Let's talk about HOW we tow and with what truck.....

[HornedToad]

Originally Posted by Dragonflya

Salesman swears my truck would have no problem pulling it...

How can you tell if a Salesman is lying...
his lips are moving.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by Dragonflya

Howdy folks new to this forum.
After 15 years of kicking tires trying to decide on which RV, I ended up with a great combination (or so I thought) see sig line below. am pulling an 8-9000 lb. 35' TT with no problem.

I made a trip to the Dunes over Father's day weekend. Fell in love with an XP1000 4 Side by that is 146" in length. I want that beast, but now have to reconfigure...
Went to the local dealer last weekend and looked at the New Voltage 3818 (18' rear Cargo area), and like the floor plan of the 3990 (12' rear cargo) EPIC III best. They are both north of 16,000 lbs. empty. XP10004 weighs 1600 lbs. I would be 18-19,000 loaded. Salesman swears my truck would have no problem pulling it. I see in my old Silverado brochure it says 16,800 5th wheel max and 24,500 GCWR. Add fuel and water, food etc.
1. I am thinking that I am going to be waaaaay over. We go over the Cascades and to the Coast, so always in the Hills.
2. I have read that the XP1000 4 would fit in a 12' area with either front tires up on a ramp, or deflated, can anyone confirm?

Thoughts please?
Thanks,

'13 Chevy Silverado 3500 Crew 4x4 Duramax SRW
'13 Primetime LaCrosse 35' TT Touring Edition

I would think that you have the power. The only question is the what your truck is rated for as far as towing and the last guy I would listen to would be a camper salesman.

I bet he's looking you in the eyes when he's telling you "no problem".

[DesertRat]

I have a SRW F-350 & that's why I went with the V3605 max GVWR 16,500. Can my truck tow more sure can. Would it be safe I don't think so. I've been towing with long bed SRW Fords for 11 years now & I know what & what they can't handle. I would stick to a 16,500 GVWR Toy Hauler. Oh yea I was a Mechanic & then Fleet Manager for a city for 22+ years so I know a little something about vehicles.

[Mr. Cob]

Originally Posted by Dragonflya

Howdy folks new to this forum.
After 15 years of kicking tires trying to decide on which RV, I ended up with a great combination (or so I thought) see sig line below. am pulling an 8-9000 lb. 35' TT with no problem.

I made a trip to the Dunes over Father's day weekend. Fell in love with an XP1000 4 Side by that is 146" in length. I want that beast, but now have to reconfigure...
Went to the local dealer last weekend and looked at the New Voltage 3818 (18' rear Cargo area), and like the floor plan of the 3990 (12' rear cargo) EPIC III best. They are both north of 16,000 lbs. empty. XP10004 weighs 1600 lbs. I would be 18-19,000 loaded. Salesman swears my truck would have no problem pulling it. I see in my old Silverado brochure it says 16,800 5th wheel max and 24,500 GCWR. Add fuel and water, food etc.
1. I am thinking that I am going to be waaaaay over. We go over the Cascades and to the Coast, so always in the Hills.
2. I have read that the XP1000 4 would fit in a 12' area with either front tires up on a ramp, or deflated, can anyone confirm?

Thoughts please?
Thanks,

'13 Chevy Silverado 3500 Crew 4x4 Duramax SRW
'13 Primetime LaCrosse 35' TT Touring Edition

Howdy Dragonflya,

I am also a new guy to this forum and will be picking up my new 2014 3818 next week. So what I have to say about tow vehicles may be of interest to you. For years I towed a 38 foot Weekend Warrior toy hauler with my Dodge dually diesel, MANY times over the Cascades and the Rockies so I am very familiar with mountain driving conditions.

A year ago I bought a converted semi truck to use as an RV tow rig and have NEVER been happier. You can tow just about anything with just about any truck, but can you control it if your trailer has a blowout or if you have to STOP in an emergency situation? With the Frieghtliner, I get better fuel economy then I did with the Dodge, its cheaper to maintain, cheaper to insure as it is now registered as a "motorhome" and so much more comfortable to knock down the long miles in not to mention quieter in the cab.

I know I have enough truck to safely tow the new 3818, I know many will say I am crazy but I'll wave as I climb the grade and going down the other side.

Dave

[DesertRat]

I towed with a medium duty Freightliner for a year & a half. Was okay but sold it & went back to the new Ford Diesel. Has way more HP & torque than the Freightliner did. I'm very happy with it. Plus its my wifes work vehicle. See I married a farm gal from S.D. She had a truck when I married her 30+ years ago. Now her truck has,leather heated & cooled seats, A/C back-up camera & the list goes on & on. Shes happy I'm happy.

