what truck do I buy?

dougduncombe

Doug Duncombe
I have just purchased (First time RVing) a Bighorn 3600RL (11880 lbs dry weight) and am very confused over what truck to purchase. The Dealer and a rep from Heartland said that a 2500HD Sierra was adequate and that is what they use all the time. Truck dealers have a variety of opinions. I pulled the trailer with Sierra 2500HD and it seemed OK, but when I look at the weight figures for the different tucks I get lost. I think I am down to three trucks, the Sierra 2500HD, the Ford 3500 or the Ram 3500 all with short boxes and single rear wheels. That’s one think I know for sure, is that I do not want a dual rear wheel, despite the extra stability it offers.
The load figures for the vehicles are:
Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab - GCWR 22000 – Max Tow Wt 15400 – GVWR 9200 - Payload 3606
Ford 3500SRW Crew Cab - GCWR 23000 – Max Tow Wt 15900 - GVWR 10000 - Payload 3800
Ram 3500SRW Quad Cab - GCWR 23000 – Max Tow Wt 14400 - GVWR 9900 - Payload 3300

These figures suggest that the Sierra 2500HD had greater capacity than the Ram and only slightly less than the Ford yet it is only rated a ¾ ton truck. Interestingly the Sierra 3500 has a smaller 5th wheel towing capacity than the 2500HD.

Also looking at the engines, the Sierra is larger and produces the greater torque at lower rpm (360 HP and 650lb ft) than both the Ram (325 and 610 )and the Ford(325 and 570). I don’t know if this is good or bad.

If anybody can give a rookie advise it would be greatly appreciated.
 

arisce

Well-known member
Always go with th highest GVWR. In this case it is the Ford with 10000lbs. The pin weight on the 3600RL is high. The 3500 Sierra would have a higher GVWR. It may pull less but it can carry more which is the most important when towing a 5th wheel. You can never have enough GVWR. It is always the first rating to be exceeded. The rating that must NEVER be exceeded is the gross axle weight. Ask your salesperson about GAWR. I hope this helps. Good luck.

P.S. Always go with the real weights. Before you buy have them weigh the
truck. This way there is no surprise.
 
K

Ken Washington

Guest
Ok, here is my two cents worth! I had this sams decision to make eight months ago. I started looking at what everyone was pulling with and talking with as many people as I could. I like what you see below. Long box-Don't have to worry about pinching trailer with cab of truck. Slider hitches are a pain and I did not want to deal with them. Four wheels-No worry about load-Real stable! My only draw back is that my truck will not fit in the garage.:(
 

fireflipper

EX-Travel Bug
Fireflipper

Hi Doug
Well I am sure there are alot of opinions on this one. I know I see alot of 3/4 ton trucks pulling some real big rigs. I own a Grand Canyon, gvw 16300, I pull with a Silverado 3500 dually, diesal. Even with this I am a few hundred pounds over the GCVW of 23500, but I have been full timing for the last nine months. Now that it will be shorter trips I will not have to carry so much and the weight will drop. Any way you go make sure you are not severly overloaded, if you get in an accident your insurance company can refuse to pay, and that is not good. I know there was a pervious post on this and the secnario was not pleasent. Maybe Jim can direct you to that thread. As for the hitch. I previously had a short bed and did alot of research. If you buy a short bed truck the only way to go is with a Super Slide. It is all automatic and you do not have to worry about busting up your new truck cab. They are about twice the price of a normal hitch, but well worth the money. Good Luck.
 

phranc

Well-known member
Any of the big 3 will have enough power to get you down the road in fine style. research the carrying capacity,pin weight etc. as reliably as you can.
The single rear wheel would be OK for your next purchase but if you had the dually you would be good for any upgrade in the future..
 

davebennington

Senior Member
For what is worth, it would be a good idea to check out each of the manufactures to see what kind of problems each is having with the trucks they are producing. ie..
GM (Chevy & GMC) - have had problems with the diesel engine not made by them Izzue (spelling?). The rest of the drive line and truck appears to be ok. The allison transmission I hear is great.

Ford - They too have had there share of problems for whatever reason they use the International diesel. I have not heard any problems with the truck orther than the engine.

Dodge - The Dodge folks are using the Cummins diesel, it has been around for awhile and seems to be quite successful. The Dodge appears to be getting better built. They have had some questionable transmission problems.

The selection of a towing truck is a diffcult one to say the least. They all have their good points as well as their bad.

We pull a Landmark/Golden Gate whith a Dodge ram dually. The weights according to the CAT scales are:

Just the truck with Julie and myself and full tanks = 7620 lbs.

Truck and trailer togeather.
Truck front axle 4420lbs.
drive axle 6260 lbs.
trailer with supplies ready to travel = 11720 lbs. (trailer axle).

Hope this helps some.

Dave:)
 

Cheryl

Well-known member
Dave,
Get the graphics for your truck and you will look just like us! We have the Golden Gate too.
Anyway, not only do we own several dodge trucks (4), my youngest son is a mechanic for Dodge. So, I lean in their direction. We have the 2005, manual 6-speed dually diesel, my youngest has a 97 dually diesel, the middle son has a 2003 Dakota, and I have a 2001 Dakota - all 4 wheel drive. My oldest drives a 2001 Jeep Wrangler, and my husband's work vehicle is a 1989 jeep Wrangler. As you can see, we like to "keep it in the family". Did I mention they all still live at home? Parking can be an issue:eek:. Oh, and we got a new puppy 2 weeks ago - his name is Hemi.
 

kognito

Well-known member
My 2005 GMC 2500hd won't pull anything Heartland makes. Due to the weight of my crew cab, and the limit of 9200 GVWR.

