1/2 Ton 5th Wheel Towing

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AlkalineOm3n

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I am sure this question has been asked hundreds of times, but after searching to extent I really haven't found much information regarding towing smaller 5th wheels - it seems everyone wants to go 24'+

I don't currently have a truck nor a trailer, but am in the market to buy both while keeping cost down as low as possible. I want to keep my MPG's up as high as possible (don't we all?) while still having a solid feeling safe tow rig. The trucks I'm looking at are GMT800 Chevrolet's/GMC's (Silverados, Sierras, etc), likely a 2000-2004 Silverado 1500 with a tow package. I'm most interested in 18-21' 5th wheels.

This is currently the 5th wheel I have my eyes on: http://www.rvtrader.com/listing/1995-Coachmen-CATALINA-LITE-200RK-113356428

20', Rated 3800 lbs dry.

Would a 5th wheel like this require a 3/4 ton? Or would I be just fine with a 1/2 ton truck?
 
The primary 5W limitation of a half ton is its weight carrying capacity. A 5W trailer places 20-25% of its actual loaded weight on the hitch, which is almost directly over the truck rear axle.

Since you don't know the weight of the 5W until you load it up, use the trailer GVWR as the estimated weight and figure about 22% of that for the hitch weight. If your truck's payload capacity can handle that (remember, passengers are "payload" too), you are good to go. A typical half ton payload rating will be 1000-1400 lbs, depending on its exact configuration (cab style, engine, tranny, rear axle ratio, bed length, 2wd vs 4wd, etc. You can look up used truck tow ratings in previous issues of the Trailerlife Towing Guide - see http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

Odds are good that a 5W under 24 feet would be fine, but you need to get down to the details to be sure.
 
Disregard dry weight and look for gross weight on the fifth wheel.  It will be on a placard on the left front of the trailer an will say GVWR.  Dry weight is meaningless and most likely nowhere near accurate anyway.

Take your gross trailer weight and multiply it by 22%....that's roughly what the pin weight will be.  If that falls within the Silverado's ratings (remember to deduct people and luggage beyond the driver...and the weight of the hitch itself) then you are cleared for take off payload wise.  Then ensure that the gross trailer weight falls within the Silverado's tow rating, and you'll be fine.  Allow a 10-20% margin if you tow in the mountains a lot.....ie if the truck is rated for 6000 lbs, knock off 600 lbs and call it 5400 if you tow in the Mountain West. 
 
While some of today's 1/2 tons are pushing or exceeding a 10,000 tow rating, I think you will have a tough time finding one in the age range you are considering that is stout enough for 5th wheel duty. My 1999 Chevy 1500 (5.3L with 3.73? rear) was rated at 7,400 lbs and my 2002 Chevy 2500 (6.0L with 4.10's) was at 10,300 lbs. I don't remember the payload ratings but as was already pointed out, that may be your limiting factor as well.
 
I'll have to do some research to determine what the gross weight is, but not having the trailer in front of me is limiting that.
 
I have a very nice GMC CC DURAMAX 2500HD with 108k for sale if you decide you want to go bigger and get way more mpg while towing gets 22 on highway @65 empty. I got 11.5 towing 16k. Just saying...
 
I'd go at least 3/4 ton, and I'll tell you why.

While a decent half tonner will likely be OK hauling that fiver, you'll eventually want something bigger....I'd suspect sooner rather than later.  What you're looking at is a 20 year old, very small (by today's standards) light weight entry level fifth wheel.  Those don't really exist any more.  The lightest late model fifth wheels available these days are around 8000 lbs, and they go up (way up) from there.  A good 3/4 ton pickup would get you the ability to tow up to a 12K lbs fiver.  If you decide to move into a 3500s series, you can go beyond 15K lbs in some configurations.  That will get you just about anything you'll want.

If you stick with a half ton truck, when (not if) you decide you want a bigger fifth wheel, you'll be trading trucks again too.  Do it once, do it right.  To be clear, half ton pickups have come a long way in terms of ability in the last decade, but the flipside is trailers have gotten bigger and heavier too. 
 
