Considering New Montana 3400 w/F250 Truck

[wat42]

Interested in trading our 2955RL for a Montana 3400RL. I have a Ford F-250 Diesel, 6.0. Don't really want to get bigger truck, anybody pull this model with this size truck? Any problems or improvements made to truck? Thanks.

[racerjoe]

whats the gross weight? how much hitch weight compared to both trailers? How is your truck handling now? just a few questions.

[richfaa]

What year 3400. What are the spec's on the truck. Our 06 3400 has a GVWR of 15,500lbs and a real pin weight of 2900lbs. The probabilities are you will be over one por more specs. Need the nubners to know for sure.

[wat42]

Sorry, had wife type up posting, didn't give her all the info.

I pulled the 3150 with the new air glide it handled superb. dw wants to look at the 3400 which is 1200 lb. heavier. Dealer says to install air bags to offset the additional pin weight. He states the extra weight would only be 500 lb. but I,m getting to the trucks limits without any changes...looks like air bags may be the solution

[Delaine and Lindy]

Keep in mind Air bags will not increase the carring weight of any Truck. Air bags will only help to level the Truck. As said above pin weight is the issue for most 3/4 ton trucks. And no you want know the correct weight of you rig until it loaded and ready for RVing. Ask the dealership if Air bags will increase you GVWR?????

[Art-n-Marge]

Air bags DO NOT increase weight ratings! Look at the fine print. RV and Suspension dealers and sales people say this all the time and from personal conversations with Firestone (my air bag solution) DO NOT LIKE that this is constantly being said. They only facilitate and improve the load and ride, not fix it.

What year is your truck? You may be able to have the F-350 leaf spring set installed in your truck (or just the overload spring and brackets if not already there) to improve the GVWR and RAWR. Then check the wheels and tires that they can support the increased weight rating the extra overload spring provides. For me I upgraded the wheels and tires to support the new ratings (was 17", changed to 18") because tires that support the new weight rating are not available in a 17" tire. Even though tires are available for that rating in 16", my '06 cannot use 16" wheels since the brake assembly is too big for them.

In my year truck ('06) doing this increased the RAWR from 6,100lbs to 7,000lbs and the GVWR from 10,000 to 11,500 for an F-250 with a 6.0 long bed with a 3.73 differential, Crew Cab, 4x4. It's important to know your configuration so a proper comparison can be evaluated.

Note, this is a legal change, however, you can only use this for personal use (not commercial). If you want to be fully compliant, tow with those ratings for friends or for pay, you must have your truck certified to obtain a new VIN and new label for the door pillar. I did not do this step since I use strictly for private use. If you really want to complete the "look" you'll need new emblems that say F-350 too, but only do that if you have the new VIN label to match.

FYI - in my case I wanted to do this as inexpensively as possible. I bought official Ford parts for about $500 and then purchased some "Take-off" wheels from Ebay for another $500. Since I had 50 something thousand miles on my truck and it was due for tires, I purchased five tires and got a new spare 18" wheel from the tire dealer. Finally, the five tires were about $1,300 (Michelin LT275/70R18 LR E). They needed replacing anyway, I just went with the larger size.

While I regret not buying an F-350 in the first place, I am quite happy with these modifications. I now have an F-350, with air bags for an awesome ride and am weight compliant. This is done more often that is admitted. Many other mods are not "legal" by themselves, but over two months of investigation and study and my solution is sound.

Then there's the year of the 3400. If you're looking at brand new ones their 15,000+ GTWR will surpass an F-350's CGVWR and you'll need a dually. Racerjoe and RichFaa say it best when they mention to KNOW the weight ratings everywhere! If you are over anywhere, then you are over!

[sola123]

I had airbags but ended up with new overload springs....solved the handling problem but still overweight on trk axles....we upgraded to a F350 to be safe. .. A lot safer feeling anyway....I put on Hellweig springs....they are adjustable and you can do it yourself.....got the idea from another MOC member...I would think hard and long before not upgrading myself even though there are probably lots of 250's pulling the same rigs ...just my opinion from experience

[TLightning]

The pin weight on a 3400 will put the F250 way over it's GVWR. The salesman is just trying to make a sale. As noted above, air bags will level the truck, but cannot, and do not, increase it's cargo capacity. You can find your truck's actual cargo capacity on the Tire and Loading Information sticker on the driver's side door frame.

[dpilot]

I have a Ford F350, dually with the 3:73 rear axle and a 9000 lbs rear weight limit, 6.4 diesel... However even as such, the 3455SA with a GVW of 15,560 exceeds the GCVWR of the truck by 150 lbs...
So be careful since a small.technicality could God forbid, later be a prob..
Best wishes...

[wat42]

Thanks to all who replied, knew I could depend on Montana owner's for answers. We have decided on the 3150RL for the time being since we only spend 4 months in Winter in it and some camping during summer. Maybe if and when we sell the stick home, we'll trade up for a 350 truck and 3400, but for now we'll stick with the 250 and the new Montana.

