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Old 12-18-2019, 07:36 AM   #61
CADman_KS
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Originally Posted by MxBound View Post
What's the opinion of the old 7.3l Ford diesel?
I have a 2002 with a full Banks towing upgrade.
Pulls my 374fl like a dream. Going down hill is nice also with the Banks brake.
I have just over 150k on it.
Wonder if a 10 speed transmission could be fitted ?
I've never owned one, but I LOVE the way that those things sound!

I would guess that there's quite a bit of difference in the electronics that controls the transmission from 2002 to 2020. It might not be impossible to update one to a 10-speed, but it's probably not going to be cost effective or easy...
 
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Old 12-18-2019, 07:53 AM   #62
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Originally Posted by MxBound View Post
What's the opinion of the old 7.3l Ford diesel?
I have a 2002 with a full Banks towing upgrade.
Pulls my 374fl like a dream. Going down hill is nice also with the Banks brake.
I have just over 150k on it.
Wonder if a 10 speed transmission could be fitted ?

I had the 2000 F250 7.3 diesel for 13 years and really enjoyed it. They don't have the same tow/payload/torque specs of newer trucks but that motor was probably the best one Ford built...change the various filters and oil regularly and it just keeps running strong.


You'd have to talk with a certified mechanic about the tranny. The original 4 speed tranny worked well but is definitely a weak link in overall towing performance. I found that a tuner helped a lot for changing the shift points that helped to maintain RPM's when towing in the mountains.
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Old 12-18-2019, 10:05 AM   #63
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My Trucks' Better Than Your Truck! What? Waite, how can he say that? . . .
Quotes like, you need the most heavy duty truck available because someday you MIGHT get a bigger trailer, or you need a dually because you MIGHT have have a blowout ( really? When was the last time you had a blowout on your truck)
I just sold my 2001 Ford F350 SWR, and have a 2020 RAM 3500 SRW on order. I for one had a blowout on my way to the Mid-Atlantic Rally. DRW would not have made any difference, since it was the left-front wheel that blew. I have since upgraded the steering damper to a heavy duty one that is spring loaded to center.

When the tire blew, the truck made a sharp left turn, causing the 5th wheel to go up one the right two wheels, and then on the left two wheels. In the end the Montana was totaled because the wall pulled loose from the base plate. Except for the initial sharp left (surprise), the truck was easy to handle, and I calmly steer the truck and got off the freeway. And yes I had both hands on the steering wheel.

My HOA doesn't allow me to have a DRW, so I will stick with the SRW.

New truck will have GVWR of 12,300 and GCWR of 33,610. The SAE J2807 Towing Spec is 25,150 lbs, so I should be good for another 18 years.
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:14 AM   #64
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My Trucks' Better Than Your Truck! What? Waite, how can he say that?
I can say that because my truck is the best available combination for ME!
There is a constant barrage of posts here, and on other forums as well, with members telling others that they need this truck or that truck based only on one criteria. Quotes like, you need the most heavy duty truck available because someday you MIGHT get a bigger trailer, or you need a dually because you MIGHT have have a blowout ( really? When was the last time you had a blowout on your truck) or you have to have a long bed so you can carry more gear, or even, you'll be sorry if you don't get a diesel ( if you don't tow in any mountains do you really have to have 900lbs of torque or an exhaust brake and put up with the high maintenance cost of a diesel?
Let's face it, the reason their is so many different combinations of trucks offered by each of the manufactors is because all of us have different needs and wants from our trucks.
Certainly most, but not all of the current Montanas have enough pin weight to warrant a dually. Remember though, there are many who have older trailers that are perfectly adequate for even a 3/4 ton. I'm a big fan of The Three Bears...To little, To Big, and Just right! My truck is "Just Right" for me, something different may be "Just Right" for you. So, your truck may be better than mine, just not for me!
When someone asks about what truck they should buy let's consider all of THEIR criteria for THEIR needs then offer up the pros and cons of the different configurations without being condensending.

To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:48 AM   #65
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Originally Posted by dturpin1 View Post
To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
Like the OP said, depends on what YOU are going to tow.
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:50 AM   #66
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I got some extra popcorn if anybody wants some.
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:59 AM   #67
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Originally Posted by dturpin1 View Post
To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by prndl View Post
Like the OP said, depends on what YOU are going to tow.
The easy answer is "yes", you can...and most do. The larger answer is, "that doesn't always mean that you should".

It's always about the numbers. Trailer GVWR, Trailer loaded pin weight, Truck payload rating (found on the yellow sticker inside the driver's door), Total weight of everything you load in your trailer and truck.

