Truck Research

Well it's just under 1 year until I retire and we go fulltime. So I have been doing some research on Tow Vehicles(Truck to pull the 5th wheel with) to determine the right features and price for us. Of course everyone has their favorite brand - Ford, Chevy, GMC. I prefer Ford myself so I started there. Fortunately, I work at an insurance company that participates in a national discount program. I am able to go online and build a truck with the features I want and participate in an X plan discount. Similar to a discount that an employee that works for an auto company would  get if buying a vehicle . You understand why this is important if you have done any research or have purchased a tow vehicle yourself. In order to pull a heavy 5th wheel you need a truck with some power. Because of the weight of the 5th wheel we are considering I need a 3/4 to 1 ton truck. So I am looking at the Ford F-350 Super Cab 6.7L Diesel Dual Rear Wheel(DRW) 4x4 at a local dealer that participates in the X plan program. These are just a couple of photos from the internet. These are Crew Cabs. The Super Cab(Extended Cab) is a little shorter without the second door but still with the second row seats. I'll post pictures of the actual one once we get to that stage.

 

I prefer white

 

Glenda likes the Champagne

 

We plan to order in a couple of months and there is about a 6-8 weeks build time. This will give us time to work out the finances for making a cash purchase and selling the current 2006 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 .We'll have the truck for a short while before we purchase the 5th wheel. It may take some time getting used to driving a big rig(ha ha). Especially if I'm going to hook a 38-39 ft. rig to the back. I think it's best to have the truck BEFORE the 5th wheel. Wouldn't do much good to reverse the order. And as a side note we have changed our plans on the purchase of the 5th wheel.

 

We originally were set on getting the Prime Time Manufacturing Sanibel 3500 but have since decided on the Heartland Bighorn 3585rl. We really like the new features for 2014 and the layout. Similar to the Sanibel but just different enough. That's a discussion for another post someday. I'm going to go to Indiana(Mishawaka/ Elkhart area) tomorrow for 5 days to watch the grandkids while our younger daughter and SIL go on a very past due honeymoon vacation in Florida. I hope the weather holds up for them with the Tropical Storm in the Gulf right now. I have an opportunity to see a 3585rl in Elkhart while I am in the area so that should help solidify the decision. Anyway it should be fun with the kids since the ages range from 16 to 7 years old. I have a feeling we may be eating out a few times. Grandpa isn't exactly a gourmet chef. Well I'll let you know how it goes next week. Until then we are working toward retirement and it won't be long. Thanks for stopping by.