1/2 ton towable 5th wheel

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Rvtravelers

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In researching for a new camper I have seen advertised 5th wheels that say a 1/2!ton can tow them. I have a Ram 1500 with a 5.7 hemi. The manufacturer states I can tow around 10500 lbs and have a payload of 1700 lbs. any opinions on can I safely tow one would be appreciated.
 
IMHO I wouldn't consider pulling any fifth wheel with just a 1/2 ton. Even with a 3/4 ton it would have to be a "small" one.
 
Rvtravelers said:
In researching for a new camper I have seen advertised 5th wheels that say a 1/2!ton can tow them. I have a Ram 1500 with a 5.7 hemi. The manufacturer states I can tow around 10500 lbs and have a payload of 1700 lbs. any opinions on can I safely tow one would be appreciated.

With a 1700 lb payload capacity, you are going to be severely restricted on what you can safely tow.  A 5ver will put approx. 20% of the GVW of the trailer on the pin.  Take for example a trailer with a GVWR of 6000 lbs (pretty small 5ver in the scheme of things), 20% of that 6000 lbs is 1200 lbs.  Add another 150-175 lbs for a 5ver hitch (there are lighter hitches though), and now you are at roughly 1400 lbs.  That leaves roughly 300 lbs for EVERYTHING else you are going to put in the truck.  Passenger(s), luggage, extra fuel, tools/toolbox, firewood, anything and everything that goes in or on the truck counts against the available payload.  Then, even if you make your weight limit, do you really want to be towing at full rated capacity all the time.....in other words, with Zero reserve capacity? 

Personally, if it were me, I would be looking at tow behind trailers.  Tow behind trailers normally will only put 12-13% of the tongue weight on the tow vehicle.  That same trailer weight (6000 lbs) in a tow behind configuration would look like this.  6000 lbs times 12% = 720.  6000 lb times 13% = 780.  Then you would have another 60-80 lbs for a Weight Distribution Hitch setup, so taking worst case scenario (780 lbs plus 80 lb) and you are at 860 lbs that you are putting on the truck.  Even if you want to load your truck to the ragged edge (1700 lbs of available payload)....that still leaves you over 800 lbs for those "other" things like I mentioned above...Passenger(s), luggage, extra fuel, tools/toolbox, firewood, etc.

Towing a 5ver with a 1/2 Ton truck is doable, as I stated earlier, you choice is going to be severely limited in both choice and size for a trailer.  Hope this helps.
 
Most such "half ton towable" 5W are not. Not even close. Truck payload is the limiting factor because a 5W RV puts 20%-25% of its gross weight on the hitch pin.  That 1700 lb payload has to handle you, the hitch, and the trailer pin weight, so you are limited to a trailer with a gross weight in the range of  6000-6500 lbs.
 
How can they advertise a 11,500lb 5th wheel as having a hitch weight of 1,385lb or 12%. I have always read 20-25% of GVWR. So the hitch weight would be 2,300lbs to 2,875lbs. The below is from the Keystone Sprinter site.

http://www.trailerlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/KEYSTONE-SPRINTER-specs-300x271.jpg
 
I would not consider it, regardless what the manufacturer and/or the dealer state, because as others have said, the pin weight at 20 - 25% is going severely restrict your payload capacity at best and could very well exceed it.  On another note like you I had a Ram 1500 Hemi with right round a 10K tow capacity, while I had no issues towing the 7K fully loaded travel trailer we had, I felt that 7K was about the limit I wanted to tow with it. I like to have a cushion over and above what my tow vehicle specs indicate.  For example when I lived and traveled on mostly flat terrain with a few hills here and there, I liked a 10% cushion and when I moved to the west and frequently traveled mountain passes and steep hills, I boosted my cushion to 20%.  In any case you certainly do not want to exceed your vehicles tow capacity and best to leave some sort of cushion. Look diligently at the sticker on your door for the tow capacity, payload capacity and GVWR, compare those numbers with any 5er or TT you might consider. 
 
How can they advertise a 11,500lb 5th wheel as having a hitch weight of 1,385lb or 12%.
A slight of hand. They quote the hitch weight as it leaves the factory, empty, in other words.  The excuse is they have no idea what the actual hitch weight will be until the owner loads it, since both cargo weight and placement have a dramatic effect.  The unethical thing is that they don't warn you, and in most cases don't even mention that is an empty weight, so the uninformed swallow the bait whole!  Worse, many sales people use it unreservedly to convince gullible buyers.
In a 5W, the bulk storage area is way up front, and in most floor plans the bedroom and alley storage areas are also forward of the axle.  Often at least some of the water tanks too. Pin weight grows quickly, even lightly loaded.
 