Anyone want to buy my truck?? I'm shopping for a 1 ton dually right now
 

slaytop

Well-known member
In regards to the slider hitch on a short bed truck, please consider my experience. I had my hitch installer place the king pin directly above the axle on my 2005 Chev 2500HD crew cab short bed rather than the 1" forward that was mandated by the predrilled Reese support braces. The reason I did that was because the Reese instructions 30035IN specified that location. I have no trouble at all turning my Shenandoah with the pin in that location. The corners of the trailer have not come close to hitting my cab. Therefore, I don't think a slider hitch is necessary.

One person stated to me that if the front of the TV is pointed upward in relation to the trailer at a severe enough angle, it may be possible for the trailer to hit the cab on a short bed truck. I don't see it happening with the extended hitch that is standard on the Landmark.
 
Last edited:

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Turning radius

Hey All:

If you remember the website and what the sales brochure says the front end cap is "SPECIALLY" designed to clear the cab on a short bed. The corners are patent applied for accordingly to Heartland. Just an FYI.
 

dougduncombe

Doug Duncombe
Thanks

Thanks guys, you all given me some good advise and convinced me that I should go for the one ton truck. Now the problem is which one of the big three should I give my money to, (I am leaning toward the Ford F350 SRW) and then to the next problem, which hitch, any advise. Booking a package holiday was never this difficult, hope it is all worth it.
None
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
I have a 20K Reese hitch, nothing fancy just a hitch and it does a great job. I got the heavier hitch just to be on the safe side and in case I may need it in the future.
 

kognito

Well-known member
Doug, one thing to look out for if you get the SRW Ford. Make sure it has the rear sway bar option. Not all SRW's have this option, and it makes a big difference when towing a 5th wheel.

It is only about an 177 dollar option (maybe less) and is also included if the truck has the "slide in camper" package. A friend of mine who works for a Ford dealer says this sway bar makes the truck feel like you have a dually when you are towing, and he also said it is very expensive to try to add to a truck that doesn't have it.
 

BluegrassMan

Well-known member
Hitches N' Trucks

Hey Guy's

I'm hearing rumors that Ford is going to do something different for '07 with the diesel's. Don't know exactly what yet, I know I'll get clobbered for this, BUT the 6.0 isn't the engine that the 7.3 was. Ford is having more problems with it. I think after Jan-Feb '04 they ironed out their Head problem.

I can get an X-plan discount on a Ford,which is enticing, but the Good Sam club says that Dodge is the #1 pulling truck for RV'rs. That long stroke 6 pulls great compared to 8 shorter connecting rods.

On the hitch I have a Reese 20K that is a Rocker (side to side ) for someone who never used a 5ver, sometimes when you are camped on a grade and have the trailer up on one side with boards, a regular hitch can bind at the king pin. You would have to have your truck level like the trailer to be able to unhook without binding.

With a rocker hitch the trailer can be level the truck can be off level and you can still pull out from under it with no problems. the hicth articulates side to side as well as front to rear. Are you confused yet ?:eek:
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
Ford is coming out with a 6.4 Litre twin turbo engine supposedly for the 07 model. It also sounds like there may be a major design change coming in mid 07 or the 08 models. Rumor has it the towing capacity will be greatly increased but as stated, RUMORS.
I have a 05 F-350 6.0 L, see sig, and I do not have any problems. Saw a guy a couple of days ago with an 03, the year that all of the problems were suppose to have happend, and he has 175,000 with no problems, just routine maintenance. He is running all synthetic fluids so this might be some of the reason with no problems. One has to remember that the auto companies are putting out thousands of vehicles but the majority of the forums on these vehicles seem to be reporting only the faults with the product. The people with a vehicle that has no problems would make for a boring forum.
 

dougduncombe

Doug Duncombe
Guys you have given me some good advise and things to think about. Thanks. One more thing do I really need a 4 x 4 or will a 2 x 4 be OK :confused: - I keep getting different opinions, not for when I am travelling but more for getting around the camp sites on slippery grass, gravel etc. I am not planning to travel in the north :cool: during the winter.
 

nhunter

Well-known member
We just purchased 3600RL and pull it with 04 F-350 4x4 short box with 3.73 rear end. Truck handles trailer fine and is stable. Actual dry weight is only 11000lbs. Got Reese 16K pro slider hitch. Day we picked up trailer it snowed 5 inches and sure was glad we had 4x4.
 

Tom of Ypsi

Well-known member
I have used 4x4 one time for camping and I probably would not have needed it if the kid escorting me to my site new where the site actually was. The only reason I have 4x4 is I have 40 acres in northern that I cannot get into during the winter, Oct to May.
 

bajaron

Bajaron
dougduncombe

You don't need a 4x4 to pull a 5th wheel, but if you need to use the 4 wheel drive just once you'll be glad that you have it. :)
No i haven't had any engine problems in 16,000 miles. ;)
 
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