All of the numbers matter and in many cases will show being able to safely tow with an SRW. However, many rigs going down the road today are running overloaded...many are irresponsibly overloaded. But some are simply ignorant because they didn't do the homework and others are just arrogant because "It works for me and I've never had an issue". The latter are the ones to watch out for on the road as they put themselves and everyone around them at risk.

The smart tower will do the math and make sure that truck and trailer are a good match for safe towing.

There's a lot of good help on this forum in determining what's needed to safely tow a specific trailer.

Stay safe and enjoy the journey!
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Old 10-16-2020, 10:33 AM   #68
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Originally Posted by jsb5717 View Post
The easy answer is "yes", you can...and most do. The larger answer is, "that doesn't always mean that you should".

It's always about the numbers. Trailer GVWR, Trailer loaded pin weight, Truck payload rating (found on the yellow sticker inside the driver's door), Total weight of everything you load in your trailer and truck.

All of the numbers matter and in many cases will show being able to safely tow with an SRW. However, many rigs going down the road today are running overloaded...many are irresponsibly overloaded. But some are simply ignorant because they didn't do the homework and others are just arrogant because "It works for me and I've never had an issue". The latter are the ones to watch out for on the road as they put themselves and everyone around them at risk.

The smart tower will do the math and make sure that truck and trailer are a good match for safe towing.

There's a lot of good help on this forum in determining what's needed to safely tow a specific trailer.

Stay safe and enjoy the journey!


^^^^x2!! Well said. Doesn't matter what one thinks "he" wants, the numbers will, without doubt, tell you what you CAN have as far as drivetrain. If a person takes note of those you know exactly what to look for in a given truck. Those weights will even tell you if you need a diesel or dually. It's really quite simple. Then what "he/she" wants boils down to make, model, color and level of trim.
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Old 10-16-2020, 12:15 PM   #69
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we did have a inside dually fail on a trip a few years ago. Wife was driving and she said something did not feel right. We pulled over and the inside passenger side dually was flat. It was not a blowout but a gradual loss of pressure. The failure did not affect us at all. We did not have the TST at the time.
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Old 10-16-2020, 12:29 PM   #70
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Originally Posted by dturpin1 View Post
To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
The SRW vs DRW discussions have been tempered somewhat over the years as the SRW payload ratings have increased significantly on the newer trucks making them capable of handling much larger 5ers.
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Old 10-16-2020, 01:22 PM   #71
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First post/reply

Brand new to the site and brand new to a 2020 keystone Montana 3740 FK. I also just purchased a brand new to me 2019 Chevy Silverado 3500 HD 6.6 L diesel crew cab DRW. I thought I’d buy the truck I liked the most, my perfect truck, until I started reading about how heavy that new 5’er is. Then I started learning about payload and pin weight and the benefits of SRW versus DRW. It didn’t take me very long to figure out I had to have a dually and I had to have a diesel. I will be doing a lot of towing in the mountains and that is one big heavy fifth wheel. After spending all that money on my new Montana the last thing I wanted to do was short change the truck I was going to use to pull it with.I may be extremely limited on experience but I’ve always found that research is my friend and you cannot spend enough time researching your purchase prior to laying down that cold hard cash. I’ve been lurking on the forumsfor a little while gathering as much information as I can and I’m looking forward to joining this group of Montana owners. Thanks for all the great info I’ve gleaned already!
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Old 10-16-2020, 02:11 PM   #72
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Old 10-16-2020, 04:51 PM   #73
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I was Chevy all along, Chevy wouldn't work with me when I went to buy a dually so now I'm with Ram.
I believe the Cummins and Aisin to be superior to the Duramax.

If I was granted a truck wish by a genie I'd probably take a crew cab 4x4 duramax dually, just because I like chevy and I find the interior to be a lot better.

Or a Sportchassis.
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Old 10-16-2020, 05:03 PM   #74
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Originally Posted by dturpin1 View Post
To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
That is way too vague of a question. There are relatively short fifth wheels 27 foot or so they may only way 7 8000 lb. Most of the Montana's are up in the 13 to 17k range with many being clearly in the dually category if you ask my opinion
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Old 10-16-2020, 08:22 PM   #75
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[QUOTE=Fish;1200808]

If I was granted a truck wish by a genie I'd probably take a crew cab 4x4 duramax dually, just because I like chevy and I find the interior to be a lot better.

Mine would be a Ford or GM with the Cummins/Aisin powertrain with no smog controls and custom programming from Banks.
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Old 10-16-2020, 09:01 PM   #76
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Originally Posted by dturpin1 View Post
To confirm, you are able to safely pull a fifth wheel with "single rear wheel"?
Best answer to your question is "it depends".

better questions get better answers
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