What is the best setup for hauling 5th wheel campers ?

[Cummins12V98]

"Total GCW was around 34,060 lbs. NOT 3.42 ratio territory."

Completely agree. Per the chart I listed you are over the 3.73 territory at 32,300# (not being critical as I was WAY over my 11's capacity on paper). Would you buy the same gears next time?

 

[SnoKing]

Are you saying it shifts to 6th at 65 mph, each time, every time, regardless of those factors I listed?

Downhill, very light throttle, 62 mph in 5th....it won't go into 6th?

So I tested three ways from 62 MPH in 5th with TH on, which keeps it from shifting to 6th until 65MPH+. In all three cases, full EB, Auto EB and no EB it did not shift to 6th when letting up and/or coasting down an incline. TH is preventing that while increasing speed until 65 MPH.

Also:When over 65 MPH in 6th gear, on de-acceleration it does not shift from 6th back to 5th until around 59-58 MPH and 4th around 49-48 MPH.

 

[kthaxton]

So I tested three ways from 62 MPH in 5th with TH on, which keeps it from shifting to 6th until 65MPH+. In all three cases, full EB, Auto EB and no EB it did not shift to 6th when letting up and/or coasting down an incline. TH is preventing that while increasing speed until 65 MPH.

Also:When over 65 MPH in 6th gear, on de-acceleration it does not shift from 6th back to 5th until around 59-58 MPH and 4th around 49-48 MPH.

My assumption was wrong.

 

[Ram4Sam]

My assumption was wrong.

That's what you get for calling me Shirley......:-laf

Sam

 

[kthaxton]

Brutal!

(these extra words are to meet the board's minimum character requirement for a post)

 

[gsbrockman]

"Total GCW was around 34,060 lbs. NOT 3.42 ratio territory."

Completely agree. Per the chart I listed you are over the 3.73 territory at 32,300# (not being critical as I was WAY over my 11's capacity on paper). Would you buy the same gears next time?

Yes I will......as I am over the 3.42 GCWR a huge majority of the time.....and hardly into 4.10 GCWR a small amount of the time. Ya see guys........3.73s are right for me and my uses.

 

[kthaxton]

3.73s are right for me and my uses.

How is that possible? :-laf

 

[gsbrockman]

How is that possible? :-laf

#ad

 

[SnoKing]

Yes I will......as I am over the 3.42 GCWR a huge majority of the time.....and hardly into 4.10 GCWR a small amount of the time. Ya see guys........3.73s are right for me and my uses.

Yet you still have not told us what gear and speed you tow at. Why is that not info that you will share?????????????????????

 

[gsbrockman]

Yet you still have not told us what gear and speed you tow at. Why is that not info that you will share?????????????????????

Makes Z*E*R*O difference anyway.....I am out of 3.42 GCWR territory.

 

[SnoKing]

Makes Z*E*R*O difference anyway.....I am out of 3.42 GCWR territory.

It does make a difference to those that are deciding on a gear ratio choice. Are you hiding something that you do not want to omit, as in 4.10 would have been a better choice in regards to speed, RPMs and not operating in an undesirable hole between 5th and 6th gear when towing. We already know that 4.10's in 6th tow similar to 3.42's in 5th. So tell us about your 3.73's.

SnoKing

 

[Mark31]

OK, guys! I'm not a moderator-- just one more "joe" reading TDR. Enough facts and figures and charts and etc have been posted to make a case for anything. Write this one thing on the wall: What one of us would think is ideal would irritate the stuffings out of another. Let's all chill out before somebody gets too bent out of shape and the moderator has to show up. Yesterday, I had to make a 250 mile run and got home just thankful for a good safe enjoyable trip. Listening to that Cummins purr is always a joy! Lyometer says 23.8! Life is good!

 

[GAmes]

I'm late to the party, but has anyone noticed that the OP, Blackhawk7204 , was scared off and quit posting several pages ago? I don't know jack about the overvalved, computer controlled engines so I won't even try to suggest the best rig for transporting or hotshotting but I can offer up some advice from experience when it comes to finances.

OP, if you are still out there, take the advice to not buy a new truck to heart. Unless you have another source of income, do not get into the RV transporting business. You can notpay your bills unless you literally live in your truck. If you live in Alabama you will not be loaded 50% of the time hauling RVs unless you never go home or you sign up with a company that pulls trailers other than new RVs out of IN. I copied a previous post to keep you from having to search;

I started out with an advantage. No mortgage, no kids at home, no truck, car or boat payments and a monthly retirement check. As a result I could pick and choose when I worked and could link loads to keep dead head miles to a minimum. If I'm not making money neither is the company so finding a follow on load is important to them too. The company I lease to doesn't limit itself to new RVs, we pull anything with a hitch, new, privately owned, repos to the auction, sold units of auctions to dealers, boats, specialty trailers, cargo trailers, you name it. Since I'm 5' 6" and weigh 170 I fit comfortably in the bed I fabricate and installed in the back of the cab after removing the rear seat. I only rent motel rooms if it is really hot or really cold. My time in the Army conditioned me to not require three hot meals a day so food costs are low. In addition, I don't mind being on the road for two, three or more weeks at a time as long as it doesn't interfere with my fishing schedule. A bonus is a couple of rewards credit cards that provide me with free, tax free money as long as they are paid in full each month. All my expenses go on them. I installed a 50 gallon aux tank in the bed that allows me to skip the high fuel tax states and even going as far north as Edmonton I rarely have to buy fuel in Canada. I also shop for fuel prices on the internet and seldom use the chain truck stops. I've see as much as a 40 cent per gallon difference between a Pilot and a Fred Mayer about 40 miles away. My fuel cost this year is less than 18 cents per mile mostly because I've limited my trips this year for other priorities. My unloaded (deadhead miles) has increased to 55% compared to 41% in 2014. 27 cents per mile overall then.
As far as new trucks being required, that isn't a universal thing. The office manager (who hires and fires) told me not long ago that she prefers the older trucks because they are more dependable. Linking drivers to pick up a trailer from a broke down truck location is a pain and isn't profitable for anyone. Also, at the end of the year 2000 YM and newer trucks will require an electronic log device. I can still use paper logs, or the smart phone app that I have.

