Need help from experienced brain trust.

[Narlywarrior]

Hello,

I am a newbie and would like to solicit your suggestions on the following questions,


1.What type of second A/C unit is the best to get?

2. Can anyone reccomend a good washer/dryer set up.

3. Generator ? gas,diesel,or LP..... Or should I get a couple of hondas and leave them in the back of the truck ?

4. We have a 2003 F-250 with a 7.3 engine. does my truck have enough suspension to pull my 3400RL ? If not, could I do it with air bags or extra leave spring. Or both.

5. If money where no object what brand and type of 5th wheel hitch would you buy ?

Thank you.

Louie

 

[TLightning]

Welcome to the forum...

1. Low profile Dometic.
2. Splendide...not the stackable, wastes too much space.
3. Hondas.
4. A gas 3/4 is way way short of GCW capability to haul a 3400. Air bags and/or springs will not help. You need a 350/3500 series truck.
5. I like the sliding bar on the Husky, although any will work.

Good luck.

 

[Narlywarrior]

Hi TLightning,

Thanks for the info.

My truck is a 3/4 diesel. Looks like I may need to upgrade truck which is a bummer because it's a 7.3 with 35,000 mile on it.

I need to start shopping !

 

[LCBoyer]

A 1 ton truck will be a safer tow vehicle. I like the dual rear wheels for the wider stance and extra rubber on the road. I use a Splendide combo and like it

 

[Narlywarrior]

quote:Originally posted by K0LCB

A 1 ton truck will be a safer tow vehicle. I like the dual rear wheels for the wider stance and extra rubber on the road. I use a Splendide combo and like it

Thank you for your suggestions

 

[Recumbent-MOC]

Welcome to the the MOC, here we have learned much and gained advice from experienced RVers.
My thoughts:
1. I recommend low profile up front, the back one should come with the rig
2. You may be restricted to which type will fit in your coach, combo, stackable, or placed side by side. Had both, prefer stack/s-b-s.
3. We have not owned one, others will help
4. You can beef up the 03 7.3 with leafs and level out the back with air bags and do well.
5. Have owned two B&W and Reese and both have been good quality equipment. (have towed with a short bed, and recommend a slider for < 8ft bed)

 

[steelpony5555]

1--What ever is on sale...when you're that high what's 2-3 inches...
2--I'm the Leader of the Laundrymat...lol lol
3--Depends on how much boondocking you're planning on doing....a lot get the Hondas,, not so much then a Champion will do....
4--I think you will be fine with the truck for now if you put like air bags or Super Springs on it. But a dually is a whole lot more comfortable tow.
5--There are some expensive hitches out there but I'm happy with my Reese 18k Jaw type. Had the slide bar and they wear quick and then you get a clunk clunk out of it. If you got a short bed and money is no object then get a air ride hitch with a 5th airborne pin.....

 

[Ozz]

Hi Louie,
Welcome to the Forum, glad to have you aboard.
I have the Hondas, love them and would recommend them to anyone. Others may be super, but I don't know about them. I would stick with gas units, Propane drops the power on the generators.
I know the Dometic brand and think they are great, good thing about a common brand like that is most dealers carry them in case there is a problem. I have two 15K units, when you get one, get a 15k, a few more dollars (Very few) and you won't regret getting the extra cooling.
I have the stackable Maytag's, my wife, Sue loves them, she can knock out a few loads in a short time and we can explore the area. Big
loads are no problems with them. Many folks have the combo units and are happy as clams.
I have a 3/4 ton Super Duty, it is fine for my 3400RL, a pulling machine. I went to a spring shop and had them install a overload spring, money well spent. I have had air bags and they were great as well, if I had to make a choice, it would go with the springs. your
35,000 miles is low mileage for a Diesel I wouldn't worry about that. I would suggest buying an extended warrantee for it, keeps expensive surprises on the road down to a minimum.
I bought an air suspension Husky/Reece slider for my short-bed really like it, an air suspension is really nice to have. Don't know if you have the anti-chuck 5th wheel, but you need some sort for a comfy pull.
From one swabby to another thanks for your service.
Brown-water Navy; Nam.
Ozz

 

[1retired06]

We have two identical 15Ks, and height has never been an issue. We have been happy with the 4-way Reese. I have always run F-350s and found it necessary to install airbags on my 2011 dually. Congrats on the 3400RL!

 

[richfaa]

Just remember one thing the major difference between a 3/4 ton single wheel drive and the one ton dually is carry capacity and pin weight is part of carry capacity that is how much can you carry IN the truck. Make sure that is understood.

