Aussie trying to understand your trucks
Going to be buying a FW with a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds and hopefully under 30 foot. Need to know what can tow & more importantly stop it. 2 adults & 3 kids weighing under 500 pounds. So need a...
Forum Discussion
I make a point of counting 5th-wheel travel trailers on my trips to see how many are pulled by single rear wheel trucks and how many by dual rear wheel trucks. More than 80% of the time the truck is a single rear wheel truck. Lots of reasons why people prefer the single rear wheel trucks but the point is that a dual rear wheel truck is only needed when the weight of the loaded trailer is greater than 17,000 lbs.
At 10,000 lbs. or less a truck with a gas engine and 4.10 gears will be more than adequate. Over 13,000 lbs. a diesel engine is a better choice but adds $9,000 to the cost of a truck. Diesel is also harder to find when traveling as the majority of gas stations in the USA do not sell diesel. If you stay on major highways and stop at the truck stops then diesel is not a problem.
There are some who advocate a long bed truck with a 5th-wheel trailer and it has its pluses though the main one is the ability to put in a larger aftermarket fuel tank for greater range.
All the 2500HD trucks can easily handle up to 17,000 lbs. though the heavier the trailer the more fuel will be burned. Length of the 5th-wheel trailers also impacts where you can stay. Friends had a 28' trailer and sold it and bought a 35' one and regretted the decision as places where they used to like to camp are now not usable as the campsites are not long enough. After a year they sold the 35' and got a much shorter RV.
All the truck manufacturers have both truck specification PDF's for downloading as well as towing guides.
At 10,000 lbs. or less a truck with a gas engine and 4.10 gears will be more than adequate. Over 13,000 lbs. a diesel engine is a better choice but adds $9,000 to the cost of a truck. Diesel is also harder to find when traveling as the majority of gas stations in the USA do not sell diesel. If you stay on major highways and stop at the truck stops then diesel is not a problem.
There are some who advocate a long bed truck with a 5th-wheel trailer and it has its pluses though the main one is the ability to put in a larger aftermarket fuel tank for greater range.
All the 2500HD trucks can easily handle up to 17,000 lbs. though the heavier the trailer the more fuel will be burned. Length of the 5th-wheel trailers also impacts where you can stay. Friends had a 28' trailer and sold it and bought a 35' one and regretted the decision as places where they used to like to camp are now not usable as the campsites are not long enough. After a year they sold the 35' and got a much shorter RV.
All the truck manufacturers have both truck specification PDF's for downloading as well as towing guides.
