Deciding on which truck to go with a new Montana

[Timon]

Over the next 12 to 18 months we're looking to sell our house in Southern California and move out of the state. With the "Profit" we'll be getting from the house we plan to buy where the cost of living is much less and healthcare is good. Right now that's open for debate.

What we have pretty much decided on is to buy a Montana along with a tow vehicle to go with it and live on the road for about a third of the year. It will be just my wife and I plus our two large dogs so one requirement is a large cab that can be rigged for the dogs.

So over the next few months we need to decide on not only which model Montana, the 3625RE is currently on the top of the list, but which tow vehicle to get. I've reduced our list to either a Ford or a Ram. Don't know yet if it will have DRW or SRW but I think a diesel is the way to go. One thing I do like about the Rams is that I believe we can get the lifetime warranty, we have it on our Journey, which if we stay on the road for more than 7 years or 100K miles, would be a plus.

So I'm open to suggestions.

Thanks

[RaptyJon]

Unless you don't mind the dogs jumping around from the floor to the seats then I can tell you that the back of a Super Duty isn't real ideal for hauling dogs. I've owned plenty of trucks and the Tundra's and F150's worked well for hauling dogs because the seats either folded down and had hard plastic backing the dogs could lay on, or the back seats folded up exposing all the room on the floor (which is my preference and most ideal for me and my dogs). Underneath the seats in the Super Duty's is a bunch of lockage storage space which is nice, but takes away from room on the floor. I've never looked into what the Chevy/GMC's offer, but I'm guessing your best bet might be a Dodge Ram with a megacab. I recently upgraded my F150 to an F250 and this was the sacrifice I had to give up in favor of a bigger/more powerful truck for pulling my trailer. If I had a cap on the bed, I'd just throw them back there and it wouldn't even be an issue - obviously this isn't an option for a 5th wheel. Good luck.

[Timon]

Couple of things,

I don't mind pulling out the rear seats and setting it up just for the dogs since I have to have a barricade made anyway however I'd rather not if I can avoid it.

I did notice that the Ram did have seats that folded very flat. I think it was the Mega Cab but I'll have to check again. No mater what I'll have to get a ramp so they can get in and out. It's a long way up there compared to the back of our Dodge Journey.

Looks like the Ram has some very impressive towing abilities even with a SRW.

So keep it coming guys.

Thanks

[gtsum2]

I have a 2014 megacab ram 3500 srw and love it. The seats recline in the back and will also fold perfectly flat to the floor so there can be a very large space for dogs back there. The extra room in the megacab is nice. However, you cannot get a long box with a megacab


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[gtsum2]

Also, my payload capacity per door sticker is 4076lbs and that is on a loaded Laramie with all options so the payload is pretty impressive imo


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[bsmith0404]

Well I'm very one sided to the Duramax , but since that isn't on our list for some reason I'll give my two cents on the others. The rear seat in the Ram sounds like a plus for you. The short bed isn't an issue with the fronts on the new RVs, don't waste your money on a slider hitch, you would actually damn near have to try to hit the cab to even come close even with a short bed. If I decided to get something other than the Dmax for some unknown reason, I would go with the Ram simply for the Cummins. I know there are a lot of Powerstrokes out there and their owners for the most part love them, I've just never been a fan. IMO (not trying to upset anyone) I would rank it 3rd of the three.

Additionally, as someone who pulled 5ers with a 2500 HD for years and recently moved up to a 3500 HD DRW, I would say go with the Dually. If you plan to do a lot of traveling you will love the stability it provides. I was amazed at the difference and will probably never go back to a SRW.

Finally, look into NM for a place to settle down again. Very low cost of living and some pretty good health care programs from what I can tell. I own three houses down there, land, construction costs, and taxes are all very low compared to other places I've lived (VA, WI, IL, CO, WY). Can't wait to get back there.

[Timon]

I was just thinking, dangerous I know. We may move to Washing State or other area where we could easily see snow. In addition we could be traveling around states with snow.

