1/2 ton towable 5th wheel

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rcwitt

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Mar 11, 2018
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Hi all, We are new to this forum because we decided it's time to hit the road so the research begins.
I am hoping to get some help on 1/2 ton towable 5th wheels.We are looking at a 2009 Dutchman 245 GVWR 8800#.
The trailer salesperson says no problem towing it with a 1/2 ton truck. Doing some reading I am finding that the pin weight ( using 22% of 8800 )
is over 1900 lbs. To me that seems to be maxing out a 1/2 capacity.
Can anyone enlighten me as to this setup really working or does it just work on paper ?
I know some improvements can be done to trucks such as air bags and post extenders for the overloads etc. But what I don't know is
are you killing the trucks engine , tranny and brakes when your puling grades or descending a 2 1/2 % , Have people out there done it this way
and were you happy with the setup ? What sort of issues did you have if any ?
I will need to buy a truck to haul it with so some insight as to what option packages work better or worse would be helpful.
Thanks in advance and we look forward to joining the community. We've run into folks around Maine that have been doing the circuit
for a while and you all make life look good,
 
You can't reliably tow a fiver with a 1/2 ton, and not even with most 3/4 ton trucks. You need a one ton. The salesmen would lie to their own mother to sell her an RV. Don't believe anything they tell you.
 
Tom's right -- a half ton won't safely do the job, and it would wear out waaaaaayyy early if you were to tow that with it for very long. When you consider that the pin weight alone is almost a ton, and then you have people and goodies in the truck, in addition to the pin weight -- since a half ton is 1,000 lbs. the math is pretty clear.
 
Do your own arithmetic and don't trust the sales guy.

First of all, there no single answer for "a half ton truck". Regardless of the truck manufacturer, each configuration of their half-ton class of truck will have a different tow rating and different payload. Even installed options like the trim level have an effect, so you have to talk about a specific half ton truck year, model & configuration.  Second, the load you place in the truck, passengers and gear & trailer hitch, also play a role by reducing the payload (cargo capacity). Once you have that figured, use the trailer GVWR as the probable towed weight and 20% of the GVWR as the probably pin weight the truck must carry.  If those fit within the particular truck's capability, you should be OK. If not, it doesn't make any difference whether the RV manufacturer or the sales guy says it is "half ton towable".  Cause it ain't.

Only a few half ton truck configurations have the capacity to tow even the smallest 5W, mostly because they lack cargo capacity (payload) for the pon weight + passengers & gear.  And most fifth wheel trailers labeled as half ton towable aren't towable by most half ton trucks, though I'm sure they can find one truck somewhere that passes muster.
 
rcwitt said:
The trailer salesperson says...

And that's where you should stop believing anything that comes next! :p  Okay I'm exaggerating, but RV salespeople have an incredible record of giving poor/uninformed advice, especially when it comes to towing.  If it will make the sale, they'll say "sure you can!"  They are salespeople first, and... I would say RV owners second, but usually they aren't RV owners at all.  So keep that in mind.

You're doing the right thing by seeking advice now, before buying or committing to buy.  Take heed of all the advice above.  You might be able to tow some of the smallest 5W's available, but that might not fit your needs.
 
Way back in 1998 when we purchased our 5th wheel we were driving a new 1 ton, crew cab Chevy diesel. RV salesman said we would have to sign a waiver if we purchased our desired 5th wheel and intended to pull it with that truck. Ended up trading that truck for a Dodge 3/4 ton, single cab, 2wd, Cummins diesel, Dana 80 rear, 5 speed manual.  Lost about $5,000 on that mistake. Pulled the RV cross country and N-S several times with minimal problems.
 
Welcome to the forum, we were just asking about this. See thread http://www.rvforum.net/SMF_forum/index.php/topic,112502.0.html
 
I have a 25' Prowler that at 5600# gross would push the limits of most 1500/F-150 trucks due to the payload. A properly equipped 2500/F-250 will easily handle that Dutchman but for a few dollars more you could get a 1 ton that would allow you to upgrade later. We tried pulling our first fiver, an 18-1/2' Vanguard with a truck the specs suggested would do the job but two trips in BC mountains told us otherwise.
 
Congratulation to the OP for doing his home work. The operative word is "towable". Yes my lowly 2010 F-150 can "tow" the 8800# fifth wheel with 700#s to spare!! It just can not carry the hitch pin weight without exceeding my max cargo limit by 500#s. It would also exceed my max axel rating.

I can drag a 9500# boulder, just don't try to put more than 1400#s of rocks in the bed. That is why they say it is half ton towable.

If I recall Ram advertised one of their 2019 "mild hybrids" 1/2 ton pickups with a motor/generator to boost power, had a cargo capacity of in 2300#s. I was also told that Ford had an F-150 with over 2000#s of cargo capacity, but I have not confirmed that.

So yes, if you have this specific factory equipped super whiz bang, gonzo-matic pick up; you too can proudly display your half ton doing what an F-350 does on a normal day.

Shame on the Salesperson that tries to foist these off on an unsuspecting public.


 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Not clear what the "mistake" was.  Believing the salesman?  Buying the Chevy 1-ton in the first place?  :p  Curious minds want to know what the Dodge did that the Chevy could not?