My 2009 Wildcat 27RLX weighs about 8000 lbs and loaded with water, food, clothing and misc. items is about 9000-9200 lbs total weight.

Most F150s with their max tow (or is it heavy duty tow package now??) and 3.5L ecoboost package can tow this 5th wheel with spare load capacity for another adult, a couple of kids and a dog or two.  I know because I towed this 5th wheel with 2 F150 ecoboosts, a 2013 and a 2015 model.    Under no circumstance towing in Colorado did I feel unsafe or not have good handling or breaking capability.  I often towed at 70mph to not slow traffic on I-25 without issues. 

My only complaint on the F150 EB with the highest tow package available was that I preferred a little more engine power on the steep mountain passes.  I often limited my speed to 55-60 mph to not stress the motor and turbos too much.  I do not like using more than 1/2 throttle to climb hills and only use 3/4 throttle max to accelerate.  I'm not one to abuse an engine.

I jumped on the opportunity to get a great deal on a leftover F350 and am now using it.  The F350 gave me the capability to double (or is it triple tow) a 12 foot long ATV trailer.  Loaded up with 2 ATVs the trailer total weight is about 2700 lbs which is within the max factory installed hitch on my 5th wheel.  When we towed with the F150 my wife towed the ATVs with her diesel Jeep (7200 lb tow rating BTW).  I enjoy the companionship of having my wife and dogs in my 1 ton truck instead of taking another vehicle and burning more fuel.  An interesting side note is we often had credit card problems when we stopped to fuel my truck and her trip on long cross country trip to camp and ride ATVs.  Our banks, despite being told we were traveling and would be making multiple fuel purchases at gas stations, often disabled our credit cards right after refueling the 2nd vehicle especially where purchases on credit were limited to a certain amount (usually $100) on a single swipe and 35 gallons of diesel often required 2 swipes to fill an empty tank when fuel prices were higher.

I love the ability to climb any mountain pass at any speed -I have light truck tires rated for speeds much higher than 65mph on my 5th wheel.  I do not care much for diesel emissions particularly the numerous temperature, exhaust pressure, and nitric oxide sensors on the exhaust system which are not as reliable as I'd like them to be.


A roadmaster active suspension (better than airbags which I tried and didn't like) on the F150 not only takes care of the squat but improves handling to such a degree when towing or not towing that all of my neighbors who tow with their F150s ditched their airbags for a RAS system after driving my truck.  They all couldn't believe how well it handled corners when not towing and how little the vehicle squatted with a 1650 lb load on the 5th wheel hitch.

If you do your homework, a lightweight 5th wheel can be towed with an F150 despite naysayers opinions.  Today's 1/2 ton trucks have better brakes, transmission, and tow ratings then 3/4 ton trucks from as little as 10 years ago.  Despite my 30 ft 5th wheel being fairly lightweight, I'm amazed by how well it is built and held up over the years.  It is solid and built well.  The only problem I've had with my older Wildcat is blown ST tires but Korean made L/T tires and larger wheels solved this problem!  No more annual blowouts!
 
wmtired said:
A roadmaster active suspension (better than airbags which I tried and didn't like) on the F150 not only takes care of the squat but improves handling to such a degree when towing or not towing that all of my neighbors who tow with their F150s ditched their airbags for a RAS system after driving my truck.  They all couldn't believe how well it handled corners when not towing and how little the vehicle squatted with a 1650 lb load on the 5th wheel hitch.

If you do your homework, a lightweight 5th wheel can be towed with an F150 despite naysayers opinions.  Today's 1/2 ton trucks have better brakes, transmission, and tow ratings then 3/4 ton trucks from as little as 10 years ago.  Despite my 30 ft 5th wheel being fairly lightweight, I'm amazed by how well it is built and held up over the years.  It is solid and built well.  The only problem I've had with my older Wildcat is blown ST tires but Korean made L/T tires and larger wheels solved this problem!  No more annual blowouts!

I've done the same with an older truck and trailer. Run the numbers and search for something that fits it took me 3 months to settle on model and find one for sale.
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
A slight of hand. They quote the hitch weight as it leaves the factory, empty, in other words.  The excuse is they have no idea what the actual hitch weight will be until the owner loads it, since both cargo weight and placement have a dramatic effect.  The unethical thing is that they don't warn you, and in most cases don't even mention that is an empty weight, so the uninformed swallow the bait whole!  Worse, many sales people use it unreservedly to convince gullible buyers.
In a 5W, the bulk storage area is way up front, and in most floor plans the bedroom and alley storage areas are also forward of the axle.  Often at least some of the water tanks too. Pin weight grows quickly, even lightly loaded.
Gary
I understand completely what you are saying but the specs empty state 8,020 lbs and 20% would be 1,600 lbs and they stated a hitch weight of 1,385 lbs that would still only be 17.25%. At he full GVWR of 11,500 looking at over my max by a bunch. I have a CCC of 2,350.
 
