For the RV people

[DRPEPPER]

How much different is it to dual tow than single towing?
Will that second trailer track the same path as the first?

I "dual tow" with a bumper pull. It took a little getting used to being so long back there. I don't like being able to monitor the second trailer. I can't see it unless I am turning. As far as tracking, I have never had a problem. Mrs DP and I want a 5th wheel. Monkey Wrench has a horror story of pulling his boat behind his 5th wheel. But, I have had no problems. My fuel milage seems to be the same with two as it is with one.
DP

[DRPEPPER]

all charges were DROP

Rofl

[STUMP HUNTER]

I have a 22' that I pull with my 1/2 ton and use a Weight - Distributing Hitch. Pulls very well and very easy to use. You don't have to add anything to your truck with these.
Adjustable Trunnion Weight Distributing Hitch - 1200 lb Tongue Weight - Camco RV 48003 - Hitches & Hitch Bars - Camping World

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

It may be sheer coincidence, but a couple weeks after our first trip with the camper, a seal failed in the rear end of the truck (which we got repaired with 250 miles left on the warranty, yay!) and the truck now sits almost a full inch lower (unloaded and unhooked) than if did before. We've been doing a ton of research over the past couple weeks, gathered a lot of information and made some decisions. When you enter your truck info on the Dodge website, it says we should have an 8400 lb towing capacity. After more digging on other sources, we found out that's only with 17" wheels and 3.92 gears. Our truck came with 20" wheels and 3.55 gears, which significantly reduced towing capacity to 7,000 lbs. The dry weight of the camper is 5100 lbs. Adding in weight of LP gas and just a 1/2 tank of fresh water, along with supplies and gear puts us too close for comfort. So, this truck is now officially dedicated to boat towing only. We're picking up our "new to us" truck tomorrow. 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 with a 5.9L Cummins. No worries about towing with 13,000 lb towing capacity! We debated this back and forth and it may sound like overkill now, but it's probable that we'll upgrade campers in a few years and this truck should be able to handle anything we throw at it. Now we can finally get down to having some fun!


Just a side note: our 09 truck is the first year they came out with the coil spring rear suspension. Evidently it's been an issue because the 2013 model has the option of an integrated air suspension with 5 height settings for leveling the ride when loaded.

[DRPEPPER]

.....and so the cycle continues. Me and Mrs DP are considering the same thing. Our first truck was too small for our current camper. Now we want a bigger camper; which our current truck will be too small for. I guess it will stop when the money runs out. But, it is fun!!
DP

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

Well, we're getting closer. Didn't get the truck picked up till yesterday - part of the deal was they had to replace the front windshield and it took some extra time. But it's finally home. Now, Paul's gotta work OT this Saturday and Sunday, 10 hr days all next week, except for the 4th, and the following weekend too. Don't get to test out the new combo til at least the 13th of July. The goal is to be camping every weekend this fall!!!

[feeshrman]

get a ford f250 with a v10, i have one and it will pull a house off it's foundation. Less maintenence than a diesel and the fuel mileage ain't as bad as you would think.

Nice set-up. WE are contiplating an RV. Well I should say, IF I want my wife to go camping I need to buy the Hilton on wheels. My biggest concern is towing a boat and camper with one vehicle.

[feeshrman]

that dodge 5.9 is a fine vehicle. i travel for a living and pull/haul large and heavy loads. my previous work truck was a '06 dodge with the 5.9. i put almost 500,000 miles on it, the only trouble i had was the transmission, which went out at 250K. The cummins motor is almost bullet proof, just keep the fuel and air filters serviced and it should last a long time. By the way, you must have gotten lucky or knew someone who was ready to sell because those trucks are hard to find.

It may be sheer coincidence, but a couple weeks after our first trip with the camper, a seal failed in the rear end of the truck (which we got repaired with 250 miles left on the warranty, yay!) and the truck now sits almost a full inch lower (unloaded and unhooked) than if did before. We've been doing a ton of research over the past couple weeks, gathered a lot of information and made some decisions. When you enter your truck info on the Dodge website, it says we should have an 8400 lb towing capacity. After more digging on other sources, we found out that's only with 17" wheels and 3.92 gears. Our truck came with 20" wheels and 3.55 gears, which significantly reduced towing capacity to 7,000 lbs. The dry weight of the camper is 5100 lbs. Adding in weight of LP gas and just a 1/2 tank of fresh water, along with supplies and gear puts us too close for comfort. So, this truck is now officially dedicated to boat towing only. We're picking up our "new to us" truck tomorrow. 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 4X4 with a 5.9L Cummins. No worries about towing with 13,000 lb towing capacity! We debated this back and forth and it may sound like overkill now, but it's probable that we'll upgrade campers in a few years and this truck should be able to handle anything we throw at it. Now we can finally get down to having some fun!


Just a side note: our 09 truck is the first year they came out with the coil spring rear suspension. Evidently it's been an issue because the 2013 model has the option of an integrated air suspension with 5 height settings for leveling the ride when loaded.

[Mrs. Crappie Stalker]

By the way, you must have gotten lucky or knew someone who was ready to sell because those trucks are hard to find.

Luck and a little "right place, right time" thrown in, which is just not normal for us We've been doing a lot of research, so when we decided to bite the bullet and upgrade trucks, we were specifically looking for an 05 or 06 with the 5.9. Paul and I were both wearing out all of the auto search sites and craigslist and all the dealers within 100 miles. We had just about decided to go with an 05 that needed a little tweaking (new tires and exhaust) when this one popped up. I had just been on this dealer's website the day before and it wasn't there. It was a one owner trade in with 95k miles. We definitely plan on taking very good care of it and hopefully it will last as long as so many of the others we've heard about. Another c.commer and good friend, Roybuoy and his son run 3 trucks with this same engine and each one has 500k + miles.

[jeepguyjames]

Took our 1st trip in the camper....drove 4 hours north to lake erie....weight distribution and sway bar hitch made the drive smooth sailing.....enjoying the camper a ton....pulled good with the truck.....fishing has been good also....... Link to fishing report below.....
http://www.crappie.com/crappie/ohio/...-big-pond.html .........have a great wk end all, God bless.