Tow Vehicle Preferences

[cemmett]

We are carefully planning our investments for a fifth wheel and tow vehicle. We have had some experience with Ram 3500 dually, diesel and have read good reports on their performance. We see a lot of GM products and Fords towing the larger fivers, which is what we are considering. We are also paying attention to rear end ratios and have been told that 4.73 is about the right ones for towing. So, the question is what advice, pro and con, will be helpful? The seasoned RVers (you guys) can offer the best firsthand input. Thanks for your reports.

[Cummins12V98]

roadking59 wrote:

davidaf wrote:
Drive all three trucks or at least your favorite two and chose the one you like best. I drove one brand for 10 years and never expected to switch to another. I did simply because I liked the way it drove better. This is the first time my DW actually likes riding in the truck. All three will (in DRW configuration) do the job with most all production 5th wheels on the road. Duals will make the ride feel more stable but may not be required depending on the pin weight and GVWR of the trailer.

There are many brand loyal members that will tell you x will explode on y unless you buy z. They can all have problems and many will have few if any. Luck of the draw on that one. We all have or have heard stories of issues with brand x. Buy what you like best, you are going to be "stuck" with it for a many years unless you want to take a bath.

x2 on the 2015 F450...The highest tow rating of any 1 ton truck... Awesome brakes and much improved exhaust brake... Youtube this vehicle you will see a good comparison.

Since you brought it up. It took Ford to use a F450 to compete with RAM's 3500.

Interesting!

[Cummins12V98]

rattleNsmoke wrote:
All the new(er) diesels are fantastic tow vehicles but what I have noticed is that there are more Ford diesels in campgrounds than any other.

That is true when you camp with the "weekend warriors" ( I don't mean anything bad about that) but when camping where the flutters are it's RAM/GM and
Ford well behind.

When I first bought my RAM in 9/11 I joined the Mobile Suites forum and I was a minority same with the GM's now it's the opposite. RAM GM close and Ford way behind.

I think there is a statistic that maybe someone can post about Ram 3500 Dually sales.

Hey who would not want a "SUPER DUTY" ?

[Dave_H_M]

what a strange thread. Two pages of posts and we don't even know what the OP plans on hooking up to. :h

[jffnkrn]

All great comments: My take, find the RV you want, get all the weight info you need, find the tow vehicle you want, like etc. brand or whatever and then make sure all the weight ratings will work. Do your own homework on weight and tow ratings, don't let the sales person do that, they are just that a sales person. Keep in mind how you use the home on wheels, you don't want to load it when you get there or have your belongings shipped to you. Can't express enough, know your weights and limits! Good Luck & Be Safe ! ! !

[donn0128]

roadking59 wrote:


x2 on the 2015 F450...The highest tow rating of any 1 ton truck... Awesome brakes and much improved exhaust brake... Youtube this vehicle you will see a good comparison.

While your at it then you might as well also youtube the Ford vs Ram frame twist video that is currently making the rounds.

[valhalla360]

If you are looking at new trucks, the axle ratio isn't as critical as it once was.

In the old days of 3 speed transmissions (and to a lesser but still important degree 4 speed transmissions), the ratio was important. The lower ratio rear end would give you better economy running empty but when loaded, it would drop down a gear and you would have to run at inefficient high rpm when stressed at all. Going to a higher ratio would allow you to stay in the top gear most of the time.

With the newer 6-8 speed transmissions, they can compensate by selecting a lower gear when needed but with just a modest increase in rpm and dialed in for efficiency.

[roadking59]

davidaf wrote:
Drive all three trucks or at least your favorite two and chose the one you like best. I drove one brand for 10 years and never expected to switch to another. I did simply because I liked the way it drove better. This is the first time my DW actually likes riding in the truck. All three will (in DRW configuration) do the job with most all production 5th wheels on the road. Duals will make the ride feel more stable but may not be required depending on the pin weight and GVWR of the trailer.

There are many brand loyal members that will tell you x will explode on y unless you buy z. They can all have problems and many will have few if any. Luck of the draw on that one. We all have or have heard stories of issues with brand x. Buy what you like best, you are going to be "stuck" with it for a many years unless you want to take a bath.

x2 on the 2015 F450...The highest tow rating of any 1 ton truck... Awesome brakes and much improved exhaust brake... Youtube this vehicle you will see a good comparison.

[rattleNsmoke]

All the new(er) diesels are fantastic tow vehicles but what I have noticed is that there are more Ford diesels in campgrounds than any other.

