Suggestions for truck to pull 5th wheel

[todds]

We purchased a new 2017 VanLeigh Vilano 365 RL back in September 2016 to go full time. We had the unit delivered to a campground in the Texas hill country and we moved in while we wait out the winter. The plan is to buy a new 2017 truck the first week of February. We plan to take some short shakedown trips to get comfortable with towing before we head out for a 3 month trip to Massachusetts. We have set aside up to $80k to buy the truck. It is our intention to travel the entire country full time so we want to be sure we have enough truck to accomplish this safely.

I find the various truck specs to be confusing and I don't want to rely on the dealer to tell me what we should buy. I'm hoping someone here would tell me what you would buy for this setup. I'm prepared to either order the truck or get it from a dealer out of the area if need be.

Vilano specs:

GVWR : 16,000
Dry Weight : 13000
Hitch Weight : 2800
Width : 101"
Height : 12'11"
Length : 38'11"

Thanks,
Todd

 

[wheyin]

Chevy Silvarado Duramax with Allison transmission, one ton....the best out there, and most reliable,, I believe 950 foot pounds of torque.  Go big with the length of your camper and weight.

 

[RoyM]

You need an F-350/3500 dually to pull that much weight, any of the big 3 make fine trucks that will meet your needs. I strongly suggest diesel for your wants.

 

[VallAndMo]

Hello folks,

Agreed, the OP only has to know 3 words: 1-ton, dually and diesel.

Cheers,
--
  Vall.

 

[RVRAC]

I have a one ton diesel SRW.  I would not feel comfortable pulling that FW.  You are in the diesel dually territory.  All three brands would be ok.  Try them and choose the one your DW and you prefer.

 

[BIG JOE]

A Ford Maybe ?

An F-350 Lariat, DRW, 6.7 PSD, Crew Cab with a 3:73 Ratio Read End.. with the Trailer Towing Package. (can come equipped with a Reece FW hitch as an option)

(I bought a New 2012.. after the 2013 model year trucks were on the Lot's.. at a [Considerable Savings] ?)

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

That one ton (350/3500 class), diesel dually also has to have a Max Tow capacity well in excess of 16,000 lbs ( the trailer GVWR) to tow that trailer and a Payload (cargo) capacity in excess of 3500 lbs to carry its pin weight.

Ford, Ram, Chevy & GMC all have trucks that meet those requirements, but do not assume that every one ton dually diesel does.

 

[donuts]

Big Joe has a point about saving on your new truck. I always buy around July 4th if I can. That is when you will get the greatest discount. If you can find what you want when the dealers clear their lot for the new models, you can save as much as 10-12 grand off the MSRP and maybe a little more.

Stan

 

[longhaul]

You will be fine with any of the big three one ton DRW diesel trucks. One brand is not better than another.
Ram/Ford or GM all have about the same towing performance. Drive them all and let the wife choose the cab and interiors.

Get the white one.

 

[todds]

Thank you for all the helpful comments.

Todd

 

[vinceherman]

Just adding my 2 cents.
1 ton. Diesel.  Dually.

As you can see in my sig, we did purchase a large 5er, and all the research and experience from family members who have used trucks their whole life said "diesel dually".
So, we got a 1 ton, diesel dually.  It has performed perfectly.

 

[todds]

Thanks Vince. I'm leaning towards the F350 dually as well. Did you add anything to the suspension (similar to the AirLift product they advertise on this site)?

 

[drewtk]

+1 to the recommendations for a 1 ton, diesel, dually.

Once you have the truck, I recommend looking into adding an external fuel tank or replacing the OEM tank with a larger one.  It's a huge convenience not having to refuel as often.  With a large rig, finding gas stations to refuel isn't always easy.  Some will say their bladder makes them stop before needing to refuel anyways.  That isn't the point - it's about having more flexibility about when/where you refuel.

At least with the Fords, the rear ends tend to sag under heavy load, even with a dually.  After you hitch up for the first time, check how level you are front to back and then consider whether you need airbags.  A friend of mine just bought a new Ford dually and he needed air bags to tow his gooseneck car trailer, which has less pin weight than your RV.

 

[todds]

Thank you that sounds like good advice.

 

[grashley]

Ditto the 1 ton dually.  The BEST one is one like mine!  ;D    Get one to match your camper color!

Drive all 3 and get the one your wife likes best!

You may wish to look at a very low miles used one and save a bundle from someone who bought the wrong truck.  However, from my search, $80K should buy ANY 1 ton DRW diesel made by the big 3.  Make sure you get exactly the truck you want for that price!  If you go Ford, make sure it has the gooseneck / FW hitch package.  This is a factory installed option to make sure the hitch is properly installed.  Great option!

 

[BIG JOE]

Ditto the 1 ton dually.  The BEST one is one like mine!  ;D   

NO.. like mine ! An Extreme Lariat.  ;D

Make sure you get exactly the truck you want for that price!  If you go Ford, make sure it has the gooseneck / FW hitch package.  This is a factory installed option to make sure the hitch is properly installed.  Great option!

X2 on the hitch package ! No holes to drill in the bed.. No rails to install. The whole hitch assembly is mounted directly to the Truck Frame Rails.

 

[Wldor]

As others have stated (1ton, dually, diesel from any of the big 3), but I'd also add:

- 8ft Box.
- Tow Mirrors.
- Trailer Prep Package.

I like the GM/Chev machines, but they (like Ford) have a brand new model line-up for the 2017 model year (GM has just released a brand new diesel engine in their 3/4 & 1ton trucks, Ford has a brand new body style in theirs). Personally, I wouldn't buy the first year of ANY manufacturers new model - they typically tend to have more problems that need to be identified and resolved by the manufacturer.

 

[vinceherman]

Thanks Vince. I'm leaning towards the F350 dually as well. Did you add anything to the suspension (similar to the AirLift product they advertise on this site)?

Why, yes, I did select an option or two specific to hauling.
Actually, I selected every single option for hauling.
Every trailer prep, suspension, anything that had to do with campers or hauling or suspension.
The truck likely rides rougher when empty because of the heaver suspension.
I love the hitch.  Pull the safety pins, flip the levers and the hitch lifts out giving me the full bed.

I did limit it to rear wheel drive but I was on the fence.  To do it over, I might go with 4x.  My thinking was that this was a summer vehicle.  And if it were 4x I would be more tempted to drive it in the salty winter roads.

 

[todds]

Thanks to everyone and their comments.

I had not considered a used, low-mileage truck for fear of the possible inherited problems. Maybe it's worth a look? I'm also not sure how to find one with everything we want, including color and tow package. Perhaps we could look around the country and "go fetch it if we find what we're looking for.

 

[lone_star_dsl]

Not to fuel the fire of a brand war but Ram also has a factory fifth wheel/gooseneck package and they also have a factory air suspension option.  I've never driven one equipped with the air suspension but they do sit about 3" lower in the rear than a traditional leaf spring truck like mine.