SuperDuty Tow & Transport Pics (What Are You Pulling Out There)

RandyH

Full Access Member
Joined
Feb 24, 2008
Messages
262
Reaction score
5
Location
Western Colorado
New tow toy from this last summer. About 10-11K fueled up. Tows great. About double the weight of the one it replaced.

boat Cabrio 2.jpg

Boat Cabrio 7.JPG
 

FSupperSchuttler

SDD Junior Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2015
Messages
9
Reaction score
0
Location
Durham, NC, 27713
Hello out there Supper Duty Fans… I am going to be a new owner of a Supper Duty Diesel truck soon.. I need some help in finding out what F-series I am going to need for what I am planning on doing for the next 5 to 10 years. I am planning on buying a 5th wheel that weighs about 14,000 fully loaded. I want to know if pulling the 5th wheel with a F250 will do just fine, or do I have to get a F350 to do the job.. I know people out there will say if you don’t want to feel that your pulling something behind you, go with the F-350. I really don’t at first want to have to get a 350 if I don’t have to. I need some real help in this area. It will not be a new one either. I am looking at a two to Three year old truck with low mileage. I also want since I have heard the only best about the 6.7L 8clylinder Diesel is the way to go.. I need to know is crew Cab or supper Cab bigger. Should I go long bed, or Short bed.. I need lots of room in the back seating for a pet carrier for two Cats… Please help me figure this out. I know the bigger the Better is always the way to go, but I need to know if 250 will be Just fine for me… Thank you for your help in this matter… Mark
 

snicklas

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 10, 2008
Messages
424
Reaction score
25
Location
Greenfield, Indiana
My opinion; if you are going to be pulling 14,000 pound trailer (so over 20,000 truck and trailer) you NEED at least an F-350 Dually, PERIOD. An F-250 will very much have the "tail wagging the dog syndrome"..... If NC doesn't penalize you, (for example, Indiana does not, but California does) I would go with an F-450 or even an F-550 with a bed if available. In Cali, anything over a 350 is considered a "commercial vehicle" even if it is for personal use, and has a bed....

I don't think a 250 even is rated for that much weight....... even if it is "rated" to pull that much, it doesn't mean you should pull that much..... I know this from experience. It is on a smaller scale, but the same results. I had a 2000 Dodge Durango with a 5.9, and a 21' Coachmen Travel Trailer that weighed about 5500lbs (about 8500lbs total). This was within the limits set by Dodge, and I had some to spare. I towed this setup for a year and a half. I had the proper setup: brake controller, weight distribution hitch, sway control, and the factory tow package on the truck. One, In that year and a half, I killed the transmission, but in that era, transmissions were not Chryslers strong suit, I averaged about 8 MPG towing (and 13 empty). Any trip was EXHAUSTING, because the entire time we were on the road I was DRIVING. With similar size and weight distribution, you are at 100% all the time, watching, correcting, trying to keep centered in the lane since semi's will push it around. Normally the day we got where we were going, or the day we got home, I was ready for bed.......

In the middle of the second season, I bought my Excursion. The first time I towed with the Excursion, I still had the hitch head adjusted for the Durango. At the time, I didn't store the trailer at the house, so I had to tow it about 5-6 miles "dead ball" (no weight distribution or sway control) to get home to have my tools. The Excursion towed the same camper better "dead ball" than the Durango setup 100%. Now with the setup, the truck weighs about 8000lbs when we travel, and the trailer was still 5500, so more weight total (~13,000lbs) but the truck had much more to "fight back" with........

So if you are going for that big of a camper, big thing is, a 5er tows MUCH BETTER than a bumper tow like I had, but get the MOST TRUCK you can afford. I have decided that for what I do at this point (have flatbed utility trailer, access to a car hauler, and we are looking for another travel trailer <30ft, I will NOT own a truck that is smaller than a 3/4 Ton (F-250, and me Excursion is actually on a 3/4 ton chassis and has 8 lug wheels and a full float rear axle). The wife and I are talking about doing some extensive traveling when I retire, and being on the road a lot, if I don't have a motorhome, the truck WILL be a Dually, PERIOD.

My Dad has a 2012 F-150, and I have my 2003 Excursion, and the F-150 is rated to tow close to what my Excursion will..... F-150 is 7500lbs, the Ex is 11000. But.. if I had to pull a 6500lb trailer... I would use my truck before I used Dads.........
 

thimages

SDD Junior Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2007
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
Location
Aurora, Co
Sold the 07 F250 with 113k on the clock, running like a champ and bought a new 2015 F250 Lariat with all the "creature" features"

Hooked up the car hauler to see how it towed.

The trailer with race car, golf cart, and other stuff is just 10k.

We're very impressed with not only the power but the handling as well.
 

Attachments

  • 11204959_10204849625575907_5567448981412496335_n.jpg
    11204959_10204849625575907_5567448981412496335_n.jpg
    69.4 KB · Views: 26

WD40

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2005
Messages
3,455
Reaction score
17
Location
Benton Arkansas
Hello Mark. I would for sure go with the F-350 Long bed for pulling a fifth-wheel over 12.000 LB's I love my DRW but understand you can get
by with SRW on a RV of the weight. If you buy from a Ford dealer, try to get one with under 50000 miles and get a Ford warranty on the truck.
Doug
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
30,506
Messages
266,043
Members
14,623
Latest member
F350 On Track
Top