How big of a truck do I need

[mbass777]

new to the fifth wheel family we traded for more room and now have a 32 ft 3 slide 1998 Sandpiper when we brought it home we weighed it empty on the way home 2100 at the pin and 7320 on the axles for a total of 9420 empty the cabnet sticker says GVWR 12670, NCC 3610, UVW9060 how much truck should I need we are full timers and will be close if not a little over on the final loaded weight I do plan on up grading to E series tires and will re weight everthing once we get ready to hit the road will be doing the whole US and Alaska thing so will a 250 be enough I see a lot of 5ivers being towed by 250's but I am leanning twords a Diseal crew cab dually 350 is that over kill

[Rick&Cheryl]

Since you are going to be full-time, having a long bed, and a dually will make your towing miles more pleasant. There will be times when not towing that parking is a slight problem, but in my estimation, those times arent enough to disqualify the dually.
You might eliminate 4x4 as an option, but having the long bed and dually gives your more options, and someday you may want to upgrade to an even bigger, heavier 5th wheel, and a dually will still be useable.

[mhs4771]

Yes you will see many towing with a 3/4 and even a few lighter 5vers with a 1/2 ton, but personally I would go for anything less than a 1 ton. There have been threads on multiple forums over 1 ton SRW vs DRW. I fell the DRW gives you more stability and increased capacity. I have a 34 foot Montana UVW of just over 10000 and fully loaded around 12500. My dually only squats about an inch when hooked. Also the switch to a Diesel will give you much more towing ability. Do you home work, remember in the end, It's your decision.
Good Luck and Welcome to the World of Fifth Wheelers

[NLOVNIT]

Originally Posted by mbass777

... I am leanning twords a Diseal crew cab dually 350 is that over kill

No. You will be very happy with that choice, especially the DRW. You'll have stability, ease of towing & be able to safely stop your 5-r. So many people try getting by with 1/2t or 3/4t trucks, either because that's what they already have & don't want to lose value to get a bigger truck or because they want to go the cheaper route. You'll have a good combo w/the diesel dually.

Lori-

[TXiceman]

1 ton SRW as a minimum and a DRW if you plan to upgrade in the future.

Ken

[JIMNLIN]

The '11 F250 has a 16100-16400 lb GN/5er tow rating. The 12670 gvwr 5er is way under how much load the truck can pulls. Ford gives the F250 a 6100 lb RAWR/tire capacity for carrying GN or pin weight loads. many folks report a 2800-2900 lb unladin rear axle weight for the F250. That leaves approx 2600-2800 lbs for a pin weight. Actual weight numbers depend on a weighing the trucks front and rear axle seperatly. Good match for the 12670 gvwr 5er.

The F350 SRW is the same truck but it has a 7000 RAWR/tire capacity. It basically has another 800-900 lbs of payload ability over the F250. Plenty of reserve capacity here.

The F350 DRW has a 9000 lb RAWR for carrying even bigger payloads. The DRW may have close to 3500 lb rear axle unladin weight which leaves approx 5500 lb for a payload. Lots overkill for a 12670 gvwr 5er.

Your 5ers dry weights are just about the same as my 5er. After loading it up it grossed out as much as 11000 lbs. My 2500 Dodge/Cummins has no issues towing it.
Many folks find the DRW harder to use over a SRW truck after the 5er is parked. Which truck you need to get around town, so to speak, in just depends on your "wants". They all will do the job for a 5er that size..

[IC2]

I use my TV as a daily driver so I chose a SRW CC version as well as V10 gas power. Is that the best choice - for me, probably. Would a diesel DRW be better - sure, but for the 5% or so of the time my 34' 5er is hooked on, not worth the extra problems with around town driving (i.e. Walmart parking lots, the local malls). Obviously, bigger is always better for hauling a 5er, but not always best for the rest of the time.

[Chickasaw]

My 2011 F350, SRW, 6.7, 8 ft. bed has no problem towing my Winslow loaded at 13,800 with a PIN of 2650. It also has no braking or stability problems.

