Tow Vehicles - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Closenin · Closenin

Hello everyone! I've been visiting this forum for several weeks and have really been impressed with all the help and information available. Even more impressed with the cheerful and friendly attitude! Thought I'd better sign up! My wife and I are about 1 year out from retirement and are seriously c...

Neil and Connie · Neil and Connie

Connie and are having a preliminary question about changing our F450 to a hauler bed instead of a normal pickup bed…this is in concert with our test this summer/fall of the mountains out west to verify whether or not we want to upgrade to a bigger truck. Our thoughts so far are that the F450 is plenty of tr...

Lynn and Ed · Lynn and Ed

How exciting for those who will tow a heavier fifth wheels. Although I am certain opinions will vary widely, the towing capacity will allow those who are looking to tow 20-23K a much larger buffer. It will be interesting to see Ford's response ... but regardless, an exiting option. http://news.pic...

phyllen · phyllen

We have a 2011 F350 dually we bought new. Love the truck. However, what a rough ride. Beats the heck out of me. When towing the rig it calms down a bit. First long trip when we got to our destination all clothes had jumped off the rack and landed on the floor. Another time broke the lid of my cro...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Update, after 1 month of full timing and driving separately, we've decided we just don't like that. Dale misses having "mission control" sitting in the seat next to him researching camp options for a night when we're in route, restaurant options, site seeing opportunities, we don't li...

1 Angel · 1 Angel

I am looking into getting a motorcycle lift for my RV. Any recomendations on type or where I can go look???

Jsova · Jsova

Ok, I have it in mind to be moving up to a 35-42foot toy hauler with a 13500/13700 rating loaded with all our things probably could go to a weight of 16000-18000 for pulling. I've read a lot of places that say a lot of things. I hear that my 2005 f350 drw 6.0L turbo diesel would do fine, then I hear it won't......

Bill and Linda · Bill and Linda

For those of you with a nice new tow vehicle, or maybe an older one with some dents, and are pretty “brave,” this might be “interesting.” No recommendation – Just info.http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/28/line-x-rhino-coatings-bedliner/2588539/BillEdit by moderator:...

lowryc50 · lowryc50

We went to an RV dealership today to look at the Sanibel 3500. We have seen it a couple of times at the Chicago and Grand Rapids RV. It meets our needs and wants. My question is when the salesman asked what truck I had I indicated that I did not have a truck yet but was thinking about an F350 DRW Diesel. He said I...

RandM Adventures · RandM Adventures

Well the 5'er is bought now time for the truck! We have been reading, researching, looking at and sorting through all the information here and at the dealers, wow we are mentally exhausted! The one thing we are questioning is the need for a 4x4' which seems to be what all the dealers in Colorado have on...

Bobbi · Bobbi

Isn't it funny how things can turn around for the better just when you least expect it? It happens that way sometimes...... read on. Upon realizing the cost to upgrade to a more adequate truck to tow the heavy toy hauler we wanted, and the subsequent poor fuel economy we could expect, I hit rock bottom. R...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Has anyone tried to remove the seat in the crew cab from an F450? Any tips or suggestions? We've decided we need the storage room for some of the items we use in Dale's booth for art shows that we really don't want getting wet. Some things we can store in the bed of the truck without a problem, but not ever...

BiggszSr · BiggszSr

I purchased a 30' 5th wheel ( Gulfstream Seahawk ) . I believe the weight is 8700 lbs. i needed a truck I could pull it with and so I purchased this 3/4 ton Chevy with a 6.0 liter gas engine . I know most everyone says to go diesel but I just can't afford the initial expense much less the costly repairs. Correct...

canuck · canuck

I picked up my new truck on Monday! It is a GMC 3500 SLT DRW in white. We will have no problem with weight with this set-up. I thought about single rear wheel for awhile but the trailer weight is close to the max for that model and thought it best to have a larger margin for safety's sake. I'm thrilled to b...

Bobbi · Bobbi

We have a 2003 F350 SRW with a 6.0L. According to Trailerlife.com, our max fifth wheel weight cannot exceed 13,300 lbs., though I have also read it is 12,200. Not sure who's right. Gross capacity for the truck, according to what we can find, is 20,000 lbs. The empty weight of the truck alone is 6,372. Add...

