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.
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.