Any MS/5er owners w-F650 Crew Cab Supercrewzer RV hauler?

[Dog Woman]

We have been looking at a 2001 Ford F650 Crew Cab Super Crewzer [3126B diesel Cat, 300 hp, Allison MD 3066 6-speed automatic, 8,000 lb front axle, 15,000 lb Meritor rear axle, Hendrickson air ride rear suspension, GVWR 23,000 lbs w/o payload, 34,500 lbs w-payload, GCWR 43,000 lbs w-trailer]. We just retired & want to travel around U.S., but have read all the horror stories of not having a big enough tow vehicle. Also talked to state troopers who say they will be cracking down on insufficient GCVWR tow vehicles because there are so many accidents these days on interstates and state routes. The Super Crewzer would meet & exceed the GCWR of our 2005 MS 31RS3 fully loaded that we presently tow with our manual 5-speed 1 ton 1996 F350 crew cab. The Super Crewzer has 60,000 miles on it and it has been driven fairly hard ... lots of fiberglass cracks and some dings on it. Also has some brace work on underside of bed. We think we might regret buying it because we will have to put $$ into body work. Any MS owners have personal experience w-Super Crewzer or know others with one?

[Motor31]

Did you misplace your post? :?:

[wingnut60]

Well, with that truck you could upsize to anything DT makes. But I think you are right to be concerned about the condition of the fiberglass/frame.

If you plan on staying with the 32, then an F450 would be plenty to pull it with. I think even a correctly optioned F350 (Tow Boss) would serve you well with the 32.

[Dog Woman]

wingnut60: thanks for your reply. After looking at the SuperCrewzer, we are now talking to Bickford Ford, Snohomish, Washington about Ford F550s with the 33,000 GCWR. Sea Wolf, aka hubby, wants to have "more than enough" stopping power ... he knows the F450 would pull our MS just fine, but the F550 would give us the extra assurance to handle any situation ~~ we have heard the stories of a sudden braking incident where the 5er is pushing you thru the intersection.

[Motor31]

I just noticed something about the picture of the F650. The design on the side is the same as used on the Star Trek series as the symbol of the Klingon Empire. Perhaps that's why it's beat up with body damage. If he thinks he's a klingon maybe he's been taking it into battle.... :P

[Ridge Runner]

Years ago I was an owner/operator of a semi and it is my experience that good trailer brakes are a must if you are pulling a heavy trailer. Even a semi pulling a empty trailer will not stop quickly without the use of trailer brakes and tractor (truck) brakes. Also, care needs to be exercised when approaching an intersection and/or when driving in heavy traffic with a heavy vehicle. That is, slow down and leave yourself plenty of room. Also, an exhaust brake will make stopping a lot easier when driving in hilly terrain. Even when bob tailing, the semis I have driven would not stop quick enough to avoid an accident if driving too fast through an intersection. A 650 or 550 might be marginally better than a properly equipped 350 or 450 but would use more fuel because of the extra weight. Good luck with your decision.
Bob

[wingnut60]

That is a nice-looking '96--have you had any heartstopping moments with it as the TV? The brakes on a new Ford are a lot better now, and with ABS and the trailer brakes, it is easy to stop. I've had some tense moments at times, but always felt the combo I have was going to stop.
Have you looked at the SOITC site--fellow there just went from a 550 to a new 450--might be worth talking to him.

[Dog Woman]

Motor 31: You are correct about the Klingon Empire symbol. I, too, asked the present owner about the emblem. He told me that when he was driving down in Las Vegas towing his 6-horse trailer, someone came up to him and used his hand/recognition sign & asked if he was a fellow "trekkie" and then proceeded to explain the emblem on the side of his truck. The present owner described some of his trips hauling his horses, and, yes, it sounded like he had gone into battle 1 too many times.