Alie and Jims Carrilite · Alie and Jims Carrilite

Hopefully this post will help someone else. We bought a set of Bridgestone Duravis 700 tires to go on the truck. They are a light truck tire with decent ratings, that a lot of delivery trucks use because of the mileage they achieve with them. Anyway they were balanced the old fashion way, regular spin, t...

ftrebing · ftrebing

hi everyone, we have a 2012 ram 2500 diesel towing a 11,500-12,000lb sunnybrook raven 5th wheel. the 12,000 lb is fully loaded. is anyone familiar with timbren springs for load leveling? we are experiencing that the bed of the tuck is definitely unlevel & the leaf springs are flexing beyond l...

Neil and Connie · Neil and Connie

Looking for observations/pros/cons for putting air springs on our new F450 DRW tow vehicle. New Horizons will be installing a TrailerSaver hitch when we pickup and I have some discussion about improving the ride. I wanted to see whether these were a must have, nice to have, or don't bother item (or ma...

BratsInABox · BratsInABox

Nathalie is now unemployed, getting an early retirement and severance package last month, we’ve been working on getting the house ready to put on the market, and we’re closer than ever to having made our truck and fifth wheel decisions. Now before we go out and spend all that money we thought it was a g...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Whoo Hoo, Dale is leaving today to drive to Boise to stay with friends of ours, will trade in the Toyota Tundra for the Ford F450 tomorrow and be on his way to Elk City OK on Friday. Pre-sales inspection of our house was completed yesterday with NO major issues, everything that absolutely has to be fixe...

road of happy destiny · road of happy destiny

OKay I already know what I want and of course I want a diesel. That being said, don't know if its in the cards. So my question to you'allllllllll is; if you are driving a gas burner what kind of mileage are you getting? There aren't to many used diesels for sale right now and I am a Dodge fan at heart and wi...

NWescapee · NWescapee

Our ongoing saga with the truck might have just come to a happy ending with only a few days delay from when we originally thought we would take possession of the truck. Just found a used F450 at a dealer about 10 hours from here, right on the route Dale was going to take to pick up our DRV in Elk City OK!!! So,...

NWescapee · NWescapee

OK, we've broken ties with the local dealer, now trying for a dealer closer to our trailer location. Lots of frustration, a few tears on my part, a few choice words on Dale's part and we're hoping for better results the 2nd time around. We are withing 2-3 weeks of being ready to put our house on the marke...

fun2travel · fun2travel

We are just starting to plan for our eventual full time RV'ing. Trying to get a feel for the budget. We are buying our RV first, but I am looking a bit at the truck too. My questions so far are, is a 4 wheel drive important, or can we go with a two wheel drive? How about dual rear wheels, does the benefit ou...

bacardiron · bacardiron

We have a 2008 F-450 and need to buy new tires. The ones on there now are newish from the previous owner but they are aggresive and howl down the road. This is not easy on the nerves after 3 or so hours on the road. Any sugestions out there? I like the Michelin XDS 2 but they are very expensive. Goodyear, Fires...

NWescapee · NWescapee

We special ordered our F450 from our local dealer, with agreement that it would be delivered to a dealership in OKC so DH could fly in, pick it up, drive to Elk City OK and pick up our DRV to drive it home. Found out Friday that our sales guy messed up and the truck is headed to Seattle, but currently it's sti...

EggerMar · EggerMar

It's me again with yet another newbie question. The fifth wheel that we are buying comes with a king pin that has round donut looking things filled with air which from what I am reading will help with chucking and provide a smoother ride. My question is, do we also need to get an air hitch for the truck be...

EggerMar · EggerMar

I'm looking at the Ford F350 Diesel Crew Cab 4x4 DRW 2013 truck with an 8 foot bed. Planning on towing a 5th wheel trailer with 12,400 lbs dry weight. On the "Build your own" website, they are showing the following options for gear ratios: 3.31 Electronic locking axel ratio 3.31 Non limit...

