Hi, I am Paul and my best friend is Sondra.  We have decided to take to the road full time.  We are looking for advice on which truck to purchase and what it must have to be able to pul our new 5th wheel that we are also looking for.  I know we want diesel and I also want to have an extended cab with a large bed.  Other than that what are the most important items that have to be purchased in this truck.  Do we buy the truck first or the 5th wheel?  Looking forward to chatting and even meeting some of you in time.

Paul

Welcome to the forum Paul! The best and most common advice here is to buy the 5th wheel first and then buy a big enough truck to pull it. As far as specific advise on a truck we would need to know the weight of the trailer you are purchasing.

I honestly believe Ford, Chevy, and Dodge trucks are all fine. I'm driving a 2010 Ford F-350 with a 6.4 diesel, it has been a great truck for us. The newer Fords with the 6.7 get better mileage, I'm told, but not enough for me to justify a change.

Thanks for joining the family.

Red

Thank you Red.

thank you both, the more knowledge we get the better we will be in purchasing.

First of all, welcome to the RV Dreams forums.  You have certainly found a good source for people with a lot of knowledge of both RV's and the RV'ing lifestyle.  So, feel free to ask any questions because it helps to keep from making expensive mistakes.

You are already getting good advice.  At least choose a towable before buying a truck.  More than once, someone found a "great deal" on a truck only to find that it was way too light to tow the trailer of their choosing.  When choosing the truck, DO NOT base your buying decision on the truck's "tow weight."  To be safe with a truck, one needs to consider both the GCVW (Gross Combined Vehicular Weight) and the GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating) and try to have more truck than necessary.  Salesmen, whether at RV dealerships or truck dealerships, have a tendency of saying that one truck will work just fine in order to make a sale.  Insist on seeing the weight capacities of the truck, not just taking someone's word for it.  As for towing weight, I can attest that if I were pulling a trailer that "met" my truck's towing weight, I would definitely be overweight on GCVW and likely also on GAWR.  Some of us have a saying of buying "too much truck" and not buying "too much trailer."

Now, to give you a head's up, you will get advice in many directions as to what "one needs" in a truck, so when you receive advice from someone about a truck or trailer, always look for the reasoning for that "need."

For instance, the subject of 2WD or 4WD will come up and there will be those that say that 4WD is the way to go in the event that one gets into a campsite/campgrounds where 2WD just isn't enough to pull one's trailer out.  That can be of concern unless one plans on staying in places that only have level and "hardened" (asphalt or concrete) sites.  Personally, our Ford F450 is a 2WD and I really don't think we will have problems.  Even if we do, we also have a Ford F150 and a chain to give "help" to the F450 if it should ever need it.

If you are going to be traveling where there are mountain passes or even just long steep grades, a truck with an engine brake, an exhaust brake, or a transmission with the capability of working like one of the previous supplemental braking systems is important.  While one's truck may pull the trailer up the hill/pass very well, how well will it do when going downhill?  It is definitely not a good idea to rely solely on the brakes, even if both the truck and trailer brakes are working fine.  Overheated brakes have even caused fires.

How many of you will be traveling together?  In my past with numerous trucks, if I'm having extra passengers instead of just my wife and I, a full four-door (crew cab) truck is important, especially if one is putting in some long miles in a day.  Extended cabs/club cabs give one some extra space, but not really the legroom that is desirable.

A full sized bed is important in two ways.  One, it would not require the use of a "slider hitch"; and two, it gives just a bit more room for that extra stuff that just won't fit into the basement area of the towable.  I know you stated you wanted a full sized bed, but on occasion one "finds a deal" where the truck has a short bed.  That "deal" could end up biting back.

With fifth wheels, you will have the issue of the bed "rails" being within a certain distance of the bottom of the "nose" of the fifth wheel.  Remember that when crossing dips and pulling into some driveways, one may find that they are crossing uneven terrain where those distances get much closer.  While not wanting to "bash" any brand, I must say that I've heard from some saying that the newer GM's had higher "rails" (actually the sides and rear tailgate) than the older models had.  Enough so, that some are ordering trailers with 2-inch risers at the trailer's frame to raise the trailer another 2 inches to get clearance between the bed of the truck and the nose of the trailer.  That is all fine except it also raised the overall height of the trailer, and in some RV parks and campsites, trees and other obstructions (like power lines, phone lines, etc.,) become a problem.

With regard to that last paragraph, you might want to consider a hauler bed, which is a flat bed designed to replace the normal pickup bed.  Personally, I like the normal pickup bed to better carry things in and getting a hauler bed was going to be another expense.

Good luck with your research an planning.  Oh, and have fun doing it.  That makes the process much less stressful.

Terry

Terry and Jo wrote:

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 While not wanting to "bash" any brand, I must say that I've heard from some saying that the newer GM's had higher "rails" (actually the sides and rear tailgate) than the older models had.  Enough so, that some are ordering trailers with 2-inch risers at the trailer's frame to raise the trailer another 2 inches to get clearance between the bed of the truck and the nose of the trailer.  That is all fine except it also raised the overall height of the trailer, and in some RV parks and campsites, trees and other obstructions (like power lines, phone lines, etc.,) become a problem.