The last thing I want to mention is the silliness of worrying about the pay per mile. What is important is the profit per day. The "Don't haul cheap freight" stickers on trucks is stupid. Sitting at a truck stop or deadheading to avoid a $1 per mile boat that will take you to a $1.35 5th wheel is shooting yourself in the foot.

 

[jgillott]

GAmes has lots of good information in his post as well as others before him. To Blackhawk7204, I'm not sure what your driving background is, but if you have your CDL I know that US Foods is in desperate need of drivers, at least here in Western PA. I have a friend that I work out with every day that works in their HR department. He was just telling me the other day that they are at least 7 or 8 drivers short right now and have openings for both class A and B drivers, just in the western PA depot that he works in. Others in their company are in need also. Please don't quote me for sure, but I think that he told me that they start their drivers at approx $20 per hour and that moves up after a probation period. There may also be a sign on bonus, but I can't remember for sure. These are local and regional routes that do require unloading.

Again, I'm not sure what your desire is to start a RV hauling/hot-shot career, but know that there are other driving options out there that you could enter without the cost of purchasing your own equipment, insurance, etc.

Please PM me if you want any more info.

 

[Blackhawk7204]

I'm still here. Just monitoring all the responses. Since I have no previous experience driving anything other than passenger vehicles I am trying to figure out if this would be something I would want to do for a living.
It would be very different from anything I have done before but then I am looking for a different line of work. My son showed me the Horizon website and it got me interested. So far it looks like I should be hauling on my own flatbed trailer rather than hauling campers to make better money. I want to haul whatever will be the most profitable, any suggestions?

 

[davidberryhill]

Hello!!
Its good that you are buying it new, but before buying it for hauling you should know what you want to tow. Depend on what you tow you can select which model you have to buy as it depends on the capacity of towing. You can also search on the internet for more options and contact the service providers as they have more knowledge about this. My friend had also transported his RV and he had hired auto transport in Bakersfield for transporting his RV. One can go for this also as it is more safe and secure transportation.

 

[SnoKing]

I'm still here. Just monitoring all the responses. Since I have no previous experience driving anything other than passenger vehicles I am trying to figure out if this would be something I would want to do for a living.
It would be very different from anything I have done before but then I am looking for a different line of work. My son showed me the Horizon website and it got me interested. So far it looks like I should be hauling on my own flatbed trailer rather than hauling campers to make better money. I want to haul whatever will be the most profitable, any suggestions?

You should haul ***** down to the employment office and get a real job. Besides no driving experience you most likely have little or not experience maintaining a diesel truck, which is going to add to your problems.

 

[Blackhawk7204]

You should haul ***** down to the employment office and get a real job. Besides no driving experience you most likely have little or not experience maintaining a diesel truck, which is going to add to your problems.

You think driving isn't a real job? Maybe you should go look for a real job then. Just because I never drove a diesel truck on the highway for a living does not mean I'm not familiar with diesel engines, I have over 25 years experience operating and maintaining diesel engines including trucks for off road use.

Besides, even if I never saw a diesel engine in my life I could learn about it. What do you think everyone here was born with all this knowledge?

 

[GAmes]

It would be very different from anything I have done before but then I am looking for a different line of work. My son showed me the Horizon website and it got me interested. So far it looks like I should be hauling on my own flatbed trailer rather than hauling campers to make better money. I want to haul whatever will be the most profitable, any suggestions?

I take it you don't receive a retirement check so I doubt that working for Horizon would pay the bills. Hot shotting is a business that will bankrupt you in a short time if you do not have any trucking business experience. It is hard work, a real job with overhead costs that kill 95% of those just starting out. If you want to start doing something new, and feel like driving is it, sign up with a carrier and drive big trucks. They have sleepers, the carrier buys the fuel, which is the biggest expense. They also pay for the maintenance, insurance, IFTA, drug testing, record keeping, brokers and the cost list goes on and on. Your only expense is a medical card and food. Trucking companies nation wide are hiring for OTR, regional, and local. The pay will be low until you have some miles behind you but with experience the possibilities expand. For example, Wal-Mart drivers have medical plans included in their benefits. On the other hand, if you have another source of income and just want a paying hobby, then Horizon is just as good a place to sign up as anywhere.

 

[SnoKing]

I take it you don't receive a retirement check so I doubt that working for Horizon would pay the bills. Hot shotting is a business that will bankrupt you in a short time if you do not have any trucking business experience. It is hard work, a real job with overhead costs that kill 95% of those just starting out. If you want to start doing something new, and feel like driving is it, sign up with a carrier and drive big trucks. They have sleepers, the carrier buys the fuel, which is the biggest expense. They also pay for the maintenance, insurance, IFTA, drug testing, record keeping, brokers and the cost list goes on and on. Your only expense is a medical card and food. Trucking companies nation wide are hiring for OTR, regional, and local. The pay will be low until you have some miles behind you but with experience the possibilities expand. For example, Wal-Mart drivers have medical plans included in their benefits. On the other hand, if you have another source of income and just want a paying hobby, then Horizon is just as good a place to sign up as anywhere.

What he ^^^^^^ said!