Need to buy a truck

[Jerry]

SWMBO and I just bought a used RV trailer.(2000 Arctic Fox 26x) Now I need a 1/2 ton truck to pull it. Prefer 4-door crew cab, 2-wheel drive. Anyone have one for sale? Has to be in good shape and reliable.

Brought the trailer home with a U-Haul Ford F150.A few photos can be seen at my blog page, http://www.appleattic.net/blog

Any general comments about tow vehicles would be appreciated, including brake controllers and equalizing hitches.

[jwhughes3]

How heavy is the GVWR of the trailer? 26 foot I assume? Bumper pull? Or fifth wheel? I would not think uhaul rents fifth wheels.

If its bumper pull 26 footer that is really maxed out and an equalizer is needed to prevent sway.

How many miles a year will you pull it? Mountains I assume?

You may want to consider 3/4 ton 2500 series for a heavier duty setup at altitude (brakes mostly and transmission).

Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota doesn't really matter. Get what is a good deal and you like.

John

[Crusty Snippets]

Truck

The new electronic brake control units are much better than the old hydraulic over electric units.
Wyring a US or Canadian built truck is easier than wyring the imports. This for a trailer.
If you have sufficient hitch weight and the axels are in straight you do not need an equalizer hitch.
You can measure from the hitch to the outside of the axel on each side to check. the axels may be held in place by U bolts. The axels can move when hitting bomb craters.
A 1 7/8 ball is a waste of money. Use a two inch ball unless it is a big trailer that requires a 2 5/16 ball. The 2 5/16 can vibrate lose, check it often.
When lowering the trailer onto the ball make sure the part that grabs the bottom of the ball actually goes under the ball. Always check this. Have the trailer coupling a little bit behind the ball so it rolls forward and down. Grease the ball, adjust the hitch so it is snug. Radial trailer tyres are okay for light loads but proper trailer tyres are better when the loads get heavy. Not as much flexing side to side.
Above is assuming you have electric brakes. These are best for driving in the ice and snow. Hydraulic brakes are most often seen on boat trailers.
That's a little off the top. I do have a few miles pulling trailers.
Ask anything.
In my drive is an 8000 pound 28 foot sail boat, sitting on a triple axel gooseneck trailer behind my 78 3/4 ton Chev.
That rig came over the Cascade mountains in 008. It was actually lighter than my first load, which had on my tractor and a bunch of other stuff.

Unkle Crusty

[Schming]

Did hours maybe even days of research on brake controllers, I settled on and love the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 brake controller.
There site can explain better than I the benefits:

http://www.tekonsha.com/content/default.aspx

Good Luck in Your New Home

[crazy steve]

You may want to consider 3/4 ton 2500 series for a heavier duty setup at altitude (brakes mostly and transmission).

Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota doesn't really matter. Get what is a good deal and you like.

John

+1 on the 3/4 ton... A 1/2 ton just won't have enough brakes in hilly terrain. I'd personally avoid the older Toyotas (+6 years old) as they didn't have that size 'right' yet...

[Crusty Snippets]

More thoughts

Floating rear axels are far superior to the axels found in most 1/2 ton trucks.
I often see trucks with big engines and drive trains, good brakes and springs.
But what is often overlooked is the capacity of the truck tyres.
For heavy hauling you need tyres with a 3250 pound load capacity.
When the trailer starts to wag the truck, it is most often insufficient hitch weight, and insufficient tyre capacity.
Back when I hauled boats I had a 57 Chev 3 ton with a 350 engine.
If you are thinking of an early Chev with a auto, the Turbo 400 with a cooler is the way to go. A non cooled Turbo 350 will not last.
Unkle Crusty

[DGXSER]

Jerry, not sure what the weight is on that trailer. 26' gotta be in the 6k lb range I would think. I had a 2001 F150 crew cab truck 5.4L V8 and loved it till my daughter totaled it. I used it to tow a 12' pop-up and it never knew it was back there. I also towed a Boy Scout troop trailer through the hills and mountains of the Smokey Mountains. This trailer probably went 4-5k lbs with all the gear on it. Trailer had a surge brake, but no electronic brakes. That F150 pulled it like a dream. Had no braking issues, or power concerns.

for the bigger unit your looking at, an F250 would not be a bad idea.

[Jerry]

Thanks for the comments so far. Here is more info on the trailer, which I should have included in my first post.

