towing vehicle

hlkoring

Member
we are looking at purchasing a bighorn 3685 model.
Would like to know what other Heartland owners are using to tow their 5th wheels with.
currently own a Dodge 2500 but realize this will not do the job so looking to educate ourselves on our next truck purchase.
Thanks everyone :)
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Hi hikoring,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefuly to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

You will get lots of opinions on this. But most likely the best is to go for a 3500 series of your choice. They all make good ones.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

I also moved thread to the tow vehicle area. :)
 

jnbhobe

Well-known member
I tow with a F-350 srw, your Dodge diesel will do the job but you will be over weight. I would suggest you get the weights on the 3685 and match a 350 or 3500 truck to it, a drw truck will work for sure but your choice will also be based on your use of the truck when not towing.
 

mmomega

AnyTimer
1st off let me say, Welcome to the Heartland family. You're going to love that new RV. You'll find more info than you know what to do with on these forums :)

I tow with an F-350 DRW, I also have an F-350 SRW. The SRW is a shortbed and has airbags to help level the load and adds a little stability but I still feel way more in control and stable towing with the dually.

I also agree with Jimtoo and jnbhobe that you should decide on a 350/3500 series truck. Basically the main weight you want to keep in mind is the rear axle weight rating. Most of the time if you do not exceed it you will not exceed the gross vehicle weight rating or the combined weight of the truck + trailer.
Most 350/3500 SRW models will have a 7200-7300lb RAWR while a DRW will have a 9000lb rating.

Also since I noticed you are thinking about going full-time I believe a dually would be a better all around fit but that's just one mans opinion. There are plenty of full-timers as well as many anytimers to ask what they think is best.
 

gebills

Well-known member
Greetings Hlkoring:

We were in a similar position to yours 2 years ago. Went out and bought a new 2500 Dodge in 2010, before we nailed down the precise RV model we planned to buy; my thinking was that "this 2500 will handle anything we want to pull." Those were our "last infamous thoughts" before we started seeing RV models that appealed to us more. Another way of saying that is "we started seeing RV models that were longer and heavier." Long story short, in spring 2011, we decided that our new RV was to be Heartlands Big Horn 3455RL. This RV is very close to the BH3685 you are considering, in it's weights.

Anyway, back to the Dodge dealer we went; bought a new 2011 3500 Dodge SRW last spring, and then bought a 2012 BH3455RL last fall. We tow this RV with ease; as in, we hardly know its back there. Everything rides smoother with the 5th wheel attached, than w/o it; absolutely no exageration here. We completed a 6900 mile trip in November last fall, uneventful except for the sights and scenery, and couldn't have been more pleased with the handling and stability with the only addition to suspension on the truck being a set of Firestone air bags on the rear truck axle. If I do this again at some time in the future, I would have disc brakes put on the trailer axles. The drum brakes on our RV is the weakest link in this towing setup.

Our mileage in the first 6000 miles on the truck while pulling the RV was just under 10mpg. We currently have 16K+ on the truck and most recent pulls down to Oregon on 2 ocasions resulted in 10 to 10.2 mpg. Hitch is a non-sliding Pull-rite super 18K. We considered the dullie on our second truck purchase, but decided against it, as driving on some city streets might get a little uncomfortable with the DRW's. When we pulled up through mountains in southern CA heading back to Seattle last fall, we were in side winds in the 40mph range, and had nary a problem. Might have been a little poor judgement on my part, going past the overhead highway reader-board indicating "caution, high winds, tall vehicles not recommended in this area", but I did it anyway. Got lucky, and, that section of winding, windy road resulted in zero handling problems. DW and I are pleased with this towing setup.
 

hlkoring

Member
Re: towing vehicle-

WOW!!!!
:D:D:D
ALL of you who have responded totally :):) ROCK:)
I love my Dodge 2011 2500 and really wanted to stick with a Dodge ------
Sound like I will be good with that provided we purchase a 3500 diesel 4x4
I like the short bed and quad door - on the truck - will we be good with that?
I am very excited about moving forward to our goal of retiring and full timing! And in a Heartland!
With such awesome group of owners to talk with and the support how could you go wrong!!
Will have to work on some "tag names"!!! for Carl and I and our rigs!!! :cool:

Thanks again everyone and I will keep looking for more knowledge and experience from all on towing and anything else!!! Not new to camping but definitely new to fulltiming and traveling!!

Anyone have any suggestions on "Mail Forwarding Services" and best state to register for license and vehicles as a full timer! Certainly would not be our current state of NY I'm sure :p

Hi hikoring,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefuly to the family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge if needed.

You will get lots of opinions on this. But most likely the best is to go for a 3500 series of your choice. They all make good ones.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

I also moved thread to the tow vehicle area. :)
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Re: towing vehicle-

Another option that may work for you is go to an upfitter and have dual wheels installed on your 2500. There is really little difference between the 2500 and the 3500. I believe the 3500 has an extra leaf in it. The braking and running gear are the same. You cannot change the official weight ratings of the truck but you could make it work. This of course would depend on how many miles you have on your truck, how old it is and if you are going to take a dollar beating if you trade it in. Not everyone would do this but I have seen it done and it does work.
 

hlkoring

Member
Re: towing vehicle-

it is only a 2011 and not a diesel
has about 16,200 on it
would think tade it a better option?
Holly & Carl
 

PeternLiane

Well-known member
Re: towing vehicle-

WOW!!!!
:D:D:D
ALL of you who have responded totally :):) ROCK:)
I love my Dodge 2011 2500 and really wanted to stick with a Dodge ------
Sound like I will be good with that provided we purchase a 3500 diesel 4x4
I like the short bed and quad door - on the truck - will we be good with that?
I am very excited about moving forward to our goal of retiring and full timing! And in a Heartland!
With such awesome group of owners to talk with and the support how could you go wrong!!
Will have to work on some "tag names"!!! for Carl and I and our rigs!!! :cool:

Thanks again everyone and I will keep looking for more knowledge and experience from all on towing and anything else!!! Not new to camping but definitely new to fulltiming and traveling!!

Anyone have any suggestions on "Mail Forwarding Services" and best state to register for license and vehicles as a full timer! Certainly would not be our current state of NY I'm sure :p

If you're getting a 3500 DRW, I'd get the long bed. I like the long beds better because it gives you more options. Long beds also give you more towing capabilities. If you have to make so many adjustments on the 2500 to make it work, how much will it cost as opposed to just being able to move up. We had to put on a towing package on our TV. It would have cost 600 bucks to add in the beginning. We spent over 4000 bucks just to make it right. If i had the choice to go out and get a new TV I would have. You might as well get what you need without having to spend even more money just to get by. Just my thoughts. Safe travels!!!
 

mmomega

AnyTimer
Re: towing vehicle-

I have to agree trading it up, would be a much better choice.
Agree


Also the only Ram dually with a shortbed are the megacabs. Regular crew cabs are traditional long beds. With a short bed you may want the option of a slider hitch.
 

beardedone

Beardedone
Re: towing vehicle-

I agree with the 8' box. Remember to check the weight ratings on a Megacab and you may need a sliding hitch. I went with the 8' box and have an aux. fuel tank in front and jockey box behind that with lots of room for the hitch.
 

jayc

Texas-South Chapter Leaders
Re: towing vehicle-

When I was in the market to buy a new truck, I looked hard at the Megacab but since I wanted a tool box to go over my 100 gallon tool box, it wouldn't work. I did find a company that would add to the frame to produce a long bed megacab truck. As I recall, it added about $8000 to the price of the truck. Talk about long!
 
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