from the other makes too.....

Tom
 

phranc

Well-known member
Like many things in life..bigger is better... Try for the 1 ton ,if budget allows..
Not much difference in price and you will be set for a larger 5th in the future. All 3 american trucks(diesel) are well suited for towing..
 

dieselengineer

Charter Member
I agree with the 1 ton comment. Now a day, there is less and less difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton in ride and handling. The cost is not much more and when you are towing the bigger coaches it is nice to have the bigger numbers on the side of the cab.
 

kognito

Well-known member
I used to have a GMC 2500 D/A. Great truck and drivetrain. Only problem with it was the weight of the truck. GVW is 9200, and my truck weighed close to 7200 pounds with people or fuel. didn't leave much room for pin and hitch weight
 

trdeal

Past North Carolina Chapter Leader
I agree with everyone else. Bigger is better. I own an Ford f-350 ,crew cab dually. And it does the job. While you are buying get what you want. Something that will handle a larger 5th wheel if you want to buy one someday.:D
 

jpmorgan37

Well-known member
NWTF Hunter

I promise you, you will really appreciate the bigger truck when you start going down those 6-7-8% long winding downhills. Let the truck do the work for you, not the trailer. Pulling power isn't the concern, it's the stopping power. The 2500 will pull just fine but if you decide to get a bigger trailer, your CGVWR and GVWR is over the limit.

John
 

HappyKayakers

Well-known member
Besides the size of the truck, you should also consider 4wd. I didn't think I'd ever need it since I was going to stick to paved roads at all times. But twice in the last 6 months, I've spun my tires on wet grass or dry dirt while backing into a spot.
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Hi Guys:
I saw in the Auto section of the Harrisburg Pa newspaper, an article on what's new coming. The latest offering was from Ford with a F 450 pick up in 08'. Previously you had to have a chassis cab / Fontaine bed to have a 450-550. The picture I saw didn't show dual wheels either. The grille was a little wider, and the headlights were smaller. But it still looked like the 07' for the most part. Now if Dodge would get off their kiester and release the 4500 in the states (4500 chassis cab in Mexico), we all could breathe easier and not be close to overloaded. Just my $.02 worth!
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
just my .02 cents worth
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November 2006
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1158409_08Ford_F450SD.jpg
Ford has unveiled its 2008 F-450 Super Duty pickup truck, and it's a tow monster. The F-450 offers towing ratings above 24,000 pounds with a maximum payload over 6,000 pounds -- the highest of any pickup truck.

Optional diesel power comes from a new 6.4-liter Power Stroke that produces 350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque with twin turbos: a small one for quick spool-up and a larger turbo for mid- and high-range boost. Also offered are 5.4-liter V-8 and 6.8-liter V-10 and gas engines. Drivetrain choices include a six-speed manual with overdrive or a TorqShift five-speed automatic and both two- and four-wheel drive.

New features include an industry-first tailgate step that makes it easy to climb up; a stowable bed extender; and power mirrors, which can be extended and offer a larger field of vision when backing. The F-450 gets a heavy-duty chassis with rear leaf springs and radius-arm suspension from the F-450 chassis cab.

Pricing has not been announced yet.
 

tdharley

Well-known member
I am picking up my new truck on Friday.

I wound up going with a 2007 Chevy 3500 Silverado for a few reasons. The biggest one was the Allison 6 speed transmission. I had a 2004 Ford F350 & started feeling a slipping and hesitation in the tranny.

One of the other reasons was after a lot of surfin for information I found many good articles like this one from Edmunds, this was a head to head test on 2006 trucks.

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=115662

I will also say that the Chevy is MUCH quieter than either the Ford or Dodge.

I will miss my King Ranch though it had a lot more style and was better looking. Ford also offers tow command & the tow boss package. The 2007.5 Chevys I think look like a Ford, they will be out in March/April.

Also the Ford offers a 4.30 ratio rear and a 4.88 rear to get to those 24,000 lb numbers. Do I need 24,000lbs? I might be wrong on this but I have read that the rears make a big difference in fuel economy.

The new Chevys come with a 6 year 100,000 mile warranty.
 

ct0218

Well-known member
I've had excellent service from my GMC in the 4 years I've owned it. The only repair has been a warrantied 4x4 sensor, 92K miles. I would like to buy the 07.5 new body style, but I think I'll wait an additional year for all the bugs to be worked out. Never a good idea to buy the first year run of major changes. You'll love the Allison--it is some transmission. A dually is the only way to go towing these weights.
 

v92c

Texan
If we ever decide to get a new truck it will be a 1 ton Dually. The 2500HD Dodge tows the Bighorn very well, but we are at the hauling limits of the truck. The bed weight is around 2600 lbs with the 3655RD.
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Hi TDHarley:
You are correct on the gear ratios. The "higher numerically" means that the truck will pull weight better. BUT you suffer in milage. The more economical the car is the "lower numerically" for example a 2:72 VS. 3:73 etc. When you are running a 4:30-4:88, you are spinning the engine higher. Gas milage goes down. We also have to think about overdrive. The Top gear before any overdrive is 1:1 After overdrive is added the final drive goes to maybe a 1:.67 or so. Think of this as "For every "1" engine revolution, your rear tires go .67 rpm. So actually in "overdrive" you aren't rotating the tires at the given rearend ratio, it's under that ratio. To us Gearheads this isn't confusing, I trust that you aren't confused.
 

tdharley

Well-known member
Thanks for the info

No I did not know all that but do appreciate the info. I always wondered about the overdrive. I think I will read up on it.
 

kognito

Well-known member
tdharley said:
I will also say that the Chevy is MUCH quieter than either the Ford or Dodge.


Also the Ford offers a 4.30 ratio rear and a 4.88 rear to get to those 24,000 lb numbers. Do I need 24,000lbs? I might be wrong on this but I have read that the rears make a big difference in fuel economy.

The new Chevys come with a 6 year 100,000 mile warranty.

Congrats on the new truck! Yeah, there is a difference in the mileage. I recently went from a 2005 Duramax to a 2006 F350. I have the 4.30 gears and I struggle to get 17 on the highway (unloaded) I used to get 24 in the Duramax (3.73 gears) I still can't believe how freakin noisy the Ford is when it is below 40 outside.

I wish my old Duramax could have handled the weight of my new 5th wheel, I miss the comfort and quiet ride I used to have.

2006 Fords now have the same warranty as the Chevy's. (they had to match Chevy's offering, but my 2006 was bought before the new warranty)
 
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