What to tow a 375FL 15,500 lbs loaded

[jameswbarton]

I'm shopping for tow vehicles to full time pulling a 375FL High Country which has a gcwr of 15,500. I had a Diesel Pusher full timing towing a Car Hauler so I have lots of experience towing with a MH but not a 5ver. In our travels We will be crossing the Rockies in many different seasons and are shopping for a tow vehicle that will get us up the Eisenhower Tunnel/Pass and stop us on the way down.

So far I find the dealers are of little help and of course the Montana salesmen will tell you anything to get you to buy one.

So far I know my short bed need to be an 8 footer. Some say I have to have a Dually and Others Say no. I have never had a Dually so I have no experience.

I also suspect I need a 4X4 if I get the camper stuck in wet grass etc. I have been told I might be able to tow it with a Dodge Hemi but I am not happy with Dodges having had my transmission rebuilt twice.

Ideally the Truck needs to get reasonable mileage unloaded as our travel has us in one place for 2-3 months and then on to the next Nursing Assignment.

I suspect I need a Diesel instead of the V10 or the Hemi gassers?

Help on how to get a great setup that will get us there safely and still be sensible transportation will be appreciated.

[bigskyjimmy]

IMO One thing you can eliminate is a buying a Gasser I have been there done that with my V10 Ford Gasser as It will get bad gas mileage and have a Lack of power going up the big Grades,so that leaves a 1 ton Diesel SRW or Dually,I prefer Duallies but a SRW will do the Job on the High Country....Then just pick the brand of your choice and enjoy as far as going thru Auto trannies on Dodges just make sure you get one with the Aisin Auto Trans on 2013 and up you Dodge/Ram guys?? they are basically a Copy of the Allison Trans and that's a good thing...O.K. so there is my 2 bits..Next?

[WaltBennett]

X2 on the gasser. I had an 8.1 Chevy that I knew would pull the Montana, but would probably get 6 mpg at best. There's all kinds of back & forth on duallys, so all I'll say is that from my experience, I wouldn't have a SRW truck pulling something this size (mine's 38' & 15.6k). I've pulled it about 30k miles in three years, from one coast to the other twice, and wouldn't be without that extra width.

[sambam]

Most of us are pulling with diesels, and for good reason. Any gas engine is going to get bad mileage dragging a big 5th wheel around. Any of the big 3 will do the job. I prefer the GM because of the bullet proof Allison transmission. A drw will give you a more stable towing platform but a srw may be all you really need. A 1 ton IMO, is a necessity. Long or shortbed is a personal preference but with the shortbed you need to consider whether to get a slider hitch or not. GM didn't offer the 1 ton in a shortbed when I bought my truck. I don't know if that is still the case. Hope this helps.

[richfaa]

Simple exercise. Research the specifications you know the GVW is 15,500 you do not know or have not stated the pin weight so use the worst case 20& of GVW 3100 lbs. Next step find the truck that will fall within those spec's. Gas / Diesel. SWD/Dually we had the same truck 2005 V-10 and now 2008 Diesel both dullies because of the spec's required. V-10 good truck but ran out of motor and the MPG was horrible.4X4 the first truck was not the second truck was. We do not use it often but when we need it we really need it. Long bed/ short bed the long bed is not that much difference in price and offers versatility.

We purchased the truck to pull a heavy Montana not to go though car washes, banks, daily driver and within specifications. Our purchase decision was based on those factors. IMO reasonable MPG is in the eye of the beholder our 08 will do 14 to 16 not towing on average terrain sometime less sometimes more. To me that is reasonable MPG considering the primary purpose of the truck is to pull an big heavy RV.

RV'ing is not a cheap life style.

[jameswbarton]

If anything I would either leave the RV world or go bigger in a few years so Your Diesel comments make sense. If I go any higher in weight then I need the Dually if I hit 18,000+. So I guess I am kinda stuck in the $50,000 - $60,000's if I buy new. I am very familiar with the 6 speed Alison tranny as I had one in the motorhome. It was far smarter than I am so I do like that. It does seem like Dodge is far cheaper than Ford, GM, or Chevy. Are new Dodges reliable. I currently have a Dodge 2500 HD V10 gasser on its second tranny rebuild and it gets 5-6 mpg pulling any weight uphill.

[chris199]

Agree on the deisel choice. Also agree 1 ton long bed is a good choice.

Key factor between SRW and DRw is payload. Get pin wgt of rig...add at least 200 - 400 lb..or good estimate of stuff you will add to rig...much more, if a generator. Washer, dryer also adds a lot of wgt.....thats whet you need to include in calc.

Get payload rating of truck and sutract the wgt of passengers, full tank of gas, and stuff. If remaining payload allows for pin wgt + known addl wgt (stuff in basement for example) on SWD then you are good. If not a dually is the answer.

[jameswbarton]

Chris, Your 3791rd is heavier than my 375fl by a couple thousand lbs. my pin weight is listed as 2500 lbs but who knows what it will be when I get it loaded? Your weight should be close to the SRW truck capacity? Do you have any trouble pulling in the mountains? Used Duallys are next to impossible to find near my loacation.

