DiggerDerrik
Member
Just bought one a week ago. Curious what others pull it with. Thank you.
Who has a Wilderness 2575 RK and what are you towing it with?
- Thread starter DiggerDerrik
- Start date
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi DiggerDerrik,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other owners will jump in soon with some info for you.
Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum and your new unit.
Jim M
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
I'm sure some of our other owners will jump in soon with some info for you.
Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum and your new unit.
Jim M
DiggerDerrik
Member
The one it came with in the living room is some knock off brand I don't recall the name. Looks to be about 28-32 inch. I haven't even picked up the trailer to add the bedroom TV yet.
DiggerDerrik
Member
Wait. I'm an idiot. You meant Tow Vehicle. Sorry. I have two to choose from. A 2000 F250 with the V10 and a 2004 Ram 1500 5.7 QC. I'd prefer to use the Ram cause it has lower miles and I trust it more. However it has 3.55 gears. I'm seriously considering swapping those out for 4.11's
DiggerDerrik
Member
The factory weight sticker on the trailer said it weighs 5996lbs empty and has a gvwr of 7000lbs with a little over 600lbs of tongue weight. The dealer threw in (although I'm sure I paid for it somehow) a 1000lbs weight distribution hitch. I don't plan on ever towing it with the water tanks full. We don't rough it. It's full hookups or bust. So I think we could easily go down the road at 6600lbs or less.
The Dodge has a tow capacity of 7600 with 3.55 gears and 8600 with 3.92's. I have added a second transmission cooler to it and a transmission temp guage.
The Ford I bought because they were practically giving it away. It needs a new transmission though. That's a project for a time unyet determined.
Thank you you for your replies
The Dodge has a tow capacity of 7600 with 3.55 gears and 8600 with 3.92's. I have added a second transmission cooler to it and a transmission temp guage.
The Ford I bought because they were practically giving it away. It needs a new transmission though. That's a project for a time unyet determined.
Thank you you for your replies
Bob&Patty
Founders of SoCal Chapter
Don't count on you will only be adding 500#'s to your trailer ready to travel. Clothes, shoes, food, some water in the fresh tank (don't leave home without some) sleeping bags,ETC,ETC weigh more than you think. People, dogs, cats, fuel, firewood ETC,ETC all add weight to the TV. Load up for travel, stop at a CAT scale (truck stop) and weigh the whole thing...and you will be surprised. Costs $9 to do it. BTW, the WDH probably weigh's in at 100# with all the parts and pieces.
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justafordguy
Well-known member
You can probably get by with the 1500 for while but the f250 will tow much better.
DiggerDerrik
Member
Thanks for the reply. I'm sure it'll be fine. I just tend to be cautious. I've gone on Dodge Ram forums and most everyone there tends to make it sound like I'm attempting to pull 40,000lbs with my 1/2 ton. This also coming from people who've probably never pulled a TT. Good to hear opinions from people who have.
I drive a Tractor-Trailer for a living. Done so for 10 years with no accidents but my experience in pulling smaller stuff with smaller equipment is pretty limited.
Thank you
DiggerDerrik
Member
The payload on that truck is only about 1270lbs. Figure in 600 for the TT, 100 for the WDH, that leaves 570 for me, wife and 2 kids. So going over the trucks payload by a few pounds is probably unavoidable. However fully loaded the trailer is still 600lbs under trucks tow capacity. I know airbags won't increase the vehicles payload, nor will taller gears, but perhaps airbags will help stabilize.
I live in western Washington and there's plenty of hills here. Most of the trips we'all take will be to the ocean which is a realitively flat drive.
justafordguy
Well-known member
A really good WDH with built in sway control will make more difference on that 1500 than anything else.
DiggerDerrik
Member
Just a small update. We finally got around to taking the TT out for its first trip. I was really unimpressed by how theRam 1500 pulled it. Every slight hill was a struggle. It would downshift and lose speed. Plus the truck only got 9mpg on a drive to the coast. I drive LTL for a living and am used to pulling trailers (usually they're load is rather light 5000-20,000lbs). I missed having the power and response of a turbo diesel. I figuring fixing the F250 with the V10 may help but ultimately be about the same experience. So I traded it in on 2011 F350 Lariat SRW 6.7. The Ram I will be driving to Arizona (empty) and leaving it for my parents. The pickup belonged to my Grandfather, when he passed away it was given to me so I feel giving it to another family member was the right thing to do. I just bought the 350 last night, I pick it up in a few hours, so I haven't towed the TT yet but I'm really looking forward to it. Unfortunately I won't be doing that till spring. Now the only thing I worry about is me wishing I had bought a bigger trailer.
Im not condemning 1/2 ton towing but for me at least it was not enjoyable. At least not with a trailer of that weight.
Im adding a picture of the 350 I took last night at the dealer. I haven't been this excited about a vehicle purchase since I was 16
Im not condemning 1/2 ton towing but for me at least it was not enjoyable. At least not with a trailer of that weight.
Im adding a picture of the 350 I took last night at the dealer. I haven't been this excited about a vehicle purchase since I was 16
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rahewett
Well-known member
Nice looking truck. I'm looking at moving up from my F-150 also but that may be awhile. I pull on much flatter ground here in North Carolina. We did go to the mountains recently and it did about as expected. Between 8&9 mpg. We just won't be making a lot of long distance trips until we move up in TV size.
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Sent from my XT1093 using Tapatalk
JohnD
Moved on to the next thing...
It is not what you can pull . . . but what can you stop!
I loved my old 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 as well.
It pulled our past two TT's with no problem . . . but all it took was one white knuckle panic stop, and that turned out to be the last trailer pull with it!
Panic stop happened about 20 minutes after I took this shot in Estes Park, CO
Replaced it with my current 2015 Chevy 2500HD and sold the Dodge and it now resides in Rochester, NY.
We did end up going to a bigger trailer (5th-wheeler), but it (upgrade) had nothing to do with getting a bigger truck.
I loved my old 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 as well.
It pulled our past two TT's with no problem . . . but all it took was one white knuckle panic stop, and that turned out to be the last trailer pull with it!
Panic stop happened about 20 minutes after I took this shot in Estes Park, CO
Replaced it with my current 2015 Chevy 2500HD and sold the Dodge and it now resides in Rochester, NY.
We did end up going to a bigger trailer (5th-wheeler), but it (upgrade) had nothing to do with getting a bigger truck.
justafordguy
Well-known member
That's a nice f350, you will love the way it tows. It won't even know that Wilderness is back there.
DiggerDerrik
Member
Thank you. I've put about 100 empty miles on it so far and am beyond in love with it. Was getting about 19mpg Highway too till last night it hit regen and dropped the average to 17mpg. The best the Ram 1500 ever got was 15mpg. I may park my commuter car for a few weeks and enjoy the 60 mile a day trip to and from work in it.
Pierre5355
Member
I think an F350 is overkill. Towing capacity of 15000 lbs pounds and pulling only 6000 lbs. Maybe in the States the prices are cheaper but In Canada The F 350 sells for 120K___ F250 95K____ and Lariat F150 85K.
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