Can I take my big truck with me?

[etruitt]

04 Dodge 2500 long bed 4 door cummins turbo diesel truck towed by 09 35' Holiday Rambler Neptune 340 HP cummins diesel with 6 speed Allison World transmission and 9000 lb. hitch. Already have the truck from pulling trailers and carrying slide-in truck camper in the past. If this combo will work I won't have to find a toad and can keep our truck. We travel cross-country each year. Any advice and opinions welcomed and appreciated. Usually our trips are 2-3 months and 7-8K miles. Not being the brightest light in the barrel I just looked in the owners manual for the truck and found out it can be towed.

[sch911]

Find the MH's GCWR, and have it weighed. Subtract the weight of the MH from the GCWR and that's how much you can tow assuming your hitch supports that amount. The GCWR is generally on the Chassis tag which is commonly found above the driver's area, or on the back of a cabinet door.

[msmith1199]

etruitt wrote:
I just checked the window sticker/spec sheet and it lists 7000 lb hitch receiver with dual connector. Does that mean my "tow rating" is only 7k lbs or does that mean the receiver will handle up to 7k lbs hitch weight? Probably sounds like a stupid question but if I knew the answer I wouldn't ask.

That's the capacity of the hitch not the vehicle. You need to find your Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating or CGVWR. That will be the max weight for your fully loaded motorhome and whatever it is towing.

[msmith1199]

etruitt wrote:
That truck is already set up to tow travel trailers, 5th Wheel trailers, and carry slide-in truck campers. What does it take to set it up to be towed 4 down?

Money! Baseplates installed on it. Actually, the only real expense that could not be transferred to another vehicle is the baseplates and their installation. You could install that and tow it around and see if you like it. If you do then go ahead and put the wiring for the lights in. If you don't like it then the rest of the equipment can all be transferred to a new toad, with the exception of the baseplates.

[Sully2]

Why? You could just as easily drag 7000 lbs of cold pig iron behind you! Trade ; sell..whatever that big truck and get something easier to drive and mUCH lighter to use as a toad.

[bsinmich]

I would also put on some kind of braking system if you want to make stops. That is a lot of extra weight and it is a requirement many places.

[Heisenberg]

It needs a base plate on the front and a matching tow bar and wiring for lights and signals from coach to toad. It does not matter what you have towed with it.

[etruitt]

That truck is already set up to tow travel trailers, 5th Wheel trailers, and carry slide-in truck campers. What does it take to set it up to be towed 4 down?

[etruitt]

msmith1199 California is a beautiful state. We have RV'd a large part of it. We usually go to see our daughter in Oregon and explore after that. Have to cross the Appalachians, Rockies, and the Cascades to get there. My mountain driving makes my DW nervous.

[bobman]

go to a gravel pit and ask them to weigh your truck for you they will probably do it for free

[etruitt]

I just checked the window sticker/spec sheet and it lists 7000 lb hitch receiver with dual connector. Does that mean my "tow rating" is only 7k lbs or does that mean the receiver will handle up to 7k lbs hitch weight? Probably sounds like a stupid question but if I knew the answer I wouldn't ask.

[msmith1199]

And the good news is if your motorhome ever breaks down you can flip things around and tow it with the truck! But on a serious note, I have a 35 foot DP with a 330 HP cat and I tow a Dodge Dakota 4x4 with it and I used to tow a Jeep Liberty. When I went from the Liberty to the Dakota I could feel the extra weight back there and the loss in performance. I wouldn't even think about towing something of the size you are talking about myself, but I live in California and we have mountains here.

The problem I see for you is you may spend a lot of money setting it up to be towed, and then find out you don't like it at all once you have it set up.

[etruitt]

Shipping weight on the truck shows as 7100 lbs. For some reason I thought it weighed around 8500 lbs. What is "tow rating" and where do I find it? I've only had the motorhome about 7 months so new to this type of RVing. What kind of equipment is required and about how much $?

[AndyW]

If the truck can be towed 4 down and it's under your tow rating, I don't see why not.

[Heisenberg]

It is within the specs of your hitch. Take your time and it should be no problem.