truck/hitch advise for an owner to be please - Montana Owners Club

gcatt1 · 02-03-2007, 04:39 AM

I am just about to purchase a preowned 2006 RL3500. The seller has a 2001 F350 available. If I were to go out and purchase a 2007 GMC or Chevy; what would be the ideal configuration and equipment? Also, starting from scratch, what would be the best aftermarket towing devices to have installed and what would be the best hitch features to obtain? Thank you.

bsmeaton · 02-03-2007, 05:04 AM

The ideal configuration would be that Ford he has available

!

On the serious side - and you will get a zillion opinions - in my personal opinion assuming I was starting over and assuming you are looking at a long bed pickup,

I would go with the Trailer Saver air ride hitch. http://www.trailersaver.com/. The air ride will greatly improve the ride in the cab, and will take a lot of stress off that trailer. If you are looking at a short bed pickup, it may be a different story and there are a lot of threads already running on hitches for short beds.

Congratulations on your new Monty by the way!!

AZCampinfool · 02-03-2007, 05:08 AM

Gcatt1, first let me welcome you to the forum. You will find this is a great place to ask questions, learn from others, and share your own advice and experiences. As far as your question, you are going to get all types of answers based on what type of truck you plan to purchase and what all the different folks here like based on their experiences. That being said, whatever you decide, I would highly recommend some type of air hitch or air pin setup. You can buy a hitch for the tow vehicle that has built in air bags to help smooth the ride and absorb the bumps transferred from the fiver to the truck etc. You can also get an air type pin for the fiver which is what I did. The air pins are generally less expensive than the air hitches installed in the truck, but keep in mind if you sell the fiver there goes the air pin with it. Another question would be are you going to tow with a short bed or long bed. If you tow with a short bed truck, many people, me included would recommend some type of sliding hitch for your truck. Sliding hitches slide back either manually or automatically when you get in tight turning situations where there is a danger of the fiver hitting the back of the truck cab or window. Manual sliders are quite a bit less expensive than auto sliders but you have to remember to manually pull the lever to slide it back. If you are going to tow with a long bed, you would not need any type of sliding hitch. As you can see there are many variables which will leave you with tons of ?'s. You will also need a good brake controller for the truck to control the fiver brakes. I will let others join in here, stand by for tons of info. Once again, welcome to forum and ask as many questions as you can, after all that is what this is all about.

Montana Sky · 02-03-2007, 07:21 AM

If you were going to go out and buy a new GMC or Chevy I would go for the 3500. The dually will give you the most payload capacity, but not required to tow a 3500RL. The 3500 single rear wheel would be a nice truck. I suggest the 1 ton long bed, it is nice having the larger fuel capacity that comes with a long bed. As far as hitch, I really like the Pullrite hitches, might I suggest looking at the Super 5th hitch. Here is a link http://pullrite.com/super5_16.htm As far as brake controllers go, I really like the Tekonsha Voyager unit, the Tekonsha Prodigy is another good brake controller. Just a few of my thoughts/opinions... congrats on your new 3500RL!

timandsusan · 02-03-2007, 07:37 AM

Congratulations on the Monty. For the truck--I put a F-350 diesel single wheel, crew cab, long bed in front of my 3475RL (both are 2006 models). It has worked out very well. With a king weight of 2200 pounds, I can load the truck and still not exceed the 350 weight restrictions. If you go with a 3/4 ton--make sure and check the weight carrying capacity of the truck. A F-250 will pull my Monty but the King Pin weight would be a problem.

ols1932 · 02-03-2007, 08:09 AM

I pull my 3555RL with a Ford F-250. It does the job well. It was the truck we had when we purchased the rig. I would recommend a 1-ton, any one of the big 3 vehicles. It's what your choice would be. For me, I lean toward Ford but like the Cummins engine in the Dodge and the Allison tranny in the Chev/GMC. Not real crazy about the Izusu engine in the Duramax. But everyone has different tastes. I'm a great believer in "what you want" not what anyone tells you that you should have. To avoid the pounding you take when you travel full time with a standard Drawtite/Reese hitch, we bought hitch from TrailerSaver. See www.trailersaver.com It's well worth the money but it is pricey. But, you do get whatever you pay for. My advice is to do the research, study, then make the decision to go the way YOU want to go.

Orv

Cat320 · 02-03-2007, 01:22 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by gcatt1

I am just about to purchase a preowned 2006 RL3500. The seller has a 2001 F350 available. If I were to go out and purchase a 2007 GMC or Chevy; what would be the ideal configuration and equipment? Also, starting from scratch, what would be the best aftermarket towing devices to have installed and what would be the best hitch features to obtain? Thank you.

That's easy since you have already said "GMC/Chevy." Check my signature...the D/A combo is tough to beat, more HP, torque and better mileage than the rivals. PM me if you'd like the web site for the actual test results...although any of the big three will do the job for you. Get the dually, any other GM product, including the single rear wheel one ton will be marginal when it comes to cargo capacity...the D/A will pull fine, it's the cargo capacity that presents a problem.

