ok.. so.. guess a lot of people have never hauled a large RV
a 18000 lb rv is basicly maxing out any 1 ton truck you can get. will they pull it yup, but they will be slow up hills, and you will have to ride the breaks down every hill and they take a bit to stop, so from a common sence and saftey issue they shouldn't be towing them. what happens when you have a brake failure on your trailer? these electric brake systems are crap at best and a 1 ton doesnt have breaks rated to stop the truck and the trailer.
I can get a MTD like Murminator was linking to but I have another issue.
my two kids are at the age where they would like to start bringing friends camping, which is why we are getting a fith with quad bunks in the back. so in a 1 ton or even 95% of the MTDs out there still only are made for 4 people. ya they have a 3rd in the back but in my situation I am looking at 6 people plus a large dog. isn't going to happen.
where as with a HDT (say a volvo 770) I can pull the bottom bun out and put 4 air ride seats across the back of the sleeper. this would still leave about 3 feet or more for legroom for the back seats, which means the dog has a tone of room to sprawl out.
now that is the practical issues, now lets talk money.
the only trucks that will town something this big are the F350 1 ton dually and the equivalent chev for 2011. so new truck say $70,000.00 when all is said and done.
lets look at a MDT like a sportschassi. since they are a nich market truck they are very expensive, you are looking at 70,000.00 for a used one, 129,000- 200,000.00 for a new one.
so big rig.
I have found a few now for $8,000.00 - $30,000.00 , I was at volvo yesterday talking to the service manager it is 3000.00 to single a volvo out, more expensive for other trucks but not to much and thats if I keep the old parts, if they keep them he figures the price would be about 1500-2000 and I get the best 4 tires and rims.
he recomended any truck I buy to get a dyno and inspection done on it for a couple hundred (not much more than doing my F250) and he said for insurance anything over 500000km to roll the berrings for 1500.00
I can get 4 used airrides in good shape for 200 ea so 800.00
so lets say I splurge and get a even newer volvo 780 with an "I" shift trans. there is one with 500000km right now for 45,000.00 add 1500 for singling, 1500 to roll the berrings (which they will do free dyno/inspection also if I am doing that) and the air ride seats I am at 50,200.00
for maintenance it is going to be less than a F350/3500 ect.. and projectted maintenance costs are going to be less than a 1 ton. think about what you guys were saying about trucks costing a lot to maintain. you have to make it apples to apples and break costs down to money per Km. you'll find bit rigs are a lot cheeper to maintain than normal cars.
now factor in the fact that what I will be towing is going to be equvalent to twoing two empty flat decks so the wear and tear on the truck is going to be nothing compared to normal operation.
now fuel efficency. from everything I have read, a rig singled out driven nice should be able to get 12 to 15mpg. Towing 10-12 ,so say I get 11 out of it. my F250 towing 8000 lbs gets 15 to 17 but towing 13500 I only get 13. a 2007 ford diesel towing 18000lbs get about 10 mpg. a 2005 sportschassi MDT gets 10-12 mpg towing 18000lbs so looks like everything is pretty damn close.
now also by doing the truck up I can leave the fold up top bunk in it and there will also be a fridge, microwave, sink, porta potty, ect as I have to do this to re register it as an rv, so I don't have to stop at weigh scales or fill out the log book, and can drive with a normal licence with and airbrake endorsment. so if I am going on a trip to the island for somethign I can just take the truck and I have my acomadations with me for a lot less money on the ferry, or say a quick run to edmonton to see my parents like I am doing on monday.
now spending 45K is mostlikly out of the question butI have seen 3 trucks in good shape for 15K now, so take that number of 50K I had above and change it to 20K then add 5K for a couple pop up things. so now we are at 25K wich would be very acceptable to the wife
Steve