[wildwest450]

Little guy checking in. We started our camping careers just last spring with a 17ft. Coyote hybrid. My 2005 GMC Sierra work truck towed it just fine(4000lbs loaded), even with 430,000 miles on it. When we upgraded to the new Aerolite, I knew it was time for something bigger. Found this 99 Yukon gem, 30 miles from our house, it never even had a hitch or wiring harness installed. Added a trans cooler and it pulls flawlessly. Still looking for an older 3/4 ton as we will eventually move on to a smaller 5th wheel, I think. Where it's sitting is the new gravel pad for our RV carport, hopefully.

[ducmons]

Towing our 32' Voltage T/H with a 3/4 Ton GMC Dmax. Plenty of power!!

[MisterScott]

I have a 2015 Ford F450 arriving next week. Very much looking forward to towing with this rig.I am a firm believe in a little bit of overkill as a safety margin for towing.

[DesertRat]

Originally Posted by MisterScott

I have a 2015 Ford F450 arriving next week. Very much looking forward to towing with this rig.I am a firm believe in a little bit of overkill as a safety margin for towing.

What are you towing?

[zborges]

We are towing are 2013 Kodiak Express 255BHS 4844lbs dry with a 2011 F-150 supercrew 4x4, 3.5l Ecoboost. Tows great in the Sierras.

[Mr. Cob]

Howdy All,

Brought the new 3818 toy hauler home today, sure do like it.



Dave

[RO90u14]

Can anyone tell me the turning radius of the Voltage 3895?

[sundancer 87]

I think your answer would depend on how much you want to bend your tires. I have three axles so I take all the room I can get, even play like a semi-truck turning on a city street.

[HornedToad]

Originally Posted by RO90u14

Can anyone tell me the turning radius of the Voltage 3895?

I got stuck in a parking lot and had to turn on the lenght of the truck and trailer, about 60ft, as mentioned above it scrubbed the tires badly.

I also have had to turn around from a turning lane across a three lane road to go in the opposite direction. Which with 12ft lanes and a 12ft median would also be about 60ft.

For the sake of my tires I'd rather not find out the minimum turning radius!!!

[DesertRat]

Your tow vehicle also comes into play. Longbed, shortbed crew cab effects how tight it will turn. Even different brands of tow vehicle will come into play. I bet Mr. Cob tow vehicle can turn tighter than quite a few one ton trucks can because of the steering angle.

[Mr. Cob]

Originally Posted by DesertRat

Your tow vehicle also comes into play. Longbed, shortbed crew cab effects how tight it will turn. Even different brands of tow vehicle will come into play. I bet Mr. Cob tow vehicle can turn tighter than quite a few one ton trucks can because of the steering angle.

Howdy DesertRat,

I agree the tow vehicle itself and how it is hitched to the trailer are the most critical elements in how sharp you can turn out side of lenght of the trailer.

I wasn't going to comment on this cuzz I figured most would think I was BSing, truth is my Frieghtliner can turn sharper then most large pickups and the Volvo brand of HDT turns even sharper. Most pickups the way the hitch is setup can't turn to were the truck is 90 degrees to the trailer without the trailer either hitting the truck cab or the pinbox on the trailer will hit the top of the bed rails on the truck, this limits how sharp you can turn.

Its very hard on the tires but there are couple of times when I have went down a road that I shouldn't have and have turned around in a space that most folks would have thought was impossible, not something I would recommend doing often but will do if nessisary.

Dave

[DesertRat]

Yes I had a Freightliner truck between my 05 F350 & my 2012 F350. It would turn tighter with the same wheelbase as the Fords. Sold it as just didn't have the HP to go up hills. I love my 2012 F-350.

[Mr. Cob]

Originally Posted by DesertRat

Yes I had a Freightliner truck between my 05 F350 & my 2012 F350. It would turn tighter with the same wheelbase as the Fords. Sold it as just didn't have the HP to go up hills. I love my 2012 F-350.
Attachment 1486

Howdy DesertRat,

I think you and many others got and get fooled by the "look" of the medium duty truck. They look big, cuss size wise they are bigger, they have stronger running gear but MOST not all but MOST have an engine that is the same as what comes in a light duty truck and a one ton dually is a light duty truck. That small engine is not going to do a very good job of pulling a heaver truck and the larger trailer that most folks buy thinking they now have the truck to tow it.

The old saying that states, "There is no replacement for displacement" is never more true then when talking about tow vehicles. Regardless of the size of the tow vehicle, a 5.x to 7.x litter engine is not going to tow like a 12.x and larger engine, theres no two ways about it. My Dodge would pull my new trailer of that I have no doubt but it won't pull it the way the Freightliner does and it would tear itself apart trying to do so, let alone stop that much weight in a panic situation.

Dave

[08ramguy]

2015 ram 2500 CC 4x4, 6.4 Hemi, 4:10 gearing.....

[Sebber83]

I know I am no longer in the Dutchemen family, but here how I tow my new Set-Up!

2014 Ram 3500 with the Cummins Turbo Diesel, went with 6.4 Bed with a Slider Hitch! I tinkered with the idea of a dually, but this is my daily driver and the 3900lb payload was more than enough!