towing tips needed

while not new at all to towing a camper or towing in general (i drive a tractor/trailer) i am new to towing a 5th wheel camper.

any tips that you all can give me on this would be GREATLY appreciated! i have 10 years experience with a tractor/trailer but im sure there are many differences. the main one being that i would have to pay for damage to MY truck/trailer! lol.

ive ordered a 3300RLB and have a 2002 F-250 7.3L diesel TV.

we should be getting the new camper in another week or 2. i cant wait!

I think one of the biggest differences between the big rigs and us is that the wheels on 5th wheels are much farther forward than on a tractor trailer. Because of this, the rear end swings out a lot in the opposite direction you are turning. Makes for some tight turns in gas stations and wooded camp grounds.

John

With your experience sounds like you can give the rest of us some tips, lol.
You'll find draggin a 5th wheel a piece of cake with your knowledge of Tractor Trailers , enjoy your new rig.

You will probaly want air bags for the rear of your F-250 because of the pin weight on that model. Looks like a loaded pin weight will a total of over 2500 lbs, thats too much for my 08 F-250.

ive already thought of the tail swing john. thats something i dont have to worry about in my work rig. i drive a tanker and my tandems are all the way at the back so tail swing is some thing im NOT used to! it is something ive always kept in mind when towing the TT i just sold.
my thoughts are, the 5th wheel plate is way smaller than a truck. does this make it less stable than i would be used to? does it feel "tippy" in turns?

Rrloren, lol. i can get it down the road and back it up with no problem. BUT, i always say im a ROOKIE DRIVER. the learning NEVER ends. id rather ask then make dumb mistakes on my own. even at work.... with 10 years experience IM A ROOKIE DRIVER!! as soon as you think you know it all, thats when mistakes happen. all the drivers ive seen that make the worst errors are those that know it all.

westxrt10, i think im going to consider those air bags and maybe have the suspension upped to 1 ton. i questioned my dealer extensively about that. in my mind....... 3/4 ton = 1500lbs allowed in bed. he insisted we were good with that. from the research ive done and checking what folks are using to tow what with, i see alot of folks using an f-250 (or equivalant) to tow models with that kind of pin wt. my ford dealer what of NO help at all. any modifications are going to have to be a next year project though.........

While I've not driven on the road, I used to drive a Ottawa YT30 Spotter as part of my daily routine before retiring. I had also pulled bumper tows for quite a few years. The first thing I noticed about 5th wheels was when backing up, the truck doesn't come back in front of the trailer nearly as fast as the spotter. Of course the spotter has a much shorter wheelbase. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Once or twice to see how your specific rig combination reacts and you'll be up to speed.

debh said:

my thoughts are, the 5th wheel plate is way smaller than a truck. does this make it less stable than i would be used to? does it feel "tippy" in turns?

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Mine doesn't feel tippy in turns under normal conditions. Once or twice I hit a clover leaf on/off ramp a little too fast. I did get the tippy-pucker sensation then

Towing with the F250 (3/4 ton truck) you will probably be overloaded with Big Horns and Landmarks and pushing the limits with others. I towed our Landmark with a F350 crew cab srw for 2 years and now have a F350 crew cab dually. I can say I never before thought I needed a dually until I had one. I could immediately tell I felt more stable with the dually. I do not believe you will find a 3/4 ton dually unless you have it custom made. So my suggestion would be get a 1 ton dually as your tow vehicle. I am partial to Fords but others would argue the Dodge or Chevy is better. The bottom line is the 1 ton dually is your minimum TV regardless of brand.

Hey fellow driver. One nice thing- NO Logbook!!! My truck feels a little soft when cornering as compared to my Pete. Backing is almost a little easier with my pickup as you are alot closer to the trailer to watch when backing in on your good side. I'm sure you will make out real well. Enjoy your new toy.

Congrats and welcome.

I'm done with big trucks, 8 years OTR box and reefer, and now hotshot RVs around for a living so here goes.