Bumper pull. Requires 2 - 5/16 ball. Twin axle with eletric brakes on both axles. GVWR = 10,400 pounds. Dry axle weight is 6,200 pounds. Tongue weight is 1,000 pounds.

I plan to tow it about 200 miles in the sping and again in the fall. We bought a lot in Park County, Colorado, and the trailer is destined to be our get-away spot while we develope the lot, which will take several years. There will be a few trips to the local RV dump site, about 15 miles each way.

Trips to and from the lot will involve mountain travel, Vail Pass and Hosier Pass being the high points. Vail is 10,662 feet and Hosier is 11,542.

SWMBO likes the look of the V-8 Toyota Tundra SR5 with doors that open into the extended cab area. We will be traveling with our 3 dogs, so a crew cab or extended cab with doors is going to be essential. Doors should open from the outside.

Brake controllers: Will probably go with either a Tekonsha or Hensley Mfg TruControl. The later is quite a bit more expensive but appears to be state of the art these days. Hensley also makes a good-looking equilizer hitch.

Doing research now, so I appreciate the comments!

[DGXSER]

I would definitely look into the 3/4 ton market Jerry. At those weights, once you load your personal stuff into the trailer I am betting it will exceed the GVWR of most 1/2 ton trucks. With the heavy duty use of climbing mountains and such your planning, even though it is occasional use only, the extra braking and tranny setup of the truck will be appreciated.

[DiverRay]

One BIG advantage of the 3/4 ton, you can get a Diesel engine, and just about double the fuel economy of a gas. You will also be able to tow easier, and you can still get a crew cab/extended cab for the dogs. Good luck, and maybe we will get out that way to see your "new" home in a year or two.

[motoman]

Congrats on the trailer.............gonna have to run up there and check it out. Being a long time truck and trailer owner, that house -on-wheels is heavy enough alone to warrant a 3/4ton truck rating. Sure, the half -ton will do it, but a 3/4ton will be happier........and so will you not having the trailer shoving the truck around as much. I know my 7.3 diesel Ford F-350 short bed extra -cab six-speed is a bit of an overkill for my 27ft. 5th wheel, but allows the truck to drive nicely and steep hills don't seem to slow it down much. What I was told was " don't scrimp on having enough truck".......and its very true. If SWMBO and I start pulling it more and longer distances, an exhaust brake is gonna be installed.

[Schming]

As already stated, for the weight being pulled, definately 3/4 ton.
You may also want to rethink the 2wd decision and go with 4wd.
The extra brawn and dependability will help in your development of the property also.

[Cuda 69]

First,congrats on your new camper,Artic Fox makes a quality product.Second,I own a 28' Forrest River,and I strongly suggest you buy a 3/4 ton with a tow package.I have a Ford 250,and it works very well.Mine is 2 wheel drive and it works well for me.If you will be towing off road,i'd suggest 4 wheel drive,other than that,I feel it's just more to go wrong with the truck,and worse gas mpg's. Make sure you get a good quality sway control such as a Equalizer.Check with a quality camper sales store to see what you'll need.I found the Equalizer to be the best,ain't cheap,but a whole lot better than your camper being blown all over the road when a 18 wheeler goes flying by. Oh and don't forget the weight distrubution bars.

[T99Ford]

As already stated, for the weight being pulled, definately 3/4 ton.
You may also want to rethink the 2wd decision and go with 4wd.
The extra brawn and dependability will help in your development of the property also.

This. If you are in the west, and traveling mountains, you will use the fwd. it also helps to be able to go to low range when maneuvering the trailer into tight spots or up/down steep hills. For my 30' fifth wheel I had a f250 super duty (powerstroke) which was good for most things, but with bigger trailers stability starts to become an issue. I wished at the time that I'd have gotten a dually or a small 2 ton truck to pull it.

At any rate, don't under sell yourself on a truck and think you'll be able to get by because you don't have to go that fast. You'll likely end up a hazard to yourself and everyone else if you do. Good luck with the purchase!

[Jerry]

Just to close this thread...

I ended up with a 2005 Ford F150 Lariat. 5.4L V-8. Truck already had a cold air intake and cat-back dual exhaust. Still need to pick up a brake controller and equalizer hitch. Photo below:

Lariat package includes power / heated seats and upgraded interior. Seems to be very comfortable.

We will see how well it handles the 26 foot trailer, but other owners I have spoken to seem to think this combo will work well.