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dennyida's avatar
dennyida
Explorer
Dec 07, 2015

looking at trucks

Good morning, I know I`m going to open a can of worms here but here it goes. We have a 2015 Keystone Outback 296FRS that we really love and next spring we will be looking to buy a new truck to tow with. This will be our last new truck so I will want every bell and whistle on it. The weight on the 5ER is 9600 lbs. I`m thinking about a diesel and would like the option of the engine brake or something like that. I don`t care if it be a dodge , ford , GMC . I currently have a dodge ram that is 10 years old and still love it. Also some thoughts on the dual tires, I would like to stay away from that but I have been told it`s much safer . We will be traveling down south next spring and then out west next summer. Again I now this is quite a large and wide open subject but I would like to see what others are using . Thank you, Denny and Ida

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  • FireGuard's avatar
    FireGuard
    Explorer II
    Dec 07, 2015
    Hello
    I grew up 30 miles north of you.
    I assume you have a 5th wheel?
    If you never plan to go bigger a 2500 will work fine and give a little better ride, however I had a 15 Ram 3500 SB with the Cummins/Aisin and loved it. Not much more money and over 1500 lbs more payload. Power is amazing.
    I recommend a 3500 Ram in whatever package you choose. I had the Tradesman package which was very comfortable without all the bells and whistles.
    If you like luxury, the Laramie or longhorn is your ticket.
    I had no complaints and zero problems with mine. Only reason I sold it is to step up to a DRW to carry a large truck camper. Same truck only with longbed and 2 more wheels.
    You can also pick up a new Tradesman for around $45k.
  • rhagfo's avatar
    rhagfo
    Explorer III
    Dec 07, 2015
    laknox wrote:
    dennyida wrote:
    Good morning, I know I`m going to open a can of worms here but here it goes. We have a 2015 Keystone Outback 296FRS that we really love and next spring we will be looking to buy a new truck to tow with. This will be our last new truck so I will want every bell and whistle on it. The weight on the 5ER is 9600 lbs. I`m thinking about a diesel and would like the option of the engine brake or something like that. I don`t care if it be a dodge , ford , GMC . I currently have a dodge ram that is 10 years old and still love it. Also some thoughts on the dual tires, I would like to stay away from that but I have been told it`s much safer . We will be traveling down south next spring and then out west next summer. Again I now this is quite a large and wide open subject but I would like to see what others are using . Thank you, Denny and Ida


    Denny, that FW only grosses 10,900 lbs, per the Keystone site; any of the current model 2500 series trucks would handle it with ease. If you think that you might upsize in the next few years, then go with a 3500 SRW if you stay < 13k GVW; anything larger and you'd really want a dually. My current FW grosses just under 11,300 and I tow with an '02 Duramax. While it tows it OK, I know I'm exceeding a couple of my specs, but I've never felt uncomfortable towing it, and I don't look like a WWII searchlight when towing at night, either. My next one will be about 1,300 lbs lighter, though longer and with 2 more slides.

    Lyle


    Well your money, and sounds like you want to travel in comfort. The rig you have will be strong for many more years.
    That said I would look at a SRW 350/3500, new Ram's are really nice the other two also. I am more of a Cummins fan than a Ram, but I have zero complaints about both.
  • laknox's avatar
    laknox
    Nomad
    Dec 07, 2015
    dennyida wrote:
    Good morning, I know I`m going to open a can of worms here but here it goes. We have a 2015 Keystone Outback 296FRS that we really love and next spring we will be looking to buy a new truck to tow with. This will be our last new truck so I will want every bell and whistle on it. The weight on the 5ER is 9600 lbs. I`m thinking about a diesel and would like the option of the engine brake or something like that. I don`t care if it be a dodge , ford , GMC . I currently have a dodge ram that is 10 years old and still love it. Also some thoughts on the dual tires, I would like to stay away from that but I have been told it`s much safer . We will be traveling down south next spring and then out west next summer. Again I now this is quite a large and wide open subject but I would like to see what others are using . Thank you, Denny and Ida


    Denny, that FW only grosses 10,900 lbs, per the Keystone site; any of the current model 2500 series trucks would handle it with ease. If you think that you might upsize in the next few years, then go with a 3500 SRW if you stay < 13k GVW; anything larger and you'd really want a dually. My current FW grosses just under 11,300 and I tow with an '02 Duramax. While it tows it OK, I know I'm exceeding a couple of my specs, but I've never felt uncomfortable towing it, and I don't look like a WWII searchlight when towing at night, either. My next one will be about 1,300 lbs lighter, though longer and with 2 more slides.

    Lyle
  • RVcrazy's avatar
    RVcrazy
    Explorer
    Dec 07, 2015
    We love our "standard" (short) bed 3500 Chevy Silverado. It is a 2015. We already have 33k miles on it and have had no issues. We paired it with a pullrite slider hitch. We are FT and really wanted to have a shorter truck w/o dual wheels to make parking easier.
  • IdaD's avatar
    IdaD
    Explorer
    Dec 07, 2015
    You don't need a DRW for that trailer, so if you prefer SRW (as do I), just go for it and don't look back. As far as which one, I looked at them and my favorite was the Ram with Cummins. It seemed to me to offer the best combination of solid chassis, nice ride/handling and hopefully a reliable engine. I read a lot of things that made me leery of the CP4 injection pump that the Duramax and Powerstroke both use, and the older style CP3 unit in the Cummmins seems to have fewer issues.

    They are all more than capable of handling that trailer and they all have pros and cons to consider.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Dec 07, 2015
    The current crop of duallies will give you the ability to tow most any fifth wheel you may consider now or in the future. A 3500SRW series will limit you to around 14,500GVWR. Besides two more tires to purchase a dually will be a bit wider to park. And will be more stable towing. Neither are really suited for parking garages, or down town parking.
    As for which one? Go drive them all,preferably all on the same day and over the same road. Then decide which one DW likes best and buy that one. Their all decent now days, and they all have quirks that you may or may not accept.

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