1. Stick to the basics you have been taught over the years of safety schools. Like GOAL "Get Out And Look"
2. Get some air bags on the rear springs of the F250, it'll greatly improve the ride and handeling. I recommend this even on duallies. I have them on my Dodge 3500 dually.
3. Stay out of the car lanes at gas stations. I use the big truck lanes even when towing my own fifth wheel, being an owner operator lets me use my Comdata card at the truck pumps too.
4. You can do yourself a huge favor by installing an auxiliary fuel tank in the bed of the pickup. Sure beats stopping 2 - 3 times a day for fuel.
5. Tail swing is a biggie, just like dragging a 53' box with the tandems slid forward, avoid sharp turns in tight areas.
6. Trying to drag one of these trailers in high wind is a big NO NO. Our company requires us to shut down in 25 mph wind. You'll feel it when a cross wind hits 20 - 25. Over that and you'll be white knuckled trying to stay on the road. We see waaaay too many campers get dumped over by RV transporters that are supposed to know what they are doing and buck the wind anyways. High head and side winds combined with road speed makes for hurricane force winds that easily damage the skirting on the bottoms of the trailer, roof vents and AC covers.
7. Campers handle horrible on ice.

Stay safe, enjoy the new Sundance.

If you are going to tow the Coach a lot of miles you will want to get a F450 or larger. 2005 and up F250 GVWR is higher so that would let you stay legal loaded lightly. Maintain the brakes and go for a dually if you are going to travel many miles. Other wise as the posters said you can get along fine with the F250 as it is rated as high as the F350's as far as that goes. We pull with a F250 and a F550. It is more relaxing with the larger truck as it just handles the load and roads better.

thanks for all the tips!! getting a new truck is out of the question. cant afford a car, camper AND truck payment! looks like upgrading the existing f-250 is the way to go.

now, any tips on airbags? where to get them, approx cost, brands to look at etc etc? i know nothing about this stuff. after reading a bunch of other posts, im beginning to really wonder if i am getting in over my head and should have stuck with a TT! my dealer (i know......... not exactly the one to trust on this since he wanted to sell us a trailer) insisted that we were good with my f250 as a TV.

I just put on Air-lift bags on the 06 truck, I think they retail for about $ 350. They really made a difference by softening the ride. I also have 4 leaf progressive helpers on the truck too. I don't think you need both but they are there.

debh said:

now, any tips on airbags? where to get them, approx cost, brands to look at etc etc? i know nothing about this stuff. after reading a bunch of other posts, im beginning to really wonder if i am getting in over my head and should have stuck with a TT! my dealer (i know......... not exactly the one to trust on this since he wanted to sell us a trailer) insisted that we were good with my f250 as a TV.

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If you can do it yourself you will save money. Here is a link that has them at a reasonable price. http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/suscon/scan/fi=products/st=db/co=1/sf=category/se=Firestone%20Air%20Bags/op=eq/nu=0/sf=veh_make/se=Ford/op=eq/nu=0/sf=model/se=F250%20%3A%3A%20F350/op=eq/nu=0/ml=25/tf=category/to=x/tf=veh_make/to=x/tf=model/to=x/tf=description/to=r.html

Don't forget you will need an air compressor also if you want the ability to inflate or change the inflation while moving. Individual controls are nice also. That will run about another $300. Available from the same place.

debh said:

now, any tips on airbags? where to get them, approx cost, brands to look at etc etc? i know nothing about this stuff. after reading a bunch of other posts, im beginning to really wonder if i am getting in over my head and should have stuck with a TT! my dealer (i know......... not exactly the one to trust on this since he wanted to sell us a trailer) insisted that we were good with my f250 as a TV.

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Either major brands are a good. Firestone "Ride Rite" or Air-Lift. If you like saving some $ the Firestones may be a option. The one that installs with-out drilling the frame might be a good idea also. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Fire...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

http://www.suspensionconnection.com/cgi-bin/suscon/2330.html?id=xTj4U2Ed

this is what i came up with...... looks EASY!! i like the idea of NO DRILL!! ive always hated the idea of compromising any part of original design. always swore id never get a 5er because i didnt want to DRILL into the bed of my truck, but here i am getting one.............

so, the installation looks easy of the airbags themselves. the comperessor on the other hand............ i did see on another thread someone asking where exactly to put it and how to run it. now THAT sounds complicated.

also, do i NEED the dual control? whats the difference/advantages in single/dual controls?

seems like the more answers you all are giving me the more questions i have.......... lol.

Many people would suggest you install a wireless air system that will cost around $350 , however I found that a small AC/DC compressor that I bought on e-bay for $20 works well for me. I put the air valves for my Firestones in the wheel wells and have easy access. It only takes me a minute or two to put 35 - 40 lbs. in the bags and just couldn't justify the cost for the wireless system altho I would admit it's a pretty nice system.

We have Air Lift as well. Works great. Two benefits that you will need and enjoy are the softer ride as the other posters noted and being able to level out the truck. The folks you meet at night will really like that.

ummmm, the folks i meet at night?