Have towed regular travel trailer for years but just upgraded to my first fifth wheel. it's a Crusader 297, Gross weight approx 11,700lbs, Pin weight is 1336lbs. Currently have a F-150 and am upgrading my truck as it can't handle the new trailer, Thinking about a F-350 Diesel lariat with the 6.75ft box and a sliding fifth wheel hitch. Need 4x4 for where I live. Any advice for a newbie?

 

It all depends on your budget. A 2012+ 6.7 would be nice, but a 199.5-2003 7.3 would get the job done as well as long as the truck was mechanically healthy. With regards to a 6.0 or 6.4, I didn't want to tempt Murphy (Murphy's Law) with those engines.

We are about to drive to WI from GA next week to pick up a Montana High Country 313RE which weighs in at around 9300 lbs dry. I have seen 7.3's pulling much more than that and have actually met a man that pulled a 15,000 lbs 5th wheel with his stock 7.3 all over the country.

We towed a 10,000 lbs travel trailer from GA to Seattle and back this past summer and had a crap ton of fun. Just because a truck does not have 800+ ft lbs of torque does not mean it cannot get the job done.

The newer trucks will run circles around me in my 7.3, but I like to kick back and chill with a beer and watch the race instead of being in it anyway. My truck handled the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific NW just fine. Besides, I have about $15,000 in my truck in total and it is a beast and fun to drive with 1400 mile range when not towing due to 19 MPG and 45 gallon auxiliary tank.

 

Last month we also purchased our first fifth wheel after towing pups and travel trailers for years....and it's also a Crusader, but with the 315RST floorplan.

I think your plan to purchase a F-350 diesel is the right one.

I have a '12 F-250 Lariat diesel and it does a great job towing the 5'er, but I am 720 lbs over on my GVWR.
The 5'ers pin weight was listed at 1,953 lbs so I knew I would probably be over a little after loading up, but when I weighed the loaded 5'er and truck at a cat scale on our first trip out I was surprised that my loaded truck weighed 10,720 lbs.
The hitch weight was 2,610 lbs.
The trailer has a GVWR of 12,353 lbs with a listed dry weight of 9,964 lbs and loaded it weighed 11,090 lbs.
I am good on all ratings, axles, tires, etc..., except the truck's GVW.

So you really can't trust those listed weights in the brochures. You really need to load, hitch up and weigh your rig. Unfortunately, this can't be done until after you have made your purchase.

I've thought about rearranging how I load the 5'er in effort to lighten the pin weight, but the rear living floorplan doesn't allow for much storage in the back.
About all that I put in the cargo bay needs to go there, water and sewer hoses, lawn chairs, etc... and what I place in the forward compartment needs to go there, tools, tri-pod, etc...

My truck is also a short bed and with the contoured nose cap of the Crusader I can almost get 90 degrees without a slider hitch. That works for me.

Congrats on your new Crusader and good luck on you upcoming truck purchase.

 

If you are buying the truck to match the 5th wheel as your primary criteria then get a DRW. They handle loads a lot better. They are a lot more stable also. I spent 2 years on the road with a 2 car gooseneck car hauler in one and have done some "hair raising" maneuvering due to both idiots on the road and weather. I am still surprised by some of that years later that the truck handled so well. I didn't pull much when I got my current truck so I went the SRW route - less tires, not as wide, better on fuel. I wouldn't have any qualms about pulling much with this, and have, but if the truck's purpose for me was just pulling then I wouldn't mess around and go the DRW route.

Diesel or gas - lots of people pull with gas engines. One of our third party drivers we used had a 6 liter GMC gas that he had over 200,000 miles on hauling cars like I did. He didn't get up hills very fast but he made it - and did so for years. You still can't beat a a diesel for pulling. That's just a matter of what you can justify, though. If this is only a pulling rig - I say diesel, but thats your call.

 

Have a 250 to haul my 14K Coachman. Pin is just under 3K and all within specs of the truck. Have the slider hitch but with the rounded nose I can do 90's with no issue in tow setting.

 

Not doubting you or mean any offense.....just curious since my 2012 Lariat's yellow sticker has a CCC of 2,063 and 10,000 GVWR......but what package did you get to be able to handle just under 3K lbs pin weight?
Or did Ford increase the CCC and GVWR between the years of 2012 and 2015?
Thanks in advance.

 

Same GVWR of 10k. All the cargo goes in the trailer and that's not much. Weighed and balanced it out with scales and got the pin to just under 3k. That gets me to just under 10k combined.

 

Ok thanks.
Using the CAT scales, my truck weighed in at 7,960 unhitched. I had 3/4 tank of gas.....150 lbs of gear (normally do not have).....the fifth wheel hitch and me in the truck. So that left me with 2,040 lbs for pin weight.
What does your Lariat weigh unhitched?
Mine does have the FX 4 package so I know that doesn't help.

 

Always go the GVW of the 5th wheel when determining king pin wt. Then 20% of that number will always get you much closer then going by the sticker that is provided.


Still need to put in on the scales to ensure you are not over your axle ratings and tire ratings.


I would opt for a long box so you get the biggest fuel tank. Especially if you are going cross country.


A F250 shortly will certainly do the job easy. This was my 08 F250 with a 6.4. It was a good motor for me.


Trailer comes in a hare under 16K

 

I had a 2016 F250 4X4 6.7. The payload was just 2247. "Gross weight approx 11,700lbs, Pin weight is 1336lbs." seems unusual as pin weight is usually 20% - 25% of loaded weight. I think OP is on the right track with a F350. My 2016 F350 4X4 6.7 has a payload of 3434 with the camper package and 11,500 GVWR.

 

Senix, Samboni and I are all going through the mathematical computations of balancing and weighing issues and are probably ok with that.
I didn't get a dually because of mine being a daily driver and parking in a parking garage where size does matter.
Part of me just wants to say go with the 350 and make it a dually and not only enjoy the ride but also have fun looking for your next upgrade and not worrying if you're going to have any truck issues.

 

OK..let's start from the top. We just bought our 1st 5er, a Heartland Oakmont, 43' long with 5 slideouts. We are living in it, parked for at least a year. The tag says Max wt 15,500. The dealer delivered it for us, but I know we need a truck. My wife is going to use the truck as a daily driver, but we're only 3 miles from work. (We drive school buses.) We may tow it a couple of times a year during vacations. Definitely going F350 dually, BUT...I look at years from 1999 up to 2014 and use a VIN decoder and only a 2011 and up say they'll tow a 5er of more than 14,000 lbs. The guy who delivered it brings 5er's from Indiana to Alabama to the dealer all the time and he's got a 97 F350 dually. Where can I find the REAL towing values and how close do you stay to them?

 

Thanks for the advice, just bought a 2016 F-350 lariat diesel SRW, think this should do the trick for the Crusader we just bought. It's going to be a long winter waiting for our first road trip next spring.

 

I couldn't agree more!! We definitely are not winning any races with these older trucks. But for me most of the enjoyment on a trip is driving to our destination. So I'm never in a rush..
Would I like to have 800+ lb/ft of torque? Sure, but for me personally I would rather have a truck that is dependable, cheap and easy to maintain myself, and most of all paid off..

To the OP, Best of luck with the new truck and trailer!!

 

Picture I posted above shows a lot about the capabilities of the trucks.


I would be looking for a 2013 F350 SRW at least for your use.


You need to have a payload capability of at least 3100 lbs so you need to look at the axle ratings on the door cert and then look at the tires to see if they can handle the load.