UN-TIED · UN-TIED

Hi everyone Im looking at a 2012 f350 6.7l King Ranch. This truck does not have the engine brake and was wondering if I should pass on this one and keep looking?? All opinions welcome. Thanks, Mike

Hina · Hina

I've seen the DC electric air compressors you plug into the cigarette lighter plug, and have a cheap one, but it it NOISY!!!! Also, it doesn't seem to do much. Any suggestions, or reviews for such devices, as far as functionality and quiet? Thanks, Jane

Topic		Started By	Replies	Views	Last Post
	Brand new and confused! (Preview) Hello everyone! I've been visiting this forum for several weeks and have really been impressed with all the help and information available. Even more impressed with the cheerful and friendly attitude! Thought I'd better sign up! My wife and I are about 1 year out from retirement and are seriously c...	Closenin	13	2161	02:03 PM Aug 28, 2013 by mesa48
	Hauler Bed (Preview) Connie and are having a preliminary question about changing our F450 to a hauler bed instead of a normal pickup bed…this is in concert with our test this summer/fall of the mountains out west to verify whether or not we want to upgrade to a bigger truck. Our thoughts so far are that the F450 is plenty of tr...	Neil and Connie	20	11569	03:44 AM Aug 26, 2013 by Full-time RVing Family-wannabees
	2013 Ram HD: The King of Towing at 30,000 Pounds (Preview) How exciting for those who will tow a heavier fifth wheels. Although I am certain opinions will vary widely, the towing capacity will allow those who are looking to tow 20-23K a much larger buffer. It will be interesting to see Ford's response ... but regardless, an exiting option. http://news.pic...	Lynn and Ed	27	4660	02:20 AM Aug 26, 2013 by Full-time RVing Family-wannabees
	Rough riding F350 (Preview) We have a 2011 F350 dually we bought new. Love the truck. However, what a rough ride. Beats the heck out of me. When towing the rig it calms down a bit. First long trip when we got to our destination all clothes had jumped off the rack and landed on the floor. Another time broke the lid of my cro...	phyllen	20	7496	04:00 AM Aug 23, 2013 by NWescapee
	Roof top carrier on the truck? (Preview) Update, after 1 month of full timing and driving separately, we've decided we just don't like that. Dale misses having "mission control" sitting in the seat next to him researching camp options for a night when we're in route, restaurant options, site seeing opportunities, we don't li...	NWescapee	3	955	02:19 AM Aug 10, 2013 by NWescapee
	Question about types of motorcycle lift tow bars?? (Preview) I am looking into getting a motorcycle lift for my RV. Any recomendations on type or where I can go look???	1 Angel	5	2463	01:19 PM Aug 1, 2013 by R12
	F350 vs F450 (Preview) Ok, I have it in mind to be moving up to a 35-42foot toy hauler with a 13500/13700 rating loaded with all our things probably could go to a weight of 16000-18000 for pulling. I've read a lot of places that say a lot of things. I hear that my 2005 f350 drw 6.0L turbo diesel would do fine, then I hear it won't......	Jsova	18	3712	01:22 AM Aug 1, 2013 by Terry and Jo
	Protection for your Tow Vehicle (Preview) For those of you with a nice new tow vehicle, or maybe an older one with some dents, and are pretty “brave,” this might be “interesting.” No recommendation – Just info.http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/07/28/line-x-rhino-coatings-bedliner/2588539/BillEdit by moderator:...	Bill and Linda	2	821	01:28 AM Jul 30, 2013 by WestWardHo
	F250 SRW vs F350 DRW both diesel (Preview) We went to an RV dealership today to look at the Sanibel 3500. We have seen it a couple of times at the Chicago and Grand Rapids RV. It meets our needs and wants. My question is when the salesman asked what truck I had I indicated that I did not have a truck yet but was thinking about an F350 DRW Diesel. He said I...	lowryc50	22	7522	01:42 PM Jul 17, 2013 by TheHarveys
	4x2 vs. 4x4 tow vehicle (Preview) Well the 5'er is bought now time for the truck! We have been reading, researching, looking at and sorting through all the information here and at the dealers, wow we are mentally exhausted! The one thing we are questioning is the need for a 4x4' which seems to be what all the dealers in Colorado have on...	RandM Adventures	11	7958	09:46 PM Jul 7, 2013 by Bill and Linda
