An App Suggestion

[Clif001]

Presuming this does not already exist, but if so where is it?...

A great idea for an app for the programmers out there....
I wish there was an app that would allow me to enter my truck's towing specs and would return a list of current production towables that my truck could safely tow.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

["EZ"]

Presuming this does not already exist, but if so where is it?...

A great idea for an app for the programmers out there....
I wish there was an app that would allow me to enter my truck's towing specs and would return a list of current production towables that my truck could safely tow.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

That would be quite a database! It would also require constant updating.

 

[Clif001]

Most of the data already exists as part of RVTrader.com. Ideally it would be preferable to have all the RV manufacturers to supply their (public) specs to a clearing house.

The most tedious would be to, what we called "data scraping" off the manufacturers web pages (or even RVTrader's results pages). But it's still possible.

In my heyday I could have programmed it. But here in my golden years I'd prefer to make the suggestion and let others do the work.

But thanks for responding. Glad to know the post is not just languishing unread.

 

[redbaron]

Most of the data is wrong. It would be making assumptions.

The only time I see someone struggle with this is when they already have a tow vehicle that they do not want to replace, and try to find an RV to fit that truck.

The end result is always a compromise.

If you have a 1/2 Ton vehicle, your options are extremely limited.

3/4 Ton opens up to a lot more options, but flirts with upper limits very quickly.

1 Ton does not do much more than 3/4 Ton unless you fully equip the truck with Diesel, DRW, low gears, etc.

My suggestion to friends and family has always been to find the RV you want, then find a truck that is capable of towing it.

 

["EZ"]

I passed a 2500 pickup pulling a 38-40' 5th wheel toy hauler going down a short grade today where I live. I passed him in the slow lane doing 63 MPH. He was in the middle lane. I could smell his brakes all the way down the hill. He didn't have enough truck but I bet if you questioned him he would argue all day long that the 2500 was big enough. I guess it is OK if you want to have white knuckles the whole time you're driving. Good luck with that!!

 

[redbaron]

I was shocked how little difference a 1 ton and 3/4 ton had when equipped with same drivetrain and axle configuration.

I didn't really want a dually...sooo big.

I didn't really want the H.O. Cummins, gas engines have improved so much.

I didn't really want 4.10 gears.

But when I did the math, I had to have all that just to be able to tow my horse trailer safely. The same trailer I had been towing for 10 years with a 3/4 ton Chevy diesel.

I never had trouble accelerating, but I never felt stable, and stopping took forever.

It was when I was doing the math for someone else on a 5th wheel that it dawned on me that I never weighed my trailer.

My trailer loaded with 6 horses weighs in at 23k, and that is without the tack, feed, water, generator, fencing, etc that we load for a long haul.

I've done long haul so many times that I don't know how I made it safely.

I was way over weight for 10 years and never had a problem.

I thank GOD for that.

After driving a properly fit truck, the ride seems so much better. My passengers can tell the difference. Braking is excellent...and it is very clear to me how I was flirting with disaster.

Just because it's never been a problem doesn't change the facts of what is right and safe.

 

["EZ"]

Glad you figured it out before the accident. Some people don't.

This is the biggest problem when selling Ram trucks. When people drive that H.O. Cummins diesel in a 2500 they feel like that truck could tow ANYTHING! And it can. The problem a lot of times is stopping it. And God forbid if you have a panic situation. People never factor that in either.

This is exactly why I bought a class A RV instead of a 5th wheel. I would have wanted a 40' 5th wheel and I just didn't need a 3500 dually for anything else. I didn't want to have to drive one on a daily basis the rest of the year. My Ram 1500 is all I need. So we went with the Class A.