Which truck do I buy for my Travel Trailer?

I'd say any 3/4 ton (2500 / 250) series truck aloing with a diesel engine is a great truck to get.

I own two diesel trucks. The diesel makes towing so much more effortless.

2500 is the right tool for the job. Sure, you can turn a stuck nut with the small wrench and kill yourself doing it but it sure works a lot better when you go get the right tool. Diesel or gas of any reasonably new truck will be fine. I tow similar weight with a newer 2500 gasser through all kinds of mountains out west and it's fine. I did it before with a diesel and it was better but only slightly.

The game is so much more than power. The 2500 suspension, brakes and other things is night and day compared to a 1500. I'd opt for a newer (better mpgs) gasser as opposed to an older diesel where you're paying the premium for the diesel you don't really need.

OP, my suggestion also is for a 3/4 ton truck for something that heavy & long. 3/4 ton trucks also have beefier brakes and frames. Used to tow with an F150. Now have an F250 with V10 and 4.10 rear end. Excellent towing machine for our 29' 7K lb TT and a huge difference from an F150. We bought it as an ex-lease return vehicle and are very pleased for the amount of $$ we have into it.

You *might* get away with a 1/2 ton for shorter trips with not much elevation change. But as you are in Ca., I'd go for the 3/4 ton. If you don't absolutely need it, I find a 2WD as a 4WD takes away payload capacity and are approx. 5" higher off the ground. Also, a long bed and/or super or crew cab with longer wheelbase will help for towing a longer TT.

I also recommend shopping for a TT by GVWR to be safe. Not only are dry weights fictitious, you can't trust published CCC numbers either. Our TT for ex. has an advertised CCC of 1200 lbs. However, loaded up for an ordinary weekend camping trip, there is only about 200 lbs of CCC left and just one full holding tank would put us over the GVWR. Manufacturers weights vary all over the place though, but the problem is you won't find any published wet weights for a TT all loaded up for camping.

Tony2238 wrote:


Can you or anyone tell me where there are scales to weigh a tt?

Besides a CAT scale, also a commercial hwy weigh station scale. Can't mess around at one though and hold anyone up. May not find a spot to unhitch the TT or to do another pass. List of state weigh stations here. These are good if you just want the weight of your TV or just total weight of TT + TV.

Another is a grain elevator, which I have done once but not exactly the nicest of places to take an RV through and for unhooking or going for multiple passes.

Concrete plants also have scales but I would expect a pretty messy and busy place. Maybe a problem for multiple passes?

If at a CAT scale and doing multiple passes, tell the attendant inside so you don't get charged for each pass. I spent several hours once at a CAT scale doing multiple passes to adjust the WDH. All for $10. You may get stuck waiting for a line of commercial trucks to run through the scale too.

Tony2238 wrote:

silverfz wrote:
Always check the sticker on uvw on the trailer.my travel trailer was quoted at 6800lbs but the sticker which put on the factory while leaving with all accessories and 2 propane tank is 6333 lbs. My travel trailer is 473 lbs less then the online and dealer specs.

Can you or anyone tell me where there are scales to weigh a tt?

http://catscale.com/

Put your zip code in the locator on the lower left of the page and see what pops up.....

silverfz wrote:
Always check the sticker on uvw on the trailer.my travel trailer was quoted at 6800lbs but the sticker which put on the factory while leaving with all accessories and 2 propane tank is 6333 lbs. My travel trailer is 473 lbs less then the online and dealer specs.

Can you or anyone tell me where there are scales to weigh a tt?

06Fargo wrote:
A tow vehicle with a trailer weight rating of around 2x what you actually want to tow makes for a nice setup.

Can't be done with a TT

joshuajim wrote:

mosseater wrote:
Color me "crazy" then, because every trip I take I pull out with 34' and 8000 lbs. .

Color me crazy too as I pull a scaled 8000# trailer with my F150. Of course it has the HD payload package with 2592# payload and 11,300# towing. Thats greater than many 3/4 tons. Someone mentioned brakes. The brake rotors are almost identical in size to a F250. I don't know if this is a HD feature or standard on all F150's.

I'm not a Ford person, I think that this is the only Ford I ever owned, but it met my needs for both daily driving and towing. Did I mention that the gas mileage sucks when towing? Usually 7 to 9 MPG towing and 14 to 15 daily here in the west.

It doesn't matter, it's still a half ton. Nothing less than a dually will suffice for this size load. So what if you are within specifications? :-)

Tony2238 wrote:

So you tow 8000lbs with a 1/2 ton?

Yes I do. F150 with Max Tow and 1875 lbs payload. Tows fine.

Always check the sticker on uvw on the trailer.my travel trailer was quoted at 6800lbs but the sticker which put on the factory while leaving with all accessories and 2 propane tank is 6333 lbs. My travel trailer is 473 lbs less then the online and dealer specs.

joshuajim wrote:

mosseater wrote:
Color me "crazy" then, because every trip I take I pull out with 34' and 8000 lbs. .

Color me crazy too as I pull a scaled 8000# trailer with my F150. Of course it has the HD payload package with 2592# payload and 11,300# towing. Thats greater than many 3/4 tons. Someone mentioned brakes. The brake rotors are almost identical in size to a F250. I don't know if this is a HD feature or standard on all F150's.

I'm not a Ford person, I think that this is the only Ford I ever owned, but it met my needs for both daily driving and towing. Did I mention that the gas mileage sucks when towing? Usually 7 to 9 MPG towing and 14 to 15 daily here in the west.

So how does it pull in the mountains or very steep grades? Thanks for your input.