montana bound - Montana Owners Club

Montana_4171 · 07-16-2005, 04:01 PM

Hi everyone!

My husband and I looked at the Montana this week for the first time. wow! now that is what I call camping. We are planning to buy a Montana 5th wheel by spring 2006 to travel to and stay on our property in Montana. We were wondering about the tow vehicle--is an F250 big enough even on mountains? What tow vehicles to you prefer?

stiles watson · 07-16-2005, 05:03 PM

First welcome to the forum. You have already demonstrated that you have taste and common sense by relishing the Montana. You will get about as many suggestions as you do responders to you TV question. All of us think we made the right choice. You look through the signatures at the botton of each poster and you will discover that Many, like myself, chose to use a 3/4-ton truck while others swear by the 1-ton dually. I it is important to do the math on weights to see if what you have will be safe. After that it is all preferances. Ford, Chevy, and Dodge all market a viable TV in either 3/4-ton or 1-ton in both a gaser and diesel. So I just say pick what you like, then like what you pick. Happy RVing....

Charlie · 07-16-2005, 05:22 PM

Welcome to the MOC, there is lots of information provided here and you can learn a lot. Look down the page and open the section TOW VECHICLES AND TOWING. There is lots of information there. I also have F-250 and it performs well pulling the Monty. As far as pulling the mountains, personally the diesel provides more torque and is better suited, but as Stiles says above it a decision that each person has to make when purchasing a tow vehicle.

Glenn and Lorraine · 07-17-2005, 01:56 AM

Welcome marylou1348 to the MOC.

I can only repeat what stiles and Charlie have already said. As you can see by my signature below I also pull my Monty with a heavy duty 3/4 ton. Like Charlie I also feel the diesel is the better choice. A bit more expensive but over the long run it will pay for itself. With the diesel you not only get greater torque but greater fuel mileage as well and with the ever rising costs of fuel better MPGs are very important. Engine longevity and service intervals are also greater with the diesels.

That's my 2 cents.

padredw · 07-17-2005, 03:06 AM

Welcome! My arrangement is almost exactly like that of Glenn and Lorraine, and while there are many good choices, I have to say ours is a very good combination. We left our home in East Texas on Friday morning and arrived here in Buena Vista Colorado yesterday around noon. That was mostly 'flatland', of course, but we are going on up toward Yellowstone in the morning and will find some good Mountain passes on the way. Last year we pulled over Wolf Creek Pass here in Colorado. We go over Raton Pass every time we come here which is several times a year. We have great confidence in the Duramax/Allson with the Tow/Haul package.

trukdoc · 07-17-2005, 03:28 AM

No mater what brand of TV you get. It will not do the job if not equipped properly. For example picking the truck EQUIPPED for TOWING. All new trucks have special programming for the transmission as well beefed up suspension, oil coolers ect. I recently talked to someone who bought a new Ford and "Saved" money by not getting the tow package. For a small boat or trailer for a 4 wheeler, probably not a problem. But hook onto anything over say about 4000 lbs and now the "SAVINGS" will quickly diminish. Biggest component is the transmission to take the hit. As stated earlier do your math figure what you plan to pull against the tow ratings. Leave some safety room in the figureing. Diesel trucks have a much higher tow rating than the gas counterparts.
Good luck.

sreigle · 07-17-2005, 06:40 AM

Welcome aboard, Marylou!

We're towing a Montana weighing 14,360 lbs with a Ford F250 diesel and we're fulltiming. I'd have no problem buying the same truck again. We've towed this monster to over 11,000 feet and on grades marked as high as 8% (and a few unmarked that I'd swear were even steeper than that!)

As trukdoc mentioned, be sure you have the tow package. Depending on which model Montana you buy you may or may not need to add air bags or other additional lift ability to the rear suspension of a 3/4 ton truck, regardless of brand of truck. On the Ford if you get the Camper Package you get the extra leaf in the rear springs and won't need the air bags. Also, the F350 comes with that extra leaf standard, I believe. Other brands may have similar options but I don't know about them.

You did not mention which engine your F250 has or you plan to get if you haven't purchased it yet. If you have either the diesel or the V10 gas engine then I'd say you have plenty of truck. If you have the smaller V8, the 5.4L, then in my opinion you do not have enough truck. Just my opinion, though.

