1/2 Ton Towing

I am new to the RV lifestyle and have been reading a lot of the posts on here to get a jump on things.  After reading many of the posts regarding towing a camper with a half ton truck I was starting to doubt the setup I was planning on using.  The camper was a gift from my in laws, and I already owned the truck, so I decided to set the truck up and try it. The camper is a 1998 Aerolite seven 24' fifth wheel with a 13" pin box extension, and the pickup is a 1998 Chevrolet K1500 extended cab, short box, with the 5.7ltr, auto trans, and 3.73 gears. I installed a Reese 15k non sliding hitch (my in laws old hitch), and a p3 brake controller.

Towed the camper yesterday about 35 miles just to try it out, and it went great. The truck had plenty of power to pull it and handled the weight just fine.  The truck has a towing capacity of right around 7000 lbs in its current configuration, and the trailer has a gvwr of 4675.  When I pulled it yesterday it had full propane tanks, and half a tank of fresh water on board. It was also loaded with all their stuff for camping (lawn chairs, dishes, small grill, towels, etc..), so except for our clothes and some beer, it was essentially fully loaded.  Just wanted to post on here that it is possible to safely pull a camper with a half ton, provided you keep the size of the trailer on the smaller side.

The one question that I would like some input on is what kind of stabilizing jacks does everyone like and why?  My trailer has none in the rear now and I would like to add a set to it.  Which is better, the scissor jack, or the corner post swing jack?

You should be in fine shape with that relatively light trailer on your truck. It's the folks who think they can pull 28-30 footers that get in trouble. Especially since the newer trailers are quite a bit heavier, being well adorned with amenities.

I like the scissors jacks myself. You can spin them up/down with a cordless drill and they are infinitely adjustable as well.

What Gary said. The scissors work fine on mine even with a larger trailer. Might want to consider a king pin jack later. It really makes a world of difference.

I like the scissor jacks, but they do have a tendency to allow a small amount of side-to-side sway.  One manufacturer mounts the jacks at 45 degree angles to the frame instead of in line with each other, which seems like a good way to reduce the free play.

  i like the scissor style and on my 5er they hold it pretty firm.  and my wife hates when the trailer moves and she seems very happy with our set up so far.  just my 2 cents...  enjoy the trailer

Re wiggles of the trailer/RV.. This may help.

  Just imagine you are on a nice sailboat, anchored in a romantic spot, the Sun is just going down and a Marguerite in your hands. Who cares about a little wiggle . Been there, done that..it's wonderful.

carson FL

Dont forget that is most cases your truck will have a 5th wheel towing capacity that is a little higher. You should be fine, although I wouldnt try going through a mountain range with it.

Irocrcr said:

The camper is a 1998 Aerolite seven 24' fifth wheel with a 13" pin box extension, and the pickup is a 1998 Chevrolet K1500 extended cab, short box, with the 5.7ltr, auto trans, and 3.73 gears.

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I will note that your rig probably has the 4L60e transmission in it which would be the weakest component while towing, especially with 3.73 gears.  Otherwise you'll be fine.