A little info, please - Montana Owners Club

cs413 · 03-15-2005, 02:39 PM

A little info please: I am new to fifth wheeling and am picking up a brand new 05 3650 in the morning (3/16/05). I traded in a Holiday Rambler TT with 10k GVW and 825 hitch wt. The 3650 is 14,340/2000.
I have a 99 Chevy C3500 7.4L gas Vortec Crew Cab with a 4:10 rear end.
Does anyone see any problems towing this big of a trailer with the Chevy. This Monty is huge but beautiful. I guess I'm just a little comprehensive with the weight jump. Will only be taking short or local trips to State Parks for a while since retirement is still far away. Just turned 50. I figure 2-3 more years with the Chevy and then trade for a desiel. I keep hearing the Montana is the best towing vehicle on the road. Any thoughts and/or advice from all would sure be welcome and appreciated.

Bill Hill · 03-15-2005, 02:53 PM

The only sure way to know if your truck can handle the new rig is to check the tow rating for it. Any GM dealer should be able to take the information on the sticker in the glove box (all those numbers!) and tell you what your tow rating is. Beyond that, my semi-educated guess is that with a big-block one-ton with 4:10s you should be OK. Is it a dually or SRW? The only real difference should be in the pin weight it will handle. It's been said that any 5er made by Montana can be pulled by a properly outfitted 3/4-ton pick-up. The only caution I would add to that is that you're always better off towing less than capacity, 20% less is good, less is better.

cs413 · 03-15-2005, 03:32 PM

It's an SRW. According to the book the 4:10 can tow 10,500# and the 4:56 handles 12,500#. Either way empty or loaded it's over the book values. When I bought the truck the dealer said it was a 4:56 rear end. Guess I'll read the sticker next time. The Montana dealer said it would not be a problem, but then again he's a salesman. We were looking at the 3685, but the dealer said that was the only RV Montana recommended for use with a dually. Pin weight was 2340 on the 3685. Just as well, we really like the 3650. Oh well, I guess time will tell. Like I said, I'm not going very far for a while. Just short, local trips. Hopefully, I will be ok for a couple of years when I can afford another vehicle payment.

richfaa · 03-16-2005, 03:18 AM

What it can tow behind the truck and what it can fifth wheel tow are two very different values(the fifth wheel values are higher. Trailer life web site should have that information.

Bill Hill · 03-16-2005, 03:51 AM

I agree with richfaa regarding the difference between 5er and TT towing. But PLEASE don't pull a rig that is heavier when loaded than your tow rating. We rolled our first truck/trailer combo and part of the reason was too much trailer for the truck, BUT THE SALESMAN SAID IT WAS OK! We were tenderfoots then, but have learned a lot since.

richfaa · 03-16-2005, 04:36 AM

Go to www.trailerlife.com and find the towing guide..It may not help you on 5th wheel towing but search around I did not look that well..Your best bet is going to the GM web site.always keepin mind there is a difference between TT towing and 5th wheel towing..most tow guides give TT numbers. The 3650 is pretty heavy 11480 Dry Hitch of 2000.with a GVWR of 14,000. and my experience is if you can't put 1500 lbs of stuff on board you are not trying so you may be looking at @13,000lbs. I think that is a little much for your present truck..I just got the F-350Sd with a tow cap of 16,100LBs because I like the 3650..wife likes the 3295..but will be able to pull the 3650 IF we get it. 15 years of Rv'ing here..safety..safety....safety...

Broome101 · 03-16-2005, 04:53 AM

CS314, That's interesting that Montana recommends dually for that size 3685FL. I have 2005 3685FL pull with 2001 Ford PSD, SRW, CC, 4x4 and never have had any problems. In fact dealer looked it up in book for me to just be sure. Dually does not allow to pull anymore weight than SRW actually it's less. Pin weight is same I think for either as well. you will get all kinds of different feelings on this matter. Dually may give you more stability on road if you were hauling livestock that moves around during transport but FW is stationary. Just my 2 cents worth.

richfaa · 03-16-2005, 05:23 AM

I have the 2005 F350SD dually..The book says 15K for the SWD and 16.1 K for the dually.. My rear axel is rated at 9k.Think that Montana is just playing it safe. I went with the Dually for the stability /weight factor because we are interested in the 3650

FredG · 03-16-2005, 03:29 PM

As far as I know, the difference between SRW and DRW is the payload capacity, not towing capacity. The DRW has a higher payload capacity, which allows for a higher pin weight.

I have a Dodge 3500 DRW and I looked at the SRW. The payload capacity of the SRW is about 2700 and the DRW is about 4700. Subtract fuel and passengers, weight of the hitch, etc and the DRW should have about 3900 pounds available for pin weight. However, the towing capacity (GVWR or GCVWR) is about the same for both the SRW and the DRW.

Now, this is my understanding from talking to a couple of Dodge dealers. They explained that the suspension components in the rear as well as the axle are pretty much the same between the SRW and DRW, the limiting factor for weight on the SRW is tire load range limits.

Fred

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Broome101

Dually does not allow to pull anymore weight than SRW actually it's less. Pin weight is same I think for either as well.

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