[davidaf]

Drive all three trucks or at least your favorite two and chose the one you like best. I drove one brand for 10 years and never expected to switch to another. I did simply because I liked the way it drove better. This is the first time my DW actually likes riding in the truck. All three will (in DRW configuration) do the job with most all production 5th wheels on the road. Duals will make the ride feel more stable but may not be required depending on the pin weight and GVWR of the trailer.

There are many brand loyal members that will tell you x will explode on y unless you buy z. They can all have problems and many will have few if any. Luck of the draw on that one. We all have or have heard stories of issues with brand x. Buy what you like best, you are going to be "stuck" with it for a many years unless you want to take a bath.

[Cummins12V98]

RAM 3500 is certified by SAE J2807 tests to do as RAM advertises for one 30,000 TOWING. These are not made up numbers.

Cummins engine is a true medium duty engine only diesel you will find in the 2015 F650/750 medium duty trucks. The Aisin Transmission is a true medium duty transmission. 5 year 100K power train warranty.

Lift the hood on all three you can only see one engine, Cummins.

What did I just order? A 2015 RAM Longhorn LB Dually Aisin with rear air ride.

[ken_burke]

cemmett wrote:
We are carefully planning our investments for a fifth wheel and tow vehicle. We have had some experience with Ram 3500 dually, diesel and have read good reports on their performance. We see a lot of GM products and Fords towing the larger fivers, which is what we are considering. We are also paying attention to rear end ratios and have been told that 4.73 is about the right ones for towing. So, the question is what advice, pro and con, will be helpful? The seasoned RVers (you guys) can offer the best firsthand input. Thanks for your reports.

We drove all three brands, and liked the Ford better. At that time (2011) the Ford was quieter and rode better (F350). Try all 3 out. I think that our rear end ratio is 3.7 or something like that. A higher ratio (4.11) will give you more towing capacity, but will use more fuel.
You may need a dually if the 5th wheel is heavy, i.e. 15,000 pounds or so.
ken

[barlow46]

My experience over the years towing three different size fifth wheels with 3 ford trucks has been as follows:
32' or less, ok with 3.73 rear end ration
32' - 35' - go for a 4.10 ratio
35' - 38 - shoot for a 4:30 ratio
38' and over- buy a class 8 and single it out.

Lots of variables (I know) especially weights as the higher end fifth wheels tend to weigh more. I presently have an F450 with a 4:30 ratio (6.0 diesel) and average around 10.4 on flat land here in Fl. at 63 mph. I am towing a 35' HR. I towed the same 35' HR with an F350 w/4.10 ratio and it towed fine. However, I felt on the edge many times with the brakes, etc on the f350 DRW. With the f450, never feel uncomfortable.

[Golden_HVAC]

Hi,

How large of a fifth wheel are you looking for? 30' or 35 or the maximum length - between 40 and 42 feet?

Then check the pin weight. If it is over 3,000 pounds, then the dual rear wheel truck is required.

I am pretty sure that you made a mistake about the 4.73:1 rear axle ratio, they don't make that. My F-350 had a 3.73 and I think that is the ideal rear axle ratio. Some of the lightweight F-150's come with 3.31 and even lower number rear axle ratios, for improved MPG. However a 4.10:1 will offer higher engine RPM at any given road speed, so it is better for a extreme heavy load. Yet a diesel engine likes to run at lower RPM's so the 3.73 is ideal for any of the diesel trucks. Especially the Dodge, it's inline 6 cylinder engine has the lowest engine RPM governor, so it can turn the slowest RPM of all the diesels.

My motorhome has a 5.12:1 rear axle ratio. It is much heavier than a pickup, and does require the engine to turn 3,000 RPM at 55 MPH in drive to climb mountains at a reasonable speed. While in overdrive, it turns about 2,400 RPM at 55, same as my older F-350 with a 3.73:1 rear axle.

The dually Ram can tow about 20,000 pounds max, so can the F-450 pickup.

Anything less can be handled by most dually pickups, or even some of the single rear wheel trucks.

Fred.

[donn0128]

I find brand is very regional and dealer base in a persons home area. But yes, go drive them all and pick the one you like best. Both GM and Ford have done away with manual transmissions if that is of importance to you. My personal truck has 4.10 rear end and I love it. The maybe 1MPG sacrifice in milage is more than offset by its ability to cruise all day loaded with the cruise control set.

[BB_TX]

Most people are at least somewhat brand loyal. But the fact is that the big 3 are so close in performance, price, and bells and whistles that the only thing that matters is which one the DW likes best. Look at all, drive all, check with the DW, and get the one that pleases her. If she is happy, then you will be happy. :B