Need advice on a truck for hauling a 5th wheel RV

I want to buy a big 5th wheel for full time rv living. I need advice on what truck to buy to tow the 5th wheel.

The fifth wheel will weight around 10000lbs and will probably have around 2000lbs of contents, hopefully less.

I do not intend to be travelling the country in it, I just want to have the ability to move ot occasionally and have a 4wd vehicle to commute with when there is snow on the ground and I cannot ride my motorcycle.

Im not bothered whether its gas or diesel and auto or stick. I do not want to spend mpre than $10k but want something reliable.

What would you go for?

A 2nd gen dodge with Cummins

Which Im partial to the Cummins , Ive had a 1st,2nd and 3rd gen



My dad has had 2 duramax's chevys and has been disappointed with them , the older fords with the 7.3 were solid.

For $10k? You're looking for an old GM dually with a big block.

For $22k, you could get a 2nd Gen Dodge Diesel Dually with a 6 speed and an exhaust brake.

v10 ford, maybe a bb chevy.

you most likely wont want any part of a 10 thousand dollar diesel truck.
Way more truck for the money with gas, and it doesn't sound like you are planning to move the RV enough to warrant the diesel.

A BIG 5th wheel toyhauler is going to weigh a lot more than 10,000 lbs. That is the dry weight of smaller toyhaulers. Keep in mind dry weight doesn't include propane, batteries, water in the holding tanks... Add a motorcycle all your gear for living and motorcycling and you can easy be looking at 15,000 pounds. People tow rigs like that all the time with a 3/4 ton truck but you would be best looking at a 1 ton dually.

Double your truck budget. Get an older Cummins diesel, catch up on the maintenance, and keep it forever.


1911fan

+1

This.
10K in the truck market pulling 12k lbs is a roadside emergency.
Even when you do find something prepare it with all new fluids,brakes and rubber for peace of mind.

My best friend has a 2001 dodge dually he bought for $3000 . he put new tires injection pump and serviced every thing on it . he goes on long distance runs all the time with a 30 ft goose neck with out problems. Another friend mine bought a chevy3500 4x4 with a 6.0 for 11k so they are out there you just got to do some looking.If you don't have to have 4x4 I wouldn't get it just to save some maintenance later.

So when he got done going over it he had how much into it? Let me guess he was able to do all his own work? This is a very small percentage of back yard diy due to the tools and training it takes when it comes to major diesel overhaul. Just being honest here for the OP not to get his hopes up when you throw out a number like 3k.

Tires were 1200
Injection pump was 700 iirc
Ujoints I would assume were about a hundred
Then oil change, trans oil change ,repacked the wheel bearings ,gear oil change which is no more than 300 bucks in materials
Yes he did it all himself but the only thing that required anything special was the injection pump install and that's pretty simple .
I think that is about all he did to the running part .he also installed a gooseneck hitch and rails for a fifth wheel and repainted the truck.

I paid 24600 for mine with 16000 on the odo in 08 its a 06 2500 4x4 repo that the dealer was asking 35k for.

this
YOU DON"T WANT A DIESEL! at least not for the use you are describing.
i run an auto repair shop. most diesel pickup owners are wanna be truckers. they have there place, but for what you want a 0ne ton two wheel drive dually with a big gas motor is far more practical. should be able to find one late 90s to early 2000s with mid 100,000 miles in good shape for your budget.

You want a 5th wheel toy hauler tractor that's also 4x4 for 10 grand? Get realistic. Plan on doubling your budget to get a decent truck you won't have to drop another 10 grand+ into the day you get it home. Even with a newer better truck you'll still be adding big bucks into sway bars, suspension upgrades so start with something that's worth putting money into. You also want stock BIG brakes. I've been researching this for awhile now. Though I like Cummins motors I don't like Dodge trucks. A good truck and toy hauler is a big investment so it's on hold for me till I can save more money. I only want to make those invests once. Can't afford to get it wrong and then a do-over. For my money I'm going with an F-450 Ford diesel. If you shop around a used F-450 isn't much if any more than a used 3/4 or 1Ton 4x4.