The Salesman that sold us the Chevy said it would pull anything we wanted. We found out differently when we went RV shopping. So, to answer your questions: Yes, yes and everything. The Chevy did not have enough CCC or power to handle the 5th wheel. We called it the CPS truck (Can't Pull S**T) truck. The Dodge, partly due to being a single cab two wheel drive and partly due to the beefy suspension had a CCC of 3900#. The Cummins was also a factor. It handled our 37', triple axle 5th wheel with no problems.
 
I owned a 1988 Wilderness 5W that weighed a mere 4500 lbs loaded and towed it with my baby half ton (a Dodge Dakota V8 automatic).  Not overloaded and worked like a champ!  That was 20 years ago, though, and these days it's hard to find a 5W with an empty weight of 4500. For example, Keystone's "Cougar Half-Ton" weighs in at 5500 lbs empty and that's a 22 foot floor plan (26'8" overall).
 
The Salesman that sold us the Chevy said it would pull anything we wanted. We found out differently when we went RV shopping. So, to answer your questions: Yes, yes and everything. The Chevy did not have enough CCC or power to handle the 5th wheel.

Yeah, the 6.5L turbo-diesel Chevy used back then was a dog, to be sure, and some of them were rated for as little as 8000 lbs towing (most were 10k-11k).  Oh well, water over the dam now.  It's crucial to get the actual specs and not take it on faith it can "pull anything".
 
rcwitt said:
Hi all, We are new to this forum because we decided it's time to hit the road so the research begins.
I am hoping to get some help on 1/2 ton towable 5th wheels.

You might consider an Escape 5.0TA. It has an empty weight 3885lb and a GVWR of 5500lb. Don't know if your pickup can handle it or not, don't know enough to say. But it is a nice, small, light 5W. It's a lot smaller than what you think of when you say 5W, but it's a lot lighter also.

We have a 19' trailer from them and are quite pleased.

FYI
 
Well, thank you to everyone for their advice and insight. It is clear that we will go with a towable. We just don't need the 3/4 ton for daily
use when not towing .If we were full time on the road it would be differant. I don't think there are too many " factory equipped super whiz bang, gonzo-matic pick up's" out there for us to latch on to.
So now we start planning our trip.
Thanks again and we look forward to future involvement in this whiz bang, techno-matic web world ,RV Forum
 
rcwitt said:
Well, thank you to everyone for their advice and insight. It is clear that we will go with a towable. We just don't need the 3/4 ton for daily
use when not towing .If we were full time on the road it would be differant. I don't think there are too many " factory equipped super whiz bang, gonzo-matic pick up's" out there for us to latch on to.
So now we start planning our trip.
Thanks again and we look forward to future involvement in this whiz bang, techno-matic web world ,RV Forum

Just wondering what your reservations are driving a 3/4 or 1 ton truck are as a daily driver? Fuel ecomony is only slightly worse than a 1/2 ton not much and the ride is really quite nice. Before you say no go test drive a couple you might be suprised. Ive driven trucks as a daily driver for years, its just now that i picked up my little escape as a daily driver because it was dirt cheap as i got a smokin deal i couldn't pass up
 
steveblonde said:
Just wondering what your reservations are driving a 3/4 or 1 ton truck are as a daily driver? Fuel ecomony is only slightly worse than a 1/2 ton not much and the ride is really quite nice. Before you say no go test drive a couple you might be suprised. Ive driven trucks as a daily driver for years, its just now that i picked up my little escape as a daily driver because it was dirt cheap as i got a smokin deal i couldn't pass up
:)) :)) :))
I was wondering the exact same thing.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Yeah, the 6.5L turbo-diesel Chevy used back then was a dog, to be sure, and some of them were rated for as little as 8000 lbs towing (most were 10k-11k).

I ran across the 1990's turbo diesel Suburbans when I was shopping for our tow vehicle... and was pretty excited at the thought until, like you said, I realized that their pulling power was nothing special.  Capped at 7500-8000# like you said, barely more (if any more) than the 1/2 ton gas options, and well under the 10k# (7.4L gas) or 12k# (8.1L gas a few years) 3/4 ton max.  And that 6.5L diesel engine apparently had some other longevity/maintenance issues too.

steveblonde said:
Just wondering what your reservations are driving a 3/4 or 1 ton truck are as a daily driver? Fuel ecomony is only slightly worse than a 1/2 ton not much and the ride is really quite nice. Before you say no go test drive a couple you might be suprised. Ive driven trucks as a daily driver for years, its just now that i picked up my little escape as a daily driver because it was dirt cheap as i got a smokin deal i couldn't pass up

I've even turned my 3/4 ton Suburban into my daily driver now (3-4 days/week typically when my wife doesn't need the Traverse, our more "economical" SUV ;))... and while the 7.4L fuel economy is deplorable, it's a pretty comfortable ride for being 22+ years old.  I'm sure the newer generation trucks are light years ahead of mine, in terms of ride quality and non-towing economy.
 
I have vacillated between the Ford F-150 Eco Boost and a Chevy/Gmc 1 ton cargo van. Both have about the sam towing capacity. The F150 has better gas mileage. I mentioned this to my wife and to my surprise she said she would still,rather go with the van. We are looking at something like a Prius as our daily driver.
 
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