V10 vs. V8

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Ford has not encoded either cab style or bed length into the VIN.  On a pickup, the body and truck bed are added after the chassis is built and the VIN assigned, so the type is probably unknown when the VIN is created.

The F250 is not available in a dual rear wheel configuration, so you need not be concerned about that. F350's, however, are available with either single or duel rear wheels.
 
Ya know.....the proof is in the pudding, and I went to actually lay eyes on my two potential trucks today and the Chevy wins. Lemme tell you why. The Ford has no type of towing set-up (trailer brake controller-receiver hitch-hooks-not even a light connector), the cab is only half as large (in the back) as the chevy, it is pretty ragged out (even with less miles) and has cigarette burns and one pretty large hole in the drivers seat, it doesn't have buckets and the oil looked like that stuff you see from the ground in the beverly hillbillies. Now, I realize that the 6.0 is not the "hoss" that the V-10 is, but I will sacrifice some tow weight for the comfort and better condition of the dually.....the oill looks excellent, it has a tranny temp gauge, full tow-package, new tires and is extremely comfortable (my wife and I both have health issues), nerf bars, a gooseneck ball in back, and looks less used than the lower mileage Ford. Now if the Ford had been the "doll" that the chevy was, I would've been more pragmatic about the ratings, but there was just no comparing and they cost the same. $10k. Thanks fellas and I gues I'll just be locked into a little lower to weight
 
I think the Ford would have been the better bet if it had been in suitable condition, but I agree 100% with your choice based on the condition of the vehicles.

You can tell a lot about how someone approached maintenance by simply looking at the outward condition of a vehicle.  If they don't care about the outside, there is a high probability they are lax on their scheduled service intervals and may be abusive in their driving.  There are exceptions of course, but every one of my friends who cares about their vehicle keeps it clean.  Good choice.
 
Yes, and I could easily picture some youngsters out "mud-dawgin" in the FWD. It had a decal on the back glass of a caricature of a vicious dog. The Chevy, on the other hand, has no tears or other regalia added
 
so, what weight range would you be looking at with this tow vehicle (chevy 3500 dually 6.0 vortec with tow pkg)?
 
hey guys! you just ain't gonna believe how all this mess wound up! I got me a 25' 2008 aljo and a 1999 suburban 2500 with a 7.4L and a tow package! how ya likin me now? ;D
 
well gary, thanks for asking but a series of life changing events have come into play, making it an almost moot point. My mother-in-law died and (unbeknownst to my wife and I) left us with more deficit than we thought possible. My wifes' children bought us this travel trailer (we haven't even seen it yet and aren't even supposed to know about it) and this suburban is the only thing available to us (affordable) that is even in the class of a "towing vehicle". So let's all hope that the numbers work out....otherwise we'll just park it and live in it.
 
Its a 3/4 ton with the 454 you will be fine.  IMO some people get way to carried way with the "tow rating" thing.  For example my parents, they have a 02 F350 supercab, long box, 4X4, 7.3L diesel, 4.10 gears.  The truck is only "rated" to tow 12,500 lbs.  Their 5th wheel weighs in right around 14000lbs loaded, "technically" the truck isn't big enough to tow the camper.  But yet numerous times my father has pulled across DOT scales with 18,000lbs+ in tow on his gooseneck without them batting an eye since he was under both the truck and trailers GVW and plate weights.  Tow ratings are just that, ratings.  They are not bible or set in stone.
 
okay.....so I got a 2008 25' Layton Skyline......weights are okay. What I'm having a little trouble with now is that it came with a Husky weight distribution-sway bar set-up with this brake thing. I don't understand the mechanics of it all. I have figured out the installation of it, alright, but dunno how I should adjust it (the brake, I mean) I don't know the formula for adjusting the ball height (I'm pretty sure it is too low for my 'burb 2500), and I don't know what it will and won't allow me to do (backing up, sharp turns, etc.). I pulled it about 50 miles to get it home and experienced a lot of sway, but it was pretty darn windy, too. Also, I wonder if just pulling it the 5 or 6 miles to whatever rv park I wind up choosing (all of my options are that close) would be alright without going through all the sway bar set-up would be okay? Thanks for sticking with me, guys :-[
 
oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I got the 99 suburban 2500 with the 7.4L with a weight cap of about 9000 and the dry weight of the trailer is around 6500. Also the "brake" thing on thew husky hitch is on one side only. Right-handed, I think they call it. One more thing....I noticed in the storage on the trailer where all the hitch stuff was.........there are two magnet attach telescoping doo-hickeys with bright yellow balls on the top. What are they for?
 
