looking to be a Montana owner soon - Montana Owners Club

tom41 · 10-07-2006, 04:00 PM

hey everone! I dont have a Montana as of yet. I have a diesel pusher right now but have been looking at montanas. I will probably get a mountaineer 336RLT, an am in the process of shopping for a truck. I would like a 1999 up to a 2002 Ford or dodge diesel. But cant make up my mind on a 3/4 ton or 1 ton. So this is why I became a member,LOL, to find information all I can, an knowing I will be a montana owner real soon. thanks

Ozz · 10-07-2006, 04:25 PM

Tom, welcome. Ask away, there are many variables, many different opinions to be evaluated.
Good luck.
Ozz

LonnieB · 10-07-2006, 04:34 PM

Welcome to the MOC tom41. First of all I'd like to say I haven't been a Montana owner very long, just since August, and the same time frame as a MOC member, but I already know without reservation, we made the right choice.
There have been several posts here on truck preferences, discussing everything from brand to size. You can use the search mode here to read lots and lots of opinions. All I can really say is, they all seem to do the job well, the dually's are rated for more weight, but the 3/4 ton units are more than adequate. It all boils down to personal prefference, and what you are most comfortable with.
There are a lot of people on here with an infinite amount of knowledge, mostly gained through experience, and they are all willing to share. Have fun.

boylanag · 10-07-2006, 04:45 PM

tom41, welcome to the forum. We are now owners of our second Montana and relatively new to the MOC. We believe that you could not have a finer unit than a Montana and the forum has so many knowledgeable people that are willing to share. You should never have to wait long for an answer for any question you might have. Enjoy!!!

JH Sechelt · 10-07-2006, 05:19 PM

Hello Tom,

Welcome to the MOC. 336RLT will be a great trailer. As for trucks........ I guess that depends on you.
We have used F350's for the last 6 - 7 years. I like the Little heavier Load they will handle.
Plus out here in B.C. when I bought this truck, you paid 1 per cent less tax on a 350 then a 250.
Our local government decided that if you bought a vehicle for more then $ 30,000.00 you could pay
a 1 per cent luxury tax on it. 350's were classified as a work vehicle there for no luxury tax.
Go figure, You just about saved enough taxes buying a 350 to pay for the difference in cost between the two.
Enjoy the fun of looking for the right one.

J&D

indy roadrunner · 10-08-2006, 12:38 AM

Welcome tom41. This is the place to get honest answers about Montana's. So you have a diesel pusher, will I had a Class A also but it was a gasser by Fleetwood. We needed more room to the Monty filled the bill for us. One of the questions ask by my GMC dealer was how much was the misses going to be driving the TV shopping - was it going to be the only means of transportation etc. His thinking was it takes some getting use to parking a 1 ton especially a dually at Wal-Mart. I visioned my self trying to park and said lets look at the 3/4's. We would up with the 2500HD with tow package and it has worked just fine pulling the 3400RL. When we at the Montana Rally last month at Goshen, there were several 3/4 tons present. You might want to check how much it squats when trailer attached. Especially if you are looking at a used unit, springs could be a little weak, and you might want to consider Air Bags.
Now don't get me wrong, there are plenty of 1 tons single wheel and dual wheels out there and if you are going to full time with lots of weight - you have to give that some consideration. Right now I just week-end and vacation thus my Monty probably is not loaded as heavy as a full timer.
Well this is just my opinion and there will be lots of others along to shed some light on the subject. But that is the beauty part about this Forum - you gain insight from experience - been there- done that people.

CampingCrazyShirley · 10-08-2006, 02:27 AM

Hello Tom...welcome to the club. We are waiting on our new 5er, hopefully in the next several weeks. This is a great group to be part of!

ols1932 · 10-08-2006, 02:56 AM

Welcome to the forum, Tom. We have a Ford F-250 pulling our 36 ft Montana. If it wasn't such a good truck I would have a one-ton, probably a single-rear-wheel drive, 4X4 F-350. While my F-250 is adequate, a one ton truck will give you heavier construction and a little more carrying capacity (GCWR).

Orv

stiles watson · 10-08-2006, 04:40 AM

Welcome to the forum. Good place to get answers. Sometimes we don't all agree. Choice of truck is one of those areas. We all justify our choices. As you see in the signature, I am using an F250 and it does a great job with my Montana. It is beefed up a little with an extra leaf in the springs and larger tires plus some other goodies.

All things being equal, if you can price out a one ton to your satisfaction, that's may be a better choice. Remember, the more you add to it, i.e, 4X4 and or dual rear wheels, the less tow capacity you have because of the extra weight of the dual axles and four wheel drive equipment.

For the years you are indicating, the 7.3 L Powerstroke is a proven engine. I would consider avoiding the first couple of years of the 6.0 L diesel. The Cummings has a long history of reliability. I think the older Cummings are louder than the 7.3, but not significantly.

Can't say about the Dodges of that era, but my Ford is well appointed and very comfortable. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. FYI, I get 20-21 mpg unloaded and 9-11 mpg with Monty.

