PerryB

I just realized you're looking at a gas truck. I swear I'm not trying to spoil your fun, but for pulling a trailer with a typical road weight of around 13,000 lb. GET A DIESEL !!

The first time you get in the mountains you will absolutely hate the gasser. You're going to have to tach the **** out of it to get any power (which will still be marginal at best) and gas mileage will be WELL down in the single digits, like 6 or 7 mpg. maybe less.

When I read your original post I just naturally assumed you were talking about a diesel. I can't even imagine attempting to travel long distance pulling a big 5th with a gasser. Please get a diesel. Yes its a big jump in price, but you'll have no buyers remorse. The first time you point it up a hill you will be grinning from ear to ear. With the gasser, the first time you point it up a hill you'll realize what a mistake you made.

shoebox303

Well hell, this is getting expensive very quickly...

lewisra

Take a look at the forum on rv.net. You'll find a lot more true life experiences over there.

PerryB

If your going to sell your bricks and sticks to spend the rest of your active life on the road, do it right the first time. Buying the right truck once is a lot less money than buying the wrong truck and then trading it in on the right one, or having to settle for used on the replacement.

FWIW, I've been 5th wheel RV-ing for 20 years. I'm currently on my fourth trailer (37 ft. - 14,500 gvwr) and third turbo diesel truck. Alaska and Canada twice, across the country three times and western states camping on a regular basis. I'm not trying to sell you a truck, but to share what I've learned through experience. I would personally consider 9-10,000 lbs. the cutoff point for buying a gas truck to full time with.

shoebox303

Sound advice. Thanks for all the help!

ecobeest

Buy cheap buy twice.


Now of course I am saying this tongue in cheek. Nothing is cheap when it comes to the Super Duty.


In all honesty go with the oil burner! You will not regret it. If you are dropping this kind of coin you might as well go all in. If you stick with the 2016 right now the incentives are through the roof. I managed over 15,000 in incentives. Ford is not discounting the 2017 hardly at all; of course with it being the newest and greatest.


One negative of the 2016 though is the smaller fuel tank in the 6.5' box. If you tow on longer trips it will mean more fuel stops. That said fueling with the big boys at truck stops is not all that hard.


Lastly, if you do pull the trigger think long and hard about an extended service plan. They are spendy, but grind on your dealer for the best price. Some people don't bother but I did not like the idea of a gigantic repair bill happening once I am out of OEM warranty.

shoebox303

Yeah, I'm getting some pretty great quotes on some 2016 models, so you're right there!

I'm still trying to figure out the towing numbers so that I can talk knowledgeably to both truck and RV dealers. Here's what I think I know...

I need to be generally aware of two numbers. Towing ability and payload.

1. TOWING Capacity: This is the weight that the truck can pull. So, if it's rated at 15,000lbs, it can pull a 11,000lbs trailer.
2. PAYLOAD: This comes into play with the tongue or pin weight of the trailer. So, if a truck has a payload capacity of 10,000lbs, the truck weighs 5,000lbs, and the trailer weight on the tongue or on the 5h wheel is 2,000lbs, I'm left with 3,000lbs in capacity for people gear, etc, right (10,000 - 5,000 - 2,000)?

Am I on the right track here?

smokeywren

You need to define terms a little better


Payload capacity is GVWR of the tow vehicle (TV) minus the weight of the TV.


For example, a 2016 F-350 SRW diesel CrewCab 4x4 has GVWR up to 11,500 and it could weigh about 7,800 unloaded, leaving a payload capacity of 3,700. So let's change your theoretical truck to a more realistic configuration.


If a truck has GVWR of 11,500 and weighs 7,800 pounds, then it has a payload capacity of 3,700 lbs. The trailer weight on the tongue or on the 5h wheel is 2,000lbs, so I'm left with 1,700 lbs in capacity for people gear.


You won't find a pickup with payload capacity of 10,000 pounds. The highest payload capacity would be a regular cab dually gasser, with payload capacity over 6,000 pounds, but nowhere near 10,000 pounds.

smokeywren

Either one, but it costs a lot less if ordered as a factory option.



Depends on the weight of the trailer. Payload capacity of the tow vehicle is your limiter. That's why they make F-250, F-350 SRW, F-350 DRW, and F-450 pickups. Order the one you need to tow the trailer you intend to tow without exceeding any of the weight limits. As to the 5er hitch, the optional one from Ford is an excellent hitch. It's a Reese Elite, with either 18k or 25k max hitch weight. The 18k 5er hitch is all you'll ever need with an SRW pickup. But you can install any good 5er hitch in any SuperDuty pickup. If you want a shorty bed, then you can get the Reese Elite in an 18k slider. Or you can install a Pullrite SuperGlide automatic slider. Personally, if you decide on a shorty bed, then I would want the SuperGlide hitch - it's fully automatic so no chance for an Uh-Oh moment.

