What tow rig do I need

Macy

Member
I was looking at one of the new cyclone models last week, i think it was the 3950 model and My wife and I fell in love! My question is what tow rig do i need to safely tow this thing around @ 18k lbs? I have a 2001 ram 2500 now and i think i could pull it but it would eventually wear it out quickly. I have recently look at the 2500 duramaxs and those are really nice and seem to be put together pretty well. Lastly I have found a 2006 F550 on CL at a good price and i know for a fact it would do the job no questions asked.

So after all this what exactly do i need to tow this safely. I dont mean something i can use and get by with. I want something I can tow with and not worry.

Thanks In Advance!!
 

PhotoPete

Well-known member
Macy, there is already a thread on this very topic. I am sure if you did a search on this forum you would also come up with some good ideas.

PhotoPete
 

rustyshakelford

Well-known member
personally i would not go with a 6.0 unless you do extensive research to ensure the issues were dealt with correctly. They can be great trucks with some work, and due to a poor reputation, they can be had for a very reasonable price.

we have a 3010 and pulled it with a 2010 chevy 2500 D/A. it was great for the power and ride, but we recently upgraded to a ram dually. We have not been able to take a trip anywhere but i think it will be a lot more relaxing with the larger truck. the trailer your interested in will be very pin heavy and will catch alot of wind. if your in a position to get a bigger truck with preferably an exhaust brake that would be the route i choose

brett
 

codycarver

Founding Wyoming Chapter Leader-retired
You may not NEED DRW but having driven both they sure are nice especially in high winds. And if your planning on having your wife drive I'd give it serious thought. Amy drove the SRW one time for about 3 passings of the tractor trailers, pulled over and proclaimed retirement from driving.
 

branson4020

Icantre Member
Absolutely, without a single doubt, you do NOT need DRW! It is one of those things that sells like snake oil!

Well, there are opinions, informed or otherwise, and there is data. To determine if you need a dual-rear wheel truck, estimate the pin weight of your chosen rig, then look at the GVWR of the truck in question. Duallys usually give you higher GVWR. Also look at the rear axle weight of the truck. All the pin weight goes right to the rear wheels. If you're way over the limit with single rear wheels, you may want a dually.
 

jmgratz

Original Owners Club Member
Here we go again with the great truck debate. Redundant. Don't mean to minimize the OP question but the bottom line is it doesn't matter what brand of truck you get if the carrying capacities meet the requirements of the load. If you want to know which brand you will get everyone's personal feelings on the subject. Look at the GAWR, GCWR, GWR, etc and come to the safe conclusion. In reality a 1/2 ton truck will pull a locomative but will it stop it or safely pull it etc. No Look at the RVs going down the road and see how many are squatting due to overloading. Many are. It is really scary.
 
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kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
I definitely agree...any trailer with an 18K GVWR is going to probably have more than a 4K pin weight...good luck finding ANY SRW that can handle that and stay within specs.
 

Macy

Member
PhotoPete, I saw the thread you were talking about, but i hardly think there is enough info on which truck to use to tow this thing. Every thread I find is just basically an arguement. Thankyou everyone who responded with some information. This is just a big decision for me right now as my family and I will be full time in the rv for a while until I get a new duty station.
 

caissiel

Senior Member
If the DWR's are hard to resell,it might be the right time to buy a used on like the F550. I have the 6.0L and compared to my son's 2 Ram 2007 and 2011 I feel I have a better truck for the money and do pull heavier then he ever will. Stay away from the PDF trucks they are just trouble waiting to happen, and that includes all 3 makes.

The F550 can be program to haul a house like i do with mine safely.
 

Macy

Member
yeah I think you are right about being able to get a good deal on an f550. The one i found has a full air ride system in the rear which makes it that much more of a deal. I am just hoping when i run the oasis report that things dont get hairy.

Thanks for the response
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
I know some think we're crazy for getting rid of the C4500 Kodiak and buying a new 2011 Chevy HD diesel, but in reality we were always over on the GCWR of the Kodiak...it was legally rated for 26,000 (we always felt it could handle much more), and we weighed 28,000. Everything else was way under specs.

The new Chevy actually has a GCWR of 29,200, and now we come in just under 26,000 (Kodiak weighed over 11,000), putting us more than 3,000 under GCWR. We are also well under all other specs, especially the GVWR of the truck which is 13,000, we weighed in at 12,470 (trailer on truck), and the RAWR which is 9375, and we have 8,350 on the rear axle.

