F350 diesel dw and 18ooo pound of camper

[Biker Will]

I have the truck ordered. I would greatly appreciate your feedback from your own towing experiences. The unit we really like is also the biggest.the unit is a Forest River 386x12 triple axle here are the specs pin 2450 unit14500 pay load 3450 its 41 foot. The weights include a factory Onan genny that I will not be ordering so im estimating thats a 300 pound dedication and defiantly some pin weight reduction. The truck will have a air bags installed and also a Hensley air pin box.the truck is rated 21500 for fith wheel towing. I believe we will be about 3000 pounds of payload that will include a 850 pound Harley.any thoughts on how this will pull would be greatly appreciated. Thank will

 

[longhaul]

I see posts on other forums where the new F350 DRW pulls 40' toy haulkers in the 19k-21k range. The owners all seems to be tickled with the F350 towing performance.

I also see on a couple of LTL load board websites some operators have high praise for the new F350 DRW 6.7 diesel package over the previous 6.4 engine. These guys pull in excess of 30k-35k gross combined every day.  Your combo sound like a good match. I've owned several one ton DRW trucks. I always load the truck first and then make a decision if air bags or a aftermarket suspension help is needed. You many not need it with the DRW truck.

 

[tmccutcheon]

I have a F-350 DRW and pull a 42' 9" toy hauler rated to 18,000 lbs (14500 dry and 3500 capacity).  The family and I drove it from Atlanta to Disney World this past summer and the truck did awesome.  Most of my trips are less than 100 miles one way with moderate GA hills and the truck never struggles on the hills.  I do have the genny in the front and admittedly have not weighed the trailer on scales but even without air bags the truck pulls great.

 

[Biker Will]

Thank you for the feedback ! Hopefully I will  hear more from you guys hualing big units or toy haulers I know your out there . I have a friend with the same truck I know he pulls loads sometimes 25 to 30 k ( excavation equipment and livestock ) I have been with him on several occasions my least doubt in this truck is about its motor it actuall seems like its happy when it is loaded up. My biggest concern is the handeling and. Stopping.  Is this thing going to feel stable at interstate speeds. Is it going to stop in the mountains out west.we will be doing the Outdoor and TT camping 70 % and private the remaining and full time . We will be hitting the road Ft for a few years. Thanks safe travel ;D

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

my least doubt in this truck is about its motor it actuall seems like its happy when it is loaded up. My biggest concern is the handeling and. Stopping.

And that is the proper concern to have!  If traveling in mountainous areas, I would strongly recommend adding an exhaust brake to the diesel to reduce the burden on the truck brakes. And make sure the trailer brakes are always up to snuff and that the brake controller is properly adjusted as well.

As far as stability, it should be fine as long as your trailer pin weight does not exceed the trucks payload and rear axle ratings. Remember, though, that passengers and gear in the truck also count toward the payload.

 

[Biker Will]

Thanks For the info Gary . The unit is disk brakes and I personally never had a unit with disk but I assume they are a improvement over drum brakes. the trucks factory brake controller can be set to conventional electric brakes or electric over hydraulic.  As far as the engine brake on the 2013 are they are supposed to work very well if not then I will look at after market engine brakes and again thank you

 

[znerf]

If you are ordering a new truck get the 5th Wheel tow package and you will be able to tow 22,500 lb the hitch mount is bolted to the frame and all of the bed supports are installed the best part is the electrical connection is in the bed. It will come with sway control and the anti lock brakes are connected to the trailer. I only have a F250 Gas but the hitch and the mount are the same in all of the F-series SD trucks. I is one of the best factory installed tow pkg that I have seen. 

