What truck would you suggest?

[Johnandhelen]

Hello,

I have a 2018 Fusion Impact 367 (5th Wheeler) with these specs.

Weight
Dry Weight 12,825 lbs
Payload Capacity 4,175 lbs.
GVWR 17,000 lbs.
Hitch Weight 2,970 lbs.

I am looking at all models of trucks. I believe the gas engines would not be powerful enough to tow this weight so would prefer diesel. By looking through the forums it look like most would say that a dullay would be the most stable for towing this type, but I'm not really fond of those.

Also I know that various gear ratios make a difference along with the power train, and suspension.

Let me know what you think would be a good option for towing this 5th Wheel.

I'm looking at model years from 2015 - 2020

Thanks From Montana!

[Kylemcmahon1]

That is a dry hitch weight. With no cargo. Once you load up you hitch weight will be around 4000 lbs. dually is best. You would be hard pressed to find a single rear wheel 1 ton that can hold that weight and people and your gear in truck. You really need a dually for that weight. Not saying a srw will not do it, but not the safest thing.

[Getn off]

Everyone will say they love their truck and you should buy that. So, I love my 2018 F350 dually, and you should buy one!
Seriously tho, it tows fantastically. Wouldn't have anything but.
Troy

[Snoking]

Dry pin weight of 2970 puts in dually territory. Chris

[jsb5717]

Yep, pick the brand you like but go 1 ton dually minimum

[notanlines]

In reality, you are looking to dance (own and row a very large fifth wheel) but are very hesitant to pay the fiddler (drive a dually).
I'm willing to bet, a very small amount mind you, that you already knew the answer to this question. You are well into dually territory. The cost is not prohibitive over a SRW, you and Momma will be used to it in city traffic in about 30 days, and then YOU can take your place giving the good advice in these forums.
Might not be what you wanted to hear, but you've heard it from all of us.

[wiredgeorge]

F150 with Eco-Boost engine and tow package?

[vampress_me]

I’m with everyone else, a dually is what you need with that pin weight.

And, honestly, you live in/ by an easy town to get around with a big truck. I’ve been around Butte often enough in our trucks with no issues. The last 3 trucks were SRWs, the current one is a DRW, all crew cab long beds. No worries in Butte that I can think of.

[Johnandhelen]

Thanks everyone for the feedback! I am agreeing with you and will start looking for a dually!

[travelin texans]

F150 with Eco-Boost engine and tow package?

Yep! You won't even know it's back there!

Seriously, 1 ton dually, brand of your choice.

[mtofell]

It's certainly possible with a SRW but you'll be pinching pounds and will really need to be aware of what you pack both in the truck and trailer. You won't be able to load up the trailer max of 17,000# (but maybe you don't need to? Only you know what you are going to put in it). Payload ratings on new SRW trucks are around 4300# so even if the pin were to increase to 3500# you'd still likely be okay.... just having to watch what you carry. I generally agree that a DRW is the best tool for the job but I stop short of saying it's the only tool.

[Snoking]

Not many higher trim levels will have over 4K. Just saying!

[mtofell]

Not many higher trim levels will have over 4K. Just saying!

https://www.tfltruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-ram-hd-towing-chart.pdf

I was just checking out the 2019 charts so this was fresh in my mind. I seem to remember Ford was even a couple hundred pounds higher but am mainly interested in Ram. The truck I was specifically thinking of is a 3500 SRW Cummins 4X4 with a 6'4" bed. That one comes in at 4340#.

A lot of them are north of 4000# with the highest (2WD) being 4600#+.

I get it that a DRW would be best and worry free but it is doable and one could stay within all weights with a SRW on that trailer.

[JRTJH]

https://www.tfltruck.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/2019-ram-hd-towing-chart.pdf

I was just checking out the 2019 charts so this was fresh in my mind. I seem to remember Ford was even a couple hundred pounds higher but am mainly interested in Ram. The truck I was specifically thinking of is a 3500 SRW Cummins 4X4 with a 6'4" bed. That one comes in at 4340#.

A lot of them are north of 4000# with the highest (2WD) being 4600#+.

I get it that a DRW would be best and worry free but it is doable and one could stay within all weights with a SRW on that trailer.

The chart in your link is "advertising bunk".....

The top chart is for BASE truck REGULAR CAB weights without a truck bed/box.
The second chart is for the BASE truck REGULAR CAB weights with a short box.

The BASE truck is equipped with NO options and if I remember correctly, RAM doesn't include the spare tire, jack or lug wrench in the "base truck weight"... So, "theoretically" you can get a payload that high, but in reality, ain't happening.

I'd ask, how many people who tow a fifth wheel would buy a REGULAR CAB 4x2 short box (or no box) truck to tow anything?