	We Are Now the Poster Children for Insufficient Tow Vehicle Research UPDATE (Preview) Isn't it funny how things can turn around for the better just when you least expect it? It happens that way sometimes...... read on. Upon realizing the cost to upgrade to a more adequate truck to tow the heavy toy hauler we wanted, and the subsequent poor fuel economy we could expect, I hit rock bottom. R...	Bobbi	33	6619	04:09 PM Jun 15, 2013 by Bobbi
	Removing crew seat from F450 (Preview) Has anyone tried to remove the seat in the crew cab from an F450? Any tips or suggestions? We've decided we need the storage room for some of the items we use in Dale's booth for art shows that we really don't want getting wet. Some things we can store in the bed of the truck without a problem, but not ever...	NWescapee	5	1226	03:43 PM Jun 3, 2013 by NWescapee
	2006 Chevy Silverado 6.0 liter 3/4 ton to pull 30' Gulfstream Towing 5th wheel 6.0 liter chevy pull (Preview) I purchased a 30' 5th wheel ( Gulfstream Seahawk ) . I believe the weight is 8700 lbs. i needed a truck I could pull it with and so I purchased this 3/4 ton Chevy with a 6.0 liter gas engine . I know most everyone says to go diesel but I just can't afford the initial expense much less the costly repairs. Correct...	BiggszSr	0	2854	11:28 PM Jun 2, 2013 by BiggszSr
	Big But Beauty! (Preview) I picked up my new truck on Monday! It is a GMC 3500 SLT DRW in white. We will have no problem with weight with this set-up. I thought about single rear wheel for awhile but the trailer weight is close to the max for that model and thought it best to have a larger margin for safety's sake. I'm thrilled to b...	canuck	4	1001	03:53 PM Jun 2, 2013 by canuck
	Help Needed: Understanding Our Truck's Tow Capacity (Preview) We have a 2003 F350 SRW with a 6.0L. According to Trailerlife.com, our max fifth wheel weight cannot exceed 13,300 lbs., though I have also read it is 12,200. Not sure who's right. Gross capacity for the truck, according to what we can find, is 20,000 lbs. The empty weight of the truck alone is 6,372. Add...	Bobbi	6	1284	12:20 AM Jun 2, 2013 by Bobbi
	Tire Balancing (Preview) Hopefully this post will help someone else. We bought a set of Bridgestone Duravis 700 tires to go on the truck. They are a light truck tire with decent ratings, that a lot of delivery trucks use because of the mileage they achieve with them. Anyway they were balanced the old fashion way, regular spin, t...	Alie and Jims Carrilite	5	1397	10:30 PM May 27, 2013 by Alie and Jims Carrilite
	Suspension question. (Preview) hi everyone, we have a 2012 ram 2500 diesel towing a 11,500-12,000lb sunnybrook raven 5th wheel. the 12,000 lb is fully loaded. is anyone familiar with timbren springs for load leveling? we are experiencing that the bed of the tuck is definitely unlevel & the leaf springs are flexing beyond l...	ftrebing	5	1111	04:34 PM May 19, 2013 by ftrebing
	Air Springs (Preview) Looking for observations/pros/cons for putting air springs on our new F450 DRW tow vehicle. New Horizons will be installing a TrailerSaver hitch when we pickup and I have some discussion about improving the ride. I wanted to see whether these were a must have, nice to have, or don't bother item (or ma...	Neil and Connie	19	2757	02:38 AM Apr 26, 2013 by Neil and Connie
	Our dream is getting closer to being a reality! YIKES (Preview) Nathalie is now unemployed, getting an early retirement and severance package last month, we’ve been working on getting the house ready to put on the market, and we’re closer than ever to having made our truck and fifth wheel decisions. Now before we go out and spend all that money we thought it was a g...	BratsInABox	11	1293	07:05 PM Apr 24, 2013 by Terry and Jo
	Finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel! (Preview) Whoo Hoo, Dale is leaving today to drive to Boise to stay with friends of ours, will trade in the Toyota Tundra for the Ford F450 tomorrow and be on his way to Elk City OK on Friday. Pre-sales inspection of our house was completed yesterday with NO major issues, everything that absolutely has to be fixe...	NWescapee	6	963	03:18 AM Apr 11, 2013 by NWescapee
