What size truck to tow 5th Wheel


Pat1955

New Member
I have been lurking for several months now, didn't know about this board until I tried to post to RVTalk on yahoogroups......but I'm glad I found it.........Anyways, my husband and I are really newbies and have not purchased an RV yet.......We have read alot of books and been on alot of websites. We bought the book "How to select, inspect and buy an RV"by Gallant and the CD that rates RVs. We also have alot of material on how to select the proper sized towing vehicle. We have not purchased a tow vehicle yet. We have decided we are going to buy an 5th wheel. Now we need some advice about a towing vehicle, alot of what we've read is complicated or we are making it complicated and Gallant says we should know what we're doing BEFORE we talk to a dealer. Here is the first(probably of many) questions.............if we are looking at a 5th wheel with a GVW of 15,000 and a hitch weight of 2,500 would a F-250 diesel with a towing capacity of 15,900 be enough of a vehicle??? Will we need the F350??? Any advice, comments, etc would be welcome........we are really confused....
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
What size truck to tow 5th Wheel

To simply answer your question, Yes the truck would tow it. But, you would be pushing a 3/4 ton to it's limits with a trailer that weighs that much. A one ton would be more stable.

Want my advise, DON'T buy a 6.0 Ford diesel. If you want back up on that statement, look in the General Rving forum and read about all their problems. Ford is coming out with a new engine in the 2007 model year. I am sure the hob knobs at Ford are praying each night that it will be a better engine.
 

Pat1955

New Member
What size truck to tow 5th Wheel

Thanks, yes, I read the of the problems with the diesel, so as much as my husband wants a diesel, we'll probably go with the gas. We may have to move to the 1 ton, although we didn't want to ($$$$), we may just start looking at smaller(lighter) trailers. We are trying to do this right the first time and avoid the mistakes that some make and have to trade up in a year or so and lose their shirts on the trade......Pat
 

turnipbwc

New Member
What size truck to tow 5th Wheel

Pat,
Welcome to the forum :) . Have you even owned an RV before? If not, how do you know you will like RVing? It is not for some people. You may want to try renting a Class C first for a week to see if you like it.
I agree a 5th wheel is the way to go but I also think you need to start with a smaller one. Something along the line of a 28 foot and the 3/4 ton would pull it just fine. My pick of trucks would be the dodge diesel. One more thing, if you never pulled a trailer before you are in for a surprise. It's all different than driving a truck, a lot different than driving a Class B or C.
I would NOT recommend buying a new truck and new 5th wheel if you never owned one before. You need to rent one first to see if you like it. That is a lot of money to shell out only to find out RVing is not for you.
Good Luck in what ever you decide.
turnip
 

Pat1955

New Member
What size truck to tow 5th Wheel

Turnip, thanks for the advice. We have done some camping, not rving on our own. We think we'll really like it, but you are right we might not. we talked of the Class C ALOT, but after reading all the material out there and really talking about what we'd like we have decided on the 5th wheel. Its funny, but last night we kinda came up with the same thing about a smaller 5th wheel. Initially we probably don't need one that big(15,000), but we are looking for quality and I have noticed that the better quality are much heavier, so we'll go smaller. We need to buy a new pickup anyways (we live in a quite rural area and use the pickup for many things) and thought we'd go with a slightly bigger one than necessary and that would pull the 5th wheel too. My husband has hauled horse trailers before so he's thinking he'll be okay with the RV, but small trips will be the norm until we are BOTH used to it. And we are definitely looking to buy used (RV not TRUCK), unless we find a package deal out there. I appreciate all the comments, any help we can get we are hungry for,
Pat
 

SnowbirdInFlight

Senior Member
What size truck to tow 5th Wheel


Welcome to the board Pat! My DH and I have a 2001 - 3500 Dodge Ram with extended cab, diesel. We love it! It pulls our 39 foot travel trailer like a dream. But, I would prefer a fifth wheel. If you do get a fifth wheel just make sure it has at least a couple of slides because full-timing does get close after a while, ha ha.

Good luck with your shopping!
 
Top