As pre-planning progressed, there were two significant show-stoppers that maintained our focus: the RV and a truck to pull it. Although the RV search could be concurrently preformed with the truck search, we would eventually need to purchase the truck first (to tow the latter).
After scanning countless RV forums--as well as
getting information from knowledgeable and trusted friends--we selected our
first requirement: diesel. The premise to purchase a diesel truck was
taken with a degree of caution, as we had never owned or worked with diesel
engine technology. Moving in this direction would require us to become knowledgeable
on a topic that we were completely naive.
After deciding on diesel power, the choice of
vehicle brand became easy...if not obvious. I am not "brand
loyal" when it comes to vehicles. I buy primarily on (needed)
capability and reliability. In buying a capable and reliable diesel
engine, one name continued to surface: Cummings. This simplified things
dramatically, as the only pick-up trucks with Cummings engines are Dodge Rams.
With the search narrowed to Dodge Rams, we focused
on capability. Even though the exact 5th wheel brand/specs had not been
decided, we set an upper limit of how much we wanted to tow of 14,000 lbs.
We came about this figure by using the highest "Gross Vehicle Weight
Rating" (the maximum weight the RV and all contents can safely be
operated) of all the potential RV brands on our wish list.
"There are three types of people in the world: those who are good with numbers, and those who are not." - Unknown Author
In an effort to be as safety conscience as
possible, I followed the conservative towing recommendations outlined in a few
on-line sites for RVers. There were two primary figures that I need to
attain: How much can I pull (tow) horizontally down the highway, and how much
additional vertical weight can my truck axles support?
The first question was simple, as the
aforementioned 14,000 lbs was the most we wanted to tow; however, we
didn't want to always be stressing the truck at 100% capacity, so we added a
10% safety buffer. The second figure was the rear axle weight, and a
conservative estimate of 20% of the trailer weight was used to derive a
"pin weight", or amount of weight the RV would be placing on the rear
axle.
So now we needed a truck that could tow 15,550 lbs
[15,550 lbs - 1,555 lbs (10% of max towing) = 13,995 lbs (close enough)], as
well as handle an additional 2,800 lbs over the rear axle. The price of
poker just went up.
In addition to the 15.5K towing-capacity diesel, we
also needed a crew cab...mostly so we wouldn't look like Buddy Ebsen and family driving through Beverly Hills.
Lastly, we had a few target features for this truck:
- 3500 Heavy Duty Series
- 4x4 Drivetrain
- 2007-2009 model year
- >60,000 miles
- >$30,000
- >300 miles from our Virginia location
Every truck that passed our filters on the advertisement, failed the "hands on" test..horribly. It became clear to us that we would need to change our search parameters, or forever trek through "The Island of Misfit Trucks."
"We ride!" - Rango
Over the span of 6-weeks, we travelled nearly 2,000
miles looking for our ideal tow vehicle. The routine went something like
this:
Dealer 1: "Here's a low mileage vehicle with no modifications. It's hard to find something like this these days."
Us [after a 1-minute inspection]: "So what's the story with the12" hole in the bed that is covered up with the truck box; the frame that has been almost cut in half with (what appears to be) a blow torch; and the unusual patch-like shapes under this brand new spray-on bed-liner?"
Dealer 1: "Uh...really? I had no idea."
*****
Dealer 2: "Here's a really nice late model that looks brand spankin' new."
Us [after a 1-minute inspection]: "So what's the story with the paint on the door handles and windows that matches the truck paint; the entire underside of the truck painted completely black...to include the spare tire; the 2" space between the cab and bed on the driver's side, while it's only a 1/2" space on the passenger's side; and all the rust inside the dashboard?"
Dealer 2: "Uh...really? I had no idea."
We reverted to what we've done for years when faced
with challenges and dilemmas; we reached out to our friends and confidants for
comfort and advice. It was during one of these gatherings that our friend
Keith Blount spoke of the "really sweet deal" he got on his
"new" Ram truck when the model year close-outs were going on-sale.
Not discounting good advice, we did a cursory search that included new
vehicles.
"...it is not the spoon that bends, only yourself." -"Spoon Boy" from The Matrix
Within a week of entertaining the purchase of a new
truck, we owned a 2014 Ram 3500. The purchase price was understandably
higher, but only a few thousand higher than the used trucks 5-8 years older.
In addition to meeting all the targets our wish list (with the exception
of model year and price), it had: an 8' box, dual rear wheels, diesel exhaust
brake, 4.10 AISIN transmission, in-dash info center with back-up camera, and a
bunch of other stuff that would make trans-continental travel more comfortable.
 |
| Callie & Buddy checking out their new ride. |
But the original reason we needed this truck was
the towing and rear-axle capacity. Here's how the new vehicle measured
up:
• Towing capacity: 29,000 lbs.
• Rear Axle capacity: 9,750 lbs.
We were set to tow anything we wanted. One
critical pillar was in place, and now we just need something to pull...
wWw
No comments:
Post a Comment