Hauling a heavy camper and towing
We are working on leaving the 5th wheel business and entering the truck camper side. We have hit the lower 48 and parts of Canada. We are looking to spend the next 10 years, more in the boonies, plu...
Forum Discussion
Ramp Digger wrote:brholt wrote:
Some people just jump to the 550's skipping the 350 and 450. That solves the problem.
X2 After operating F-550 trucks in my business of hauling an pulling heavy trailers for the last 21 years I have learned hands down if you are going to haul and pull heavy you absolutely need a truck to do it with. Don't sell your self short trying save a few dollars with marginal payload vehicles. Get yourself just a little more truck than you think you will need. You wont be sorry. That extra margin of safety and drive-ability will be well worth the slight increase in cost.
Good Luck
^True story, but there is the "right" vehicle for most every situation and within the context of the OP's query, we're not talking about grossing >30klbs day in day out. Have plenty of F550s and Ram 5500s at work to do the real heavy lifting, but don't mean it's out of the question to go hook a 15klb trailer to a 3/4 ton and pull it somewhere.
Maybe it's the right choice for the OP, as he is planning long term, fulltime with a big TC and inevitably will have a bunch of extra "stuff".
But by the same token, there isn't a new 1 ton dually out there that will not haul the biggest TC's produced while towing a little trailer, safely and comfortably.
On a personal note, I would be wholly NOT in favor of having a med duty truck for personal use. Aside from license and insurance requirements and cost, they are NOT comfortable to drive around...and I'm not even old by this forum's standards.
Noone but the OP knows how they will use the truck. Are they clicking off 20-30k miles a year traversing the continent, or more gorunded but want the ability to pick up and go with a TC?
The former, I'd consider a F450 Pickup or possibly a 450/4500 truck. The latter, I would be 100% in the 1 ton camp.
All personal preferences, for sure. But the "added safety" of a bigger than necessary tow rig is like an epidemic on here.
Heck, one guy just referred to another poster's eco boost as a lawn mower engine while suggesting it was totally inadequate to tow a sub- 4 ton TT.
