Can my 1/2 ton tow a small 5th wheel

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Stetay

Member
Joined
Oct 24, 2015
Posts
9
Location
So cal
I have a 2014 Silverado high country 1/2 ton hd
And want to buy a small 5th wheel rv. There are lots of conflicting options out there, and I'm still not sure. It does have the tow package.
Any feedback would be appreciated
[email protected]
My truck specs are:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating Cap
7000 lbs (7000.0 min/7200.0max)
Gross Combined Wt Rating
15000 lbs (15000.0 min/15000.0max)
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
5000 lbs (5000.0 min/5000.0max)
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
500 lbs (500.0 min/500.0max)
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
9700 lbs (9600.0 min/9700.0max)
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
1455 lbs (1440.0 min/1455.0max)
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt.
9700 lbs (9600.0 min/9700.0max)
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Tongue Wt.
2425 lbs (2400.0 min/2425.0max)
Maximum Trailering Capacity
9700 lbs (9700.0 min/9700.0max)
 
here you go check this out it will help you out

www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals_and_Videos/02_pdf/MY14%20Trailering%20Guide_1113.13.pdf

page 10


they say you can and i see a few people doing it - but your limited in 5ers that are in that range of weight and it will be hard on the truck = tranny and brakes. but to answer your question yes it is possible. a 2500 would make life easier though
 
I towed a small 5th wheel with my Ford F-150 - but my 5th wheel is less than 20 feet long and only weighs 4200 pounds, they don't make them this small anymore. I towed it for over 20 thousand miles - tranny was about shot when I traded it in.

I now have an F-250 and it is much better towing - next will be a little bigger 5th wheel had to get the truck first!

You can do it, but like said before it will be tough to find one that you can tow easily and it will be hard on the brakes and tranny and slow going up some hills...

Good Luck,

Jim
 
In a word - NO!

What does your truck weigh empty - just you and a full tank of gas?  For the 2016 1500, it is about 5500 #.

If you have a 5er which has a GVWR of 9,700, it will have a MINIMUM  pin wt of 1,940# (20%).  Add this to your truck weight plus a hitch (200#), wife and a little cargo, and you are WAY OVER the truck GVWR of 7,000#.

I believe their claimed max pin weight of 2,425# may well exceed truck GVWR, and you must still add the weight of the hitch!  The curb weight of the truck must be less than 4575# to carry this weight!  (4575 + 2425 = 7000).  Sometimes they are so anxious to make a claim about how much they can tow, they forget how to do math using their own numbers.

If you want to pull a 5er safely, you need at least a 2500 pickup, and a 3500 is a MUCH better choice.

Ignore the DRY WEIGHT of the camper.  Nobody goes camping with an empty camper, and over time, it will get up to that GVWR.  You need enough truck to pull AND STOP that much trailer.
 
Nope.  Look at the sticker on the inside of the drive door.  You will see that your payload is well under 2,000.  Pin weight of a FW will be well over 2,000#
 
RVRAC said:
Nope.  Look at the sticker on the inside of the drive door.  You will see that your payload is well under 2,000.  Pin weight of a FW will be well over 2,000#

rockwood ultra lite
http://www.forestriverinc.com/product-details.aspx?LineID=211&Image=5060&Tab=4

cougar xlite

http://www.keystonerv.com/cougar-xlite/#/specs

many have pin weights around 1200 lbs  payload on your truck  is rated at 1800 so add pin weight  plus driver passenger hitch etc  you will be close.
Can you do it? the answer is still YES, should you? thats up to you to decide
 
There certainly are 5W's that can be towed with that truck, but "small" is the operative word. The primary constraint on a half ton truck is the 5W pin weight. A 5W puts 20-25% of its actual loaded weight on the hitch, which means it must stay within the payload capacity of that half ton truck. You quoted 2425 lbs for a max 5W pin weight, so you need to stay a few hundred lbs under than.  I'm rather surprised that a half ton can carry that much payload, though. Most of them are well under 2000 lbs. As Grashley described, you should double check that to make sure that such a big payload, plus passengers and gear, does not exceed the truck GVWR or rear axle GAWR. Odds are you cannot max out everything at the same time, i.e. passenger weight is traded off against trailer pin weight.

I would also try to keep the trailer relatively short, to reduce the tendency for the tail to wag the dog. Today's half ton trucks have a relatively soft, car-like, suspension. A 3/4 ton makes a sturdier towing platform.
 
Thanks everyone!
Looks like a 5th wheel is not a great idea for my truck.
It is just the wife and I so instead of getting rid of my truck (which I really like) I think I am going to look into the small trailers. The only ones I have seen are Scamp and Taylor makes a nice one. Hope this doesn't take me out of the true RVer class but I really like my truck and just want something we can travel in.
Any other suggestions?
 