Did you get the owner/installation manual with the hitch? The mechanics ought to be explained there.

Basically, the tow vehicle and trailer ought to end up level once the bars are adjusted. There are two articles in the Forum Library on adjusting a weight distributing hitch. Go to the Towing section to find them:
http://www.rvforum.net/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=26:towing-and-towables&Itemid=45&layout=default

The "brake' you are talking about sounds like a friction type anti-sway control. The trailer "brakes" are electric and in the wheels, not the hitch.

Excessive sway generally means there is insufficient weight on the tongue of the trailer. It needs to be 12-15% of the total trailer weight.

I would not tow even 6 miles without the weight distribution system in place. Without it, your tow vehicle could well be unsteerable due to insufficient weight on its front wheels.
 
communication is a very difficult human trait isn't it? No I didn't get the manual with the hitch, hence, I came here. No, I am not talking about the trailer brakes....I am talking about the friction sway control bar, and lastly.....I am asking about the adjustment of the ball height using the hitches' multi-hole bolting (up and down) adjustment wich is (unfortunately) not covered in the library article. thanks for the advice about not going even 6 miles without the weight hitch
 
snook said:
...there are two magnet attach telescoping doo-hickeys with bright yellow balls on the top. What are they for?
Click to expand...
They are an aid to backing up so that the trailer ball socket is right over the truck's ball.  One goes on truck trailer hitch in front of the ball.  The other goes on top of the trailer's hitch above the ball socket.  Both extend up to where you can see the balls out your back window.  You back up until the trailer ball is right behind the truck ball.
 
PHS79 said:
Its a 3/4 ton with the 454 you will be fine.  IMO some people get way to carried way with the "tow rating" thing.  For example my parents, they have a 02 F350 supercab, long box, 4X4, 7.3L diesel, 4.10 gears.  The truck is only "rated" to tow 12,500 lbs.  Their 5th wheel weighs in right around 14000lbs loaded, "technically" the truck isn't big enough to tow the camper.  But yet numerous times my father has pulled across DOT scales with 18,000lbs+ in tow on his gooseneck without them batting an eye since he was under both the truck and trailers GVW and plate weights.  Tow ratings are just that, ratings.  They are not bible or set in stone.
Click to expand...

Well, I agree with you to a point, the ratings are put on those trucks for a reason, now there is some saftey figured in there but trust me, I tow overweight all the time on flat ground but the second you get into the mountains where you are going down a steep grade and can't stop you will regret it.  I was towing 17,000lbs near Mt. Savage MD when I had to go down a 9% grade for 9 miles and there was no shoulder.  Glad I had a good tandem dually with good brakes and my Torqueshift tranny, first time I ever had the crap scared out of me while towing.  I can't believe they had no shoulder and no pull offs anywhere, not to mention it was dark, then I got going up a 7% grade where at the top there was a 90 degree turn onto a one lane bridge guarded with guardrails, I couldn't make the turn, it was misdnight and I had to wake some people up so I could turn around in their yard.  I said a few swear words that night.
 
This has been an excellent line of posts for me.

I own a 1997 Gulfstream Sea Hawk 29 ft with a slideout.
I had a 2006 F150 4 wheel drive and was going to tow it with that.

It actually did a good job around my area, but I had queasy feelings about heading south with it.
Hitting the mountains I would have been holding my breath waiting for something to go wrong.

I just traded it for a 2003 V10 F250 super duty crew cab/8ft bed with 4 wheel drive.

I have been told it isn't the truck itself, but its stopping ability with the trailer behind it.

Now I have the righ truck to do the job.
It is in excellent condition and looks brand new, even though it is 7 years old.
It has 77,000 miles on it and I have its complete maintenence program (with its last owner) from the dealership.
I have bought two trucks from this dealership and have had all my maintenence work done there so I know them on a good working basis.



 
All the questions you folks asked and answered have been invaluable to me.
The sites you provided to look up towing weights and the info on looking up the vin number confirmed my research that I had bought the correct truck.

I had found out trhat v10's prior to 2003 had problems with the spark plugs popping out.
This was, accordcing to my research, corrected from 2003 on.

Thankyou all for such a great number of postings.

I leave for Florida this coming September.

Bruce Matthews
Northeast Drafthorse Shoeing  www.nedrafthorseshoeing.com
Hyde Park, Vermont 05655

 
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