I am considering full time RVing. I am looking at fifth wheels about 36 foot. I will need a reliable full size truck that has towing capacity to tow it. What is recomended?
Ford guys will recommend Fords
GM guys will recommend GMCs or Chevies
Fiat guys will recommend Dodges
Which ever you may wish to consider a Diesel engine.
you’re looking at a 12,000lb dry weight from what i’ve found so far, probably over 13,000lbs by the time you and water,lp, and your gear so a 3/4 ton Gas v8 would have a high enough rating but the Diesel would probably be happier.
All three brands have a trowing guide on their websites with a range of tow ratings for the different combinations available.
Any of the big three will do as well as a Nissan Titan and the full size Toyota trucks.
But buy one with the “trailering option” which has all the stuff you need for towing.
A friend had a Ford F150 “heavy half” for towing his 5th wheel and it works just fine.
For serious year round towing I would go for a 3/4 ton model F150.
You should consider a 1-ton or 11/2-ton truck for this. A friend tows an RV about this size with a Ford F-350. He wouldn’t use a smaller truck.
I would go with a dually
We have lots of trucks and trailers in our fleet
And there aren’t any 5th wheel trailers in our fleet being towed by anything less than a 3500HD or F-450
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Folks who sell RV’s would know, but were I to venture a guess, nothing less than an F350. I drove a 16 foot truck full of furniture powered by an E350 from Denver to San Francisco one time, and it barely noticed the load, even as I went over the Sierra’s. Poster db4690 is an expert truck mechanic, so following that advice is probably the best bet.
For full time use as you stated. You’re going to want a diesel one ton, probably a dually. Loaded up the trailer is going to weigh at least 12k pounds, closer to 14k for some models. With the gas V8’s from the big 3, you’d be right up against the limit (or over it) depending on cab,bed, and axle ratio choices. The diesel will give you a pretty comfortable margin and get better fuel economy while doing so. Forget about the half ton’s if you’re doing this full time. They aren’t made for pulling their max rated trailer weight around full time.
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If I was going to RV full time I would buy just enough motorhome to be comfortable in and pull a Smart car behind it.
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My thoughts too, except a Mini Cooper.
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do you have a truck now?
do you have room for a truck and car and camper?
my neighbor built an addition for his camper. yes, a bit odd
Ive personally owned a dodge ram 2500 hd cummins and pulled a 1600 lb goose neck all over Az. up and down the mountains. I also owned a ford 2500 pulled the same goose neck all over Az up and down the mountains. the only difference between the two was the ford had a 460 gas and a five speed manual the dodge was an automatic. same tires axles and weighed the same too. the dodge did get better mileage and I didn’t feel the trailer on either till I was going down hill then I preferred the ford for the standard trans. the Nissan titan is a bad idea as they put too small of a rearend in this truck. it has the same rear end as the frontier with a diff cooler on it. I had both of those trucks also. as I have owned one I would seriously sugest a hd ford 460 5 or 6 speed unless u can find a dodge cummins HD 4x4 with a standard trans and you will have the best truck for towing anything with this combo. the only reason I would sugest a duelly is if u are hauling steer as they move in the trailer and the dually set up compensates for that movement and makes u more stable with 16 to 20,000 pounds of moving beef in the trailer u don’t need 4tires in the rear for stability for just a goose neck or 5th wheel.
I would recommend a F350 or F450 or equivalent in chevy or dodge. I would also get a dually which is much better for towing.
I had an older F450 (Actually the F-Superduty before they called it the F450) with the 460 gas engine. It would pull anything. I was occasionally pulling about 18K pounds on local hauls. It got about 5 mpg loaded and 6.5 mpg empty.
I currently have a 08 F350 dually with the V-10 gas engine. It would pull that camper no problems but If doing it full time, I would recommend a diesel. My F350 gets about 10-12 MPG without hauling heavy loads and 6-8 mpg when I pull heavy loads. Make sure you get the large capacity fuel tank(s). Gas or diesel it will be thirsty and you will be spending a lot of time at the pump.
While a gas engine will do the job, the gas engine will get terrible gas mileage. The flip side is the diesel will have much more expensive maintenance and repair bills when something does go wrong. You will also have the DEF and exhaust filters to deal with unless you live in a lax state where you can get away with removing this non-sense. Personally if I was using my truck daily to pull heavy loads, I would have a diesel. My truck is just a weekender that only sees a few thousand miles a year.
When buying a truck a few things to keep in mind. If you go larger than 1 ton, you will be forced into getting a commercial insurance policy. If you get a “incomplete” vehicle such as a 3/4 ton or 1 ton that was originally sold as a cab and chassis, you will be forced into a commercial policy. My F350 was originally a cab and chassis and I have a commercial policy through progressive. I don’t know for certain about new truck prices but often used trucks in the F450-F550 range will be cheaper than a F350 because people don’t want to get a commercial insurance policy.
Getting a truck that that will be maxed out on towing capacity is not wise. Don’t even think about 1/2 ton. You need a truck that can safely pull hills, stop, and control the weight that is behind you.
4x4 is likely a nice option to have. Camping can take you places off the paved roads. A tow bill is going to be EXPENSIVE.
Manual vs automatic. I guess it is a personal preference. Many people that do a lot of heavy pulling prefer the manual. People that don’t pull all the time probably prefer the automatic. The newer automatics in these pickups are going to 8-10 speed automatics.
About the Ford 460s, a customer had one on a flat bed truck and he often carried a Ford 3000 tractor on the flat bed and pulled a bull dozer on a trailer at the same time with no problem. I don’t know how it stacks up against a Ram with a Cummins but the owner kept his and had the engine overhauled when all his friends were going diesel FWIW.
I know of several people who own motorhomes that tow a car behind. Both have Honda CR-V’s that they pull around with the motorhome. One actually pulls a triple, motorhome, CR-V, and a small enclosed cargo trailer to hold a couple of scooters. That can require a special drivers’ license endorsement.