That's like using the runway distance for an empty airplane and deciding, "I can load my family, all our luggage and a full load of fuel and fly this baby out of my driveway, it's 600' long...... OK, let's see how well that goes. Same with a "regular cab, base model truck with no pickup bed, (where are you going to install the hitch?) and towing a trailer with it "because the payload is over 4 grand"....

[66joej]

^ As john said you have to look at the door sticker for actual payload. I have an '18 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty with the 6.4 hemi SLT with the Harvest Edition option. Payload is 3805. If it had the diesel option deduct another 600#. Laramie another 200#?

[gearhead]

When I was looking at new 2016 models payloads, Ford had the lowest, Chevy next, and Ram the highest. I bought a new 2016 Ram Laramie, SRW, 4x4, crew cab, long bed, Cummins, Aisin loaded except a sun roof, with a 4016# payload per the yellow tag. Previous to that I had a 2013? F350 Lariat SRW 4x4 crew cab diesel long bed with a 3267# payload.
I'm not dissing Ford, you just have to watch what GVW package you're buying.
I've always been a Chevy guy but haven't owned a Chevy HD, yet.
They are all good trucks, just be aware of what you're buying, payload wise.
And yeah, you need a dually.

[mtofell]

I'd ask, how many people who tow a fifth wheel would buy a REGULAR CAB 4x2 short box (or no box) truck to tow anything?


The 4300# I quoted is for a 4X4 crew-cab with a box. You can "what if I pack anvils?" "What if my driveway is 600 feet long down a black hole?" all day long but the fact remains a SRW truck with a 12,700# dry 5th wheel is completely possible while staying within all numbers.

[Snoking]

The 4300# I quoted is for a 4X4 crew-cab with a box. You can "what if I pack anvils?" "What if my driveway is 600 feet long down a black hole?" all day long but the fact remains a SRW truck with a 12,700# dry 5th wheel is completely possible while staying within all numbers.

Not if the dry pin weight is around 3K. I tow a 16K fifth wheel, however it started with a 2435 dry pin weight. Chris

[sourdough]

The 4300# I quoted is for a 4X4 crew-cab with a box. You can "what if I pack anvils?" "What if my driveway is 600 feet long down a black hole?" all day long but the fact remains a SRW truck with a 12,700# dry 5th wheel is completely possible while staying within all numbers.

I've been looking for a Ram 3500 that fits what I want and they are hard to find without ordering. But, most I've looked at on the lot have a payload in the 4200 lb. range - non diesel. With that choice I've already limited my RV choices to 12,500 gvw. Why?

No one, I repeat no one, runs around pulling an advertised "12,700 lb. dry" trailer. Why? What is the gvw of that trailer? 15-16,000 lbs? All of a sudden that "4300 lbs." is eaten up with a 3000 lb. pin weight (guestimate), plus the hitch (2-250) and then everything else. The bad thing is reality would kick in if you actually tried to tow that 14k trailer (what if it came in at 16,000:eek:) around the country with the 6.4 hemi (which is where you get that payload). That's the reason I won't go over the 12.5 trailer gvw - the limitations of the 6.4 even with a 4.10.

[travelin texans]

The 4300# I quoted is for a 4X4 crew-cab with a box. You can "what if I pack anvils?" "What if my driveway is 600 feet long down a black hole?" all day long but the fact remains a SRW truck with a 12,700# dry 5th wheel is completely possible while staying within all numbers.

Actually you can't tow any RV at it's dry weight with any truck!!!
You nor anyone else, except the guy that delivered it from the factory to the dealership & he added a 50 lb battery, will ever see that dry weight again. That number along with dry pin/hitch weight are a totally useless worthless number when shopping for a truck.

[JRTJH]

The 4300# I quoted is for a 4X4 crew-cab with a box. You can "what if I pack anvils?" "What if my driveway is 600 feet long down a black hole?" all day long but the fact remains a SRW truck with a 12,700# dry 5th wheel is completely possible while staying within all numbers.

When you find that truck, take a photo of the yellow sticker and post it on the forum. Until then, a 4300 pound payload in a 1 ton truck that's equipped with the options any RV owner would want and need is only parked next to the unicorn pen at the dealership.

[sully585]

from all the research i've done in the past couple months before picking a out a tow vehicle, the best rule of thumb i've seen is that if your FULLY LOADED pin weight is 3000 lbs or more, it's best to get a dually, simply because if you buy a 1-ton SRW and put 3000 lbs on the hitch, you only have around 500-1000 lbs of payload left over for you, the wife, kids, fuel, tools, 5er hitch, etc. as far as which manufacturer, everybody has their favorites (i'm a GM guy) but honestly any of the big 3 have very good engine/transmission combinations.

btw...greetings from a fellow Montanan. born and raised in the Electric City of Great Falls! i'm a transplanted Texan now, but i miss Big Sky Country every day.

