Bought a 5th wheel.. now I need a truck
My wife and I have been thinking about upgrading to a 5th wheel and stopped by the local Campers Inn to see what they had for used units.. They had just taken in a 2007 Jayco Eagle 325BHS in trade....
Forum Discussion
I have just prepped my low mileage 2003 F250 to haul a 12K/2K fifth wheel. You should be very careful when considering any used diesel pickup truck.
I put custom Curt frame mounts with in bed rails, Air Ride rear suspension, TruCool tranny cooler, a 16K B&W Patriot fifth wheel hitch and a Curt wiring harness. I also am installing a set of gauges with boost, pyrometer and transmission temps to go along with a D-P Tuner F-5 chip with 60 hp tow mode and 80 hp econo mode. I'm up to $1200 in expenses already. I've still got to change the transmission filter and 20 quarts of ATF and flush the radiator while replacing the thermostat and its housing.
Any used 3/4 ton diesel should be taken to an independent diesel shop and a complete scan done on the engine to make sure it's 100%. (Just a set of injectors can run you a small fortune.) They should carefully checkout the transmission, as 3/4 ton trannys ($3K) are not long life items. The suspension and brakes should be carefully checked out, as they need to be at 100% condition for a tow vehicle. Brakes can be especially important.
I don't mean to scare you, but getting a tow vehicle in shape is not a cheap proposition. Scariest thing is the price of fuel injection parts and $110 per hour labor rates. I'm fortunate to have a great independent shop that's reasonably priced.
I put custom Curt frame mounts with in bed rails, Air Ride rear suspension, TruCool tranny cooler, a 16K B&W Patriot fifth wheel hitch and a Curt wiring harness. I also am installing a set of gauges with boost, pyrometer and transmission temps to go along with a D-P Tuner F-5 chip with 60 hp tow mode and 80 hp econo mode. I'm up to $1200 in expenses already. I've still got to change the transmission filter and 20 quarts of ATF and flush the radiator while replacing the thermostat and its housing.
Any used 3/4 ton diesel should be taken to an independent diesel shop and a complete scan done on the engine to make sure it's 100%. (Just a set of injectors can run you a small fortune.) They should carefully checkout the transmission, as 3/4 ton trannys ($3K) are not long life items. The suspension and brakes should be carefully checked out, as they need to be at 100% condition for a tow vehicle. Brakes can be especially important.
I don't mean to scare you, but getting a tow vehicle in shape is not a cheap proposition. Scariest thing is the price of fuel injection parts and $110 per hour labor rates. I'm fortunate to have a great independent shop that's reasonably priced.
