Hi,I have a 2009 TT and have it parked in a seasonal ie I have never towed it yet but always meant to. I am 3 years from retirement and am looking to probably upgrade to a 5th wheel. As retirement will be a bit restricted ie no cash flow etc. I am being cautious about what truck I get.my passion is telling me a Diesel RAM 3500 Dually long bed. Obviously this guzzles up the diesel and close to my budget limit. This could be driving me towards a Class A, older model with towing a small car.Any advice how I should be coming to terms with what truck I need? the family will be the wife and I and 2 dogs.Thanks

do you really want to have to drive a huge dually around downtown areas of big cities, to drive a few miles for supplies, etc.?bumpy

I'm also about 3 years from retirement and wanted to do basically the same thing. I had a 2007 TT, which I gave to my son. I traded in my 2002 TrailBlazer on a new Silverado 2500HD and then bought a small 5th wheel. I also wanted to stay within my budget and get a truck and camper I could pay cash for so I wouldn't have any payments when I retire. This camper is under 10,000 GVWR with just over 1,000 hitch weight. It is well within the limits of the 2500, and I love the diesel.

Travel trailer will fit the budget better. A diesel truck will get much better MPG than a Class "A". Maintenance costs are lower, and if you have trouble with the tow vehicle, you still have the trailer to live in while repairs are made. No need for a toad. I am not saying all class "A"are bad, lot of folks are very happy with them, but in your situation a trailer unit would be better. IMHO

Thanks. Yes, bumpy, I had similar concerns about driving dually around cities. but reading some of the posts on this forum, it seems that a dually takes away all the towing problems. Is there a rough indicator somewhere for mpg versus 3/4 ton versus 1 ton SRD and a dually? I understand this will vary by towing weight, but are there any average figures?

cinker wrote:Thanks. Yes, bumpy, I had similar concerns about driving dually around cities. but reading some of the posts on this forum, it seems that a dually takes away all the towing problems. Is there a rough indicator somewhere for mpg versus 3/4 ton versus 1 ton SRD and a dually? I understand this will vary by towing weight, but are there any average figures?Generally speaking if you choose a fifth wheel that weighs over about 12,000 GVWR you should choose a duallyBTW driving a dually is no more difficult than driving any large vehicle. The only place I have not driven my dually is a car wash. They are not designed for them. Someone once said on these forums that the widest place on dually is the mirrors. That is true for all trucks.Am I cautious about where I drive? Sure. With a vehicle nearly 30 feet long and weighing over 8000 pounds one would be crazy to attempt to drive it like a mini. We camp host in the summer, so the dually is our only vehicle. Know your vehicles limitations and learn to drive it properly and any sized vehicle can become second nature. My dually averages 10.5-11.5 towing and 17 non towing highway. I think that's pretty good for such a large vehicle.

Newbie to towing +Retirement | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

cinker
Explorer
Mar 04, 2014
Thanks. Yes, bumpy, I had similar concerns about driving dually around cities. but reading some of the posts on this forum, it seems that a dually takes away all the towing problems. Is there a rough indicator somewhere for mpg versus 3/4 ton versus 1 ton SRD and a dually? I understand this will vary by towing weight, but are there any average figures?
Dog_Folks
Explorer II
Mar 04, 2014
Travel trailer will fit the budget better.

A diesel truck will get much better MPG than a Class "A". Maintenance costs are lower, and if you have trouble with the tow vehicle, you still have the trailer to live in while repairs are made. No need for a toad.

I am not saying all class "A"are bad, lot of folks are very happy with them, but in your situation a trailer unit would be better. IMHO
DavisK
Explorer
Mar 04, 2014
I'm also about 3 years from retirement and wanted to do basically the same thing. I had a 2007 TT, which I gave to my son. I traded in my 2002 TrailBlazer on a new Silverado 2500HD and then bought a small 5th wheel. I also wanted to stay within my budget and get a truck and camper I could pay cash for so I wouldn't have any payments when I retire. This camper is under 10,000 GVWR with just over 1,000 hitch weight. It is well within the limits of the 2500, and I love the diesel.
Bumpyroad
Explorer
Mar 04, 2014
do you really want to have to drive a huge dually around downtown areas of big cities, to drive a few miles for supplies, etc.?
bumpy

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Newbie to towing +Retirement

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