Nope. I used to have a 2013 Silverado 1500 with 4.10, good for a TT but not FW.  Anyone who tells you otherwise has not had a 1500 Silverdo, look at the payload sticker inside.
 
the GM website says YES
http://www.Chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals_and_Videos/02_pdf/MY14%20Trailering%20Guide_1113.13.pdf

when  they say yes its good enough for warranty which makes it GOOD ENOUGH

i have both a 1500 and a 3500 and i wouldn't do it with a half ton, BUT the official GM web site says you can so there you be
 
It is the high country model which is built quite a bit heavier duty the sticker in the door says combined weight should not exceed 1491#
 
The answer 1491# assuming: less 100# DW+ 100# stuff, leaves you 1291#, not enough for FW pin weight.
 
RVRAC said:
The answer 1491# assuming: less 100# DW+ 100# stuff, leaves you 1291#, not enough for FW pin weight.

2015 cougar 25RKS has a posted pin weight of 1120lbs yes hes pushing it no arguement but he is within legal limits at that weight and there are others available Rockwood 8020WS pin weight of 1089 lbs i see them all the time -ONCE AGAIN IM NOT SUGGESTING YOU DO IT BUT THE OP ASKED IF HE COULD DO IT - NOT WHETHER YOU SUGGEST HE DOES OR DOESNT
 
I have seen some 5th in the low 20ft range that are pretty light and would prob work. I am now looking at about 18ft trailers, it's only a nearly retired couple looking for a cool way to see the country. The resolve I have gotten is awesome and much appreciated.
 
Why not a travel trailer?  Your truck WILL pull a lot of very nice well appointed travel trailers, and you can get more space than you could with a fiver that's within it's range. 
 
There are 5W in the 24-26 ft range that would work with most any half ton truck. Forest River Wildwood, 26 for example. Or one of the Keystone lite 5W models. The trailer would have to have a GVWR in the 7500 lb range, or maybe a bit less.

That said, a travel trailer is a much better match up for a half ton. The pin weight problem pretty much disappears because TT tongue weight is much lower than 5W pin weight. You can get a nice trailer for your family and keep your truck!
 
steveblonde said:
the GM website says YES
http://www.Chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Ownership/Manuals_and_Videos/02_pdf/MY14%20Trailering%20Guide_1113.13.pdf

when  they say yes its good enough for warranty which makes it GOOD ENOUGH

i have both a 1500 and a 3500 and i wouldn't do it with a half ton, BUT the official GM web site says you can so there you be

Steve, the official GMC web site says a 2016 GMC 2500 6.0L gas 4x4 CC RB has a payload of 3152#.  The SAME web site shows a curb weight of 6525# and a GVWR of 9500#.  That is a difference of only 2975#.  They also claim 14,000# 5er capacity.  If you figure a 20% pin wt of 2,800# + 200# hitch + 300# for 2 passengers, you have 3,300# carried by the truck.  That clearly exceeds printed limits on their web site.  I guess you pull it without a hitch and have a naked jockey driving (save weight of their clothes).
Similar results for the diesel and the 3500 models.  Same is true for Ford.

http://www.gmc.com/2015-sierra-2500hd-pickup-truck/features-specs/options.html

I realize that different 5er's have different pin wt %.  For ALL 5er's on the Keystone web site, the Cougar Xlite, as a model had the LOWEST average pin weight of 17.4%, varying from 15.6% to 18.6%  One Springdale model had a pin wt of only 14.5%.  These are DRY pin weights.  Almost anything in the 5er will increase pin weight, and most will increase % of weight on the pin.
Average pin weight for the entire Keystone line, excluding Toy Haulers was 19.7%.  TH averaged 22.6% pin wt.

Manufacturers use 15% pin weight in their calculations, but the current Keystone line lists only 1 5er with a dry pin weight of 15.0% or less.  Out of 148 models, only 7 have a pin weight less than 17.0%  THEIR 15% ASSUMPTION IS NOT REALISTIC.

Just because the manufacturer makes a claim does NOT mean it can be done in real life.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
There are 5W in the 24-26 ft range that would work with most any half ton truck. Forest River Wildwood, 26 for example. Or one of the Keystone lite 5W models. The trailer would have to have a GVWR in the 7500 lb range, or maybe a bit less.

That said, a travel trailer is a much better match up for a half ton. The pin weight problem pretty much disappears because TT tongue weight is much lower than 5W pin weight. You can get a nice trailer for your family and keep your truck!

Gary,
Of the 148 current 5th wheel models offered by Keystone, only 5 have a DRY pin weight less than 1200#.  This includes 3 models under 7500# DRY wt.  That allows 200# for a hitch and 200# for passengers to stay under 1600# payload.  These campers do exist, but they are very few and very far between.

TT are indeed a much better option.
 
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