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 All the new trucks, 2011 and newer - GM, Chevy, Dodge, Ford, including the F-450, have high bed rails. 56” plus. I’ve measured them all in the last 30 days. This happened when all three brands improved their frames.    Ford even puts a “warning” on its brochure about this fact of bed rail height and towing.  Running the trailer level is a very important safety factor.  We raised our rig 3" to make sure it runs level with the truck. That 3" has never caused us a problem in the last 7 years of travel.

Hi Paul – Welcome

If you are looking at new trucks the big three all have good trucks.  The biggest mistaken made is to get too little truck as to weight capability which includes dual rear wheels.  I’ll run through some generalities.

The “right truck” always elicits more comments than most any other subject.  But there is no “right truck.”  There is a truck (there are more than one) that can safely handle the trailer you select.  But until you know exactly the size and weight, including the pin weight of the trailer, it is best to hold off on the truck purchase, IMO.

This is a totally numbers game – not brand.  The trailer has a weight – loaded.  The trailer has a “pin weight – loaded.”  By loaded we mean with all your stuff and some water in the fresh water tank.  (Water is heavy – 50 gallons of water weighs over 420 alone.)  Are you a full timer?  It is easy to put over 2,000 lbs of your stuff in the rig and it is very easy to overload “light” trailers.

You also need to consider how much stuff you will be putting in the truck including perhaps an aux fuel tank and tools.  Don’t get caught overloading the rear axle of the truck when you include those weights plus the pin weight of the trailer.  Also, don’t assume that because a truck can tow more than some other truck the rear axle has similar capability.  For example: the Ford 2011 F-450 through model year 2014 has less rear axle weight capability than a 2011 and forward Chevy 3500HD, a Ford F-350 or a Dodge 3500HD. The “badge” on the side of the truck means almost nothing.  Check the all the weight rating numbers for the specific truck you are considering and choose accordingly as to your needs.

IMO, you should work hard to evaluate your lifestyle in the trailer – select the trailer that fits that lifestyle and has the capability to support the necessary stuff for that choice.  Then start looking at trucks. That’s my recommendation.

“Depending” you will want at least a Chevy 3500HD / Dodge 3500HD / Ford F-350/450 – longbox (8 feet) and generally speaking a Crew Cab.  But to choose you need to determine what they will be pulling. I personally prefer 4 wheel drive but that is a personal decision.

I’m sure others will explain GWVR, GRAWR, GRAWR, GCWR and all those important terms. I could do all that but I believe the above is good for your first consideration.

Enjoy the hunt. I see you are right across Tampa Bay.  So be sure to do the Tampa RV show and look around.  There will be some truck up-fitters there as well and they could be of interest.  Happy to provide more information if requested.

Bill

I want to say thanks to everyone who has submitted information to us.  I am very happy with this website and see ourselves on here quite often.  We are having a great time searching and learning about 5th wheels and trucks.  Your input has made it a little easier.

Thanks again,

Paul and Sondra

Mpierce wrote:

         [Good advice above, very good. I have specs near what you seem to want. 8' bed, crew cab, diesel. Exhaust brake std. It is a '14 3500 RAM with

         Aisin Tranny. I have a dually, but have a 40' toyhauler. 19k gross. on trailer. I weigh 28k plus loaded.]

If we were going today that truck would be on our shortlist, do you  have 3.73 gears?  Can you say anything regarding the difference in the Std tranny vs the Aisin tranny?  I think we'd add an aux fuel tank as possibly the only difference in your TV.

haven't figured out the way to do what I refered to above(doing it the hard way :)

One thing to point out about Dodge's high GCVW rating.  Don't forget to consider the truck's GAWR when looking at the weights.  I'm concerned that getting a trailer close to that highly rated GCVW will have the truck overloaded on the GAWR.  Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that truck manufacturers have played with numbers.

Terry

Good point Terry, in our case we aren't looking at potential 5ers that will cause that issue. At least not yet LOL

paulandsondra wrote:

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It is official, we have purchased a 2014 Chevy Silverado Turbo Diesel 4X4 Long Bed Dually. We are very happy with our purchase and we also want to thank everyone for their wonderful knowledge and feedback. Hope to see some of you somewhere down the road...

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Trust you won’t be disappointed. Still love ours.

36,000+ miles and only oil, lub, filter, fluid changes   Zero issues

Our prior Chevy 3500, a 2006 for 100,000 RVing, miles was the same way. Zero issues

Enjoy

Bill

paulandsondra wrote:

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Bill, Does the long bed have any effect in the use?

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Yes, a very good one.  The Long Bed, 8 foot, means you don’t need a slider hitch to keep the front of the 5er from hitting the cab of the truck. Sliders are really not a good idea and usually are less capable weight wise all things being equal.  Also you have room for an aux fuel tank if one is desired.

Short beds, IMO, are not desirable as tow vehicles if you have the option.

Hope that answers the question.

Bill