Bought our first RV! Now we need the truck - help!

[Rapid1]

From the related discussion on this forum and others, keeping a DPF and DEF equipped modern diesel beyond the factory warranty period could become an expensive choice, unless you are prepared to delete these systems and happen to live in a jurisdiction that allows this. Will be interesting to see what affect maintaining these emission control systems has on the traditionally strong used diesel truck market.

Rob

The rub here is that when new ones are going up thousands every year, it rolls right back down the market. Another aspect is that since a dealer can't sell one with defective or inoperative emission systems, and even private owners will have trouble selling if it all doesn't work, the costs of repairing these systems will find their way in the used market. Same program as Rolex watches...the values of the used ones keep going up because Rolex raises the prices of new ones several times a year. I have S/G GMT Master that is worth nearly 3 times what I paid in 1988. LOL

I never thought I would move from gas but knowing that I would eventually want a trailer over 10K, I looked for three years to get the diesel I wanted. I was shopping for a specific year/engine/trans, 2006 LBZ/Allison 6speed. Most I found were hi-milers, or too well used and all were far too much money just cause it was a Duramax. Finally, I was lucky enough to find a low mile, one owner, loaded one. I tried to negotiate, but he was having none of that, he knew what he had and I it was now or never. I bit the bullet and paid up...and oddly enough, was happy about it.

It is going to get harder and harder to find any without the D** stuff on them and while that stuff can be deleted in some of the earlier years, it is becoming nearly impossible to get around it with the increased computer integration into the control systems of newer diesels. One can only hope that newer systems become more reliable as time goes on. I was a electrical/driveability line tech when the first EGR cars came out. Then came electric carbs and distributors, and it was not pretty. Then the first EFI cars came out...anyone here remember throttle body injection? It was hard to make those cars drive right in those early days but now, the computer controls have advanced quite well. It's just the first few years of any radical new stuff is always going to be troublesome.

They'll figure it out and then have to come up with some other new device or control that causes lots of headaches and costs a fortune to fix. Luckily, I have my old truck that I can fix mostly myself...

[ChadandMel]

It is going to get harder and harder to find any without the D** stuff on them and while that stuff can be deleted in some of the earlier years, it is becoming nearly impossible to get around it with the increased computer integration into the control systems of newer diesels.

I don’t follow here, as I’ve seen first hand many 2017/2018’s being deleted just fine. All of the major three.

Check out no limit diesel, or get onto a forum specific for your truck and you’ll see. The only problem is wether or not your county does emissions testing, and whether or not you’ll have to reinstall the OEM parts every year or two.

I’ve also personally sold/traded in deleted trucks. I’ve also bought already deleted trucks from dealers before as well. It’s absolutely no issue to sell one personally, however it would help a lot if you had all the parts to go with it for the next guy that buys it.


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[CWSWine]

Where there is no smog inspection you might not get caught but federal law says you can't delete it and some states like the great state of Californa has its own fines. I know locally none of the dealers will repair or take in trade a truck that is deleted.

https://www.donotdpfdelete.green/epa...ng-dpf-filter/

Here is what Texas says about deleting...
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airqualit...tampering.html

Here a link to the EPA...
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/clean-air-act-vehicle-and-engine-enforcement-case-resolutions

[jlspence99]

I've been hauling 10,000 lb 5th wheel RVs since 2002 with 3/4 ton Chevys with no problem what so ever. Truth be known there's not a lot of difference between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton in terms of payload and towing capacity unless you go to a 1 ton dualie. http://www.biggerschevy.com/2015-che...ng-capacities/

I agree that a diesel would be prefered, but that's out of my budget and the 6.0 gas is quite adequate. Just my 2 cents...

