The MorRyde suspension that I'm familiar with is on the trailer and has nothing to do with the truck. I believe they make a add on for trucks, but have never been able to find anyone who has it.

Be aware that the towing capacity of a Dodge 3500 and a Ford F450 is considerably different. How much will your trailer weigh fully loaded, in other words, whats the GVWR?

that's exactly what the hubby said to me Fred!  He told me there wasn't a correlation between the two, but that's what one webpost I read had said??  As for what we'll be towing, we're not sure quite yet.  Your Carriage Cameo is on our final list of Fifteh Wheels, along with Doubletree Mobil Suites and the Torrie.  But the towing capacity between the Ford 4500 and Dodge 3500 aren't that different are they?  Not as much as you would expect considering the Ford is a 4500.

I did see your notes on the Dodge 3500 about the tow package etc., and did relay it to Mark.  He's apparently checked out the Dodge and already had a test drive (he does lot's of that kind of stuff I usually find out about way after the fact!)  He's also checked out the Ford 4500, but until we finalize the Fifth Wheel and purchase in January, we won't know for sure which truck we'll go with. 

Mark's been a commercial truck driver, so he'll be pretty much making that call of course, (but I do like to share what info I find in the blogs ).  He's not a huge fan of the Ford for some reason.  The fifth wheel is just the opposite, he's just not really into how many cabinets in the kitchen, size of the fridge, bath/bedroom layouts...of course, that works out great...which is probably why we've been together 33 years !

Sounds like you and Jo haven't run into any problems pulling your Carriage with your Dodge 3500?  What about going up inclines or mountain areas...any problems with that?  That's my biggest concern about the tow vehicle of course--that it can safely pull our fifth wheel and has sufficient power.  We've actually seen your Cameo floorplan and I really like the layout...it's quite possible we'll be in the same set, only a couple years newer--the Dodge 3500 and Carriage Cameo.

You would need to compare the Ford 450 with the Dodge 4500 and not the 3500 as the weight rating would be very different on a 3500 compared to a 4500.
Dodge now offers a 4500 and 5500 truck.

-- Edited by FD5 at 11:32, 2008-12-21

Just a couple of comments in no particular order:

First, there is NO WAY you should have to unload cupboards or cabinets when travelling. If you have to do this there is something wrong with your setup. The Elite has a good suspension on it, so I would look into the truck side of it. Consider putting an air ride hitch on.

The F450 will have far more towing capacity than any Dodge. The 09 towing guide lists the 450 CC 2x2 as having 24,600 capacity and the 4x4 having 24,200. The biggest Dodge 3500 is listed as 18,200. Bear in mind on all tow ratings that the manuf. numbers are fiction. You have to figure BACK from the GCWR by subtracting the actual truck weights. The truck weights used by the manuf are far lighter than a fulltimer truck with 2 people and "stuff". The highest rated Dodge 5500 quad cab is 17,900 capacity. The GCWR on a Ford can go as high as 33K lbs. Look at ALL the numbers and figure from the GCWR not the published "capacity" numbers.

Consider future use NOW. You WILL buy a heavier trailer if you stay with a 5er. Almost everyone does. Your truck should be capable of towing something bigger, IMO.

Decide on the trailer BEFORE the truck.

If you have experience with big trucks - MDT and HDT - you should at least consider going that route. You need to educate yourself on that varient in order to make an informed decision. There are very good automated transmissions available on an HDT now, so no shifting. There are pros and cons....but remember that fulltiming is not the same as your vacation life. Something that your thought was far too big when vacationing may have sufficient advantage to consider. For example, there are NO weight restrictions (for all practical purposes) with an HDT. Plus you can carry some cars piggyback on the truck bed if you choose to.