Aussie trying to understand your trucks

Mik68 be aware that if you mean to import truck to Australia they only do conversions on the diesels the newer 250 will be fine for under 10000lb, disel is hewier and you luse som payload and also the Lariet,king ranch pakedes case the same, if you go to fords build site you will se if starting with base truck single cab and start to ad 4+4 duel cap etcetera how payload goes down.depending on age and front shape of FW get at least 6'6" tray or you may nead a slider not to hit cap when turning.
Frank.

Awesome, thanks everybody. It's a great starting point for me, that's interesting about the sale of diesel being mainly on the major highways. I'm not a highway man, I prefer 'B' roads so may need to change my thoughts to a gas truck. Cheaper as well u say!
Short bed sounds like it will do the trick with a super cab, not interested in modifying with extra gas tank etc. there's certainly a mixed view on whether a 2500 or 3500 would be better. It seems both would be adequat which gives more choices.
Peg leg, if u search my posts you'll be able to read what we are upto, I've written quite a bit about it on here.
Thanks again for everyone's input.

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.

lanerd wrote:

Mik68 wrote:
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.
Cheers Mik

No body has mentioned it, but all trailers are equipped with brakes that are designed to stop it. The towing vehicle doesn't really need larger brakes for towing.

I agree with others, more is better and much less ware and tare on the tow vehicle. Seems to me your biggest problem is learning to drive on the "right" side of the road.

Happy RV'ing


Ron

Or the "wrong" side of the road. :W
I had heard the braking system gets better as you go bigger??

transamz9 wrote:
Hey Mik, what year trucks are you looking for?

I did mention in my OP that I had suggested to me, 2011 and upwards, so it comes down to affordability hopefully .

OMG, some of y'all are getting just plain ridiculous. OP a 2500 of any of the big 3 you mentioned will tow you just fine. If you got money to burn go for the 3500 dually but remember that's more tires to buy..but you don't need it. I have had 2 5ers now that both have weighed 12,5k-13,000 lbs and have towed with both a 2500 and a 3500. I like the 3500 for the ease of mind if I blow a rear tire I got another, but the 2500 did just fine. All the talk of brakes is just that talk. On the Dodge the truck brakes are exactly the same. In fact other then 2 extra leafs in the spring pack all the other parts are exactly the same. Your trailer brakes stop the trailer, the truck brakes just help out. So if you find a 2500 you like, buy it. Oh and do yourself a favor and stick to diesel. The weight isn't everything, wind resistance is a big thing in towing a 5er, lots of frontal area.

All of the newer American trucks (the versions that are actually sold in the USA) require ULSD fuel. Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. Make sure that ULSD is readily available in Australia. Running LSD in one of these trucks will poison the DOC and DPF and cause expensive problems.

When it comes to newer diesel trucks, a 2500 is really just a SRW 3500 with less payload capacity and pin weight is the big factor when it comes to a 5th wheel. 2500's cost almost as much to buy as a 3500 and cost the same to run and maintain. I just don't see the point in buying a 2500 for towing a fifth wheel.

The 2010 and later Dodge quad cab has plenty of room for three people in the back seat.

I'm towing around the size of 5th wheel you are considering, GVWR 10074 Lb. Capacity in the bank and the option of going to something larger in future. No worries.

Mik68 wrote:
Going to be buying a FW with a GVWR of less than 10,000 pounds and hopefully under 30 foot.

Most 5er's are setup for 2 people. Bedroom over the hitch and a fold out couch. A lot have kitchen tables w/chairs. Depending on the size of the youngsters you might get by if you can find a dinette that makes a bed and a couch bed. With the 3 joey's you may want to look for bunk house models.

Need to know what can tow & more importantly stop it. 2 adults & 3 kids weighing under 500 pounds. So need a 4 door pick up. Ford, Chev or GMC & Dodge seem to be the front runners. I'm a big dodge fan here in Oz. but also love Chev, and if Ford fits the bill so be it. Would I get away with a 2500 series in these trucks?

The electric brakes on trailers work extremely well when properly set. I can only speak of the Chev/GMC, with the factory integrated brake controller on mine you hardly know the trailer is behind you. If you don't need 4wd the ratings for a 2500, 6.0L gas engine with a 6 speed transmission and towing package should handle a 10,000 lbs GVW. Since you'll be coming in from down under it won't have all the extra weight that most of us have packed into our units. If you find a single rear wheel 3500 it will give you more options.

The only one of these our local dealer didn't have was the Dodge, are they roomier in the rear than Ford & Chev. Im told to get one post 2011 because of some changes from that year, probably diesel. Are all 3500 series Dually's? and are these too big? Are there short bed & long bed and does it matter what i get? What else should I look for in a truck. At this stage I can only look on-line.
Cheers Mik

Personally I think my brother-in-laws 2006 Ford has a more comfortable back seat than my Chev. You'll want what most here refer to as a "Crew Cab". "Post 2011" they are talking about the pollution controls, having to use urea on some of the diesel engines. Not all 3500's are Duallys, the others are single rear wheel (SRW). If you get a long bed (8 feet) you won't have to worry about sliding hitches or the smaller fuel tanks that come on some short bed trucks. Most of the long beds will have fuel tanks in the 35 gallon range.

You might fill us in on what your planning. Where you want to purchase. How long you'll be on walk about. Different states have different requirements on licensing. With RV's you don't have to stop at weight stations unless specifically stated. Some states have agricultural check points for produce.

I hope you enjoy your visit and like many others would love to hear some down under stories.

Peg Leg

BTW I would look for used combos in good shape ready to roll.