 

[Biker Will]

Thanks for that info! The Ford salesman didn't explain that option to me . I do have a question if I go with the ford setup its it going to limit my options for a what air pin boxes I can use and plates. The electrical setup sounds great having that tied in with the anti locks brakes on the truck. I know I want a air pin box and im am not concerned about the cost because I belive it will be money well spent. I am am open to suggestions on set ups.  I have heard that the factory ford fitfh wheel system can limit your options .I am really struggling with this its seems that whom ever I am talking with (business) there product is better than the competition's. Any info on a good cobo would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks

 

[STEVEandSUE]

Reese sells a rail set up that fits into the Ford factory attachment points and gives you a set of rails that will allow a standard hitch to work


I tow a 35x12 xlr toyhauler with a 2012 F350 dually i have to look to be sure the trailer is there once i get it up to speed


One thing to watch out for if you dont get the generator and load toys in the back is too lite of a pin weight i believe you want about 20% on the pin



Steve

 

[Biker Will]

Thanks for that info Steve. Not in a million years wouldn't I really would have gave much tought to getting a something so heavy light in the nose!! I was going to delete the genny to help nose weight maybee I need to rethink think that. I am reading so much info on people struggling to get there rigs level it worries me . I am a perfectionist if I cant get this rig level it will cause me some serious stress. Has anyone ever seen any data from a wind tunnel on a 5er . Now you really have me thinking what the air and the flow pressures looks like when these monsters are in tow. Thanks

 

[Phil Hyde]

IIRC the new Ford Powerstroke has an exhaust brake.  This is probably my favorite towing feature of my Doge.

 

[Biker Will]

Thank you everyone for your comments they were great tools in our decision making process so now its sit back and wait time. the 2013 Ford F350 Super duty dually is ordered as well as the Forest River 386x12 thunderbolt. Both are being built and have about twelve weeks lead time with the holidays coming up. About the only decision is the hitch setup and from what I am reading im leaing towards the trailair. Im still interested on opinions on this subject. Thanks Will and happy holidays  8)

 

[Alabamian]

The DW and I recently purchased a 410LEV Raptor, 42'6" in length.  I have a 2012 Ram 3500 DRW MC with the Tow Package and the truck handles it great, up and down hills...would not be without the exhaust brake! I have air bags on the truck to assist in the leveling (cause my wife says I'm OCD) which works perfectly.

I'm sure you'll enjoy your new toys as much as we do! We purchased the TH for when we retire in a few years, it will become our "Home"!

 

[Biker Will]

You and I would get along great Alabamian o c d and perfection are my two middle names. I am curious what hitch system you are using along with the air bags ! Are you  running a dump on your  bags and are you set up with a onboard compressor ? I have had bags on every truck I have owned in the last ten years . I never had a dump or auto fill because of price. The trucks were daily drivers , hauling firewood to pulling tow behind work trailers and bumper mount campers. I allways used manual fill valve and And the Harlley Davidson model pump for the FL bike with air shocks. Air bags in my opinion greatly improved the leveling and ride in every situation. 

 

[Foto-n-T]

The dump valve on the airbags is GREAT!! We tow with a Freightliner so the engine itself has a compressor on it but an electric one is an easy addition on a pickup.  One of the wonderful things about being able to dump the bags is that if you're just transitioning somewhere and KOAing (Kamping On Ashphalt) someplace that isn't exactly level fore/aft then a lot of times we just dump the bags on the truck to bring the unit level and stay hooked up for the nite. Also when staying at an RV park or campground that is level fore/aft once the landing gear takes the weight I'll just dump the bags and drive out from under the kingpin, this lessons the wear and tear on the landing gear motor and gearbox on a heavy rig.

Think long and hard "before" you decide to not get the genset installed if it's not too late. I don't know how much boondocking you do but I can tell you that an onboard is a wonderful addition to our present rig. We do as much boondocking as we can and actually have both the onboard and a Honda 2000 and wouldn't be without either.

As far as your kingpin weight is concerned be VERY leary of what the manufacturer says it is versus what it's gonna be once you are provisioned out, including water.  Our rig is a 40' Victory Lane which grosses out at 16,300 with a pin weight of 3,640 and that is with the bike in the back.