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Old 05-29-2012, 05:31 PM   #1
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Help with Tow Vehicle

Advice and suggestions please. Am planning on getting new Jayco Pinnacle this fall so have started looking for used truck. My last truck was 2006 f250 diesel, crew cab, short box. My better half loved to drive. I am now wanting 1 ton, could be ford or chev, 4 wheel dr.,crew cab. Wife afraid of long box,and those 4 tires in the rear. Does anyone pull a 40. Footer with single wheels behind, is it safe. Do they make a one ton with short box, in the 2006 I had a sliding hitch. Trying to find the best used truck to do the job, and keep wife happy. Thanks for any suggestions.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:25 PM   #2
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I switched.....

I had a 40' 5th wheel that had a lite pin weight; pulled it with a 2005 F250 Powerstroke. Flawless! It did great! (I did have airbags).
We bought a Pinnacle (LOVE it!!!) which is rated at the same 14,900 total, but much higher pin weight. It pushed us all over the road. I knew that we were overweight, but as my wife said, 'it FELT dangerous". After two trips, we bought a used F350 dual rear wheel (2008). IT TOWS SO WELL!!!!!! I will Never, ever tow a large 5th wheel with a single rear wheel truck. What if a rear tire blew? We'd have been toast. My wife says that the 350 drives and rides better than her Expedition. She did not like driving my 250, does not mind the 350 at all. Go all the way, you will not regret it.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:30 PM   #3
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It's a difficult decision. When towing my 5th with my 2003 F250, I wish that I had gone with a 350 or even 450 dually, BUT I need to use my truck when not towing also and I am glad that I have a short bed SRW when not towing. There are certainly people who are towing the larger 5ths with an SRW F350 and possibly within the weight limits of the truck.

When I bought my Superlite, I chose it over the nicer Eagle bunk house model, because I have an F250. If I were planning on a Pinnacle, I would look for a dually and would lean towards an F450. I have seen a Chevy short bed dually, but it may have been a custom model, I have not seen a Ford or Dodge short bed dually though.
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Old 05-29-2012, 07:36 PM   #4
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Our 5er is only 33 feet, so that might make a difference. But we tow with a 2003 F350 V10 gas crew cab with 4-wheel and long bed and SRW. On most roads, I have to look back occaisionally to be sure its still there. Just tows great. Don't be afraid of long bed - it just makes hitching easier and the ride smoother with the longer wheelbase. Might want the DRW with a 40 footer, though, as SRW trucks wear out their rear wheel bearings faster towing a long load that puts more side pressure on the rear wheels.
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Old 05-29-2012, 08:12 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jstme1 View Post
I had a 40' 5th wheel that had a lite pin weight; pulled it with a 2005 F250 Powerstroke. Flawless! It did great! (I did have airbags).
We bought a Pinnacle (LOVE it!!!) which is rated at the same 14,900 total, but much higher pin weight. It pushed us all over the road. I knew that we were overweight, but as my wife said, 'it FELT dangerous". After two trips, we bought a used F350 dual rear wheel (2008). IT TOWS SO WELL!!!!!! I will Never, ever tow a large 5th wheel with a single rear wheel truck. What if a rear tire blew? We'd have been toast. My wife says that the 350 drives and rides better than her Expedition. She did not like driving my 250, does not mind the 350 at all. Go all the way, you will not regret it.
X2....

Would not even think of a SRW pulling something like our 40' Pinnacle. Our DRW makes driving stable with no issues.

Don't short change yourself.
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Old 05-29-2012, 08:25 PM   #6
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My Eagle is 35 feet with a 14,500 GVWR and I tow with an 08 dodge 4x4 drw an it drives like a car. I use the outside mirrors as a gauge. If I have to pull up close to something and I miss it with the mirror than most likely the fenders will get by. Also this is my 4th dually in the past 20 years. I would'nt tow my 5er with anything else.
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Old 05-29-2012, 11:20 PM   #7
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skypilot,

I pulled our 2011 Eagle 365BHS (40' and weighted 12k empty/13200 loaded) with my 2003 3/4 ton SRW Silverado w/Duramax and will be picking our 2012 365BHS up this Friday with the same truck. Truck handles and pulls the camper without a problem, but if I was going to be pulling it a lot or through the mountains, no doubt I would probably get a dually. A SRW will handle it but it's not going to be as stable as you will get out of a DRW.
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Old 05-30-2012, 07:05 AM   #8
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x3 or 4 on the DRW stability and piece of mind that comes with having 4 under the load should something go out. I pull 40ft and it is stable in all conditions. Keep in mind that once you load it up that pin weight is going to increase depending on how you load.

As for the daily ride, I changed to monroe reflex shocks which did make a noticeable difference over the stock ones once installed.
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Old 05-30-2012, 07:28 AM   #9
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Tow Vehicle

I have a 365 BHS-40 ft long. I had a Dodge 2004-3500, single axle, long bed, 6 speed, diesel. Never had an issue towing my camper. My wife wanted a different truck; traded for a 2005 Chevy 2500 HD, 4x4, short wheel base, duramax. This truck pulls as well as the 3500. I like the short wheel base, because it is alot easier backing. I do not want to drive a dually all of the time!
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Old 05-30-2012, 10:35 AM   #10
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SRW or DUALLY

We started out with an F250 Supercab and towed a 29 foot fiver- No problem- Traded up to a 35 footer with same F250- Towed new to us 35 footer ONCE- Went shopping the next day for an F350 dually crew cab- The next fiver had slides and required another tv upgrade to diesel power in the crew cab dually- Haven't doubted that move for a second- The safety of dual wheels when being passed by the big rigs and having hitch weight to spare is well worth the extra expense- JMHO- DD
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Old 06-01-2012, 08:09 PM   #11
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We got our 2011 Pinnacle in July of last year and it is a 36RETS. We originally towed it with an F250 diesel power stroke. You could see the tires squat after hooking up. We were trying to decide whether or not to install the suspension air bags or trade up. It was a no brainer after we encountered strong winds returning from a trip to Branson last fall. The wind pushed us all over the road. Safety is definitely a big issue and if you are in an accident and they can prove you are overloaded, you may have big problems with your insurance. We now tow with an F350 power stroke diesel DRW and feel much safer.
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