So should I be looking a 4X4 With Dually, if they have such a thing, or staying with a 4X2?

[PARAPTOR]

I would recommend 4X4, have needed it many a time following GPS routes and getting in and out of some campsites. With out it a few times may have had permanent camp sites. Nice to have in your pocket of tools

[SAABDOCTOR]

HI MY 05 DODGE 3500 WITH THE SEATS foleded down has plenty of room for the dogs. mine are big too!. I like the stability and the mental reief the dual rear wheels give me. The two reasons i Went with the dodge. are the cummins engine and the rear seat. Both Ford and Chevy GMC make good trucks too so it is a matter of what works best for you! i am not a big fan of GM It's personal. has to do with buying saab stripping all the technoligy to make their failures work then taking a Malibu and a blazer putting the key between the seats and a screaming chicken on the hood. and trying to pass that junk off as a saab. Wow That felt good any way all 3 are really good truck and as one said don not waste your money on a slider style hitch. enjoy the trips and travel safe.

[howard]

I agree with some of the other comments, specifically it's a personal choice. I've had a Dodge with a V-10, now I'm a repeat Ford customer. I have the F-350 SRW long bed, crew cab, diesel. Bought a "dog" seat cover from Cabala's for the rear seat and keep tools under the rear seat. Truck also has the built in brake controller and 5th wheel hitch that is easy to take out when not towing, heck it even has an odometer for the trailer! To say I was pleasantly surprised at the re-sale value of the previous 4 yr old F-350 would be an understatement...I was shocked to get offered almost $40,000 from CARMAX. Note that it is a large and long vehicle in the parking lot. The dealer talked me out of the DRW, said I did not tow enough. I get about 11 MPG towing and this weekend 21.3 MPG solo highway.

[Timon]

Based on what I've read so far I'm thinking the Ram with the diesel. Still may change as I get more information but that's my current thinking.

Next is the hitch. From everything I've read a trailersaver looks really nice and is the way to go. I remember pulling a 5er horse trailer and I could feel every little movement in the road or the horses. It was no fun ride. From what I read about the trailer saver most of that would be gone.

[bsmith0404]

If you don't want to remove it that beast is a good hitch. Personally I'd go with a Reese or Curt hitch and get a TrailAir or Mor-Ryde pin box on the 5er when you buy it. The pin box will take out a lot of the bounce/jerk and leave you with a hitch that you can easily remove from the truck bed if you need the cargo space to haul something when not pulling the RV. I have a TrailAir on my Alpine, still feel some bounce on some rougher roads, but it significantly reduced what I felt without it. I don't have any horses moving around in my 5er, so it's only road bounce that I have to worry about.

[Hexnut]

My personal preference is a Ram 3500 crew cab dually 4x4. I have had my 2014 now for 6 months and love it. The dual wheels do provide extra stability as well as redundancy against rear tire failure. Something you do not want with a heavy load on the rear. As far as 4x4 goes, a 4x2 I call "half a truck". If you need a truck, you will eventually need the other half. It's only a matter of time. I have seen a 4x2 unable to back his rig into his campsite due to damp grass! By the way, the 385/850 Cummins is a locomotive. If you go that route, spring for the Aisin 6 sp auto. You will be well pleased.

[Timon]

Didn't think about having a tire go flat in the rear. The Duals would solve that since the single rear wheel on either side can handle the weight for a while.

Don't know if they make them for tires that big but one could look at a inner liner on the front wheels then you'd never have to worry about a sudden loss if pressure in the tires. That maybe going overboard.

I do like the in bed hitch mounting and adapter frame for both the Ford and the Ram. There are no raw holes or rails to get into the way. Makes for a clean bed for the time between outings when you need to hall something.

When I looked at the diesel I just sat there has shaking my head when I read the torque. Wow, 850 foot lbs, that's a lot of torque. I looked at the expense of that Aisin transmission but then figured if I pulled the trigger the extra dollars are small in the overall cost.