My husband & I will retire in 4 years and have decided we want to travel the "RV Road." We will need to buy truck & travel trailer. I know what our DREAM trailer would be, Keystone, 5th wheel Montana & saw one being pulled with a Chevy 2500 diesel. Since the owners told us what both cost new we? know new is out of the picture. What actually sold us on this trailer was the the 2 rocking, gliding, reclining chairs & the computer work station. Sorry...I started dreaming...LOL. WHAT my real question is: How do we go about searching for our "pull" vehicle? Searching for trailers is easy but the other.... we don't know where or how to begin. We've also flirted with the idea of having the vehicle being a "mini home" of some sort so we could set up in a CG and take 2-3 day trips from the CG site & not have to rush back to the CG at days end. Any advice or suggestions? Thank you.
Fulltime wannabe's
- Thread starter mwaites
- Start date
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Gary RV_Wizard
Site Team
Generally we tell people to select the trailer first and then shop for the tow vehicle. That's because you don't want to have an undersized tow vehicle and people usually underestimate how big a trailer they will actually buy. The one that captures your heart is alost always a little bigger, a little heavier (and a little more expensive) than what you planned on. Of course, you could always buy a truck "big enough for anything", but sometimes we cannot afford that strategy.
Since you are looking at fifth wheels, you probably should be considering a diesel pick-up truck as the preferred tow vehicle. Ford, Chevy/GMC and Dodge all make good diesel pick-ups in the 3/4 ton (F250/2500) and 1 ton (F350/3500) range. You may even need to step up to a Ford F450/F550 or Chevy Kodiak (medium duty trucks) for some of the larger trailers, but those can really strteeh your budget.
Get the maximum gross weight (GVWR), unladen weight (UVW) and hitch (pin) weight for the trailer you think you might be buying. That will tell us just how large a truck you should be considering, i.e. if a 2500 model will be sufficient.
Since you are looking at fifth wheels, you probably should be considering a diesel pick-up truck as the preferred tow vehicle. Ford, Chevy/GMC and Dodge all make good diesel pick-ups in the 3/4 ton (F250/2500) and 1 ton (F350/3500) range. You may even need to step up to a Ford F450/F550 or Chevy Kodiak (medium duty trucks) for some of the larger trailers, but those can really strteeh your budget.
Get the maximum gross weight (GVWR), unladen weight (UVW) and hitch (pin) weight for the trailer you think you might be buying. That will tell us just how large a truck you should be considering, i.e. if a 2500 model will be sufficient.
Carl L
Moderator Emeritus
mwaites said:
Truck choice is almost completely regulated by trailer weight.? ?You have to buy a truck that can haul the trailer of your dreams.? The best resource I know of for tow ratings is Trailer Life's tow rating tables.? ?To see them, click HERE.
Bookmark the site, you will use it a lot in your search. In using the table, we recommend discounting the rating by 10% for a safety factor. If you plan on towing in the mountain or Pacific west, make that 15% - 20% to allow for long, long 6-8% grades and 8000 foot altitudes. Use the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) for the trailer. That can be found on the DOT plate on the side of the trailer towards the front.
With the heavier trailers, you may want to consider a medium duty truck -- a smaller version of a semi tractor. The prices are competitive with the F-450, F-450 super duty pickups.
Trailers for full timing need good quality furnishings and lots of storage space. Do not fall in love with furniture -- that can be changed. Floor plan and plumbing arrangements cannot.
Carl L
Moderator Emeritus
A raft of them. F-250s, 350s, 450s, 550s, and their GMC and Dodge equivalents. The strictures of the weight tables still apply. You will need a Class IV or V weight dristributing hitch with sway control. But you would have needed a hitch system for a 5er anyway.
