What truck should I get - 29BHL

[swungorange]

Hello,

I’m a total newbie.
Me and my small family have decided to purchase a used 29BHL in the near future. First time towing a 5th wheel.

I understand that a lot goes into the numbers when towing. The last thing I would want is to get a truck that won’t be able to handle the travel. I’m looking for a used truck that would be a good fit to tow this model.

I am open to any brand truck, my budget would be 15-20k for the truck. I’m leaning 3/4 or 1 ton to get the job done (used and higher miles for the price I’m sure of). Plan would be to move the camper about every 3 months around the lower 48.

Any constructive input would be greatly appreciated. Again, I’m a beginner at this so please go easy on me haha.

Thanks!

 

[NH_Bulldog]

We have a 29BHL and tow with a 3/4 ton truck (gas), we have no issues with weight or handling and we are within the specs of the truck (our setup is in my signature below and my cargo carrying capacity is 3,470 lbs. We typically only carry two lightweight mountain bikes in the bed of the truck, two adults, two smallish dogs and one 12 year old in the truck. We have scaled our setup and average 900-1,000 lbs. under capacity of the truck. A diesel will have more towing power, but decreases the cargo carrying capacity. That being said, if you are going to buy a truck, I would suggest a 1 ton just to have some excess capacity and room to grow, especially if you have younger kids now (they grow and generate more stuff).

Another good 5th wheel bunkhouse floorplan you might consider is the Cougar Sport 2700BH. It is a little shorter and lighter and may open up more options when shopping for a truck.

 

[RacerX-KEY]

A lot of it will be affected by your payload in the truck. Do you plan to carry a lot in the truck itself….eg multiple people pets and supplies in addition to the weight of the trailer pin usually will make payload the first concern. I tend to agree the 1 ton is probably a safer idea. Each model will have a different payload capacity. From AI: “Factors like engine, cab size, bed length, and drive type all influence the payload capacity.”. For instance our F350 has up to 3000lbs less capacity than others due to the heavier diesel, 4x4 and crew cab.

 

[Notanlines]

“our F350 has up to 3000lbs less capacity than others due to the heavier diesel, 4x4 and crew cab.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. I will let you do your own investigation, but this statement is blatantly false.

 

[Dodge_Boy]

Any 3/4 will tow that camper, big block gas engine or diesel and stay away from the small block engines! At your price cap of $20K a diesel will most likely be rolled out as would a one ton.

 

[RacerX-KEY]

“our F350 has up to 3000lbs less capacity than others due to the heavier diesel, 4x4 and crew cab.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. I will let you do your own investigation, but this statement is blatantly false.

Nah…. You are way off base but probably just trolling me.

Our 2016 F350 diesel 4x4 with crew cab has a payload of 3660 with the short bed but would have a payload of up to 6460 with the long bed. You can look up the specs if you doubt me.

Original answer still stands for the OP. I would check the payload of any truck you get against your plans. With a GVWR of 11,000 lbs your rig will likely have a pin weight between 1600 and 2000 lbs That will likely work with a 3/4 ton but not if you are hauling a full crew in the crew cab with a lot of gear etc…. A 3/4 ton 2016 F350 with crew cab SRW and diesel would only have a total of 3000-3100 lbs payload.

 

[swungorange]

We have a 29BHL and tow with a 3/4 ton truck (gas), we have no issues with weight or handling and we are within the specs of the truck (our setup is in my signature below and my cargo carrying capacity is roughly 3,400 lbs.). We typically only carry two lightweight mountain bikes in the bed of the truck, two adults, two smallish dogs and one 12 year old in the truck. We have scaled our setup and average 900-1,000 lbs. under capacity of the truck. A diesel will have more towing power, but decreases the cargo carrying capacity. That being said, if you are going to buy a truck, I would suggest a 1 ton just to have some excess capacity and room to grow, especially if you have younger kids now (they grow and generate more stuff).

Another good 5th wheel bunkhouse floorplan you might consider is the Cougar Sport 2700BH. It is a little shorter and lighter and may open up more options when shopping for a truck.