Interesting! Everyone has opinion, that keeps all in business.
I pulled 33ft, 12000pound rig with 91 Chevy 3/4 ton, 350 engine for 10 years. No problems. Top speed at top of Wolf Creek pass was 40 mph and on highway cruised at 65, getting 11 mpg. Very pleased with truck. Old truck still in use, 380,000 miles and only mechanical work has been AC repair. Body about to fall off but still pulling trailers. Put a pencil to diesel of any kind and you probably will not be able to justify expense.

A few months ago I sold my 97 F350 4x4 CC with a 7.3 for a bit over $7000. Well maintained and in excellent condition. Ran almost as good as the day I got it and I would have had no fear of jumping in and heading off on a cross country trip. It wouldn't be the fastest tow vehicle out there but it never let me down. I still miss it on occasion.

Point is, there are good trucks available in your budget. Just might take some time to find one.

completely disagree .. that's the worst advice yet. especially coming from a mechanic???

what really counts is function while towing 12k+ lbs and stay within $10k budget. which is not that hard to do if you purchase the correct truck.

for gassers .. wouldn't consider buying a 150k mile truck .. whereas 150k miles is just getting started for diesels. even if you don't consider mileage .. after tow is done, that truck will be driven around. my old 454 dually gasser was lucky to get 11mpg empty .. towing 10k lbs 8-9 mpg.

vs my 96 Dodge 12v 2500 4x4 5sp cummins gets 20- 22 mpg in town slightly better on the road ... 16mpg pulling 12k lbs.

second gen Dodge 12v Cummins with 5sp would be first choice. second choice would be pre 2003 7.3 Ford 350 .. both can be found with reasonable mileage for about $10k .. low mileage versions typically costs 2x more.

it's not what you can pull ... it's what you can safely keep in control and stop.

I've done a lot of towing for many years and driven all three major brands. Best bet for that price would be either a Ford 7.3L Powerstroke ( will out pull everything all the time), or a Dodge with the 5.9L Cummins. The 5.9L Cummins gets better mileage, but that generation is VERY prone to having the injection pump problem. Once you replace that you are good to go. It costs about $1500.00 if you have it done at a shop. The 7.3L Powerstroke is extremely reliable until it's not. Then your looking at replacing a myriad of sensors at $250-$500 each, and a turbo at about ~ $1500.00. My 2000 Ford Powerstroke was my favorite pick-up ever. I wish I still had it.
Before the Ford I had about five Chevy 454s. Horrible gas mileage and couldn't pull uphill for crap. I would never go back to those, or any gas engine for towing. Now I tow my 5th wheel fully loaded ( truthfully ~ 10 mpg) with 3/4 ton 6.7L Cummins and it pulls fine. However, you won't find one of these for $10,000. YMMV

Why not just find a semi-tractor? It won't notice your trailer and you can't drive it far enough to run the wheels off of it.

24v cummins had fuel injection pump issues which could be addressed with an improved lift pump. but 12v cummins (94 to 98.5) had mechanical injection P-pump are considered to be the most trouble free and most desirable of all Cummins engines. this includes latest Cummins in newest trucks.

weak point for all Cummins are the transmissions .. there are no free lunches .. massive HP/torque eats transmissions. manual 5sp NV4500 are preferred but they have problems like fifth gear nut coming loose. it's not unusual for folks to spend $6k+ on a built tranny. vs spending $350 for a ceramic disc clutch that will easily hold 450hp. Cummins are so easy to mod for huge HP .. don't blame anyone else if you crank up HP and rip out your tranny...

not as strong as 12v Cummins but late model Ford 7.3 circa 2003 are the most desirable of 7.3 series. don't be surprised to see folks asking way too much $$$ for late model 7.3 ...

If you are looking at a trailer in the 15K GVWR+ range I suggest one of these





Several years ago they cost 50% more than a new 3500 Dodge. But they are designed from the ground up for pulling heavy loads. I owned this one for three years, my old boss bought it off me for close to what I paid for it and ran it another 7 years. When he sold it, it had almost 100K on the clock and the motor was just getting broken in.

If you are full timing this is the way I would go. OBTW, going to the grocery store was always a hoot.

edit: Check here http://www.sportchassis.com/, don't buy one of the knock offs, you will be sorry. I do not work for the company, no association with them at all, except the plant is near my out-laws house in OK.