Interesting thread...I've been reading through it and many others like it over the last several months as we were deciding which tow vehicle to purchase. I agree with those that say there is no single right answer for everyone. The answers to the questions posed earlier about type of use, frequency of use, length of ownership, likelihood of future upgrade to larger RV, how long you keep vehicles, whether you will maintain it yourself, etc., all can guide different people to different selections. Can you compromise, are you willing to compromise, must you compromise to get into the RV life at all. For us, after much deliberation, we decided to go with the F-350 1 ton SRW diesel. The primary driver for us was payload. We simply had no margin with a 3/4 ton truck unless we were willing to never have more than 2 people and 100 lbs in the truck. Would the truck handle it? Sure, but I worry about margin and safety. There is a significant difference in payload between a 3/4 ton and a 1 ton - 1,500 lbs - at least that's significant for me.

[mageorge]

I’m not sure I want to comment here ya’ll are typing faster than I can read. I don’t know how your trailer will properly match up to your new truck but our thought process was my wife picked out a TT that fit her wants and it was 36’ long! I told her I didn’t want to go over 34’ so that we could easily get into state parks. And that if I was going that size we were getting a 5th wheel because I had heard they towed without sway. We came from a Toyota Tacoma and a pop up. We landed on a 303. I wanted a diesel because we wanted to head to the mountains. I bought a 2500 Ram. The combination has worked great for 5 summers and 30,000 miles. If we eventually go bigger on a camper (not likely) I will have to go bigger on the truck. We’ve added lots of extras to the 5th wheel since we got it but the best add was disc brakes. Good luck with your choices and welcome aboard!


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[sylvester]

Just my opinion but buy a dually in case you want to go bigger down the line i made that mistake my 1st purchase

[Rapid1]

I don’t follow here, as I’ve seen first hand many 2017/2018’s being deleted just fine. All of the major three.

Check out no limit diesel, or get onto a forum specific for your truck and you’ll see. The only problem is wether or not your county does emissions testing, and whether or not you’ll have to reinstall the OEM parts every year or two.

I’ve also personally sold/traded in deleted trucks. I’ve also bought already deleted trucks from dealers before as well. It’s absolutely no issue to sell one personally, however it would help a lot if you had all the parts to go with it for the next guy that buys it.


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First of all, I meant a real mfg dealer, not a used truck seller. OK, you may be able to get your less than 5 year old truck deleted but what happens when you are 1000 miles from the guy that deleted your truck...you have just narrowed your available service by 99% on just about any driveabilty issue you may have. If you can fix it yourself, your golden, I guess.

For most people on this forum, deleting doesn't work at all. It makes your truck unserviceable unless you can take it back to the guy that deleted it. Mfg dealer service dept's will not even touch it. Unless you have your own scanner and your toolbox in your truck, and can fix it all yourself, you are screwed when you delete the major emissions components and reprogram everything else to compensate. At best, you will get to spend the money to make it back to the way it was originally, if possible. I suppose you could call no limit diesel and they could send someone out huh?

[[email protected]]

Where there is no smog inspection you might not get caught but federal law says you can't delete it and some states like the great state of Californa has its own fines. I know locally none of the dealers will repair or take in trade a truck that is deleted.

https://www.donotdpfdelete.green/epa...ng-dpf-filter/

Here is what Texas says about deleting...
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airqualit...tampering.html

Here a link to the EPA...
https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/clean-air-act-vehicle-and-engine-enforcement-case-resolutions

I know folks in Colorado who have deleted and pass government air inspection with no problem. Most dealers are crap when it comes to decent diesel mechanics. Its insane to pay the huge bill to replace the manufacturer diesel exhaust filter knowing it will fail again and leave you stranded. This government beurocracy is a joke.

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[howson]

We just purchased a 2019 Imagine 2970RL!

Here are the specs:

34'2" long
Hitch weight 795 pounds
Gross weight 8995 pounds
dry weight 7324 pounds
Fresh water 52 gals
Grey water 71 gals
black water 39 gals
(don't know what else is important to know)

We're very excited! Next step is to purchase the truck. I'm looking for any advice I can get. We're looking at RAM 2500, Silverado 2500, or F250, but open to other options if anyone has any. What are the must haves? What should we be looking for? What's the difference between those three (or is there another possibility we haven't thought of)? Should we get new or used? What else should we be asking?

