Montana Owners Club - Keystone Montana 5th Wheel Forum - View Single Post

trukdoc · 01-22-2005, 03:43 PM

I purchased a 2005 Ford F250SD Lariate 6.0L Powerstroke SRW Crew cab Short bed. With the short bed definetly get the slider hitch. Do not even think about it or let someone tell you that it is not necessary.
Here are some of the reasons I went with what I did. I chose Ford for longevity. Dodge builds a good Powertrain but in all the years they have been building trucks, they do not build a strong body. I traditionally favor Chevy but I personally have issues with the Isuzu engine for diesel and their gas engines have a knock built into them that Chevy says do not worry about it. I am a professional diesel mechanic. I do not like knocks.
Leaves the Ford. I did my research and test drive. The Powerstroke is very quiet. The power and acceleration is impressive It holds the powerband far wider than the Cummins or Isuzu. I get 20.2 MPG Hiway and 17 MPG local driving. I get about 12 MPG Towing a 328RLS.
Short bed because I do not have the need for a long bed and prefer the manuverability of the shorter wheelbase which is not all that short due to the crew cab.
Crew cab for all the comforts of a car. When I get to my destination I unhook and there I go, easy to carry guests. I went with the Lariate and luxury package for added comfort.
Single rear wheel, I do not have so much pin weight I NEED a Dually. I would stay away from a dually unless I really needed one for the following reasons, (1) 2 extra tires to wear out. (2) decreased fuel mileadge. (3) more insurance (4) more weight (5) extra width, these large rigs are hard enough to manuever around without buying my own obstacle. I hear the arguement about more stability. With the SRW I have not had a stability problem. I have towed it in a head wind, cross wind and around trucks. Pulls very smooth. I also had the tow command brake controller added when we ordered the truck. I love it! Braking is very smooth. So smooth that I thought it was not working.
These are my opinions, Most of all get what you want. But do some research. Online consumer groups are a good source of information. Dealer pages are good for information, but remember they are selling their own product. They are not going to point out their flaws.
Rick

01-22-2005, 03:43 PM	#3
trukdoc Montana Master Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sulphur Springs Posts: 748 M.O.C. #2220	I purchased a 2005 Ford F250SD Lariate 6.0L Powerstroke SRW Crew cab Short bed. With the short bed definetly get the slider hitch. Do not even think about it or let someone tell you that it is not necessary. Here are some of the reasons I went with what I did. I chose Ford for longevity. Dodge builds a good Powertrain but in all the years they have been building trucks, they do not build a strong body. I traditionally favor Chevy but I personally have issues with the Isuzu engine for diesel and their gas engines have a knock built into them that Chevy says do not worry about it. I am a professional diesel mechanic. I do not like knocks. Leaves the Ford. I did my research and test drive. The Powerstroke is very quiet. The power and acceleration is impressive It holds the powerband far wider than the Cummins or Isuzu. I get 20.2 MPG Hiway and 17 MPG local driving. I get about 12 MPG Towing a 328RLS. Short bed because I do not have the need for a long bed and prefer the manuverability of the shorter wheelbase which is not all that short due to the crew cab. Crew cab for all the comforts of a car. When I get to my destination I unhook and there I go, easy to carry guests. I went with the Lariate and luxury package for added comfort. Single rear wheel, I do not have so much pin weight I NEED a Dually. I would stay away from a dually unless I really needed one for the following reasons, (1) 2 extra tires to wear out. (2) decreased fuel mileadge. (3) more insurance (4) more weight (5) extra width, these large rigs are hard enough to manuever around without buying my own obstacle. I hear the arguement about more stability. With the SRW I have not had a stability problem. I have towed it in a head wind, cross wind and around trucks. Pulls very smooth. I also had the tow command brake controller added when we ordered the truck. I love it! Braking is very smooth. So smooth that I thought it was not working. These are my opinions, Most of all get what you want. But do some research. Online consumer groups are a good source of information. Dealer pages are good for information, but remember they are selling their own product. They are not going to point out their flaws. Rick