Which tow rig to purchase

rjr6150

Well-known member
Getting ready to place an order for either the Bighorn 3400RL or the 3055RL. Leaning more toward the 3400RL. My question would be also will be ordering new Ford Diesel since I have X plan. Would the F350 SRW be adequate for this setup? Don't really want to go to the DWR if at all possible.

Also what hitch would you suggest?

Currently I have a 30 TT and tow with 3/4 Yukon XL 8.1. We will be going at least 3/4 time starting late fall.

Thanks for any input.
Randy
 

guy_914

Member
towing a 3400RL

Hi...we have a 2008 3400RL on order which we expect in april. From info gathered here from the great members of this forum...we determined and you can expect a pin weight of between 2700 and 3000 lbs for a 3400RL with a max GVW of 14000 lbs. We determined between info from our dealer and again current owners....that our 3400RL will weigh about 12000 lbs "dry"....given all the options we ordered.....and we pretty much maxed out on the option list. that gives you possibly 2000 lbs for your "stuff", LP gas, any water, etc.

We have a 2006 Dodge 1 ton, CTD, SRW, 2x4, short bed....and based on its "curb" weight with full fuel, B&W FW hitch, myself and the DW.....we calculate our 9900 GVW max 1 ton will just handle the 3400RL @14000lbs GVWR and meet all rated capacities...that is for the tow vehicle (TV) GVWR, the individual axle ratings on the 1 ton as well as the combined weight rating for both .....TV plus the FW...that is the GCVWR rating.

We defintely did not want a DRW TV although that would increase the GVWR capacity and dual rears do provide a more stable platform. But....we have done our homework on the 3400RL.....and you need a 1 Ton TV with at least a GVW of 9900 lbs. Not sure what the Ford F350 SRW has for a max GVW....short or long bed, Super Cab?

thats my input / findings....hope this helps you in your decision process

John
 

nhunter

Well-known member
2006 Ford F-350 SRW 4x4 Crewcab GVW of 11500lbs. My pin on my 3600RL loaded is around 2200lbs and I don't travel light as I 3/4 time. I get close on the Gross Combined Weight Rating of 23500lbs but the 3600 is rated at 16000 not 14000lbs. Unless your hauling concrete you should be ok. Use the search feature and look up weight/ towing threads. There has been some good ones.
 

randes

Active Member
rjr6150

I just ordered a 3055 RL on 2/17 and a 2008 F-350 CC 4x4 SRW SB PSD on 2/19. With a 2008 F-350 CC, 4x2, SRW, the tow rating is 15,700 with an auto Tranny. The 4x4 lowers the rating to 15,200. Both have a 3.73 rear end. Either way you have some "extra" pulling capacity. My truck GVWR table is a little confusing, but I believe the F-350 is ~ 11,000lb. The GCWR is 23,000 lb.

Wish I would have had the x-plan!

Good luck,
Roy
 

nhunter

Well-known member
The GVW will vary with spring rates and option packages. I have the snow plow package so that might account for the additional weight.
 

timk

Well-known member
Randy,
Our 3400 pin weight runs from 2700 to 3600 lbs depending on how much junk we stuff in it. I'm glad I have the dually, and am thinking about jumping ship if the new f450 turns out to be worthwhile. Our gross combined is very close to 23,000 with our truck weighing in at 8200 lbs.
Its just number crunching, to make things work, and things seem to allways be heavier than expected.
Welcome to the club.
TimK
 

kognito

Well-known member
randes said:
rjr6150


Wish I would have had the x-plan!

Good luck,
Roy

I'm sure I have posted this before here, but anyone can get X plan from Ford. All you need to do is purchase some Ford stock. I bought 50 shares through my 401K (not really out of my pocket) at 6.83 a share. I then saved almost 10K on my new Dually, plus the stock has gone up in value.

I can now generate 1 pin per year.

If anyone needs more details, PM me
 

vrugt

Active Member
Towing Rigs

I too have a 3600RL coming soon and are talking to Chevy, Ford and Dodge sales people about the right tow truck.

The Chevy guy wrote that I needed: "Silverado 4x4 ext cab 3.73 axle - duelie 3500 diesel max trailer weight 16000 .Also that vehicle is going to have to be a long box. They dont make the short box in that particular package . It decreases the tow capacity".

Obviously he based the max. trailer weight on the GVWR of the 3600RL being 16,000 lbs. Besides that he should also consider GCWR etc. I believe he is wrong.