[Snoking]

from all the research i've done in the past couple months before picking a out a tow vehicle, the best rule of thumb i've seen is that if your FULLY LOADED pin weight is 3000 lbs or more, it's best to get a dually, simply because if you buy a 1-ton SRW and put 3000 lbs on the hitch, you only have around 500-1000 lbs of payload left over for you, the wife, kids, fuel, tools, 5er hitch, etc. as far as which manufacturer, everybody has their favorites (i'm a GM guy) but honestly any of the big 3 have very good engine/transmission combinations.

btw...greetings from a fellow Montanan. born and raised in the Electric City of Great Falls! i'm a transplanted Texan now, but i miss Big Sky Country every day.

I would put it much lower, around 2500+ if one is going to use the setup for extended trips.

Installing a washer/drier in the nose and/or generator puts one in a dually for sure.

We full timed for a year and a half with a RAM 3500 SRW 4x4 and 16K fifth wheel, so I have a bit of first hand experience. Stability was never and issue including on high wind days. Combined weight was 24,500. As stated earlier we made 2 round trips from NW Washington to Arizona with that set up. Chris

[Roscommon48]

So, what truck did you buy????

[flybouy]

More importantly what brand of beer are stocking on board? Coke or Pepsi for the young one? Plain or peanut M&Ms? Mounds or Almond Joy? Come on, let's get this thread rolling!
:popcorn:

[mtofell]

^ As john said you have to look at the door sticker for actual payload. I have an '18 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty with the 6.4 hemi SLT with the Harvest Edition option. Payload is 3805. If it had the diesel option deduct another 600#. Laramie another 200#?

Per the chart I posted, the Hemi engines have 800# less GVWR than the Cummins counterpart (11,000 vs. 11,800 for the truck I was talking about - a quick scan of the chart shows it's sometimes a 900# difference). I'm guessing this is because the added weight of the diesel goes over the front axle and lowering the GVWR for the Hemi keeps the payloads between the Hemi and Cummins more of an "apples to apples" comparison.

[str1249]

Get the biggest truck you can afford. You never know what you're going to haul.

[CaptnJohn]

I had a 2016 F350 cc Lariat payload was 3434. Oh for pulling 14k. Wifey had to have a new 5er. At 17k I have a new F350cc lariat dually. Payload is 5598.

[Big1]

^ As john said you have to look at the door sticker for actual payload. I have an '18 Ram 3500 Heavy Duty with the 6.4 hemi SLT with the Harvest Edition option. Payload is 3805. If it had the diesel option deduct another 600#. Laramie another 200#?


I have a 2018 3500 slt ctd and my payload is 3799 lbs.

[tylerj1966]

Hands down the best truck for a big trailer is the Freightliner M2 106. I just ordered one after pricing an F450 Lariat at $80k, compared to a loaded M2 crew cab, cab and chassis at $95k. I'll have to get a bed for it and mount the hitch at additional cost, but I think it's a no-brainer. Brakes are much better on the M2 and you can't beat a Cummins L9 350/1150 for power and the engine brake.

[notanlines]

Tyler, we looked at an M-2 in Belton, Missouri a year ago. Very very nice and bargain priced at $155k. Momma said “I love it. Stop in and see me when you’re in town.” Obviously it wasn't right for ‘our’ situation. But having been raised in a family of twin-screw Emeryvilles and Diamond T’s, i would have loved to have it....for about three days!

[tylerj1966]

That's because you were pricing either a Sportchassis or TransWest conversion. I couldn't afford one of those either. I ordered mine from a Freightliner dealer with a longer-ish wheelbase. I plan to add a 16' flatbed so I can haul my side by side on the bed to avoid pulling doubles anymore. No joke - the price was $95k for a brand new rig. I'd look into it if I was you.

[notanlines]

Tyler, after the money spent on a new 450, I dont see buying something that wont pull the Suites in a better fashion AND have a wife who isnt happy. The 450 is our daily driver and has way more bells and whistles than any one truck should have. She pulls, yes, triple tows, and drives it all over town. Why would I rock this boat?

[TerRox]

Any of the big 3 dually and diesel so that you will never regret a trip!

[Leencharlotte]

My$.02. I have a 2018 369 and weights are pretty identical and a 16 350 srw. After loading ready for camping and with golf cart in garage my tongue weight was about same as dry. Over all weight was around 15200 ish which is pushing the srw weight limits. We are a family of 4 plus 2 dogs, so now we travel in 2 cars, me and dogs, wife and kids separate and not for room but for weight reasons... i am within my weight limits, barely but within. If i was shopping new truck after bought camper, would def go drw...and 4wd (seen a few 2wd trucks have issues on gravel slopes/mud with 5th wheels.

Point of post, can a srw 1ton do it? Yes... but for small price difference, dually is what you will be happiest with

[Roscommon48]

any of the one tons will work. just get something you and the wife like.


and we are talking diesel.

[rbrdriver]

3 things you need truck-wise for that trailer: 1) 1 ton, 2) Diesel, 3) Dually