Tow Vehicle

[myates3158]

Hello All,

Just purchased a 355bhqs yesterday. It will be delivered to our spot on a lake in Alabama. Im in the market for a tow vehicle.

2500? 3500? Ford Powerstroke? Duramax.....

[Bookemdanno]

I say drive all 3! I was a BIG Ford guy, but drove all 3 and went with the Ram. Just drive all 3 and see what suits you and your WIFE best.

[fielro]

Drive all three. Which lake in Alabama?
BTW, welcome aboard

[need-a-vacation]

Welcome and congrats on the new rig!!!

Not knowing the specs of your new rig, I would suggest at a minimum a 3500srw, possibly a cclb for the longer tv wheelbase. A dually would probably be even better due to the length of the tt.

As mentioned, drive all three and see which one you prefer.

Good luck!!!

[myates3158]

Lake Wedowee. Thanks for the info!

[myates3158]

On paper its 11,800lbs and 40' long. The truck i purchase will be my daily driver. I work in sales and drive a ton. A dually would be really hard to maneuver in and out of parking garages. Would a F250 work?

[myates3158]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

I say drive all 3! I was a BIG Ford guy, but drove all 3 and went with the Ram. Just drive all 3 and see what suits you and your WIFE best.

What sold you on the Ram?

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by myates3158

What sold you on the Ram?

Honestly...the wife! But she was correct with respect to the ride. The ride (and price) was the biggest selling point. I got a fully loaded limited for $52,625 out the door and the ride was much better that the others. We (both of us) drove all 3 on the same local bumpy road and the Ram had the nicest ride. Which surprised me more than anyone! I had a 1980 F250, 1992 mustang, 2001 Sport Trac and a 2008 GT500 before I bought the Ram...I've alway owned an Ford until now. I think the biggest thing it comes down to is comfort and price!

[myates3158]

Originally Posted by Bookemdanno

Honestly...the wife! But she was correct with respect to the ride. The ride (and price) was the biggest selling point. I got a fully loaded limited for $52,625 out the door and the ride was much better that the others. We (both of us) drove all 3 on the same local bumpy road and the Ram had the nicest ride. Which surprised me more than anyone! I had a 1980 F250, 1992 mustang, 2001 Sport Trac and a 2008 GT500 before I bought the Ram...I've alway owned an Ford until now. I think the biggest thing it comes down to is comfort and price!

Good to know. How does the 2500 with the cummings pull it?

[need-a-vacation]

You will need a 350/3500 SRW at the minimum. 12k lbs "dry", probably looking at 13k-13.5k lbs loaded, with a pin weight of 2600lbs as a guess, maybe more. That will be very close to, if not exceed the rated payload of a 250/2500 (diesel trucks, gas motor has a little more payload). With a diesel, the difference between a 250/2500 and a 350/3500 SRW is usually an extra spring or two in the rear spring pack. Unloaded ride when comparing the two is reported as being very close, if not the same.

[myates3158]

Originally Posted by need-a-vacation

You will need a 350/3500 SRW at the minimum. 12k lbs "dry", probably looking at 13k-13.5k lbs loaded, with a pin weight of 2600lbs as a guess, maybe more. That will be very close to, if not exceed the rated payload of a 250/2500 (diesel trucks, gas motor has a little more payload). With a diesel, the difference between a 250/2500 and a 350/3500 SRW is usually an extra spring or two in the rear spring pack. Unloaded ride when comparing the two is reported as being very close, if not the same.

Good Info.....Here in the atlanta area used f250's are easier to find that f350's. Do you think a 250 with beefed up rear springs would work?

[Bookemdanno]

Originally Posted by myates3158

Good to know. How does the 2500 with the cummings pull it?

The cummins is a towing beast! But honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with any of the diesels out there. Just keep an open mind and purchase what makes the most sense for you and your situation.

[TWP723]

As far as tow capacity, there's really not a huge no difference between the F250 and F350. Couple hundred pounds and that's about it. Now, comparing those vehicles with gas to a diesel, there's a huge difference. The 250's/350's in the gas version, there's only a couple hundred pound difference. But compare a F250 6.7 to a F350 gas, the 250 will leave the 350 gasser in it's wake. And the diesel adds about 2000lbs. more to it's tow capacity.

[Seann45]

3500 GM (SRW) with the Duramax.. so you can get the mighty Allison Transmission..

[Big1]

Congrats!

