Trucks

[lgpconsul]

Just purchased a new Cardinal. Won't be ready to pick up from La Mesa RV in Phoenix, AZ for about 10 days. We're now shopping for the best pick-up to tow this with. I'm looking for suggestions and recommendations.

Larry

[bigbunkhouse]

Whatever brand you like, big motor, 1 ton, get er dun!

[Travelers]

Blue oval, white, diesel?

[Future Fulltimers]

Welcome to the club Larry. Charles is right. It depends on which bird you bought. Some pull theirs with a ¾ ton while others prefer the extra stability of a larger truck with dual wheels. Some like diesels while others prefer gasers. Whatever you get, get lots of bells & whistles (gives you something to play with while driving).

[Me&Margie]

Our F-250 does a good job hauling our bird around. If you go with a new rig, keep in mind that its recommended you put some miles on it, around 500 or so, before you start towing with it.
Good Luck...............Marv

[jamespatrick4]

Larry,

Congrtulations on the new rig. As others have said, it really depends on the size of the rig. We had a 30 foot 5th wheel and pulled it with a 3/4 ton just fine. Our current rig is a 40+ foot model and I would not dream of towing that behemoth with anything less than our 1 ton tow vehicle. We have a dually but that's probably a personal preference, though I like the added stability. We also town in the Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania areas with the mountain challenges so a 3/4 ton might work terrain if you are in the flatlands. Gas or diesel is another personal prefernece but, again, if you have the bigger rig, I think you will appreciate the diesel. As far as brand goes, well, none of the three are any better than the other and you are probably just as well off by deciding, at least in part, on how good the dealer service is.

That's my 2 cents.

Good luck.

James

[jrshuman]

I just picked up a 3450RL from La Mesa about 4 weeks ago. Love it... TV is a 2009 F350 DRW 6.4L with the Boss 4.30 tow package. I couldn't be happier.

[bigbunkhouse]

This is why this place is great, no "FLAME" about brand wars just good ole boys and good ole advice, AAAHHHHHHHHHHH what a nice change!




P.S. FORD RULES J/K (but they do)

[Mike Clay]

P.S. FORD RULES J/K (but they do)

oh, sorry

[Traveler II]

We have the smallest Cardinal and our 3/4 ton does a great job. We really like the Allison transmission.

[bilmorvn]

Larry,

Most forums including this one have tons of "opinions" on tow vehicles. Checkout rv.net and escapees.com at least. The big trick is to match all the weight requirements like hitchpin, Gross vehicle weights, etc. Generally car salesmen are worthless, do it yourself. We're maxed out with our 35SB: it works because of the hitchpin weight. Have had duallys and loved them, but enjoyed only buying four tires instead of six when it came time to reshoe Mr. Truck. Also we travel a lot in Mexico and they have higher tolls for duallys plus duallys are prohibited in certain parts of various cities there. We had a crewcab and got an extended cab. Wish we had a crewcab. Enjoy!!!

[lgpconsul]

I really appreciate all the feedback I've received on trucks. I bought a 38-footer for full time use, with all the optional amenities, so a BIG truck is in order for me. I'm leaning toward a Chevvy 2500HD Duralux diesel, and as someone suggested, with all the bells and whistles. We're really looking forward to the years ahead of us, and love the ability to communicate with like-minded Cardinal owners. Thanks again for all the input!

Larry :

[Mike Clay]

Good choice Larry but you might want to look at a 1 ton dually with that kind of weight. What model trailer did you buy?

[Chief409]

Welcome!

I pulled our 30WBLE with a F250 V10 with 4:18 gears all over the West. The trailer weight was within the trucks limits at 12,400#, but I've always wanted a dully after a couple of rear tire failures (without a trailer), which scared the S*** out of me, over the years. I was considering putting "dullys" on my '85 Bronco while pulling a 24' TT. It would of looked cool! I still might, for that matter.

Whatever you get, give yourself some "fudge factor" on the trucks weight capacity. Things just seem to get heavier as they get older!

[bigbunkhouse]

full time, absolutely minimun 1 ton dually, ask bruce, and ol bird, they seem to do fine but the 3/4 ton singles will be a constant maintenance headache. They are fine for occasional use but for full time, never be under trucked, we have a 1 ton dually for part time and would not have it any other way. We pulled with a 250 4x4 lifted and it pulled fine and stopped just great but now that we have been tuggin with the big boy we will never go back. So what if ya have to park a few spaces away or buy 2 more tires every 5 years, the stability and security is amazing and it will far outweigh the negatives in longevity and safety.