Montana_4171 · 07-17-2005, 12:37 PM

Thank you sooooooo much for the quick responses!

The Ford 250 was our original choice (with the towing package) and we are considering a double cab in order to have room for the dogs. We have a 1991 version ford 250 now that we used to haul a 3 horse gooseneck and it did the job but we have had some transmission issues with the torque converter. Before we buy the new truck, we want to make sure that issue is gone and no new issues have developed.

Wonderful information on this forum--this will help us make an intelligent decision on the TV. Buying the Montana is a done deal--we just have to find the one we want.

ml

sreigle · 07-18-2005, 05:27 AM

Marylou, the 2005 Fords have a totally different transmission, called the TorqShift. At least one magazine says it's the strongest and smartest available in this size truck. That, however, is a rather subjective opinion so take it for what it's worth. This transmission has been available with the 6.0 powerstroke diesel since 2003 and for 2005 is available in all superduties regardless of engine. We had this transmission in our 2003 F350 6.0 PSD and in our current 2005 F250. The tow/haul is outstanding. In my opinion we do not need an exhaust brake although no doubt an exhaust brake would provide even better grade braking. The variable vane geometry of the turbo provides some engine compression and the transmission does the automatic downshifting and torque converter locking to assist in braking. The transmission runs cool, which is good for longevity.

If you go with the 4x4 you'll get the new front end that turns much sharper than the old one. Our 2005 crew cab probably turns as sharp, maybe sharper, than our 2003 F350 supercab. The 2005 also has the same frame design and thickness as the F550. The brakes are larger (considerably), the springs are larger, the control arms are huge (also F550). And the ratings are much higher than pre-2005. Ours does not have the highest tow rating available in the F250 but here's our numbers: 15,400 tow, 10,000 GVWR, 23,000 GCWR.

Obviously I'm extremely sold on this Ford but I would like to add that all the mfrs build good trucks very capable of handling any of the Montanas. I just happen to like this Ford. As do all the magazine articles I've read.

We're towing a 3295RK that scales at 14,360 lbs. I run the truck bone stock, no chips or other help. It has plenty of power right out of the box.

gitrdun · 07-20-2005, 05:12 PM

I have a 2005HD 4x4 DuramaxwAllison, 4" turbo back exhaust and Hypertech programmer set on level 2. I tow a 2980RL. My last trip I pulled to Malibu, Beach from San Diego, Ca. my fuel mileage was 14.0 at 60mph with tow haul mode and cruise. Just like sitting in a easy chair.

gitrdun · 07-20-2005, 05:14 PM

I have 2005 Chevy 2500HD 4x4 DuramaxwAllison, 4" turbo back exhaust and Hypertech programmer set on level 2. I tow a 2980RL. My last trip I pulled to Malibu, Beach from San Diego, Ca. my fuel mileage was 14.0 at 60mph with tow haul mode and cruise. Just like sitting in a easy chair. GET ER DONE!!!

Montana_4171 · 07-21-2005, 01:46 AM

this is great information. I have also read the forum sections on tow vehicles and "problems" with the Montana--I think we will have some more questions as we start doing our research. I am very happy I found this forum.

Montana_4211 · 07-21-2005, 09:38 AM

We had a chevy silverado 2500 diesel truck we had a lot of bounce when we were pulling our 3650rk 5er. We traded it in for the 3500 diesel truck.

Sunshine · 07-25-2005, 03:44 PM

Welcome. As you have already discovered, this is a good place to gather information and get questions answered. We tow our 3255RL with a 1996 F250 powerstroke with no problem. Just did 900+ miles yesterday with some pretty good grades and the Ford handled it well. Have fun looking for the right Montana for you. With all the good advice on the forum you will be able to make an informed decision on tow vehicle also. Safe travels.

Kathi · 07-25-2005, 04:42 PM

We tow with a 2002 Dodge 3500 diesel because that is what we had before we decided to get the 3400RL Montana. It tows like it isn't even behind us. We love everything about the Montana. And we are sure that you will to. In fact we just came back from Whitefish Montana visiting our daughter. Not one bit of trouble towing. Had a great time. Kathi

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