Any wisdom from all of you more experienced RV'ers is very welcome. Thanks!

I'm surprised no one has pointed you to our REFERENCE LIBRARY and the tools posted there to help you figure out what you need. Here's one link: https://www.mygrandrv.com/fo...ity-Calculator The video link (produced by the Keep your Daydream couple) is an excellent primer on the subject.

Regarding the "10K Club" referenced by some forum members...I'm a charter member. It took me two times to get the right truck. My situation is completely different from yours as I haul a Honda Goldwing in the truck bed and also tow the tongue-heavy 315RLTS, but the point is I didn't understand "the numbers" prior to my first purchase. (I thought I did!) Don't repeat my mistake.

Two more anecdotal thoughts for you on this subject, because everything else has been discussed. (I believe there's a few dead horses in this thread!)

1) Fully loaded down with the motorcycle and camper (>=22K lbs total) Fran and I were traveling through Tennessee on I-40 from Knoxville headed to Chattanooga. What seemed like an armada of RVs were on the road with us. A front was coming through kicking up a stiff wind that cut across the interstate. Campers (and their tow vehicles) were swerving and swaying all over the place. Some even appeared to take the first available exit off the interstate because of the wind. Fran commented she was glad we had the dually because we had no problem at all. (I could feel the wind, but was never intimidated or alarmed.) The point is when you are in a rough situation you won't regret having "too much truck". (Let me quickly clarify I don't recommend a dually for you! That is too much truck for your needs.) Obviously there's more involved here than just the tow vehicle to maintain control (a good sway/weight distribution hitch, etc) but you want the truck in charge, not the trailer.

2) When coming out of a rest area and suddenly you're confronted with a wall of semi trucks headed your way and there's a limited acceleration lane you won't be sorry you have "too much truck". The 6.7L diesel put a grin on my face each time I mashed the loud pedal in that situation.

OK...so I lied...there's a third piece to the puzzle. Once you figure out the numbers check out the driving aids on the vehicle you are considering purchasing. The diesel brake is a wonderful aid to maintaining control on grades. And if you haven't driven a vehicle with Adaptive Cruise Control *please* do yourself a favor and check it out! It is not universally liked, but the vast majority that try it love it.

Good luck with your decision--and get it right the first time!

[ChadandMel]

First of all, I meant a real mfg dealer, not a used truck seller. OK, you may be able to get your less than 5 year old truck deleted but what happens when you are 1000 miles from the guy that deleted your truck...you have just narrowed your available service by 99% on just about any driveabilty issue you may have. If you can fix it yourself, your golden, I guess.

For most people on this forum, deleting doesn't work at all. It makes your truck unserviceable unless you can take it back to the guy that deleted it. Mfg dealer service dept's will not even touch it. Unless you have your own scanner and your toolbox in your truck, and can fix it all yourself, you are screwed when you delete the major emissions components and reprogram everything else to compensate. At best, you will get to spend the money to make it back to the way it was originally, if possible. I suppose you could call no limit diesel and they could send someone out huh?

Guess you also missed the part where I said I personally have taken my deleted truck (RAM at the time) to a Dodge/RAM dealership and had warranty work performed. I personally know and have talked to many service advisors/managers for big dealerships and all have told me the same thing: if the warranty work you are trying to get covered isn’t something directly related to it being deleted (ie. trans, rear end, rod sticking through side of block) then it would be covered with no issue.

As far as having problems with the tune/parts you put on during deleting the truck having a problem, that’s very rare, unless it’s an issue right after turning, in which case you would call the company you bought them from.

Bottom line is, if you can’t afford to pay to have your diesel fixed, don’t buy one.


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