Thank you for your input,

It’s funny you mention the 2700, that was the one we were deciding between.

 

[swungorange]

Nah…. You are way off base but probably just trolling me.

Our 2016 F350 diesel 4x4 with crew cab has a payload of 3660 with the short bed but would have a payload of up to 6460 with the long bed. You can look up the specs if you doubt me.

Original answer still stands for the OP. I would check the payload of any truck you get against your plans. With a GVWR of 11,000 lbs your rig will likely have a pin weight between 1600 and 2000 lbs That will likely work with a 3/4 ton but not if you are hauling a full crew in the crew cab with a lot of gear etc…. A 3/4 ton 2016 F350 with crew cab SRW and diesel would only have a total of 3000-3100 lbs payload.

Thanks for being thorough and explaining it. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[chuckster57]

I have always said, get enough truck for your next trailer. If you upgrade the trailer you won’t have to upgrade the TV.

 

[Spurlock]

Nah…. You are way off base but probably just trolling me.

Our 2016 F350 diesel 4x4 with crew cab has a payload of 3660 with the short bed but would have a payload of up to 6460 with the long bed. You can look up the specs if you doubt me.

Original answer still stands for the OP. I would check the payload of any truck you get against your plans. With a GVWR of 11,000 lbs your rig will likely have a pin weight between 1600 and 2000 lbs That will likely work with a 3/4 ton but not if you are hauling a full crew in the crew cab with a lot of gear etc…. A 3/4 ton 2016 F350 with crew cab SRW and diesel would only have a total of 3000-3100 lbs payload.

a long bed doesnt add 3,000 pounds of payload. Thats just false. F450 duallys dont have 6460 payload

 

[Spurlock]

Here is the truth- Get a F350 single rear wheel at least. Yes, a F250 diesel will pull it, but you'll have to (or should if you want to ride level) add air bags. Just get the F350 and you'll have zero issues with payload until you get 18-20k gvwr range

 

[Notanlines]

Racer, naw, I wasn’t trying to troll you. But I could have done a better job of explaining why your (well-meaning) post might be misleading. Yes, the OP does need an F350 or 3500, any of the big three. No, he does not need a dually.
DW and I have traded our wonderful, fabulous F450, 2019, and ordered and received a 2025 F350, SRW, HO 6.7 long bed crew cab Lariat loaded. Our dually had a payload of 4990 and the new 350 has a payload of 4180.
I will do an honest review in a later post.
My point in this is that that there are no F350’s with a payload of 8000 pounds ‘within reason.’

ANY of the big three one tons will make this guy happy, but it is important for him to know that any big three 3/4 ton diesels will ‘run to beat ****,’ but won’t be carrying much as a rule.

 

[NH_Bulldog]

Our 2016 F350 diesel 4x4 with crew cab has a payload of 3660 with the short bed but would have a payload of up to 6460 with the long bed. You can look up the specs if you doubt me.

Steve, with all due respect, I think you misread the specifications. If I am off base here, please cite your source, as I have mine below.

While long beds do tend to have a greater cargo weight carrying capacity, truck for truck I have never seen more than a few hundred pounds difference, and for my model year my same truck in a long bed actually has less capacity. The ONLY way you get from your 3,660 lbs. to 6,460 lbs. in cargo capacity is by going from single rear wheel short bed to dual rear wheel long bed (which is like comparing an apple to a coconut).

Here is the spec sheet from the 2016 model year Super Duty guide. Keep in mind that these are MAXIMUM values that will vary between trim levels. For example, an XL trim will have more capacity than a loaded King Ranch:

 

[wiredgeorge]

One other thing to consider.... if you want to maximize payload higher trim packages, 4x4 and a diesel eat payload. My old 2006 F350 has a payload right at 4000 lbs but I have the XL package (rubber floor mats, no accessories, vinyl bench seat, etc). If I had a King Ranch or one of the other top tier models, the payload would go down. If I lost 50 pounds, it would go up 50 lbs. Instead, we take chihuahuas with us when camping to balance the 50 lbs.