[OneRVer]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

No. You will be very happy with that choice, especially the DRW. You'll have stability, ease of towing & be able to safely stop your 5-r. So many people try getting by with 1/2t or 3/4t trucks, either because that's what they already have & don't want to lose value to get a bigger truck or because they want to go the cheaper route. You'll have a good combo w/the diesel dually.

Lori-

You could not have said any better. I agree with you 100%,

[OneRVer]

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

No. You will be very happy with that choice, especially the DRW. You'll have stability, ease of towing & be able to safely stop your 5-r. So many people try getting by with 1/2t or 3/4t trucks, either because that's what they already have & don't want to lose value to get a bigger truck or because they want to go the cheaper route. You'll have a good combo w/the diesel dually.

Lori-

You could not have said it any better. I agree 100%

[diandtom]

My 2500 Chevy is my everyday driver and we just did a cross country trip towing our 35 SB3. I did not have any problems and no close calls. The only thing I got against my truck or any SRW is blowing a rear tire in a curve while towing. You going to be in a wreck. I do have a Pressure Pro and hope it helps. The short bed that I have has never been a problem while towing. If I got a dually and had a choice between a long and short bed I would pick the short bed.

[TXiceman]

There are a lot of people towing over the manufactures ratings. Some knowingly by choice and others don't have a clue. I do not advocate towing over limits as published by the manufacturer like some do. My suggestion is to weigh the truck and trailer and see exactly where you are weight wise.

Some say one truck is the same as another. Go by the ratings as published for that model. Watch the axle rating and the tire rating on each model.

At some point you will be over what a SRW is rated to carry due to pin weight. This will mean going to a DRW to have the capacity to carry the pin weight.

Visit Ken Lenger's site. He has a good section on tow rating and a spread sheet to help you. Once you understand the weights and ratings, you can make the decision on towing over limits or not.

Ken

[RustyJC]

If you ever have any intentions of upgrading, I'd put my vote with the DRW 1-ton group. That will give you the maximum headroom for GCWR and GVWR ratings. A long bed will tow a 5th wheel without any clearance problems between the 5th wheel and the back of the cab. A short bed may require a sliding hitch - some short bed owners get away without one, but many dent the cab corner pillars or blow out their back windows before they learn that they aren't one of the lucky ones. Quite an expensive lesson.

If you absolutely must have a SRW truck, go for the 1-ton (3500 or 350) SRW over the 3/4 ton (2500 or 250) SRW to get the higher GVWR and, in some cases, GCWR. There's little difference in cost or driveability between the two.

Don't be surprised if you have to order your truck to get one that's really rigged for towing, and don't depend on the dealers to be knowledgable about their own product as far as towing ratings are concerned - expect to hear a lot of "Oh, certainly, that truck can tow anything you want!" Don't believe it - do your own research, and you'll know more than 99% of the truck and RV sales personnel. I'll give you a head start on the Dodge Rams - HERE are the factory ratings on all trucks from 2004 through 2011.

In my case, I could find all kinds of trucks on the dealer lots with standard rear axle ratios (3.73 in the case of my current truck - see signature), but none with the 4.10 axle that provides a significantly higher GCWR rating than the 3.73. With the 6-speed double overdrive automatic in my truck, the 4.10 still cruises at 60 MPH only turning 1600 RPM, so there's minimal impact on comfort or fuel economy when unloaded with the lower axle ratio. I've ordered my last 2 duallies, and they were well worth the brief wait.

I don't hear people complain about having more truck than they need, but having less truck than they need is another story. Buy the right tool for the job.

Rusty

[Beauregard]

The only thing I got against my truck or any SRW is blowing a rear tire in a curve while towing. Good point diandtom.
You trucks front tires steers the truck. The truck rear tires steers the 5vr. Inconvienance around town is just that. What the important fact is, is controlling the rig when things go to h3ll. Find you a good Dodge Cummins 3500. If it is automatic have the tranny upgraded for the use of an exhaust brake. Newer trucks have an exhaust brake as an option.
Remember it's not how much you can tow that is important, it's how much you can stop. Check the brakes on your 98 Sandpiper.
Also I recommend a B&W companion fifth wheel.
D-series to E-series tires are like comparing flip flops to logger boots.