[schiguy]

I love my duramax!! Pulls my 5er like a dream. Even the SRW 2500HD has a towing capacity of 17,100 lbs. It really comes down to comfort and price, like has been said before.

[Jarnae]

Originally Posted by myates3158

Good to know. How does the 2500 with the cummings pull it?

The Cummins engine is an absolute monster and I expect the other diesel motors perform the same or similar. I was a little nervous about going diesel at first because I've never owned one but it was by far the best decision I made. Get the diesel and you wont have to worry about towing anything.

Now with that said your biggest concern is the hitch weight and that is what you need to watch very closely. On the Ram's they are generally rated a little lower on the hitch weight because of the additional weight of the engine and other bells and whistles that you may get. You need to factor in additional weight of the hitch you get installed which sits directly on your back axel. With the trailer you are looking at you are going to be pretty close if not over the hitch weight.. it may be okay to be a little over but you don't want to go to far.

The difference between a 3500 and a 2500 RAM is interesting, they really aren't that much different. I believe it's an additional spring or something that they add in but it does raise the hitch weight rating. BTW don't trust the dealership or the RV dealership when it comes to this stuff.. all they care about is selling you a truck and a RV.. and will tell you a 1500 could pull it. Do you own research!

On the trucks themselves I ultimately went with the RAM. I started out focused on a Ford but the 250's had not been updated in years and the interior was dated, that is what drove me away from them. I wasn't buying a work truck but rather a towing truck and was looking style (wife requirement) that we would enjoy on long trips.

BTW, if you do go with the Ram make sure you get the factory installed holes in the bed where you can easily drop a hitch on to it. If you go aftermarket and want to do a goose neck then Ram requires the hole to be drilled closer to the cab which can cause problems when turning with the trailer. Also do your homework on the hitch, Mopar doesn't necessarily mean the best and when it comes to the hitch you want the best.

[myates3158]

Originally Posted by schiguy

I love my duramax!! Pulls my 5er like a dream. Even the SRW 2500HD has a towing capacity of 17,100 lbs. It really comes down to comfort and price, like has been said before.

What's duramax do you have? How big is your camper?


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[myates3158]

Originally Posted by Jarnae

The Cummins engine is an absolute monster and I expect the other diesel motors perform the same or similar. I was a little nervous about going diesel at first because I've never owned one but it was by far the best decision I made. Get the diesel and you wont have to worry about towing anything.



Now with that said your biggest concern is the hitch weight and that is what you need to watch very closely. On the Ram's they are generally rated a little lower on the hitch weight because of the additional weight of the engine and other bells and whistles that you may get. You need to factor in additional weight of the hitch you get installed which sits directly on your back axel. With the trailer you are looking at you are going to be pretty close if not over the hitch weight.. it may be okay to be a little over but you don't want to go to far.



The difference between a 3500 and a 2500 RAM is interesting, they really aren't that much different. I believe it's an additional spring or something that they add in but it does raise the hitch weight rating. BTW don't trust the dealership or the RV dealership when it comes to this stuff.. all they care about is selling you a truck and a RV.. and will tell you a 1500 could pull it. Do you own research!



On the trucks themselves I ultimately went with the RAM. I started out focused on a Ford but the 250's had not been updated in years and the interior was dated, that is what drove me away from them. I wasn't buying a work truck but rather a towing truck and was looking style (wife requirement) that we would enjoy on long trips.



BTW, if you do go with the Ram make sure you get the factory installed holes in the bed where you can easily drop a hitch on to it. If you go aftermarket and want to do a goose neck then Ram requires the hole to be drilled closer to the cab which can cause problems when turning with the trailer. Also do your homework on the hitch, Mopar doesn't necessarily mean the best and when it comes to the hitch you want the best.

All great info. Thank you so much. I'm looking at all three heavy diesel trucks. Ford, Chevy and Dodge. I would like to stay in the 2500 category due to many more are available for sale. Most 3500's in my area are beat to death or are standard work trucks. I do a ton of highway driving during the week.


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[schiguy]

Originally Posted by myates3158

What's duramax do you have? How big is your camper?


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2015 Silverado 2500 HD Crew Cab Short Bed SRW pulling 2016 North Point 375 BHFS with a dry weight 13750 and GVWR 15975. I set the cruise at 65 and it maintains well while passing the trucks going up steep hills. Big fan of the exhaust brake. I thought the trailer would squat the truck but it really does not.