# Which truck for towing



## tor (Jul 20, 2001)

I am in a quandry.  We have bought a 5th wheel weighing ca. 6000 lbs and would like to buy a fairly new Dodge quad-cab pickup and are looking for info regarding what would be most advisable.  A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle?  Should we go long-bed or short-bed?/


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## C Nash (Jul 20, 2001)

Which truck for towing

Hi Tor
I would recommend at least a 3/4 ton to tow the fifth wheel.  The 1/2 ton will tow your unit but, it's the stopping that worries me.  I towed mine, which weights about the same with a 1/2 ton but, have since bought a 3500 dually and would never go back.  The long bed (IMO) will work better or at least get the slider hitch with a short bed.  Better check the levelness of the unit when hooked to the Dodge 4x4.  The Dodge sits a little high but you should be able to adjust. Happy camping and good luck


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## Jerryg (Jul 21, 2001)

Which truck for towing

quote:
I am in a quandry.  We have bought a 5th wheel weighing ca. 6000 lbs and would like to buy a fairly new Dodge quad-cab pickup and are looking for info regarding what would be most advisable.  A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle?  Should we go long-bed or short-bed?/


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## Jerryg (Jul 21, 2001)

Which truck for towing

quote:
I am in a quandry.  We have bought a 5th wheel weighing ca. 6000 lbs and would like to buy a fairly new Dodge quad-cab pickup and are looking for info regarding what would be most advisable.  A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle?  Should we go long-bed or short-bed?/


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## Jerryg (Jul 21, 2001)

Which truck for towing

quote:
I am in a quandry.  We have bought a 5th wheel weighing ca. 6000 lbs and would like to buy a fairly new Dodge quad-cab pickup and are looking for info regarding what would be most advisable.  A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle?  Should we go long-bed or short-bed?/


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## Jerryg (Jul 21, 2001)

Which truck for towing

quote:
I am in a quandry.  We have bought a 5th wheel weighing ca. 6000 lbs and would like to buy a fairly new Dodge quad-cab pickup and are looking for info regarding what would be most advisable.  A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle?  Should we go long-bed or short-bed?/


I had a 1998 1/2 ton ram qc with the 5.9 and 3.55 differential with which I pulled a 30 ft. TT that weighed about 6500# loaded. It did the job but didn't have a lot of reserve power. The 4.10 differential might have made it better for towing but I wanted a compromise between towing ability and gas mileage. We recently upgraded to a 30' high profile fifth wheel that weighed about9000# loaded. The old truck wouldn't do the job so I went with a 2001 ram 3/4 ton qc sb with the same 3.55 differential and the v-10 engine. This set-up does the job and I am happy with it. I considered the desiel but couldn't justify the cost. Didn't think I would ever break even. Also went with the 2wd (both vehicles) rather than 4wd for the same reason even though I live in MN and 4wd would be nice to have. As far as the short bed goes, I have the reese hitch with the slider (which I haven't really had to use)and I am happy with it. Just be sure your fifth wheel has the extended pin. The long bed would be a little better tow vehicle but with the longer turning radius, it was more difficult for my wife to drive and park. Again, this was a comromise situation and I am happy with the way the sb handles the fiver. At any rate, I would definitely go with the 3/4 ton truck for the fifth wheel even though it sounds like the fiver you bought is fairly small. Remember that the profile is higher for the fifth wheel and therefore pushes more air than a TT. Too much truck is better than too little. Besides, If you ever wanted to go with a larger fiver, your 1/2 ton definitely wouldn't work.
Good luck
Jerryg


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## battmain (Jul 26, 2001)

Which truck for towing

quote:A half-ton 4x4 seems to be what I am hankering toward. Does the 5.9 liter have enough muscle? If we purchased a 3/4 ton with a 5.9 liter, would that have enough muscle? Should we go long-bed or short-bed?

For that much weight, I'd suggest the 3/4 ton based on my own experiences. I pull a race car on an open trailer with surge brakes weighing ~3700 pounds. Before I bought the current tow vehicle, I would borrow vans, throw a hitch and lights on them and go where I needed to go. The 150/1500 series vans, would warp their brakes at the start of the trip. Whenever I used the 250/2500 series vans, no problems with them at all, and the transmission was a lot less busy shifting. For my current tow vehicle, I went with a 2500HD and 4x4. Reason I went with 4x4 is so that I could use 4wd low and not waste my time spinning wheels in the wet grass. I also chose longbed, because it came with a much larger gas tank, compared with the shortbed. (at least for the GM models) For a 5th wheel, you should consider a longbed, unless you don't mind getting out in the rain to release the slider to back into tight spots or getting out to check the trailer to truck bed clearance. There are some people that are happy with their shortbeds, but in a longbed, you learn quickly where you can and cannot go.  (you also learn three point turns, or flooring the gas in the wet.  )
Brian

Edited by - battmain on Jul 26 2001  3:17:50 PM

Edited by - battmain on Jul 26 2001  3:18:48 PM


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