white knuckle moments

[randym77]

Thanks for the advice, everyone.  Just the kind of stuff I wanted to know.

A 3/4 ton can handle many FW but not all.  Get a 3500 diesel truck and you will be set for whatever you get as most can handle 25,000 # GCWR.

Any rideability issues I should be aware of with those? 

Of course I will test drive, but there are things you don't notice driving around the block that you do notice driving across the country.

 

[steveblonde]

for the difference in cost between a 2500 and 3500 about $300 buy the 3500 and you can tow most anything - some prefer a dually and thats okay as well

 

[Mopar1973Man]

A 3/4 ton can handle many FW but not all.  Get a 3500 diesel truck and you will be set for whatever you get as most can handle 25,000 # GCWR.

Be careful of these hyped numbers of GCWR for most vehicle most of them you'll never reach. Like my own truck I'm rated for 20,000 GCWR or 13,250 pounds of trailer. But with a mere 8,000 pound trailer now I'm already max'ed out my trucks GVWR. Be aware these number are with only a 150 pound driver and full tank of fuel and no cargo. Again like my truck I've got passengers, a dog, cargo in the cab, cargo in the bed plus the trailer hitched to the bumper.

Mileage may vary...

 

[RVRAC]

Mopar, yours is a 3/4 ton, I was talking about a ton one.  I did miss to say newer 3500.

Randy, some people prefer DWR as Steve said, I use mine as a daily driver and go to airports frequently.  It's a pain to find parking for DRW in airports, this I have a SWR.  I had a 2500 before and it's much better the ride of a 3500 pulling a FW over 11,000. Won't argue with those who would say DRW are even better.  But doesn't fit my lifestyle. MHO

 

[randym77]

Mopar, yours is a 3/4 ton, I was talking about a ton one.  I did miss to say newer 3500.

Randy, some people prefer DWR as Steve said, I use mine as a daily driver and go to airports frequently.  It's a pain to find parking for DRW in airports, this I have a SWR.  I had a 2500 before and it's much better the ride of a 3500 pulling a FW over 11,000. Won't argue with those who would say DRW are even better.  But doesn't fit my lifestyle. MHO

Thank you.  That is just the kind of thing I wanted to know. 

This will be my daily driver as well, so I guess I have to give a lot of thought to DRW vs. SRW.

 

[steveblonde]

i had a dually awesome awesome truck BUT and there is always the BUT lol parking spots are a nightmare in that they are getting smaller as developers cheat and make more spots in a smaller area, so you learn to park at the edge and walk - no biggie. in the winter on snow and ice a dually sucks, yes its wider but you get used to it very quickly, its harder on gas, tires, BUT it will pull anything and its badass lol. but honestly all the new trucks come with a standard anti sway trailer control. and the payload on a new 3500 will handle MOST 5vers but not all. i dont miss my dually.

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Mopar, yours is a 3/4 ton, I was talking about a ton one.  I did miss to say newer 3500.

Randy, some people prefer DWR as Steve said, I use mine as a daily driver and go to airports frequently.  It's a pain to find parking for DRW in airports, this I have a SWR.  I had a 2500 before and it's much better the ride of a 3500 pulling a FW over 11,000. Won't argue with those who would say DRW are even better.  But doesn't fit my lifestyle. MHO

Yes mine is a 3/4 ton. The only difference between 2002 3/4 and 1 Ton is 2,200 GVWR and nothing really for GCWR. Hence why I bought a 3/4 vs. 1 ton back in 2002.

Again just because manufacture state a nice high tow rating number you most likely never reach those numbers because the GVWR will be reached first because most people carry passengers and cargo while towing. Also this doesn't mean because a owner manual specs say I can haul 13,000 pound trailer to go buy one. Again you want to weight out your truck with all passengers and cargo to see what is left then you know what you can buy. Because all cargo and passengers must be subtracted from the stated numbers.

 

[Houston Remodeler]

I agree with all of the above.

I too didn't want to give up my 2007 F150 as it hauled heavy loads regularly with no problems. When the TT came along it was quite another story. Even at 4800 pounds (empty), the wind was far too much for the old Ford. After one particular white knuckle experience, truck shopping was in order.

Aside from the superior hauling capabilities, the truck came with a whole bunch of new stuff which is standard on shiny new trucks these days. Integrated brake control and factory 5th wheel prep just to get started. While the old truck purred like a kitten with less than 99k miles on it,  I am now buying new veehickles faster than every 8 years.

Once you're behind the wheel you'll wonder why you didn't buy the new truck sooner.

 

[RVRAC]

Mopar, well my 2015 3500 RAM Diesel, is limited to 4,100# payload, and 25,500 GCWR.  With that anyone can pull safely hundreds of FW. My FW and truck loaded with a full tank scaled 20,800 last week and move with no problem.  I can only talk about what I experience.

 

[bcowing]

I would order a truck, with a 2nd fuel tank. Wishing my new truck had one.

 

[vmyoung61]

It is true that a 3/4 ton can haul a lot of fivers, but you have to watch the cargo capacity. That's where a lot of people go over. We did. We had a 2014 RAM 2500 short-bed and loved it. When we traded up to a fiver that was a little bigger, we found out the pin weight of the new trailer was about 1,000 lbs over the cargo capacity of our truck, once we got all of our stuff loaded in it. Traded for a 2014 RAM 3500. I've driven DRWs for my everyday vehicle for years. you get used to it.