Community Forums

Klc · 02-15-2016, 01:50 PM

Hi. We are so confused and are looking for your knowledgeable recommendations. In 1 year we are planning on selling our home to ft rv. We have been looking at all of our options for a tt and really like the 35' Forest River 282rk Wildwood -hg. The gvw is from 8521 - 9500. (Depending on which site you look at). Our dilemma is what town vehicle to get. Is a 250 ok? Or do we need a 350? Gas or diesel? Thank you.

h20ski · 02-15-2016, 02:24 PM

IMHO you would love the 250 diesel and it will do the job.

coldfusion · 02-15-2016, 03:16 PM

On this site you will need a 3500 duelly with diesel. Anything less will be not enough truck.

38Chevy454 · 02-15-2016, 03:35 PM

I assume by 250 and 350 you mean 3/4 ton vs 1 ton rating. Not all mfrs use the same numbering, so will just go with that assumption.

A 250 may handle *that* trailer, but if you decide to go bigger, then you may run into issues. So the 350 will allow for potential upsizing later. Also, the 350 has heavier duty parts that are not stressed as high percent of capacity. So that is another plus for the 350 over the 250 in my view. The interior and the exterior size of the trucks is the same.

You can't really use just the truck GVWR, what you really need is the GCWR, which is the total load weight of truck plus trailer. Remember that dry weight is nothing like loaded up and going away for long trip.

Just wait, someone will come along and say they use their regular cab half-ton 150 with small gas engine and they don't have any issues. So will the guy with the crew cab F-450 dually with the diesel.

It is ultimately up to you, there is not that much cost difference between the 3/4 vs 1 ton, assuming same drivetrain and trim level on both.

timetogo · 02-15-2016, 03:47 PM

I like my SRW 3500 Diesel. Test drive all of them.

Klc · 02-15-2016, 03:53 PM

Thank you, I was leaning towards the 1 ton but wasn't sure why it was a better choice. Your answer helps.

450Donn · 02-15-2016, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coldfusion

On this site you will need a 3500 duelly with diesel. Anything less will be not enough truck.

I just love this sort of nonsense.
250/2500 series will work just fine for this TT. However if after a year or so you decide its just not enough and wind up upgrading you very well could be forced to upgrade trucks too. So why not simply buy your next truck the first time. Go for a 350/3500.

Klc · 02-15-2016, 04:10 PM

Very true. This will be our last vehicle, so we need to decide if their are any reasons why a 1 ton would be better to tow this trailer than the 3/4 ton. Cost seems to be about the same.

SeabeckS · 02-15-2016, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Klc

Very true. This will be our last vehicle, so we need to decide if their are any reasons why a 1 ton would be better to tow this trailer than the 3/4 ton. Cost seems to be about the same.

Shop around...when we contemplated a new truck we began by looking at F150's. Then listening to good advice here, decided to go with a 250, as the difference in price was minimal. Then before we struck a deal, discovered price differential for another step up to a 350 was less than the 150/250 jump. Now able to shop for a much wider variety of trailers, without having to be overly concerned with vehicle capabilities.

Deal wise, we found a couple of Fleet Sales managers who were quite competitive in getting a great price for a factory ordered F350 with the EXACT model and equipment we desired. Much better price than just taking a unit out of dealer stock.

Best of luck!

drdarrin · 02-15-2016, 06:01 PM

We bought our 3500 DRW when we still owned a 25ft TT which weighed 6,000 gross. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could afford it. When you have too much truck, you only complain about the mileage never about going up or down the mountains.

Chuck_Hammer · 02-15-2016, 06:02 PM

at 9k . the 250 will be near its upper limit... so your Stuff will be limited..

go for the 350 (1 ton) .. right tool for the job. my opinion.

FYI, the advertised weight.. may be OFF by a lot.

my 7,500 trailer is 8,300 empty. without propane tanks

Klc · 02-15-2016, 06:31 PM

Thanks again so much. All of your comments and advice are greatly appreciated. This is all so new to us. We owned a pop-up 45 years ago that only needed our station wagon to pull. Thanks again. ☺

tuffr2 · 02-15-2016, 07:16 PM

A one ton diesel SRW truck should pull just about any TT built. Get an 8' bed with a truck cap to help store all the stuff (DW, Dogs, Cats and your wrench) you want to bring with you.

SouthpawHD · 02-15-2016, 07:29 PM

Here's what I would say, if you are planning on staying in spot for longer periods of time, then a 3/4 ton will work great and the ride quality when not hooked up will be better. If you plan on towing a lot, a 1 ton will be the best option, as would a diesel.