	Gas or Diesel (Preview) OKay I already know what I want and of course I want a diesel. That being said, don't know if its in the cards. So my question to you'allllllllll is; if you are driving a gas burner what kind of mileage are you getting? There aren't to many used diesels for sale right now and I am a Dodge fan at heart and wi...	road of happy destiny	13	2863	01:42 AM Apr 8, 2013 by Doodlebug
	Just found a used 2012 F450!! (Preview) Our ongoing saga with the truck might have just come to a happy ending with only a few days delay from when we originally thought we would take possession of the truck. Just found a used F450 at a dealer about 10 hours from here, right on the route Dale was going to take to pick up our DRV in Elk City OK!!! So,...	NWescapee	5	1191	11:44 PM Apr 7, 2013 by WestWardHo
	Special order for a Ford F450 - 2nd try? (Preview) OK, we've broken ties with the local dealer, now trying for a dealer closer to our trailer location. Lots of frustration, a few tears on my part, a few choice words on Dale's part and we're hoping for better results the 2nd time around. We are withing 2-3 weeks of being ready to put our house on the marke...	NWescapee	2	935	03:34 AM Apr 1, 2013 by NWescapee
	Narrowing down needs for tow vehicle (Preview) We are just starting to plan for our eventual full time RV'ing. Trying to get a feel for the budget. We are buying our RV first, but I am looking a bit at the truck too. My questions so far are, is a 4 wheel drive important, or can we go with a two wheel drive? How about dual rear wheels, does the benefit ou...	fun2travel	8	1463	11:35 PM Mar 30, 2013 by Alie and Jims Carrilite
	Time to RE-TIRE (Preview) We have a 2008 F-450 and need to buy new tires. The ones on there now are newish from the previous owner but they are aggresive and howl down the road. This is not easy on the nerves after 3 or so hours on the road. Any sugestions out there? I like the Michelin XDS 2 but they are very expensive. Goodyear, Fires...	bacardiron	3	864	07:19 AM Mar 29, 2013 by Lonney Wade
	Delivery issue with a special order (Preview) We special ordered our F450 from our local dealer, with agreement that it would be delivered to a dealership in OKC so DH could fly in, pick it up, drive to Elk City OK and pick up our DRV to drive it home. Found out Friday that our sales guy messed up and the truck is headed to Seattle, but currently it's sti...	NWescapee	28	1645	05:15 AM Mar 29, 2013 by NWescapee
	King pin vs. truck hitch (Preview) It's me again with yet another newbie question. The fifth wheel that we are buying comes with a king pin that has round donut looking things filled with air which from what I am reading will help with chucking and provide a smoother ride. My question is, do we also need to get an air hitch for the truck be...	EggerMar	3	1711	07:07 PM Mar 26, 2013 by Terry and Jo
	Gear ratio confusion (Preview) I'm looking at the Ford F350 Diesel Crew Cab 4x4 DRW 2013 truck with an 8 foot bed. Planning on towing a 5th wheel trailer with 12,400 lbs dry weight. On the "Build your own" website, they are showing the following options for gear ratios: 3.31 Electronic locking axel ratio 3.31 Non limit...	EggerMar	9	5846	11:53 PM Mar 25, 2013 by EggerMar
	engine brake ..... do you really need it???? (Preview) Hi everyone Im looking at a 2012 f350 6.7l King Ranch. This truck does not have the engine brake and was wondering if I should pass on this one and keep looking?? All opinions welcome. Thanks, Mike	UN-TIED	11	2579	07:06 PM Mar 22, 2013 by Bill and Linda
	Opinions, Reviews for Tire Inflators Air Compressors? (Preview) I've seen the DC electric air compressors you plug into the cigarette lighter plug, and have a cheap one, but it it NOISY!!!! Also, it doesn't seem to do much. Any suggestions, or reviews for such devices, as far as functionality and quiet? Thanks, Jane	Hina	9	8321	12:13 AM Mar 22, 2013 by Lonney Wade
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