Any trucks to avoid?

[KnightsWatch]

In the near future we will be purchasing a new 5th wheel, so we are now searching for a truck to match with it. Specs on the 5er are:
GVRW 14000
Dry weight 11000
Hitch weight 1920

Wanting to get something in the 2008-2012 range.

I am confident that any of the big 3 make a truck that can handle this rig easily. My questions are, for each make, is there any one year that was a big improvement over the previous year (like I think Ford made a step up in transmission in 2012), and is there any year model that we should avoid because of significant problems. Recommendations will be appreciated, but I don't want to start manufacturer war. I do want to have 20-25% above minimum requirements without having to make any modifications to the truck. Thanks for sharing your expertise.

[Skip426]

2008 and up should do in Dodge, trans to avoid there was the 48RH ?, 4spd. it had too high a reverse gear ratio and had trouble backing up with a full GCVW load.
Are you considering 2wd, 4wd , single RW or dually ?
Look for a truck with good service records and no add ons that may have voided the powertrain warrenty.

[TXiceman]

Your real world hitch weight will probably be closer to 2800#, so plan on a truck with enough GVWR to safely carry the pin weight. You need to consider a 1 ton SRW and and I'd prefer a DRW (dually).

Stay away from the Ford 6.0L diesel. The 6.4L was better, but a fuel hog. So far the Ford 6.7L diesel has been doing well. The 6.7L Ram Cummins has also done well. I am not up on the Duramax and the problem years.

Ken

[KnightsWatch]

Thanks for the input guys. I didn't mention that I intend to get a dually as that probably isn't relevant. It does make it harder to find a used truck though. Also forgot to mention that I would prefer a diesel.

[Kro1957]

I have had 1 Dodge,
& 3 Ford Trucks.
I really am a Ford Man for many reasons.
You might take a drive through some campgrounds and look at what other 5rs pull with and chat with them.

[KnightsWatch]

Would do that Kro but I live in Alaska and currently have over a foot of snow on the ground. Morning temp right around 0 degrees. Suspect the campgrounds are empty. LOL

[Kro1957]

A guy I work with has a really nice Dodge Diesel. It starts in very cold weather and he does not plug it in so he tells me.
I do plug mine in, although his is only a couple years old and mine is over 12. I also need another new battery. I find you must have really good cranking power on cold days. Diesels are a lot more expensive to opperate. My experience with GM products is not good nor was the service so I will never own another one. I have been very pleased with performance of my Fords. We have had 3 Trucks, 3 Explorers and they are just very dependable and meet our needs

[Terry Jay]

I have a 2012 DRW, Dodge, and 15,000# 5TH. Put 12,000 miles towing on it last year from WA to IN to AK to MT to WA, performed marvelously. Got about 10mpg towing and around 16 empty highway.

A lot depends on your local dealer service.

Research needed, but my sense is any of them would work 2010 to current given the improvements in the exhaust brake and Tow/Haul for control on downhill.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by KnightsWatch

Specs on the 5er are:
GVRW 14000
Dry weight 11000
Hitch weight 1920

Dry weight and dry hitch weight are almost useless numbers. Count on the wet and loaded 5er kingpin weight to be about 20% of GVWR, or 2,800 pounds.

Wanting to get something in the 2008-2012 range.

I'm a Ford fan, so I'll mention only Ford diesels.

2008 through 2010 model years the Ford diesel was a Navistar/International 6.4L diesel engine. Good, dependable, reliable engine, but drank more fuel that the later 6.7L Ford diesel. 2011-up was the new Ford-design and Ford-built diesel. That engine has been a home run for Ford. If you can find a 2011 or 2012 in good shape, you'll probably be very happy with your choice.

I do want to have 20-25% above minimum requirements without having to make any modifications to the truck.

14k trailer with 2800 pounds hitch weight.

2011 F-350 DRW has 30,500 GCWR. Wet and loaded for dragging a 5er it would have available trailer weight capacity over 20k. So that's more than the 25% fudge factor for pulling power you want. But if you'd like even more than that, the F-450 pickup has an additional 2,500 pounds of towing capacity.