 

[trlrboy]

We have a Chevy 2500 with a Duramax diesel and have pulled our 3400RL all over in the last three years with no problem at all. 155,000 and still runs like new.

I was going to get a W/D a while back but since we don't full time or "long time" yet we didn't see the point in having it. Having said that when we do get a W/D it will definitely be the stackable pair, probably Splendide.

We have a Reese Pull-Rite 20K that works perfect. Not a slider hitch but we have an 8' truck bed so that's not an issue.

 

[maximo]

I have a 2002 F250 7.3 diesel. I pull a 3580RL Big Sky with no problems at all. You can read below and see how the truck is set up. No way would I get rid of your truck with the low miles you have on it, **** for a 7.3 it is just now broke in. Also have two girls that
have F250 7.3 diesels that pull cattle stock trailers, flat bed equipment trailers and 5th wheel RV's. Keep the truck.

Frank

 

[Rainer-MOC]

quote:Originally posted by Narlywarrior

I am a newbie and would like to solicit your suggestions on the following questions,

1.What type of second A/C unit is the best to get?
2. Can anyone reccomend a good washer/dryer set up.
3. Generator ? gas,diesel,or LP..... Or should I get a couple of hondas and leave them in the back of the truck ?
4. We have a 2003 F-250 with a 7.3 engine. does my truck have enough suspension to pull my 3400RL ? If not, could I do it with air bags or extra leave spring. Or both.
5. If money where no object what brand and type of 5th wheel hitch would you buy ?

I'm an extremely opinionated dude, and my replies are always due to experience rather than theories and reviews.

We purchased a 343RL HC in April, since then we have towed it over 10K miles through 21 states. From 108° heat to 40° cold.

As such here are my observations.

1) a 13000 AC is good enough in the bedroom, it'll keep it cold enough to hang meat. We had a Coleman low profile black installed when we purchased the unit. It works just fine for us.

2) we opted not to get a washer/dryer for these reasons. We prefer to clean are clothes in several large commercial washer/dryers found at campgrounds. We can wash and then dry three loads of clothes simultaneously, a process that takes only about 90 minutes. Those same three loads would probably be at least seven or eight loads in the dinky RV washer dryers, which then becomes an all day affair. On our just complete 60 day Monte's 1st Big Adventure cross-country trip, we washed our clothes just three times, which averages out to once every two weeks. Of course we came home with a stack of dirty clothes, no big deal. It cost us $7.50 each time we washed our clothes - $22.50 for the entire trip and only six hours of time. Of course we didn't sit in the laundromats watching our clothes, we went back into our trailer and did whatever, using a timer on our wristwatch reminding us when it was time to return to the laundromat to move the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and then remove it from the dryer.

By my estimation this makes an RV washer/dryer a foolish addition to one's 5th wheel, if for only one reason - economics.

3) I put a 6500 watt Cummins-Onan LP generator into this new trailer. It's slicker than snot on a doorknob. A switch inside the trailer turns it on, no going outside to start or stop a generator, no need to carry/store/purchase/fill gasoline. I don't worry about limited run times and can run everything electric inside my trailer at once. I've had the Honda generator - great but underpowered, as well as a 4300 Cummins-Onan gas generator - worked great, but since it was gas it could be installed inside the trailer like the LP generator I have now. Plus I had to go outside and connect the cables and start it up and shut it down. And when it was raining this was a pain in the ass.

4) Your truck is fine. I added Timbren's to my 2012 F-250 which handled my 343RL HC (the largest HC maded) just fine. Check out Timbren's, they have my recommendation.

5) I purchased a 20K Pro Series hitch and added a MorRyde pin box. This combination made hitching and pulling the 38' 5th-wheel a breeze. I only had to use the slider once on the entire trip, and that's when I had to back into my sister's driveway in remote northern Wisconsin. It worked fine, so I couldn't justify purchasing an automatic slider.

I'm a big fan of getting the optimum not necessarily the maximum.

 

[mail2us]

Hi Louie,

Welcome. We tow with a 2007 New Body Style 2500HD diesel Chev. We towed our 2008 3400 for 6 years as it was purchased new in 2007. Our truck does just fine. We don't pack real heavy and our weights all considered are at the margins. We now tow a 2013 3582 model with slightly less pin weight and still pack light. We do have Firestone air bags which are great. Our truck is going on 7 yrs old and it does well in our circumstances. Good luck on your decision.

