Rick and Mindy
Senior Member
I spent some time on this forum several months ago discussing preferences for tow vehicles. Finally after searching for weeks I found a brand new Ford F350 Crew cab single rear wheel long bed. It is a 2011 that had never been sold and with great reservation (I'm not a Ford lover)I made the purchase. I recently made our first long trip with the 31sl in tow. We went round trip from Louisiana to Minnesota and back. Let me tell you, this Ford Super Duty has made a believer of me. Prior to this vehicle I towed with a Dodge 2500 with the Cummins 5.9. I drove anywhere from 280 to 480 miles per day and I just set the cruise on 60 and let the truck do it's thing. The first two days I drove all day in 100 - 102 degree temps. The 6.7 diesel with the 6 speed automatic transmission performed flawlessly. This truck is so quiet and shifts so quietly that you don't even realize you are in a truck pulling 14,000 lbs down the highway. I have been thinking of having disc brakes installed on my RW 31sl but the integrated exhaust brake has almost changed my mind. The exhaust brake kicks in when the brake is depressed and will slow this thing down fast. The built in hill holder kept the truck and trailer at a complete standstill on a steep incline stop until I pressed the accelerator. With only 6,000 miles on this truck I managed to average around 12 mpg traveling 60 mph. I'm hoping that the mileage will increase after the engine really gets broken in. Never did I wonder if this truck was out of it's league. I know this may sound like I have stock in Ford and I'm being paid for a commercial but trust me, out of all the big three heavy duties, Ford was my last choice!! Now I may be forced to swallow my pride and admit "Ford Rules"!