My wife has retired at 65 and I'm 69. Next year we will be purchasing a fifth wheel. I like the Arctic Foxes for perceived quality. She specifically likes the 29.5K for it's floor plan.I looked at the 16,600 GVW rating of that unit and thought that a diesel DWR would be mandatory as a tow vehicle. I hate a lame truck with no torque.We travel with Lizzie our GSD so an extended cab would be needed for her but I am not particularly interested in a crew cab.As a newby to 5'ers I have a few pertinent questions on such a large and important purchase.1)Is an 8' bed the way to go for a rig like this?2)I like woody places rather than more formal RV parks where you're right next to other folks. Is a 29' (actually 35'-2") a little unwieldy for National and State Parks?3)Is the 3500 DRW truck too rough riding for running errands, sightseeing, and getting groceries? It looks like it will become my daily driver as I can't afford to keep another car if I spend $50K for a diesel truck.

A fairly new non-dually will handle your trailer. My dually rides as nice as my former 2500. No, you don't need a long bed. I had a short bed in my 2500 and had a sliding hitch that I never used. My Voltage is 41' and we haven't had any problems in state parks (AZ, FL, GA). Haven't been in any National parks. Regarding your future truck, check out the two ratings in Trailer Live Towing Guides.

Do your self a favor and go drive a dually. You will find that they ride nice, are easy to park if you back into the parking space, and will handle a 16,000 lb. trailer better than a SRW truck will. A longer truck is a plus when towing so get the 8' box.

Like the previous poster said I would drive both solo to see what you like. I did not care for my dually and bought a single rear wheel 1 ton.If you upgrade to a larger camper a dually might negate having to purchasing a larger truck.Congratulations on retirement. I like the Artic Fox 29.5 floor plan as well.

I have a SRW that will handle your fiver. That said it would at or close to its limits. I have pulled my rig with both a short bed and a long bed. Would never go back to a short bed. Its amazing how much extra room there is in the bed. Also I use a 50 gallon aux tank at times. Then you really appreciate the extra space. JMHO

5 years of full timing with a DRW. I would own nothing else towing in the weight range you are talking and up. Our Dually rides as well or better than friends SB SRW GMC. I have the factory rear air ride it really its nice.Since you WILL buy a bigger RV within around 3 years after retiring I would stick with a Dually. Long bed for sure, why compromise???

retired and hitting the Road | Good Sam Community

azdryheat
Explorer
Nov 21, 2016
A fairly new non-dually will handle your trailer. My dually rides as nice as my former 2500. No, you don't need a long bed. I had a short bed in my 2500 and had a sliding hitch that I never used. My Voltage is 41' and we haven't had any problems in state parks (AZ, FL, GA). Haven't been in any National parks. Regarding your future truck, check out the two ratings in Trailer Live Towing Guides.
corvettekent
Explorer
Nov 21, 2016
Do your self a favor and go drive a dually. You will find that they ride nice, are easy to park if you back into the parking space, and will handle a 16,000 lb. trailer better than a SRW truck will. A longer truck is a plus when towing so get the 8' box.
colliehauler
Explorer III
Nov 21, 2016
Like the previous poster said I would drive both solo to see what you like. I did not care for my dually and bought a single rear wheel 1 ton.

If you upgrade to a larger camper a dually might negate having to purchasing a larger truck.

Congratulations on retirement. I like the Artic Fox 29.5 floor plan as well.
dave17352
Explorer
Nov 21, 2016
I have a SRW that will handle your fiver. That said it would at or close to its limits. I have pulled my rig with both a short bed and a long bed. Would never go back to a short bed. Its amazing how much extra room there is in the bed. Also I use a 50 gallon aux tank at times. Then you really appreciate the extra space. JMHO
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Nov 21, 2016
5 years of full timing with a DRW. I would own nothing else towing in the weight range you are talking and up. Our Dually rides as well or better than friends SB SRW GMC. I have the factory rear air ride it really its nice.

Since you WILL buy a bigger RV within around 3 years after retiring I would stick with a Dually. Long bed for sure, why compromise???
donn0128
Explorer II
Nov 21, 2016
Someone once said the widest part of any truck is the mirrors. Still holds true even for a dually. Love my dually, I do not envision getting rid of it until we stop RVing.
IdaD
Explorer
Nov 21, 2016
That trailer is 16.6k gross weight but only 11.2k dry. Given that it's not a toy hauler I'd say it's pretty unlikely that you'll load 5400 lbs of stuff in it. It's also only 35' long.

I'm sure a DRW would handle it better as they are better tow vehicles. They're worse at everything else, though, so consider how you intend to use it when not towing. A SRW is better offroad, better in snow/ice, and plays nicer in traffic and tight parking lots. I think a new SRW diesel would be a great match for that trailer unless you plan on carrying around 5000 lbs of bricks.
colliehauler
Explorer III
Nov 21, 2016
donn0128 wrote:
Someone once said the widest part of any truck is the mirrors. Still holds true even for a dually. Love my dually, I do not envision getting rid of it until we stop RVing.
Very true except my mirrors fold in, my dually fenders did not..
RollandB
Explorer
Nov 21, 2016
Having just moved from short bed to long I would not go back. The ride both when towing or empty is noticeable better with the long bed. We also went from an extended cab to crew as we quite often have grandkids along.
jmtandem
Explorer II
Nov 21, 2016
3)Is the 3500 DRW truck too rough riding for running errands, sightseeing, and getting groceries? It looks like it will become my daily driver as I can't afford to keep another car if I spend $50K for a diesel truck.

My daily driver since 2005 has been a Ram 3500 dually. Get used to it and it is just fine as long as you don't care for drive thrus or parking garages. Most full timers or mostly timers in the first couple years drive a lot so if towing many places is your agenda the dually probably makes sense. Anything being towed that weighs more than 12,000 pounds would be diesel territory for me.