Anybody consider a semi for a tow vehicle?
Been looking around for a newer truck to pull our new 5th wheel and several people I know have gone and purchased semi trucks for towing. Have been pointed towards a single drive axle type truck for b...
Forum Discussion
wintersun wrote:
Every aspect of operating and maintaining the truck is going to be three times as expensive as a pickup and forget about parking it anywhere except on the street (where laws allow). I could not see one of these trucks pulling a 5th wheel getting into 99% of the state and national campgrounds. OK is you like to stay at highway rest areas and at truck stops.
You should ask yourself if these trucks are such a good solution why is that nobody is using them for this purpose? Look again when you see one of these trucks towing a 5th wheel and you will notice that it is pulling a large horse trailer or commercial trailer or multi vehicle trailer and not a travel trailer.
To each their own. I wouldn't say that "nobody" is using them for this purpose, there are many on this forum and others that use HDTs. I agree that it may seem like "overkill", but when a fiver approaches 40 feet and 20,000 lbs it's no different than using a 3500 dually to pull a 4000 pound boat.
FWIW, a Freightliner M2 is not an HDT, it's a medium duty truck. Also, a singled and shortened MDT will physically go and fit anywhere a 4 door longbed pickup will, with the exception of restaurant drive-thrus and such. These rigs are not a mainstream choice, but for some they are the way to go.