For the first time since towing the Bighorn...we have a truck that is not only very comfortable and fun to drive...it can safely, and within specs, handle anything the Bighorn can throw at.

After re-reading your original post...I think you answered your own question...go with the F550, especially if you can make a good deal. As you said, you won't ever have to worry about what you're towing.

Whatever you decide on just make sure you know it's factory specs, and stay well within them...safety and stopping ability should be your main concern...Good Luck, and have fun shopping!:D
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
We have a F550 and like it very well. Great truck and now has 210,000 miles towing everything we have. Currently we tow the Augusta with a F350 with 20 inch wheels. We have room (legal weight) to spare and it handles it almost as good as the F550. Actually has more power but the F550 is a bit more stable as you would expect. However we have no issues whatsoever with the F350 towing other trailers that are much heaver than the Augusta loaded. The F350 weighs in at 8,900 as we have it equipped.
 

BarneyFife

Well-known member
According to the Heartland website, the 3950 has a pin weight of 3346lbs.. Unless I'm off the mark, there is no SRW truck that will handle that load "technically". We bought a 370C a month ago and our SRW F350 pulled it great. I had air bags and it did very well. But at the scales, I discovered I was on average at least 500-600 lbs. overweight on the rear axle. The SRW F350 was rated for 6900 lbs. and I was pushing 7500 lbs., give or take, depending on how the Cyclone was loaded. And don't even think of hauling with the water tank full.

As much as I hated it, we traded in the 350 for an F450 dually. Now we have weight to spare, even with the Cyclone loaded down. Good luck and stay safe.
 

tgreening

Active Member
According to the Heartland website, the 3950 has a pin weight of 3346lbs.. Unless I'm off the mark, there is no SRW truck that will handle that load "technically". We bought a 370C a month ago and our SRW F350 pulled it great. I had air bags and it did very well. But at the scales, I discovered I was on average at least 500-600 lbs. overweight on the rear axle. The SRW F350 was rated for 6900 lbs. and I was pushing 7500 lbs., give or take, depending on how the Cyclone was loaded. And don't even think of hauling with the water tank full.

As much as I hated it, we traded in the 350 for an F450 dually. Now we have weight to spare, even with the Cyclone loaded down. Good luck and stay safe.



They might say 3300 lbs but my 3950 ready to go the way WE load is right about 4,300 lbs on the pin. That is with effectively empty tanks and not much to speak of in the garage. Given those weights and my truck (f-450, '08) I've got about 800 lbs to spare on my rear axle. If I were the OP and could get a good deal on that 550 that's the way I'd go. As long as that '06 6.0 was taken care of it shouldn't be much of a problem. If the deal was good enough you could always toss a couple grand at the motor just to be sure. I've got an '06 and it's a very strong runner with a 100k on the clock with no serious issues to date.
 

mmomega

AnyTimer
I just wanted to share my 2 cents and story. We have an '07 F350 Shortbed that we have been using to pull our trailers with since we bought it in early 07. Never had problems with the 6.0 until this year, just hitting 72k miles on the clock. Overheating probs, been to dealer 4 times, they cant fix it....yet, taking to a better mechanic but thats a different story all together.

2nd problem is that this was the 1 fluke of nature incident I've never had before or heard of. Same truck, SRW, new tires (less than 5k on them) coming back home from a 3,500 mile trip and it outside temp was well into the triple digits that day. 3 hrs from home my rear driver tire blew the sidewall out, no biggy put on the spare and kept trucking. 1 hr from home the rear passenger tire blew. Sunday evening, no tire stores open so we were on the side of the highway for another 6 hrs before getting the trailer and truck home.
Now it could have been the heat that day, could have been those tires (GoodYear Wranglers) but either way I was not letting this happen again. Yes probably some fluke but still.

So I decided to just save and we just picked up a dually last night. So now I do have more stability, piece of mind and I don't think I'll be coming close to the 21,000 lbs of fifth wheel towing that the truck is rated at.
My Opinion, if you can afford it... get more truck than you currently need. That small inconvenience of parking further away in the parking lots is nothing in the scheme of things. Hey we all need to walk a little more right?

Also, the big 3 trucks are so close in comparison it really comes down to brand preference and price. You'll be spending a lot of time in that seat do the research and drive them all then make the decision.
 
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