Frizlefrak makes some very good points and I'll just add that the fuel savings you're expecting from getting a 1/2 ton instead of a 3/4 ton may be far less than you expect.  The 1/2 ton weighs less, but most of the hit on fuel economy when towing is air resistance and a fifth wheel (or any full-sized trailer) is going to provide you with plenty of that.  Your best bet for fuel savings is driving at lower speeds.  As I think Gary noted in another thread, air resistance goes up by the square of your speed.  Driving 50 mph instead of 65 will likely save you a lot more in fuel than getting a 1/2 ton instead of a 3/4 ton.

Driving my 1 ton Silverado without my trailer, I get around 20 mpg doing around 55 mph in fairly level terrain.  Put my Arctic Fox trailer behind it and at the same speed I get around 11 mpg.  I just can't imagine having a lighter truck would make any real difference in that drop.
 
My 1/2 ton pulls my 6000 lb 5th wheel just fine.....That said, it does suck the gas (10 mpg) towing
 

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Towed a very small 5th wheel for four years - Alaska and back and all over the mountain west a small, very small 5th wheel - smallest ever made 18.5 feet with a Ford F-150 with the 4.6 and recently upgraded to a F-250 V-10 and the difference is amazing...Bigger brakes, more payload capacity - like it is not there....I regret not going bigger to begin with and surprised I didn't have more troubles...

I am now shopping and planning for about a 24 footer and now my tow rating is close to 12,000 pounds and I will be well under that and feel confident in being able to choose what I want...

Get the bigger truck and then when you want to upgrade (you will) you will have enough truck to handle it...MG went from 6-8 MPG to 8-12 easy and more often than not 12....

I regret not going with a bigger truck from the git go....the brakes and tow load and comfort are amazing...no hill problems and I feel like there is no trailer even back there, very comforting...

Jim
 
We started with an 18 1/2 fiver, soon became apparent it was simply too small. No storage, limited seating (dinette only) and I couldn't bend over in the bathroom to pull up my pants. :D Shower was virtually useless. We moved up to a 24' which is on the edge for most 1500/F-150 trucks, fortunately we now have a 2500 diesel which doesn't notice it. Don't skimp on the trailer to save on the truck, you will regret it. Trust me on this.
 
I just saw a graphic illustration of why 1/2 towing should only be done with a small trailer.  I was looking around the lot at one of the local dealers, and a guy was all hooked up and ready to leave with his new, fairly large trailer on his F150 truck.  The truck was pointed skyward, and the trailer hitch was barely off the ground, as you can imagine.  His wife wouldn't permit a trip to the truck dealership, so he was forced to cancel the deal and buy a smaller unit.
 
Frizlefrak said:
Disregard dry weight and look for gross weight on the fifth wheel.  It will be on a placard on the left front of the trailer an will say GVWR.  Dry weight is meaningless and most likely nowhere near accurate anyway.
Click to expand...

This is somewhat true, but only to a certain point. You need to apply a wee bit of intelligence to the process rather then just using the GVWR. For instance, my 5er has a dry weight of 6,830 lbs. and a GVWR of 9,16 lbs. No matter how I stretch my imagination, I can't see loading in 2,300 lbs. of stuff, even with a full tank of water.

In cases with an unusually large cargo capacity (such as my 2,300 lbs.) it might make more sense to add a reasonable estimate of cargo weight to the GVWR.

However, if you do that, make sure to leave a decent safety margin. I could probably have squeezed my numbers to fit a 1/2 ton, but I am much more comfortable with the safety margin afforded by the 3/4 diesel.

Joel
 
You may want to check out this new 5th..it is light and under 20 foot..and an easy pull for a newer pick up..I was looking at one before I was informed it wouldn't do :)

2 piece..no leaks..kinda cool..and american made. This is also a version made in canada depending on where you live.

http://www.rvingplanet.com/brands/scamp/scamp-19-foot/fifth-wheels/

Good luck..

Ian
 
No matter how I stretch my imagination, I can't see loading in 2,300 lbs. of stuff, even with a full tank of water.
Click to expand...

Have you taken yours to the scales when ready to hit the road? You might well be amazed. Most people are when they do that.

The reason to use GVWR is that owners nearly always badly underestimate the loaded weight when the guess at shipping weight + their gear.  Besides, sooner or later you are likley to load in some extra gear for a special trip, or need to travel with full water, and you should be fully prepared to handle that weight.
 
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