Re the hitch...we all seem to like our hitches. My 16k Husky, made by RBW others are made by Valley, has four way tilt (which you need) and comes apart in two pieces so it is easy to remove from the bed. Both GM versions of one tons come in long beds only, no choice, so you do not need a slider. I got a deal from a brand new dealer trying to drum up business...got the hitch for $390 and paid $150 for a truck outfitter to install it.

On edit...recently we added a 5th Airborne pin box. Not as good as an air hitch, but one half to one third as expensive, and makes a noticeable improvement.

SlickWillie · 02-03-2007, 01:29 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by gcatt1

I am just about to purchase a preowned 2006 RL3500. The seller has a 2001 F350 available. If I were to go out and purchase a 2007 GMC or Chevy; what would be the ideal configuration and equipment? Also, starting from scratch, what would be the best aftermarket towing devices to have installed and what would be the best hitch features to obtain? Thank you.

I don't like to get into brand arguments, but you indicate if you were "to purchase a 2007 GMC or Chevy". Personally, I would go with the 3500 with the Duramax Allison combo. It is my understanding that the 3500 comes with only the long bed, so that wouldn't be an issue. I have a short bed with a Reese 16K slider, and you can get in binds where the long bed would be nice. I don't know about the air ride hitches or pins, but if they keep the truck from bucking on rough roads, it would be great. I've had to slow down considerably on rough roads due to bucking.

Craig A · 02-04-2007, 08:30 AM

Why not pick up the matched set from the seller and give the F350 a try. If it's got a 7.3 PSD and is reasonably clean, it will sell if you don't like it. If it's low mileage, they'll be beating the door down for it.

sreigle · 02-05-2007, 04:08 PM

Our 3400RL and the 3500RL are very similar in weight. Ours is very heavily loaded at 14,620, scaled. Our 2005 F250 has higher ratings than many of the one ton trucks on the road but I am over on GVWR. GCWR is 23,000. Tow rating is 15,400. Gvwr is 10,000.

If you get a shortbed you may want to buy a sliding hitch. Manual sliders are fine but if you need it and forget to use it then you could crash truck to trailer. An auto sliding hitch eliminates that possibility but they're pretty spendy. You have to decide whether it is worth it. Some 2006 models have the new nose, some the prior nose. If yours will have the prior nose, then I'd recommend a slider if a shortbed truck. If the new nose, then I don't think it's really necessary but if it makes you more comfortable, get the slider. It sure doesn't hurt anything.

If you get a longbed, then there are many good hitches and no slider is needed. Just be sure the hitch is rated for more weight than your trailer.

BirdingRVer · 02-05-2007, 04:20 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by gcatt1

I am just about to purchase a preowned 2006 RL3500. The seller has a 2001 F350 available. If I were to go out and purchase a 2007 GMC or Chevy; what would be the ideal configuration and equipment? Also, starting from scratch, what would be the best aftermarket towing devices to have installed and what would be the best hitch features to obtain? Thank you.

All I can add is that Bert has the right truck and Orv as the right hitch

Check my signature!

Delaine and Lindy · 02-05-2007, 04:43 PM

We only buy TV's with the Duramax/Allison, and have owned 3 of them. We have also had three different hitches. Two of them were steel stationary, with a 4 pivot head by Husky/Valley. Then we went to the Trailer Saver air ride hitch, more costly but the ride of our Cambridge 5th wheel is really hard to explain until you see the action while towing. The 5er floats like its on a cloud. Also a lot less strain on the 5th wheel frame. If you are using a 3500 series (1 Ton dually) with a steel suspension you should have a Trailer Saver Hitch. Also we no longer have to remove Coffee pot/Can openor from the counter tops. Good Luck on your choice. GBY...

P.S. The Trailer Saver also will fit in the Bed rails of a Reese or Husky/Valley.

SKOOBDO · 02-06-2007, 03:44 AM

Of course, I have a F350 and a 3500RL and it's working great for me. I'm sure a GMC/Chevy 3500 would work also.

sreigle · 02-06-2007, 01:25 PM

Let's do a little clarifying here since we don't do brand wars in this forum. ANY of the big three diesels and some of the gassers will do a fine job. A fine job. Period. We all have our preferences. We all can quote articles or whatever supporting our views. The bottom line is they all do a good job.

The 2001 F350 with the 7.3 diesel your seller is offering is an outstanding towing machine with an engine long proven for reliability and towing ability. Our 6.0 diesel with TorqShift is an awesome towing machine, also. So are the GM and Dodge trucks.

My advice is to understand they all do a great job and buy the truck you want based on your other desires and preferences,including brand loyalty, price, amenities, etc. It is hard to go wrong in my opinion. There are many of each brand towing heavy trailers on the road and doing it very successfully without problem.

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