[pineranch]

Here's the Ford towing guide. Some of the guys like to max out the RV weight and truck weight when commenting. Know your loaded truck and RV weight when you go down the road. I suspect there are a bunch of 350's towing 3400's over the combined weight limit depending on the rear end and year.
My concern is combined weight, pin weight is just a number. I can go from a 250 to a 350 and get 500 lbs, WOW.
Now that I've poked the 350 guys, my plans are to buy the new 6.7 350 with a 3.73 rear end, so 30K here I come.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...11_default.asp
Good Luck,
Mike

[Bruce.B]

quote:Originally posted by wat42

Interested in trading our 2955RL for a Montana 3400RL. I have a Ford F-250 Diesel, 6.0. Don't really want to get bigger truck, anybody pull this model with this size truck? Any problems or improvements made to truck? Thanks.

Your 6.0L F-250 has the same power as an F-350 with 6.0L. What it doesn't have is the weight capacity. With the F-350 you get suspension *and brake* differences that handle greater load. It's not out of the question to consider an F-450: again, the same engine, but greater towing capacity and *much* better brakes than the F-250.

If you end up getting a newer truck, also look for the optional (I *think* it's called) Tow Command System which includes auto-downshift ("Tow/Haul" transmission mode), trailer wiring, a 2" receiver hitch, and integrated brake controller. I've used the 2" receiver a few times, but the auto-downshift and brake controller have been wonderful!

The bottom line is your F-250 has the power but not the load capacity.

[Red939]

Wat42, you are getting lots of information, some good and some worth what you are paying for it. I'm going to send you a PM with some correct information.

[richfaa]

I think all of us would like to know what the corrrect information is???

[Delaine and Lindy]

And just what is the correct information??????

[jackel1959]

quote:Originally posted by Delaine and Lindy

And just what is the correct information??????

Inquiring minds want to know!

[ALAN]

I pulled a 2010 3400RL with a 2005 Ford F250 Crew Cab with air bags. The scales said my truck ready to go (fuel, and me) weighed 7140#, hooked up right at 9800# (max for the truck), overall wt was right at 23000#. Our last outing was from Phoenix, AZ thru CO, across the Midwest to PA, then back south thru TX and home. Approximately 5000 miles with towing mpg of 12.2 at 59 MPH on the flat. Saying all that would seem to imply that the F250 would work. If I had it to do over I would buy a Ford F450 or equivalent. I think I would have been safer, better handling, braking and ride. One thing we noticed was even though I had the air bags, the truck was level when hooked up even without air in the bags. I put 30# in the bags which helped the ride, but of course did not change the wt rating of the truck.

[Red939]

Okay, here's the correct information. About two years ago a MOC lawyer made a post on weights and being over weight that seemed to me, being a layman, to have lots of good information. I saved that post, but did not copy the author's screen name, maybe somebody with some computer skills can do some research and find it. Here's his post verbatim:

"My professional career has spanned a great number of years in the legal field...I offer the following comments as suggestions as to what I believe to be the best course of action regarding tow vehicles. This information is not to be considered a "legal opinion," and, please do not send me emails or PMs requesting more information or technical questions.

I have read a number of threads and posts regarding members asking questions about tow vehicles and various weight issues, and believe some guidance/suggestions might be appreciated. Many of the responses are incorrect, misleading and, whether or not intended, quite deceiving. The good people asking these questions are seeking answers to what they perceive to be very confusing and complex issues. One of the problems is that many members posting have no knowledge of the subject matter, and are regurgitating what an RV or truck salesman has told them regarding TVs. Although their intentions are good, and they might have been using a particular TV without problems for a while, these members should not offer information on a subject in which they have virtually no knowledge. Much of this information is totally incorrect.

If you should have the misfortune of being in a court of law as a result of a motor vehicle accident involving a truck/RV combination, and the weight of your TV and/or RV comes into question...both vehicles should be within ALL the manufacturer's specifications as noted on the appropriate stickers attached to the vehicles and/or located on the equipment. These include combined weight, gross weight, tire capacity, axle capacity, hitch capacity, pin capacity (MorRyde), etc. You can add any thing you desire in the form of big tires, larger axles, air bags, extra springs, bigger shocks, none of which will affect the stickers on the vehicles upon which they are mounted. Should any part of any of your vehicles exceed the manufacturer's ratings, you will have a very difficult time convincing the court that it is okay to be over those ratings. A great number of posters like to say that their vehicle "pulls fine"...which is okay, but (excuse the pun) that reasoning will not carry much weight in a court of law.

If you have added something to a truck or RV that you believe truly increases capacity...such as axles, not air bags...get some type of documentation from the manufacturer that states your GVWR has been increased. Be advised that some type of written documentation is necessary in order for it to be valid. Keep in mind, however, that just because you have gone from 6k axles to 7k axles (or bigger tires, etc) your GVWR may not be increased due to frame, body or other limitations, that might be known only to the manufacturer.

In summary, it has gone around the Internet that gross weight and combined weight ratings are just suggestions, and can be ignored, whereas tire and axle ratings must be followed. This is totally incorrect information and should not be followed. If you elect to exceed published maximum ratings of any item on either of your vehicles, be prepared to suffer the consequences of that action."

[exav8tr]

A great deal is just a click aheadd......

[Delaine and Lindy]

Red I agree, and Thank you for your time. But and there is alway a but, there are so many who think by adding air bags, tires, axles and many other gadgets it will change their GVWR. Again Thanks.... Happy Trails...

P.S. My suggestion is get a Cat Scale weigh of Truck and RV and each thing you intend to carry. GM will post the weights on their Trucks will tell you their weight ratings. However be very careful and make sure you understand all the options listed. GM is very slick in how they post their ratings... Don't know about Ford and Dodge????