 

[Rhagfo]

One other thing to consider.... if you want to maximize payload higher trim packages, 4x4 and a diesel eat payload. My old 2006 F350 has a payload right at 4000 lbs but I have the XL package (rubber floor mats, no accessories, vinyl bench seat, etc). If I had a King Ranch or one of the other top tier models, the payload would go down. If I lost 50 pounds, it would go up 50 lbs. Instead, we take chihuahuas with us when camping to balance the 50 lbs.

Well some don't mind traveling with minimal comfort. Personally I see it as a balance between comfort and payload.
We have a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW 6.7 CTD Crew Cab. It is normally just the two of us and out Beagle, but we may have guest so crew cab. DRW well The Ram is a Laramie with sunroof, bought used otherwise it would not have had a sunroof. We don't have a larger 5th wheel but it is fat, and as we full time we carry a bit in the truck. If we had a SRW we would likely be right at max payload.
As we full time it is our only vehicle, so comfort is a nice feature.

 

[wiredgeorge]

Well some don't mind traveling with minimal comfort. Personally I see it as a balance between comfort and payload.
We have a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW 6.7 CTD Crew Cab. It is normally just the two of us and out Beagle, but we may have guest so crew cab. DRW well The Ram is a Laramie with sunroof, bought used otherwise it would not have had a sunroof. We don't have a larger 5th wheel but it is fat, and as we full time we carry a bit in the truck. If we had a SRW we would likely be right at max payload.
As we full time it is our only vehicle, so comfort is a nice feature.

Our truck is only used for pulling the camper for the most part. Comfort isn't much of a consideration. When we travel on four wheels, we travel in my wife's Cadillac CTX and that is a comfy car or use my Goldwing Roadsmith trike which is pretty comfortable.

 

[firestation12]

“our F350 has up to 3000lbs less capacity than others due to the heavier diesel, 4x4 and crew cab.”
Nothing could be further from the truth. I will let you do your own investigation, but this statement is blatantly false.

I was stunned by the 3000 lb loss of capacity for a diesel engine option statement as well.

 

[Notanlines]

I was stunned by the 3000 lb loss of capacity for a diesel engine option statement as well.

The actual figures are between 550 and 800 pound loss depending on make and model.
The Ford Godzilla weighs roughly 580 pounds versus the 6.7 diesel at 1150 pounds, just as one example.

 

[chunker]

Here's some more facts. A later model 250/2500 diesel crew cab in a Laramie or equivalent trim has a cargo capacity of around 2000# FACT. I previously had a 2017 Ram 3500 SRW Laramie with a cargo capacity of 4100#. I went with a 2020 DRW that had 5400#. FACT. My current 2024 Ram 2500 Laramie diesel CC has just UNDER 2000#. So many people don't understand what cargo capacity vs towing capacity is. Just so the OP knows anything added to the truck, 5th wheel hitch, tool box, passengers, aftermarket bumpers, etc. REDUCES the available cargo capacity to tow a 5th wheel. Will a newer 250/2500 diesel pull a 43' toyhauyler with a GVW of around 24,000#, yes!!! Will it stop it? Yes with a brick wall in front of you. Will something break, very likely. Again to the OP, get the most truck you can afford to allow for future upsizing or overloading of your RV.

 

[Gypsyrose-KEY]

Hello,

I’m a total newbie.
Me and my small family have decided to purchase a used 29BHL in the near future. First time towing a 5th wheel.

I understand that a lot goes into the numbers when towing. The last thing I would want is to get a truck that won’t be able to handle the travel. I’m looking for a used truck that would be a good fit to tow this model.

I am open to any brand truck, my budget would be 15-20k for the truck. I’m leaning 3/4 or 1 ton to get the job done (used and higher miles for the price I’m sure of). Plan would be to move the camper about every 3 months around the lower 48.

Any constructive input would be greatly appreciated. Again, I’m a beginner at this so please go easy on me haha.

Thanks!

Any 3/4 ton should pull it safely.
I use a 2010 Dodge Ram Cummins 6.7 on a 15500 lbs