[Dog Woman]

Ridge Runner: Sea Wolf (hubby) and I totally agree with your comments. Hubby used to drive logging trucks and hay trucks and knows plenty about using brakes and losing brakes ... he has many nightmarish stories to tell of those days. Our present F350 has been retroftted with a super chip that increased our hp and mpg greatly. We also added an exhaust brake that is extremely effective. Even if we bought a F550, if it did not have those 2 add-ons, we would install them. "More is better".

[rdunk]

John and Dianne, if you are really concerned about braking, then you should consider upgrading to disc brakes on the 5er (if you don't already have the discs). A lot of reasons for having discs, but significantly shorter stopping distance (Mor/ryde says 30% shorter) and no brake fade are two reasons that should interest you.

In our nearly 4 years of rv'ing I have seen many postings in which an RV'er says that after using the discs, they would never go back to band brakes, and that the discs eliminate the "being pushed" feeling when stopping.

Yes, the unchipped F350 with Towboss will tow your 5er just fine, but margin is good, if that is what you want.

[Dog Woman]

wingnut 60: Thank you for your comments. I will check out the SOITC site for this same discussion. My hubby experimented with braking power of our present TV before adding the exhaust brake system. This might be a valuable test for other MS owners out there:
He drove w-the MS over to local road with no turns in it. He unplugged the trailer brakes. He started out maintaining 25 mph and tested stopping/braking power of our F350. He then added another 5 mph and tested again. He found the cutoff point for being able to stop the MS without trailer brakes was 40 mph -- anything over that the back end of truck started to fishtail to the left.

Hubby has always been a Ford man. He is a cautious driver, maintaining highway truck speed of 60 mph, always allowing merging traffic the right of way, and staying in slower truck lanes. He loves his 96 1 ton, but Ford finally figured it out: with the 2008's tow haul transmission, ring & pinon 488 gear ratio, bigger brake system, higher GCWRs (both F450 & F550 to 33,000 lbs), more hp, wider grille to allow more air flow, and towing mirrors, he is sold on the 2008 F550s ~~that is what we are presently looking to buy (either used or new). We have talked about buying a F450 versus F550. His reasoning is the F550 is a heavier truck and can better control our MS in all possible conditions. Traveling these days means hoping for the best driving conditions, but always preparing for the worst drivers and weather.

[Dog Woman]

rdunk: We agree about your comment re:disc brakes. We have Mor/ryde suspension, but not disc brakes. That is 1 more add-on we need to make to feel even safer. It seems to never end ... every time we read this forum makes us think we need to continually upgrade. It only takes $$, right? ha-ha :lol:

[Dog Woman]

OK Folks ~~ I need to sign off now and go look at trucks w-hubby. Will see if we can get some good terms ... dealers' lots are full of 250s and 350s these days but few 450 or 550s. What experience does anyone have with locating a good truck online? That is how we found our 2005 31-foot RS3 MS brand new + paid a delivery charge and was still ahead in the $$ dept compared to local Seattle MS prices.

[wingnut60]

Give this guy a call or an email:

Bobby Williams
Director of Fleet Sales

Sunrise Ford Fleet
16005 Valley Blvd
Fontana, Ca 92335

Office Number: (909) 822-4404
Fax Number: (909) 434-0543
eMail Address: BWilliams @ sunrisefordfleet.com

He sells trucks to people all over the west coast and further. He contributes a lot to thedieselstop.com ford forum.

[Dog Woman]

wingnut60: Thank you. I will email him. Since checking out a local F550 crew cab with pickup bed, I have found several dealerships online listing F550s with RV hauler beds -- some are used, some new. Appreciate your assistance in this quest.

[wingnut60]

Here is a link to a guy who upsized similar to what you are thinking about. You should register on the myrvtalk.com to see the entire thread.

http://www.myrvtalk.com/tow-vehicle-tech/117-freightliner-sportchassis.html

He had a 3500 Chev dually before he made the change. Very interesting person and he will email you direct if you want to ask questions.

Joe