Peace of mind ?

[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

Hello all. Well we did it, just bought a 2008 3585 SA from Fun Time RV , and a 2005 dodge ram 2500 HD 4x4 quad cab diesel SB truck, A friend and I are flying to Texas to pick them both up on sept 26 and drive back to salinas ca. Did we make the right choice on a truck?

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Welcome SMOKEHOUSEROB to the wonderful world of a Montana owner and to the Montana Owners Club.

Your post will undoubtedly get many opinions but before the rest jump in here's mine...


The entire combo sounds good to me. My 2500HD GMC with the Duramax handles my 3485SA without any problems but with a short bed truck have you considered a sliding hitch???

Now that's my opinion but I am absolutely sure the F350 and 3500 folks will have something totally different to say.

[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

haven't thought about a sliding hitch, thought with the new nose design i wouldn't need one?

[Glenn and Lorraine]

To be honest that is what Montana says but I had a Pullrite Superglide with my old Monty and still have it for my new 07 3485. I could have traded the Superglide in for a none slider Pullrite at very little out cost but as you titled this thread.."Peace of mind" that is what I have no matter what the turning situation maybe.

[SlickWillie]

quote:Originally posted by SMOKEHOUSEROB

haven't thought about a sliding hitch, thought with the new nose design i wouldn't need one?

No way I would have a short bed and no slider. I would say also, I wish I had the Pullrite Superglide instead of the Reese manual slider. Bad to get in a bind and have to block traffic while you slide the hitch. BTW, I went over to Fun Time. Also wish I had bought our unit there instead of where we did. They have a very nice facility.

[MikeM]

Welcome to the MOC!

I also have a 2005 Dodge 2500 short bed pulling a 2006 3475RL (forerunner to the 3585, I believe). Trust me, you definitely want a slider with this combination! I have a Reese 16k slider that, once upon a time, I forgot to slide back before making a tight turn. To avoid further embarrassment, that's all I want to say - just get a slider!

[Montana Sky]

If you can swing the Superglide, I recommend it. The convenience of having the hitch slide back every turn is worth its weight in gold. Plus, the Superglide is cheaper than the cost of repairs to your truck and coach if the two were to ever hit.

[sreigle]

The Dodge will do an excellent job of towing that Montana. With a 2500 it is possible if the pinweight is heavy enough it may cause some sag in the rear. If so, airbags will level things out again.

You may be over the GVWR and/or payload ratings for the truck. Many here are towing with the same and similar trucks to yours without problem and without safety issues. You will have to make up your own mind on that. I towed ours with a 2005 Ford F250 and had zero issues in 85k miles on the truck.

As for the slider, I would recommend it. I have been towing fifthwheels with a shortbed truck since 1995. In that time I have had to resort to using the slider exactly four times. With the new nose on the Montana I have not yet needed the slider and have put this thing in some tight places and made some pretty tight u-turns.

My opinion is in your case the slider would be nice to have but you can probably get by without it. However, you will have to watch that you do not crash cab to fifthwheel. Yes, it's still possible with the new nose. Here is a picture showing about how tight you can turn. This is on level ground and I have two fingers clearance between cab and FW. On uneven ground this turn might dip the trailer into the truck if a wheel hit a hole. The bed on this Dodge is the same length as yours. Although I have a slider, the slider is not engaged in this picture.

[Charlie]

Steve-
That makes me nervous just looking at your picture.

[Countryfolks]

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

>You may be over the GVWR and/or payload ratings for the truck. Many here are towing with the same and similar trucks to yours without problem and without safety issues. You will have to make up your own mind on that.<

SMOKEHOUSEROB; This says it all about your TV. We're on our 3rd Dodge and 2nd Montana. If your truck is an automatic it will probably have a GCWR of 20k, the payload is about 2200#, manual 20k and 2k. Never had a short bed so can't comment.

http://www-5.dodge.com/towing5/D/veh...ght.jsp?year=5

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[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

quote:Originally posted by Countryfolks

SMOKEHOUSEROB; This says it all about your TV. We're on our 3rd Dodge and 2nd Montana. If your truck is an automatic it will probably have a GCWR of 20k, the payload is about 2200#, manual 20k and 2k. Never had a short bed so can't comment.

http://www-5.dodge.com/towing5/D/veh...ght.jsp?year=5

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so with theses specs i should be good to go?