 

[Narlywarrior]

quote:Originally posted by Recumbent

Welcome to the the MOC, here we have learned much and gained advice from experienced RVers.
My thoughts:
1. I recommend low profile up front, the back one should come with the rig
2. You may be restricted to which type will fit in your coach, combo, stackable, or placed side by side. Had both, prefer stack/s-b-s.
3. We have not owned one, others will help
4. You can beef up the 03 7.3 with leafs and level out the back with air bags and do well.
5. Have owned two B&W and Reese and both have been good quality equipment. (have towed with a short bed, and recommend a slider for < 8ft bed)

OUTSTANDING !

I appreciate your opinion.

Thank you.

Louie

 

[Narlywarrior]

quote:Originally posted by Recumbent

Welcome to the the MOC, here we have learned much and gained advice from experienced RVers.
My thoughts:
1. I recommend low profile up front, the back one should come with the rig
2. You may be restricted to which type will fit in your coach, combo, stackable, or placed side by side. Had both, prefer stack/s-b-s.
3. We have not owned one, others will help
4. You can beef up the 03 7.3 with leafs and level out the back with air bags and do well.
5. Have owned two B&W and Reese and both have been good quality equipment. (have towed with a short bed, and recommend a slider for < 8ft bed)

OUTSTANDING !

I appreciate your opinion and suggestions.

Thank you.

Louie

 

[maximo]

Narlywarrior,

Just a side note, if you deceide to sell the truck give me a call.

Frank

 

[Narlywarrior]

I would like to thank everyone who has replied to my post. I am thrilled at the response I have received and look forward to pimping out my rig based on the intel you all have provided.


THANKS !!!!!!

Travel safe.

Best regards.

Louie

 

[Art-n-Marge]

With Ford let's be specific since there's TWO types of F-350. One with SRW and the other is a dually. You don't say what year of 3400 you have but if the GTWR of that trailer is way over 14,100, then even the F-350 SRW may not cut it and not necessarily the 7.3 which was a nice strong motor but it was not coupled with as strong as a transmission as the Torqueshift and the trans is one of the weak points for a larger trailer.

Air Bags DO NOT increase your towing capacity - if you call the air bag company and not their sales distributors or dealers who lie to make the sale, then they'll tell you this! They just smooth the ride and help bring down the headlights from being highbeams. Usually, adding a leaf spring and changing the tires and maybe the wheels to support the higher weight capacity can help for an F-250 to F-350 conversion, but for your year of truck it may be more. This was all that was needed for my '06, but your '03 also has smaller brakes. I upgraded my '04 F-250, 6.0PSD to an '06 F-250 with the same 6.0 PSD and gained some weight capacity. But not enough, then added the leaf spring and hardware and changed my wheels and tires because the stock F-250 wheels weren't strong enough. But I only tried to satisfy pulling my '06 3500 that weighs no more than 14,040. I will not be able to tow the newer 15,000 lb trailers at all. I weigh my trailer regularly and it's always under 13,500.

I went for the two Hondas in parallel so I can support my 30 amp when necessary. If the generator were attached to the rig, I couldn't use it for anything else. I use my portables for many other things besides the Monty.

For the money go with a hitch that leaves the bed flat. My rails are in "the way" all the time even when I remove the hitch to use the truck bed for other things. Get a slider if you have a short bed.

 

[Jlb27537]

quote:Originally posted by Narlywarrior

Hello,

I am a newbie and would like to solicit your suggestions on the following questions,


1.What type of second A/C unit is the best to get?
2. Can anyone reccomend a good washer/dryer set up.
3. Generator ? gas,diesel,or LP..... Or should I get a couple of hondas and leave them in the back of the truck ?
4. We have a 2003 F-250 with a 7.3 engine. does my truck have enough suspension to pull my 3400RL ? If not, could I do it with air bags or extra leave spring. Or both.
5. If money where no object what brand and type of 5th wheel hitch would you buy ?

Thank you.

Louie

1. Any 13,5 will be plenty.
2. We have had both. The 3400RL has room for a stackable. The 2 piece has a larger dryer drum and will wrinkle clothes less. We presently have a Splendede combo. We would not have a RV with out some sort of W/D.
3. I would not buy anything till you determine how you would use one. We have had a motorhome with one and have had the Honda 2000 with a 5th wheel. If all you need one for is hairdryer, TV, microwave get the Honda. If you want to run the A/C's and such, then just stay in a RV park.
4. We had a 2001 F350DRW. Your F250 will have a 3.73 gear set and a 4 speed auto? You WILL be OVER your GVWR which I think is 8,800lbs. Unless you have added a exhaust brake you will have to consider pulling in the mountains. Your truck will have 16" tires. The rear axle will max out @ 6,080lbs. Air bags do not increase your carrying capacity, they just help level a overloaded truck. Basically, you do not have enough truck.
5. Hitch depends on long or short bed. I have used Reese and B&W.