Regarding other comments you made in this thread:

Playing around with the order guide for an F-350 SRW on www.Ford.com build&price. Is an XLT worth the $4,535 additional MSRP? The difference would be a lot less for me, because I would have to add cloth seats, cruise control and power everything to the XL to make it liveable on long trips.

Minimum configuration is SuperCab with gas engine and 4.30 electronic locking rear axle for towing a heavy 5er. Long bed required for worry-free fifth-wheel towing. F-350 SRW will haul as heavy a 5er as I’d ever consider towing, and I have no use for 4x4 drivetrain for towing a 5er. Yes I’ve lived in snow country of Omaha and Denver for most of my 30+ years career and never owned a 4x4. But it's your money and your choice so you can choose a 4x4 CrewCab if you want to.


So here’s my choices for the least cost towing machine to tow a 13k 5er. First let's consider the XL trim:

2017 Ford F-350 XL
$36,245 Base MSRP
$2,715 Total of Options
$1,195 DestinationCharges
$40,155 Total MSRP

Model
$36,245 2017 Ford F-350 XL SuperCab, 8', 6.2L 2 Valve Gas SOHC EFI NA V8 (Flex-Fuel) Engine, TorqShift® 6-Speed SelectShift® Automatic w/6.2L, 4.30 Electronic Locking Axle Ratio, 4X2, SRW

Now add those minimum options required by an old man towing a big 5er:
$160 Camper Package (to add rear stabilizer bar)
$130 Front and rear Splash Guards/Mud Flaps
$0 Manual Telescoping Trailer Tow Mirrors w/Power HeatedGlass (part of value pkg)
Standard 17" tires and wheels are functional if not beautiful
$270 Trailer Brake Controller - yes, you want this one

Options added to make it closer to XLT comfort and style:
$915 Power Equipment Group; accessory delay; manual-folding,manual-telescoping power glass trailer tow mirrors with heated glass; heated convex spotter mirror, integrated clearance lamps/turn signals; perimeter alarm; power 1st-row (front-seat) windows with one-touch up/down; power locks;power tailgate lock; remote keyless entry; and upgraded door-trim panel.

$720 XL Value Package (Cruise control, chrome front and rear step bumpers, 4.2-inch center stack screen, AM/FM stereo single CD/MP3 player, bright chrome hub covers with center ornaments

$30 Privacy Glass
$100 Cloth 40/20/40 Split Bench Seats (XLT seats)

Now compare to almost identical XLT:

$40,780 Base MSRP
$680 Total of Options
$1,195 DestinationCharges
$42,655 Total MSRP

Model
$40,780 2017 Ford F-350 XLT SuperCab, 8', 6.2L 2 Valve Gas SOHC EFI NA V8 (Flex-Fuel) Engine, TorqShift® 6-Speed SelectShift® Automatic, 4.30 Electronic Locking Axle Ratio, 4X2, SRW
Paint: $0 White Gold (That’s a biggee for me. I love that color for hot arid climates. Not available on XL, so I'd probably choose white for an XL. )

$160 Camper Package
$130 Front and rear Splash Guards/Mud Flaps
$0 Privacy Glass
$0 Manual Telescoping Trailer Tow Mirrors w/Power Heated Glass
Interior
$0 Trailer Brake Controller
$0 AM/FM Stereo withSingle-CD/MP3 Player and 4 Speakers
$0 Cloth 40/20/40 Split Bench seats with 20% Locking CenterUnder-Seat Storage
Below are options that are part of XLT trim, but not included in the XL above: Are these options worth $2500 MSRP to you?
$0 BoxLink™
$0 Rear View Camera –Tailgate
$0 SiriusXM® Radio
$0 LT275/65Rx18E BSW AS tires (instead of 17” tires std on XL)
$0 SYNC®
The above options are all available at extra cost with XL trim.
0 18" Cast Aluminum Wheels with Bright Hub Cover andCenter Ornament (SRW) : Available with XL trim only with the STX exterior pkg, but then you don’t get cruise control that’s part of the XL Value package because you cannot have both the XL Value pkg and STX pkg. I insist on cruise control, so I'll worry about wheels later.

If you include all those options on your XL , then replace the steel wheels with aftermarket alloy wheels, then your XL would have an out-the-door price about the same as the XLT. So it would be silly to order an XL instead of an XLT.

Note that the above specs do not include the fifth-wheel hitch or fifth wheel prep pkg. That's only because I couldn't find them as options on Ford.com this morning, But they're there, and I would add them to the above specs to get a complete 5er towing machine.

shoebox303

This is very helpful stuff, thank you!