Montana Model 3585SA Specifications
Weight 11025
Carrying Capacity 4300
Hitch 1825
Length 38' 4
Width 8'
Height 12' 9
Fresh Water 60 gal.
Waste Water 38 gal.
Gray Water 76 gal.
LPG 60
Tire Size 235/80R16E
Rim Size 16 x 6

And for the truck.

With 3.73 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio [i] You Can Tow 13050 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) [i] = 8510 lbs
Payload [i] = 2187 lbs
Curb Weight [i] = 6813 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 4140 lbs/4140 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear [i] = 5200 lbs/6010 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) [i] = 20000 lbs

[bsmeaton]

I guess when you buy the right truck, you don't have to ask.

Being over GVWR IS a safety issue Steve!!!! That issue is not up to you to decide. Whether or not you tow that way anyway is your decision.

[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

going to take your alls advice and get a slider hitch, just found a PullRite SuperGlide 3300 series 16k , for $750, pick it up tomorrow, now will have to ship it to the dealer for them to install. thank you all on your advice keep it coming.

[Countryfolks]

Only you can make that decision. To do the math you will need to weigh the truck fully loaded with everything you plan on having in it, including people, fuel, animals, hitch, etc, and the same with the 5er. weigh them separately and combined, get the weight of the front and rear axles of the truck and the front and rear of the truck and the trailer axles of the combination [3 weights]. The numbers to look at are the total weight of the combination compared to 20k [GCVW], the difference between the weight on the rear axle of the truck with the trailer connected and disconnected, which is actual pin weight [APW]. The difference between the loaded weight of the truck [LTW] and 8510 [GVWR], is what is left of the 2187 payload.
Is the APW + LTW = GVWR or less? [More = excess payload.]
Is the actual combined weight = or less than 20k?
[I think I have this right. ] You can then make your decision based on your comfort level with the numbers.

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[richfaa]

The listed pin weight for your camper is 1825lbs with nothing at all in the front of the camper... The payload of your truck is 2187 with nothing at all in the truck.. payload is what you can carry IN the truck INCLUDING the pin weight of your camper as that is where the pin weight goes..that leaves you with 362lbs of people, pets, fuel, assorted camper stuff that you may carry in your truck..that would also be payload.That is ONLY if you wish to stay within the manufacturers specificatons for your truck.. Many folks question that the manufacturers specification mean any thing at all..

[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

would a add a leaf or anything like that help?

[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

also found this on the web , http://www.dodge-truck.us/dodge_ram_diesel.htm please dont get me wrong i dont want to stir up any thing. this is still all new to me . gone from a 33' class A motor home pulling a jeep.
C/P. from the web site.
From all my research, I have learned that the only difference between the 2500 and 3500 are two items. The 3500 has one extra leaf in the springs, and lights on the cab's roof. That's it! In every other aspect, they are the same truck

[Countryfolks]

SMOKEHOUSEROB; No problem, a person needs to ask questions when learning about something new. Go to the first site [Dodge corporate site] I gave and look at the difference in specs for the 3500. It shows a 1k/3k increase in gross, 21k/23k for the 3500 vs 20k for the 2500, a difference of 794 for payload and a GVWR of 9900 vs 8510. I don't know if that is a result of a single leaf spring or the fact the 3500 is a dually or not. The 3k is a direct result of a difference in rear axle ratios. The site you show is an individuals site and is expressing his personal opinion. I would go with the corporate documentation and do the math but that is my personal opinion. Adding airbags will remove rearend sag but will not change the numbers.

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[SMOKEHOUSEROB]

thanks here is another site that talks about the 2500 vs' 3500 max towing capacity? [url http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/showthread.php?t=145989[/url]

[Countryfolks]

Towing is one thing, carrying is another. The 3500 can tote more weight than the 2500. The DTR post seems to be mostly discussing dragging not toting. The difference of opinions concerning 2500 vs 3500 will probably be around for a long time. One group would rather stay within oem specs since they consider they have been published for a reason, the other has, apparently, had no problems and consider the specs as just guidelines. You'll have to determine for yourself which solution you can live with.

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