Type of truck

I've owned F150s, F250s, and now an F350 DRW. There is an incremental change between the ½ ton and the ¾ ton but the F350 is truly a beast by comparison. In addition to better weight specs it also has better brakes, more stability, and it pulls like none of the others. I bought a new truck and the 1 ton didn't cost but a few grand more, and I didn't need air bags or a chipped engine or upgraded brakes or anything else. Those upgrades would have eaten up any cost savings on the purchase price of a smaller truck.

salvador5266 wrote:
I know I've seen several topics on this but we are still confused:? We are just about to buy our first Fifth wheel but first we need to get a truck. We started out only looking for F350 because we thought that was what we needed but now we are seeing alot of newer F250 that show they have as high or higher Fifth wheel towing capacity. Did Ford revamp the newer truck models? Also is a vin search the best way to determine the towing capacity?

Any input would be great. Thanks everyone.

Settle on the FW first, then pick the truck to tow it with. You'll be a lot happier that way. If $$ are a concern, then lower your sights on the FW a bit, but never scrimp on the truck.

Lyle

Hey do like everyone else get a 250 and install bags!

Ranger Smith wrote:
Also the difference between a SRW and a DRW can be as much as 7000lb difference in trailer weight. My DRW is good to pull a 22,800 lb trailer. Same model in a SRW is only 16,300.

If it were me I think I would find the trailer I really wanted then get the truck to match the trailer.

that's what we are doing. got the truck to fit the trailer. went a lil overboard but figured it was worth over the long haul. we figure we'll be upgrading campers down the road, so might as well get a truck that will handle anything... muhahahahaha

look around you. most 5th wheelers have a 3/4 ton.
unless you are going to get into some of real heavy 5th wheels that will be just fine.

the only thought here would be which one and make it a diesel. or just go to a one ton....NOT a dually.

You really have to figure out what fiver you want. There are so many variables with regard to weight. One fiver may have a 2k pin weight and another about the same length might have a 3k pin weight. One may have 12k dry weight and the same length might be 16k dry. Remember the advertised weight is unloaded you will weight more once everything gets in the rig. One word of caution you will find dealers lots filled with 3/4 ton trucks and a sales person will tell you that that truck can tow anything. There is a big difference between being able to tow and being able to stop and control. Figure out your trailer needs then go truck shopping. Don't make an expensive mistake and buy the wrong truck only to find out later you need something else. You can never have to much truck. Good luck

There are plenty of modern mid profile 30-32ft multiple slide trailers that fit into a 3/4 ton trucks ability. There are also plenty that exceed it and require more truck. Fords 3/4 ton is known for having lots of rear squat even when within specs. Air bags are generally the solution.

With 3/4 ton trucks and fifth wheels, payload of the truck is usually the limiting factor. Once you decided what fifth wheel you want, use the gvwr of that fifth wheel as the starting point to decide what size truck you need.
The loaded pin weight of most fifth wheels will be 20 percent of the loaded weight of the trailer. You will want a truck with payload rating that can accommodate the weight of passengers, gear in cab, gear in bed, hitch (say 250 lbs) and loaded pin weight.
Ignore the dry weight posted in rv brochures and do not listen to salespeople. Use gvwr as the measuring stick.
My experience is that any fifth wheel with gvwr over 11k is suited for a SRW 1 ton. Over 13k is suited for DRW 1 ton.
If you plan on full timing or traveling extensive, a 1 ton DRW is recommended for fifth wheel Towing.

Best advice is to buy the trailer/5th wheel first, then choose the truck. That way you know that you'll have enough truck.

One of the complaints on the forum is people trying to figure out how they can pull the 5th wheel they just bought with the truck they bought first. It usually doesn't end well.

What I discovered is that a F250 just does not do all you think. I've used a couple of F250s and had to put air bags on to pull the load, which means they are not adequate. I bought a F250 in 2011. Pulled a 38 ft. light trailer and soon realized this is not adequate. In the mean time bought a 31 ' Cameo, and found that it was as heavy as the 38 '. We want to get a longer RV in a year or two, so did a lot of studying, and bought a 2014 DRW F350. Made certain it would pull the heavier trailer, but even almost important made sure it would Handle the pin weight. The DRW made a would of difference. You really need to figure out what trailer you want then start looking at trucks. All trucks will pull the weight, but will not hold the pin weight. Good luck in your search.