GVWR for the 2011 dually is over 13,000, so that's several hundred pounds more than required by your 2,800 pounds of hitch weight plus 9,000 pounds of tow vehicle. 1,200 pounds of unused payload capacity should be acceptable, but I'm not sure what you mean by 25%. 25% of what? 2,800 pounds hitch weight plus 25% of that 2,800 = 3,500 max payload available for hitch weight. 13k GVWR minus 3,500 pounds hitch weight and fudge factor leaves 9,500 for the max weight of the wet and loaded dually before you tie onto the trailer. That's easily accomplished, so I suspect the 2011 F-350 DRW answers your requirements.

[RoyM]

Yeah. The one my wife is driving, her depth perception isn't too good. And no, she doesn't read this forum.

[KnightsWatch]

Thanks to everone for their input. As I suspected, I will be searching for a 2011 or newer Ford or RAM.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by KnightsWatch

Thanks to everone for their input. As I suspected, I will be searching for a 2011 or newer Ford or RAM.

I suspect that you'll learn that a late-model used diesel dually will cost you almost as much as a brand new one.

Here's what you should consider, using Ford F-350 DRW as the example. Order one with the lowest-level "work truck" trim package, then add only those options you can't live without. For example, in a Ford F-350 DRW, order the

$43,930 CrewCab body, 4x2 drive train, 8' bed, limited slip diff and, diesel engine with XL trim package. Then add options of

$595 XL Value pkg:
- cruise control
- chrome bumpers
- single CD player added to stock sterio

$1105 Power equipment pkg (power windows, door locks, mirrors)
$370 5th wheel prep pkg
$1695 5th wheel hitch kit 25K
$600 alloy wheels
$125 Upfitter switches, requires
$75 extra heavy duty altenator
$315 Cloth 40/20/40 front seat
$995 destination/freight charges
Other items included will be Integrated trailer brake controller roof clearance lights, manually telescoping trailer tow mirrors with power mirrors and heated glass, and running boards

---------------
$49,805 MSRP
===========

Ford Credit cash rebate of $1,000 if you finance with Ford Credit. Using Ford's X-Plan, or with hard-nosed negotiation with your dealer, you should be able to get a few thou knocked off that price. But I'll bet a dollar to a donut hole that you won't fine exactly that truck in stock at any Ford dealer in your state - so count on ordering exactly what you want (and are willing to pay for) and waiting 6 to 8 weeks for delivery.

Or with a bit more patience, you could order a 2014 model about late May or early June, and probably about Mid-August have one of the first 2014s in your neck of the woods.

[KD4UPL]

In those year GM or Dodge really didn't have many problems. The Duramax hasn't really had any since 2004.5 when they got away from the problematic early injectors.
The Ford 6.4 was certainly better than the 6.0 but still a rather complex engine; twin turbos, cab removal for service, etc.

[elkhornsun]

I did a great deal of research in 2011 on used diesel trucks in the 2008-2010 model years and found that anything pre-2010 was to be avoided. Ford for example had lots of engine problems in the 2000's but by 2010 was extremely reliable. GM fixed problems with its LMM which injected raw fuel at the end of the combustion cycle with the LML introduced in 2011. Ram has been avoiding the use of DEF but now is going that route with the 2013 trucks due to problems with the engines.

With diesel there is also the issue of ULSD diesel which is all you can buy in the USA and Canada. The 2010 truck engines were designed to compensate for the use of this fuel. They are also better able to handle the problems that are specific to using bio-diesel fuel including heaters to keep it from gelling in cold weather.

With diesel I would get a 2010 Ford over a 2010 GM (LMM engine). With Ram it is a crap shoot for the 2008-2010 model years. The engine is fine but there are other components like the transmission, cooling system, electricals, etc. that are more of a problem.

With a gas engine powered truck I would be looking primarily on the total package, trim level, towing package, condition of the truck, usability of the tires on the truck, and looking for a truck that was for sale by the original owner and where the owner had all the service records. Any modifications for towing like tow mirrors or WD hitch or retractable king pin, etc. are going to be "free" for the most part though I would avoid a used truck that had been either a "work" truck or used for heavy towing as the miles on the odometer do not accurately reflect the actual wear on the engine and drive train and other components.