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While Rangers are good little trucks for the most part, truthfully no. It would be a awful 5th wheel hauler. It's just too small. Small brakes, small frames, small beds. Too light a vehicle. Even a small 5th wheel will be a handful for that truck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hghplainsdrftr
Ok. Im new to this. Im thinking of a 2012 F 350 srw lariat to pull my 34' 12,500 gvwr fifth wheel. Any tips, quotes, quips, advice, boos, hisses..?
Look at it this way. The newer the truck the more comfort you get BUT the more expense UP FRONT in purchase and BACK END maintenance. If your fuel system gets junk in it and requires replacement of pump and injectors it will cost as much as rebuilding a 7.3 engine in my truck. But my truck has nowhere near the level of comfort and amenities a 2012 F350 does. And I believe the 12s have higher tow ratings too.
While I love the 7.3, the best buy IMO is a 03 and up 6.0 that has been bulletproofed and not raced/tuned/jacked with. You get the better riding front coil springs axle like the new fords have, if it been proofed you get a good motor, and the 5r100 is a stout trans. The 6.0 weaknesses are well known by now and the repairs are common. Most have had them done. The ones that didn't can be had for a ding. Once done most 6.0s run fine. They can often be had way cheaper than comparable 7.3s simply because of the issues. I have a buddy who buys them , fixes them and flips them.
If you don't mind a rougher ride from a leaf spring suspension a 7.3 is a great truck too. But people demand a premium for them. And into it may not be worth it. Figure the newest 7.3 on the road is at least 12 years OD and probably have a minimum of 150,000 miles. They are rough riding, noisy both inside and outside, the interiors are basic. And I currently still own a F350/7.3
There are aftermarket air ride systems to replace the leaf springs and a few guys transplanted the coil spring suspension off the 03 and up Superdutys to replace the older leaf spring front suspension.
As for the dual wheel vs single wheel I owned both f250 single and F350 dual. The 350 runs rings around my 250 towing the same load
Ok. Im new to this. Im thinking of a 2012 F 350 srw lariat to pull my 34' 12,500 gvwr fifth wheel. Any tips, quotes, quips, advice, boos, hisses..?
Good choice, imho. I'd stick with a 4x4 with Powerstroke (diesel) engine, but that's me. I live at a high elevation and camp at still higher elevations, so the turbo'd diesel engines are a must. I also take rough, steep mountain trails regularly for photography and firewood-gathering, so a 4x4 is a must for me.
You don't say where you live or where you'll be hauling your 5er, so it's hard to say what you need, but 4x4 diesels are popular anywhere.
If you don't need either one, used 4x2s with gas engines are cheap, cheap, cheap, but I wouldn't recommend a gas engine unless you're NOT located on the high plains and won't be driving it much. Fifth wheels have a lot of drag, so you've got that plus the weight to contend with. My last gas-powered pickup was an '89 F250 with a 460 c.i. engine. I had a pickup camper when I first got it, and it was a little underpowered for that. When I got a small 5th wheel (24 footer) it couldn't maintain highway speed, so I quickly traded it for a new (2000) F250 Powerstroke, then traded for a 30-foot 5er. What a difference!
You should be fine with srw for a 12,500 gvwr 34-foot 5er. If the pickup is strictly for towing, however, you might consider a dually. The best thing about the dually is that it would give you the option to trade for a larger 5er if/when the bug hits you. We got to the point that we wanted a large 5er a few years ago, but the old F250 with srw just wouldn't allow it. I traded the truck last year for a car, so we'll likely get a dually and a big 5er sometime in the next few years.
Ok. Im new to this. Im thinking of a 2012 F 350 srw lariat to pull my 34' 12,500 gvwr fifth wheel. Any tips, quotes, quips, advice, boos, hisses..?
The best advice I can give you is get a dually! You'll thank me later, trust me. We were full timers pulling a Montana 3400RL and the stability of a dually going down the road as well as having more rubber/wheels to spread the load across the road really helped especially in cross wind conditions. Remember, you're pulling what amounts to a giant wall down the road.
The only thing I would add is air bags for load leveling. I've put them in our other trucks since and they really do come in handy.
you dont even see dual wheels trucks around here, but hundred of four door diesel 4x4 kings ranch f 250 all day long no problem. now the king ranch is a design more than mechanical but its the truck of choice. even on hotshot.
we see 1000's of fifth wheels going up the interstate daily, only thing we see with dual wheels around here is welding rigs
I wouldn't consider towing at or near max capacity without DRW.
It's so much more a stable platform for this loading when going down the road that there's no comparison in terms of comfort, control, braking, and handling.
Unless this rig is going to be going on unimproved roads, I don't see a need for 4x4, assuming that it won't be towing in snowy/icy conditions.
I'd recommend the 4x4. You never know where you're going to have to park the camper, and sometimes, you might need it to get moving. Also, a true 4x4 will have a low range, which can be useful for crawling along in some off-road situations. Again, you never know where you're going to have to park it, and once you have it, you might decide you'd like to take it out in the woods now and then.
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