Towing the 3400RL - Montana Owners Club

dchafer · 08-03-2005, 08:32 AM

Hello everyone, we are in the process of purchasing this 3400RL Montana. It sure is a nice unit. Does anyone out there tow this model. We have a 2003 Chev Silverado 6.6l Turbo duramax diesel,short box, and think we should have lots of pulling power. there are those who are questioning this so we would like some input..
Please advise.. thanks Diane and Dennis.

foggyb · 08-03-2005, 08:51 AM

Hi We have over 13,000 towing ours with no probs. It will run away from almost anything on the road. Follow us and you won't be in the slow lane. Were Hyperteced. Dan

jrgwdenner · 08-03-2005, 09:12 AM

Sounds like a great combination to me, especially a good choice for a fifth wheel. Welcome to the Forum. You'll get a good response from members here.

BillyRay · 08-03-2005, 10:11 AM

it will definately pull it. i personally prefer a dually, but it's not needed.

Kathi · 08-03-2005, 11:01 AM

"WELCOME TO THE MOC"

We have no problems towing. If you look in our signature line. You have the ticket, just go with the flow. Our experience has been that as you go, you will learn. Nothing is written in stone. We don't even know that it is behind us unless we look back or have to watch the rear. It tows like a dream.

Enjoy your unit. Kathi

Old GI · 08-03-2005, 01:08 PM

Hi everyone, we have a 2005 Montana 2955 we brought it home on 1 January this year, our tow vehicle is a 2005 Ford F-350, DRW 6.0 turbo diesel crew cab with the Tow Boss package and a 4.30 differential, we have a reese 16k mount and we love the whole package. The Montana is excellent quality and the F-350 is great, but then I'm a Ford truck fan. I was in the U.S. Army from 1957 to 1980, then I did another 21 year with a Federal Government Agency. I semi retired in 2001 and still work 12 hours per week. Why?, well we have a wonderful little 8 year old grandson that we have had since he was nine months old, no retirement for a while I guess, also no regrets. My wonderful wife and I have been married for 45 years, we have three children (44,40,38) and ten grandchildren and live in East central Florida one mile in from the Intra coastal waterway, the whole gang lives within two mile of us so we can't get lonely. We do love camping and take our rig out every chance we get. Most of our trips so far have been local in Brevard County, Florida with a couple of trips to Orlando for the required Disney visits, if you haven't been to Ft. Wilderness Campground you are missing out on the nicest campgound we have ever stayed in.

sreigle · 08-03-2005, 05:24 PM

Welcome aboard, Old GI! I like your choice in trucks! If you'd like to start your own thread so maybe more people will see your introduction, click on the "New Topic" link either at the top or the bottom of this page. Put in your own subject line and text and hit Submit.

Thanks for telling us about yourselves.

Montana_3768 · 09-22-2005, 05:23 PM

Hello, we have a 2005 3400 RL and pull it with a 2002 GMC 2500 HD with a Duramax and Allison transmission with no problem. I did upgrade the tires to give me a little more "room" on the rear axile weight. Stock tires were LT245/75R*16 for a real axile maximum of 6084 lbs at 80psi. Upgraded to Bridgestone Revos LT265/75R*16 which increased real axile maximum to 6830 lbs at 80psi. I would recommend that you weigh your unit after you get it loaded up with a full tank of fuel and passengers in the truck. Make sure that you're real axile weight is not exceeded or you could be looking to have blowout problems to overloading your rig. Our rig weighs 4300 on the front axile, 5500 on the rear axile, with 10,300 on the trailer.
We can roll down the interstate at 70 mph if we wanted to, but I just feel better at 62-65 mph - like the better gas milage also. It will also pull a grade without much sweat. I only wish my 2002 GMC had a switch to cut out the overdrive on those rolling hills.

ken · 09-23-2005, 03:27 AM

You will have no problem pulling a 3400. We pull a 3475 which is similar to the 3400, but with three slides rather than four. The Length and weight is about the same. We tow it with a 2005 2500HD with the duramax engine. I am well satisfied with the results. We did add the edge attitude system to the truck which is supposed to reconfigure the shifting points a little better. It also gives me a EGT gage so I can watch the temp of the exhaust. This is an important item that you should consider adding to your truck. Towing a large trailer causes an increase in the temp of your vehicle and could cause early failure of the engine. There is many stories about the EGT gage and why it is important here on the MOC web page. Enjoy the new RV.
Ken and Velda
Dahlgren Va
2005 3475 Montana
2005 2500HD GMC Crew Cab with Duramax and Edge/attitude and 45gal thru-flo fuel tank.

Countryfolks · 09-23-2005, 04:09 AM

Nobody has mentioned payload capacity.
Towing capacity and payload capacity are different.
Towing capacity = The weight the vehicle can pull.
Payload = The weight the vehicle can carry, inclucdes fuel, passengers, hitch, loaded pin weight and other "stuff" in the truck. You will probabaly be at the max or over on payload weight, but you will have no trouble pulling the load, if you're comfortable with the payload you will have.

Skip

firetrucker · 09-23-2005, 07:04 AM

Although I regularly read these threads, I feel so left out because all I have is a big red Volvo. I guess it's my fault because I didn't want to worry about tow weights and payloads and simple things like stopping and going up or down hills when I went looking for a TV (and drove my wife crazy while I was doing it). As much as I'd like to brag about it, I have to keep a low profile (me, not the TV) or I'll just become a pain in the butt.

If you want to see what I'm rambling on about, just look at the signature of firetruckerwife.

Bob

FireTruckerWife · 09-23-2005, 07:06 AM

Well I'll put my picture right here where you can see it.

Countryfolks · 09-23-2005, 07:28 AM

Nice. Probably no bugs on the front of the Montana either.

Skip

thook · 09-23-2005, 07:30 AM

We pull a 3400 with our 1999 Ford 250 PSD. We have added gauges, power chip, air box and 4 inch exhaust. Plenty of towing power but probably slightly overloaded. It handles the load well and braking seems to be okay. One of these days I'll hit the scales.

Montana_2005 · 09-23-2005, 12:17 PM

There are lots of others here that pull the exact rig with your truck... so I will just say I Love my GMC, and welcome to the MOC! Safe travels.

stiles watson · 09-23-2005, 06:48 PM

Welcome to the MOC!!! The folks casting doubt on your TV or folks lookin' for braggin' rights on their TV choice, or perhaps a truck salesman. Relax and enjoy.

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