[mhs4771]

The secret is Cargo Capacity as any of the new breed of Diesel trucks will pull just about anything, but not all can carry the weight and stay within specs. I'm in the Dually crowd and got my first in '05 when we still only had a 24' TT, but since have gone through a Montana 2955, a 40' SOB, and now a 43' SOB.

[richfaa]

The pin weight on our 2013 3402 is listed at 2635..not even close.20% of our GVR is 3160lbs now that is close. It terms of stability on a dually it should be. Wider stance on the road more rubber on the road. We had a member on here some years ago that could do the math on that and it demonstrated the increased stability of a dually in theory .I do not know we have pulled with a SWD and could not really feel any difference. I would not base a purchase decision only on the stability of a dually but the over all spec's

[jameswbarton]

Hi,
What I do not understand is that looking at a Dually they have specs of towing weights from 16,000 to 32,000 gtw but use the same engines and trannys as the SRW's. The SRW versions top at 15,000 - 16,500 gtw. The dually's usually have a slightly higher differential gear ratio. So is the SRW version limited by the rear axle weight and not the drive train? Is there a heavier frame on a DRW? I am trying to keep from buying a pickup that would be marginal especially if I buy new aat double the cost of my first house!

[Lkelly3400]

James,
I just went through the same process you are going through and went for the Chevy Silverado 3500 SRW. However, two other reasons for a Dually are safety and a future upgrade to a new Montana. If you look at the signatures of the posters here you'll see people who are on their 2nd, 3rd or even 4th rig. They seem to get bigger and heavier each time, so with a Dually you are set for the future.

[1retired06]

One ton diesel dually

[jameswbarton]

Thanks, I'm on like my 10th or 12th rig but the first 5ver! I bought the lighter high country as I can pull it with my old 2500 HD V10 Ram but I really will have to watch the weight and like stay in flatlands! Going from a large DP to a 5ver I wanted to buy a big toy hauler or 5ver as We will live in it fulltime for at least 6 more years. So I gave up the motorcycle and many other hobbies to downsize into the 375FL as I can kna pull it locally until I upgrade trucks. She likes the West and Pacific NW so many trips through the Rockies are in y retired future as the house husband. I live in Frankenmuth Mi and it is farm country and a used dually cannot be found within 150 miles in farm country. So if We decide to upgrade the coach in a year or two I think it would certainly be heavier and require the dually just for the pin weight.

[TLightning]

quote:Originally posted by 1retired06

One ton diesel dually

Agree, for a 5th wheel that heavy this is the only sensible choice.

[jameswbarton]

Thanks everyne! I will keep Diesel DRW Long Bed shopping for the full timing travelling. We are looking at hitting the road again late Summer when we get the sticks and bricks sold. It will probably take me that long to get used to packing and learning the new stuff anyway.

Thanks again!

[mlh]

My HC only weighs 9200 pounds so when a friend wonted me to go pull a DVR that weighs 14000 pounds I was a little worried pulling it with my F250. I didn't need to be worried. I pulled it down I 81, 70, 75 mph straight as an arrow. No sway the dirty air from the semis didn't move it. A 3/4 ton truck will pull it safely. With that said, if you plain to load your HC up to 15000 pounds you should get DRW diesel truck. A non turbo engine looses 3.6 % of its power for every 1000 feet of elevation.
Lynwood

[jameswbarton]

Thanks I was pretty sure my 3/4 V10 will pull it ok. It has pulled a few loads close to that total weight through the West Virginia Turnpike ok. My issue with it is no matter how You drive it gets a max of 9mpg unloaded. on the freeway and 7-8 mpg in the city. It is a budget buster if you drive it much for transportation. I suspect the previous owner of my Ram has changed gear ratios as most other owners report at least 3-4 mpg higher in the same vehicle.
Thanks for the advice!

[mlh]

Your V10 Dodge will pull your HC, no question but don't forget it looses 3.6 % of its power for 1000 feet of elevation. I think it has 410 HP. You say you would like to travel in the Rockies. I80 just east of Laramie is 8800 feet. Your 410 HP becomes 278 HP. You can pull your camper just not very fast.
Lynwood

[Bill.vannuys]

I (actually my wife) just purchased my first 1 ton SRW, Long Bed in March 15 anticipating a Montana purchase. Bought my Montana in July 15 and it pulls great through the West Virginia and western mountains; no effort and the wind here in windy Kansas has not been a problem with stability. The long bed gives me room to carry two Honda 2000I generators mounted forward of my hitch. I carry little else of weight in my truck. IF I wanted to carry a lot of additional weight in my truck (auxiliary fuel tank, tool box, multiple passengers, etc.), that would require a dually payload capability to remain within payload and GVWR limits. I get between 9.4 and 12.6 MPG (tailwinds help/headwinds hurt!) towing a consistently loaded RV weight of about 15,200. When calculating the truck payload, the weight of the hitch and any add on equipment (bed cover, LINEX, etc.) must also be included. A sticker on the driver door frame gives the passenger and payload weight limit (that I think) is slightly different for each truck based on options and factory weight. I do like the dually and the increased payload.