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Old 09-15-2021, 09:15 PM   #1
dkq
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New Tow Vehicle for 2003 Montana 2955RL

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have a 2003 Montana 2955RL and have been towing with a 2004 Ford F250 Super Duty Crew Cab Short Bed. My truck has died and I am 1,000 miles from home.
Here is my question; The top of the bed in my current truck is 4'10" above ground. The bottom of the RV overhang is 5'1" above ground. This is with both level, unhitched, and on flat ground. I have been looking at newer F250s and F350s, but all the bed tops appear to be 5' or so above ground.
Does anyone know if I can use a taller Ford F-series to tow my 2003 Montana? HELP!!!!!
Sincerely,
dkq
 
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Old 09-15-2021, 09:35 PM   #2
Montana Man
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You should be ok with the higher, newer truck. Some hitches have adjustments for up and down. Your pin box should have similar adjustability. The distance between the bed and trailer overhang is key. There is no hard fast rule but about 6" or 7" should be fine. The trailer may sit lower in the rear if now higher in the front but there are fixes for that too.
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Old 09-15-2021, 11:02 PM   #3
dkq
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Montana Man,
Overhang clearance is what worries me. If I lift my receiver and lower my pin to get the 6-7" of clearance from the bed, I'm afraid that will lower the trailer rear bumper by almost a foot. Added stress on the rear axle and tires is another issue. I'm a 1,000 miles from my tools and can't do any of that work myself. Finding a 'mobile RV repair guy' might be a challenge as well. Wish me luck!
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Old 09-16-2021, 07:23 AM   #4
Montana Man
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You have valid concerns. I don't think it would drop a foot but will some. You could add trailer axle spacers to level it out once you get it home. A thousand miles out of level is doable. Good luck of course and let us know how it goes.
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Old 09-16-2021, 08:18 AM   #5
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Can't speak for Ford or Ram, but I towed a 2010 Montana 2955RL with first a 2005 Chevy 3500 Dually Crew Cab and then a 2011 Chevy 3500 Dually Crew Cab and the Monty rode level on both trucks.
The only issue we ever had was with the steps, being to far back and hanging so low that we dragged them a few times thru Gas Station dips.
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Old 09-16-2021, 09:36 AM   #6
MARK A
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Overall height doesn't matter as much as the depth of the bed. And height of the hitch.



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Old 09-16-2021, 10:38 AM   #7
Carl n Susan
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Duallys sit lower the SRW trucks. 4WD models are taller the 2WD models. Either mill save some height but I wouldn't worry that much about the height of the new trucks.
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Old 09-16-2021, 02:31 PM   #8
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What area of the country are you in?
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Old 09-22-2021, 02:53 PM   #9
Camp CA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dkq View Post
..........The top of the bed in my current truck is 4'10" above ground. The bottom of the RV overhang is 5'1" above ground. This is with both level, unhitched, and on flat ground. I have been looking at newer F250s and F350s, but all the bed tops appear to be 5' or so above ground.
Does anyone know if I can use a taller Ford F-series to tow my 2003 Montana? HELP.......
Minimum recommended clearance between the top rail of the truck bed and cab is 5 inches. To achieve that cleance you will need to raise the hitch height and/or adjust the king pin box height OR buy a 4 x 2 that sits 6" lower, i.e., 4'-4", which is what I tow with with a 7 inch clearance resulting in my trailer cab 5'1" above ground.
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Old 09-26-2021, 01:52 PM   #10
Keith Schweizer
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dkq, I have a 2955rl (2009). I pulled it with a F-350 4 wheel drive , 6.0.
I upgraded to a 2015 F-350, 6.7, 4 wheel drive, CC, SB. The bed is a little deeper but space between bed rail and 5er is at least 6"if not more. The 6.7 pulls this trailer much better than the 04 6.0.
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Old 09-26-2021, 02:39 PM   #11
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I had a 2006 monty 2980. I towed with a 2004 Silverado 2500. I bought a new 2012 Chevy. The bed was about 1 or 1 1/2 inches higher off the ground and the bed rails were another inch or 2 taller. So net height of rails went up 4 inches. So I had to raise the hitch to gain clearance and run at around 6 inches. The trailer height went up 2-4 inches so I ride slightly high in the front. My newer 2013 Mountaineer is now at 13'4 or 5 inches - a little higher than I would like for underpasses,etc.
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