New To RV'ing Truck Questions

[aristocrat]

Good evening,
So we sold the house in June, bought a Sabre 36frp fifth wheel(12,500 dry weight, 2k payload), had a friend tow it to NY, just put a deposit on a 2014 Ram 3500 laramie dually that we take ownership of next week.

I admittedly jumped into this adventure with the wife and kids a little naively but so far being the rv all summer has been great. Wife is a travel nurse and looks like next job is New Orleans starting in a 5-6 weeks.

I did a decent amount of research on the truck we would need and even with the father in law telling me I didn't need a dually I ended up with one. I've towed boats around 20 feet before to and from the lake and 3-6 hours at times but not an rv for 1000 miles or so.

Am I buying the right truck? What type of upgrades have you made to your trucks to help? I see cameras being added, tire pressure monitors on the rv...anything else? Cold air, exhaust?? Anything like that?

Very much appreciate the help and crtiicism.

[Jshopes81]

You would be borderline on being able to use a single wheel 1 ton. They say 2000ish lbs pin, if youre living in it youll be running heavy. At almost 15000lbs and around 20% pin id expect more like 3k for a real pin. You could get away with using a single wheel truck with a little room. Youd definately be under on your axle weights, but youd be close on payload if you care about that. So, a single wheel would work, but you wouldnt be wrong in getting the dually. If you found a dually you like id just get it. Its definately not the wrong tool for the job and driving it wont be much different than a single wheel.

[tuffr2]

Get the truck and tow with it before you start adding things. It might have the cameras you need.

I like towing 5th wheels with a dually because they are super stable.

[SlyFox]

Aristocrat, welcome and that sounds like an excellent set up. My opinion is you have the correct truck for your needs. The dually will better disperse the load weight on the drive axle for sure and you will have better braking traction if ever needed in hard braking applications. I have owned both types of trucks SRW and DRW, I much prefer the ride and stability a DRW provides.

Depending on how heavy your pin weight will be, you may want to add air bags to help the suspension out, and the tire pressure monitors you mentioned are a very nice thing to have (on truck and trailer). Other than that, most other things for add ons are not really necessary, you should have ample power as is.

Hope that helps.

[ramn4ver]

Throw some 5100 Bilsteins on it. A exhaust temp gauge on it. And a exhaust brake. Your set. Maybe a fuel pressure gauge. And a boost gauge also.

[aristocrat]

Originally Posted by ramn4ver

Throw some 5100 Bilsteins on it. A exhaust temp gauge on it. And a exhaust brake. Your set. Maybe a fuel pressure gauge. And a boost gauge also.

any other gauges? ha!


any brands you can recommend?

[Rhagfo]

Sounds like the right truck for the job!

[ramn4ver]

Originally Posted by aristocrat

any other gauges? ha!





any brands you can recommend?

ISSPRO gauges is what I use. Pac Brake exhaust brake. I have a 98 24 valve 3500 4X4 5 speed. 5" exhaust. DDP 100 hp injectors. 2008 30' Raptor.

[RVnAggie]

Congrats on the rig and the new adventure. You'll not regret the dually...got just what you need because your trailer will gain weight every year....things go in that never seem to come back out. You'll have peace of mind and be much more stable and safe with the dually.

These modern trucks come ready to do what is needed right out of the box. Of course there are always things you can add, but really aren't required. I suggest the first focus is to set up your rig to run as level as possible and that you have at least 6" clearance between the top of truck bed and the underside of the trailer. Do this by raising/lowering your hitch and or pin box if needed.

Good tires, good brakes, of course and develop a good pre-flight checklist of storing, stowing, locking, checking, etc, for interior and exterior things to prevent mishaps with the little things that are easy to forget. I HIGHLY recommend developing a routine procedure for hitching up that includes a "pull test" to ensure your hitch jaws are always locked before you move the trailer. Always follow your procedure step by step and all will be good.

I wouldn't worry much about truck mods, bells and whistles....they can come later as you determine what is beneficial or needed to improve safety, performance, or ride.

My guess is that your trailer will load your truck just enough that it will sit down to to about level and ride/handle pretty well. If any concerns, check back here; there are always plenty of folks ready to help out.

Safe travels!

[kdauto]

Originally Posted by aristocrat

Good evening,
So we sold the house in June, bought a Sabre 36frp fifth wheel(12,500 dry weight, 2k payload), had a friend tow it to NY, just put a deposit on a 2014 Ram 3500 laramie dually that we take ownership of next week.

I admittedly jumped into this adventure with the wife and kids a little naively but so far being the rv all summer has been great. Wife is a travel nurse and looks like next job is New Orleans starting in a 5-6 weeks.

I did a decent amount of research on the truck we would need and even with the father in law telling me I didn't need a dually I ended up with one. I've towed boats around 20 feet before to and from the lake and 3-6 hours at times but not an rv for 1000 miles or so.

Am I buying the right truck? What type of upgrades have you made to your trucks to help? I see cameras being added, tire pressure monitors on the rv...anything else? Cold air, exhaust?? Anything like that?

Very much appreciate the help and crtiicism.

You are starting off with the right tool for the job. I'd tell you to just start using it and get used to the setup before adding a bunch of junk to it. I'd be really surprised of you needed any suspension aids. I wouldn't even bother adding gauges and such, the truck should have everything you need from the factory.

Depending how the truck is equipped you may want to be sure it has some type of running board, as these tall trucks are tough to get in without them. One thing I am planning on adding to mine is a folding sidestep for the bedside. Unhitching the 5er latch is tough with a dually, I barely manage at 6'2".

You should have a backup camera and likely a few others already. Drive it a few weeks, keep notes on what you dislike and make a plan later.

[NevadaNick]

The 2014 already has an exhaust brake and as long as the truck is not modified with a tuner you do not need any additional guages. Change the oil, oil filter and fuel filters according to the dic which will tell you when its due and enjoy the truck.

[CecilD]

You are set up with the right truck. You should find out what your hitch mounting options are in the bed and start researching hitches. The type of pin box you have on your trailer will enter into that discussion. I would leave the truck stock, it is more than capable.

[xc-mark]

If this truck is ALL stock , you will be just fine with a trailer at that weight. I do agree that a exhaust brake would be nice but not a must. as for the gauges and cold air and exhaust , Just run it stock. Here in MASS we have to pass California emissions , so Extra power and mods don't fly anymore at the yearly inspection stations. That 2014 truck will pull a good amount more then your trailer , Do you know what gear ratio is in it? My trailer was pulled by a 2014 dodge when the original owner purchased it back in 2015. He was happy with the truck pulling 16,500 lbs more then 11,000 miles.

[JIMNLIN]

OP.... as other more experienced members have said your truck has a exhaust brake (turbo brake) already as does all Dodge/Rams with the 6.7 engine. Much more braking power than a regular exhaust brake we (myself) use on the older 5.9 engines.
You got a truck already set up to tow just about any RV trailer and is one of the more popular one ton DRW with commercial haulers who run 35k-45k GCW legally/safely every day...we see them every day with loaded GN flatdeck trailers running coast to coast...border to border.
I would follow Rams service schedule....hook the trailer up and make a few long trips...then is the time to decide if you want/need any improvement for any truck.