The pin weight is at least 2,000 lbs. That weight is carried by the truck and should be covered under the truck's GVWR. This leaves a max. trailer weight of 14,000 lbs to tow (and probably less if the pinweight goes up, which I expect). So from a towing weight capability perspective I should even be able to use a 2500HD SRW 2WD short bed. (see for example http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/specifications/ ) Anyone disagrees? Maybe I am getting old and don't know my classical mechanics anymore.
PS I found a lot of tow truck data at this site http://changingears.com/rv-sec-tow-vehicles-ratings.shtml It links to manufacturer's web sites.
 

vrugt

Active Member
X-plan

I noticed that you may be able to get a X-plan Pin through your employer. Even if you are retired check with your HR dept.
There's also a DaimlerChrysler Affiliate Rewards program that's similar to Ford's.
 

nhunter

Well-known member
You might want to watch both your GVW and GCWR. If your GVW is only 9200lbs and your truck is around 7500 - 8000 for loaded 1 ton then add your pin weight = :eek: . The 3600 is heavy. With my F-350's GCWR at 23500lb (SRW) and I am at GCWR of 23000 +/-. Always remember the inportant word in SALESman.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
How to get Ford X Plan Pricing

kognito and vrugt,

Thanks for posting two ways for people to obtain Ford X Plan pricing. Through my employer, we have discount programs setup with many OEMs. Ford and GM among them. X Plan is available to me as it turns out.

I am not too familiar with it but it looks to be 1% above invoice. If a person is eligible for X Plan and is unable to negotiate at or under invoice on their own, I can see where X Plan would be a nice fallback option.

I got lucky with the dealer I got by Dodge from and got $1240 under under invoice (about the entire hold back) plus incentives. Dealer needed another unit on the books that month I guess and since I factory ordered, they had no carrying costs or floor plan contention issues.

With a truck as popular as this new F40 SuperDuty is likely be, I doubt the regular Joe will be able to get one at or under invoice but it's a good starting point.

Jim
 

kognito

Well-known member
Jim,

The plan I'm talking about isn't 100% like the employee plan or the X plan. the stockholder plan is a little different and usually brings prices about 300 bucks under the invoice number.

I won't post too many details, cause I don't want Ford calling you telling you to remove my posts!

Also, in the past, Plan prices were for 250's and 350's, not 450's and 550's my plan website shows me that I can get the new 450, but most dealers I have talked to say the 450 doesn't qualify for plan discounts ??!!??
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
The F-450 pickup does qualify for X plan. The F-450 chassis does not qualify. I just get my trucks through my brother in law under the A plan plus I get the best truck:). I could actually get any of the three trucks under the A plan just like the Fords the best.
 

jassson007

Founding Louisiana Chapter Leaders-Retired
Tom of Ypsi said:
The F-450 pickup does qualify for X plan. The F-450 chassis does not qualify. I just get my trucks through my brother in law under the A plan plus I get the best truck:). I could actually get any of the three trucks under the A plan just like the Fords the best.

The 2 dealers I have talked to around here both say that the '09 models will be available on x plan but no dealer will let an '08 go on x plan. He went on to tell me that in Houston they are getting above MSRP sticker as so many people are wanting on now. I guess if I get one I will have to wait as I can not and will not pay sticker.:cool:
 

r4man2

Member
Can someone point me to a website where I can find out what I can really tow using my stock '03 2500HD Duramax/Allison? Am retiring in Dec and have been looking at 5er's. Found a Big Horn 3400RL that the wife liked and then salesman asked about tow vehicle and then told me that even the 2007 Silverado 2500HD with D/A had a GVWR of only 12,000!

Dry wt of the 3400RL is 10,800 and I know it will top 13,000 with gear even if I run the BH dry. Went to the 'towshop' beside the dealership and was told I needed a new Ford 450 SuperDuty. They said it was needed to pull 'almost all the new 5er's.' Said the Ford has a GVWR of almost 20,000 and can outpull anything short of a International Harvester.

Went to a 'diesel performance shop' who told me they could put airbags, EDGE Chip, and a Tow Buddy on my 2500HD and that I would love towing with it. Said I could almost forget about GVWR with the Tow Buddy. What's the truth here?

Any help appreciated
 

kognito

Well-known member
I had a 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD (D/A) and its GVW was only 9200 pounds. I don't know what the rating was in 2003, but I doubt it was higher than 9200 (plus my crew cab tipped the scales at about 7150 pounds so that didn't leave much room for pin wieght)

You can put chips and bags and diffiernet tires on your truck, but you can't change the weight sticker on the door:eek:
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
The 5th wheel towing capacity of the 2500HD is 115,600# We had the same rig and were about 400# over GVRW but under combined capacity of 22K. We still opted to trade up to a 1 ton dually.
 

cjbearden

Visitor
We have a 2004 2500 HD GMC with a turbo 350 duramax and 6 speed Allison automatic and it pulls our 2006 BH 3400RL with no problems. We have not added extra springs, airbags or anything. My husband said the only thing he recommends is adding airbags, we just haven't looked into adding them yet - he has too many other 'wants'!!:D

He also adds, that if you are running duramax turbo it does not need to be chipped. With our four door cab and a handicapped power lift and chair right behind the cab, we still get 85 degree turn radius.

He pulls fast enough to warrant a ticket if I don't do a little back seat driving!!!;)

Carolyn
 
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