When it comes to these trucks with marginal ability to tow a 5th wheel, I think it is also important to look at how the owner plans to use the 5th wheel.  Where I live there are a lot of people that own 5th wheels that only travel 150-250 miles per year over relatively flat land (some small hills).  They keep them at home in the winter, drag them to a regional lake in the spring and use them only on the weekends, then some drag them to a hunting camp in the autumn, and back home for the colder winter months,  repeat.  These people may get by with a 1/2 ton truck by unloading excess items the week for the end of the season, then going back to drag the then lightly loaded 5th wheel to its next location.
 
Isaac-1 said:
When it comes to these trucks with marginal ability to tow a 5th wheel, I think it is also important to look at how the owner plans to use the 5th wheel.  Where I live there are a lot of people that own 5th wheels that only travel 150-250 miles per year over relatively flat land (some small hills).  They keep them at home in the winter, drag them to a regional lake in the spring and use them only on the weekends, then some drag them to a hunting camp in the autumn, and back home for the colder winter months,  repeat.  These people may get by with a 1/2 ton truck by unloading excess items the week for the end of the season, then going back to drag the then lightly loaded 5th wheel to its next location.

I am not so sure that logic would hold up with the insurance company or in court should an accident occur. 
 
Towing overloaded, whether one time or multiple times, is never a good thing.  In fact, the more often you tow overloaded, the more likely your time will come and the gig is up.......it is simple probabilities.   
 
I see no problem towing with a 1/2 ton truck, if you do the math and stay below the capacities of the truck.
I triple tow with a 1/2 ton, and yes, I am under all weight requirements; gross, towing capacity, carrying, and even a 60' length limit.

If your looking for a 5th wheel. Check out KZ. I have a Sportsmen that has a max capacity of 7,000 pounds. KZ Sportsmen 231RK. KZ just introduced the upscale Durango series designed for 1/2 ton trucks. They look pretty sweet.
https://www.kz-rv.com/

 
We've been there and done that.  Our 1/2 ton didn't do the job of pulling our 35' 5th wheel. Husband wanted to buy a 3/4 ton to pull the 5th wheel.  I don't know much put I do know we were wasting a lot on money on tow vehicles that weren't doing the job.  I finally convinced DH we needed a one ton.  He's very happy with my decision.  ;) ;) ;)
 
MN Blue Skies said:
We've been there and done that.  Our 1/2 ton didn't do the job of pulling our 35' 5th wheel. Husband wanted to buy a 3/4 ton to pull the 5th wheel.  I don't know much put I do know we were wasting a lot on money on tow vehicles that weren't doing the job.  I finally convinced DH we needed a one ton.  He's very happy with my decision.  ;) ;) ;)

Wise decision. It's better to have a too much tow vehicle than too small. Although, I might draw the line at using a semi tractor to tow a tent popup.  ;D
 
Yep, I agree with previous comments.  I almost never recommend a 3/4 ton truck anymore.  If you are going to upgrade from a 1/2 ton go all out and get a 1 ton for the additional tow and load capacity.  I was told early on while on my first camping trip that a lot of RV'ers upgrade to larger campers every several years.  I didn't believe them but here I am 5 campers later having gone form a hardshell popup that was towed by my diesel Jeep Liberty to a 30 foot 5th wheel that I tow easily with my 1 ton truck.  Yes, I do plan on going up to a 35 foot 5th wheel in the next couple of years if the CFO lets me.

 
I see no problem towing with a 1/2 ton truck, if you do the math and stay below the capacities of the truck.
Aye, but that caveat is a killer. There simply are not many half ton truck configurations that have the capability to handle any but the smallest 5W.

That Sportsman 231RK cited is still a 7000 lb trailer, meaning 1400 lbs or more pin weight.  Only a few half ton configurations will have enough payload to carry that plus passengers & hitch, plus the standard (6.5 ft) or long (8 ft) bed required.  It's certainly possible to get a half ton truck like that, but the popular XLT and Lariat Supercrew or Supercab models usually come up short.  Odds are strong the one you already own or find on a dealer lot will NOT have the necessary specs.
 
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