Sunshine · 10-08-2006, 06:11 AM

Welcome to the forum. This is a good place to get questions answered and give you lots of food for thought. Hope you enjoy it here.

Cat320 · 10-08-2006, 10:35 AM

Welcome, Tom. You can tell by our very tactful posters, your 336RLT, with it's empty pw of 2100, will be over weight with most 3/4 diesels. This will be even more evident when you make it a realistic pw, add passengers, fuel, cargo, hitch weight, etc. Can't speak about Dodge, but a srw Ford 350, drw Ford 350 or a drw Chevy 3500 would be my recommendation. My personal vehicle of choice is below.

Parrothead · 10-08-2006, 02:05 PM

I would like to dispute the theory about dually. They can go to WalMart. I (female) do it all the time. It is our only vehicle and you can learn to drive it. It is not a Honda Accord but it sure pulls the Monty with ease.
Happy trails...............

tom41 · 10-08-2006, 03:25 PM

hey guys I can already see this is a great site, a great bunch of people, an i do appreaciate your comments an advised. I have had popups, truck campers tag-a-longs, an 2 motorhomes, never a fiver. But we have fulltimed now in our Allegro Bay DP for 8 yrs this month an find it time to move to a fiver. We loved the montana mountaineer 336RLT, because of the construction an my DW loved the kitchen (lol, hardly cooks) but anyway i loved the storage . We have loved our coach, but from a cost prespective, we considered the fiver an a truck. We already feel at home here by you folks an look foward to being a part of the family. thank you so much!! Tom An Nancy

LonnieB · 10-08-2006, 03:59 PM

That-a-girl Sue, tell it like it is. I know several women truckdrivers that can handle a big rig better than most men.

bsmeaton · 10-09-2006, 07:01 AM

Hi Tom and welcome to the Forum!

We've always used a single rear wheel F350 for our 2955RL Montana and it is more than adequate. However, this weekend the wife and I were just discussing if we were to upgrade to a longer Montana (saw 2 or 3 new ones on the road), would we consider going to a dually. I would hesitate mainly because I would not want to drive it daily, park it, and most likely would loose my spot in the garage.

We concluded that if it came to the point we wanted more space than our 2955RL, we would sell both the TV and trailer and look at a diesel pusher!

tom41 · 10-09-2006, 02:03 PM

well Brad an Dory thanks much for your info an input. I greatly appreaciate it. But diesel pushers are really nice also for DW an I have fulltimed in a 37 ft Allegro Bay with cummins. But.... an this is one reason we are now going to a fiver..the cost of maintence. I just had brake pads an rotors with axle seals installed at a cost of $2400.00, of course if you can do your own work it would be some less. I used to change my own oil an all filters grease it an all for a cost of 54 to 58.00. but take it to a cummins or freightliner an you looking at 225 up to 400.00. but like i say we have really enjoyed ours for a lot of yrs an served us well. But we are changing to a montana for more room, lesser maintence, with only one TV to maintaine drivetrain. I have owned everthing but a fiver, an the montana has everthing we need for the $$$$. an I gotta make my retirement $$$ go farther. again thanks an happy traveling..

bsmeaton · 10-09-2006, 02:38 PM

Tom,

I say that more in jest after spending yesterday hooking up my 5er in the mud and snow while my DW and I watched a Fleetwood Discovery roar into the spot next to us - slide out his four slides, automatically level itself and automatically lock into the satellite on inverters while they watched TV! He never even got out to hook up anything!

Realistically I would seriously have to consider the disadvantages of going back to a Class A for the reasons you state. Maintenance was a bear and I didn't have enough equipment to even break a lug nut loose. Our Class A was a higher maintenance drain than any of our regular vehicles. I would say our 5er purchase has proved to be the best RV we have owned. It is roomier, cozier, and serves us better than anything we have had.

You will enjoy your Montana - as we sure have and plan to for several years to come.

Brad

tom41 · 10-09-2006, 04:28 PM

hey Brad, i'm sure i will enjoy the montana, one ting i will miss about the coach is when you run up on backed up traffic, moving 3 to 5 miles an hr an a man gotta go see about a dog LOL !! DW tAkes the wheel i just go right on back an do whats nessary!, guess i will have to jump out an run back to my monty an get in quick! lol. maybe we'll see you down the way somewhere an teach u a game of "jokers n pegs" or a quick game of dominos . be careful out there on the HWY, an keep enjoying life!

sreigle · 10-13-2006, 06:37 AM

Welcome aboard, Tom. It might be of interest to you to look at the signatures in the many posts to see what trucks are towing which Montanas. Don't hesitate to ask questions.

Until a couple of years ago I used F350 single rear wheel trucks to tow our Montanas and see absolutely no need for a dually in our situation. We currently tow with an '05 F250 but that's a bit misleading. This F250 has higher ratings (tow, gvwr, and gcwr) than our '99 F350 and our '03 F350 and more than most of the one ton single rear wheel trucks you see on the road today.

Good luck in your search. There are a lot of good choices out there.

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