Can I tow this 5th wheel with my Silverado 1500?

[ForestRanchSteve]

My wife and I would like to get a larger RV and found a 5th wheel that looks to be within specs but I want to make sure before we commit.

First my truck from the sticker in the door:
2021 Chevy Silverado 1500
5.3 liter V8
GVWR 7,100 lbs
GCWR 15,000 lbs
Max payload 1,826 lbs
Gooseneck TWR 8,900 lbs
Max Tongue Weight 1,335 lbs

From the trailer:
Keystone Cougar Sport 2100RK
GVW 8,500 lbs
Tongue 1,120 lbs
Weight Empty 6,815 lbs

I do not have a hitch in the bed of the truck, so would need to add that.

Thanks.

 

[CharlesinGA]

NO, won't work, not even close. The trailer has about 1700 lbs of capacity, fill the water tank, the fridge, put in a battery, add propane, cooking gear, clothes, sheets and towels, extra shoes and boots, cameras, chocks, levelers, etc. its at GVWR of 8500 lbs. Pin weight will be about 20% of gross, so 1700 lb pin weight. The hitch will be about 200 lbs. So you will be about 75 pounds negative and you have not even sat in the drivers seat yet. Probably will be way over the rear axle weight also, and the P tires you most likely have will need to be replaced with LT tires.

Also, if the truck is at gross, and the trailer is at gross, you will be 600 lbs over the GCWR of the truck. To stay under that, you will have to carry no more than ~1100 lbs in the trailer, which is not gonna happen.

Charles

 

[MN Blue Skies]

Hello, welcome to the RV Forum. DH (dear husband) and I have been members for 10 years even before we bought our first RV.

I'm not a weight expert but from what little I know I don't think that the truck and trailer are a match.

Hopefully you won't make the expensive mistake my DH and I made by buying a truck that was too small.

 

[TonyL]

Can you tow it, yes, is it safe, I doubt it.
Don't even look at the unladen weight, it's worthless as you'll never tow it empty except when you collect it.
A fifth wheel doesn't have tongue weight, it's called pin weight, and will be around 20% of the gross weight fully laden.
You also have to consider everything you load in the pickup, hitch, passengers, anything in the truck bed. All this comes of your payload.
Furthermore, where are you towing it, as any mountain pass is not going to be an easy ride up or down.
In my opinion, don't even consider it.
Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear.

 

[MN Blue Skies]

Can you tow it, yes, is it safe, I doubt it.
Don't even look at the unladen weight, it's worthless as you'll never tow it empty except when you collect it.
A fifth wheel doesn't have tongue weight, it's called pin weight, and will be around 20% of the gross weight fully laden.
You also have to consider everything you load in the pickup, hitch, passengers, anything in the truck bed. All this comes of your payload.
Furthermore, where are you towing it, as any mountain pass is not going to be an easy ride up or down.
In my opinion, don't even consider it.
Sorry if this is not what you wanted to hear.

Steve, TonyL is an expert so you're getting great advice. Feel welcome to check back with the RV Forum if you need advice on a different truck/rv combination.

 

[IBTripping]

Back of a napkin calculation: 20% of the trailer's GVW of 8,500 lbs equals 1640 lbs tongue weight. Then add the weight of the hitch of about 100 lbs which uses up most of the truck's 1826 lbs payload leaving 86 lbs for all the stuff you carry in your truck. Even if you pack the the trailer very light, you'll probably exceed the rear axle weight rating.

Instead, you might consider a nice travel trailer (bumper pull) up to 7,000 GVWR. Here's the math for that: 10% tongue weight of 700 lbs. Plus 80 lbs weight distribution hitch equals 780 lbs. Subtract that 780 lbs from the truck's cargo capacity of 1826 lbs leaving 1046 lbs for all the stuff you carry in your truck. There are some very nice and roomy travel trailers for you to chose from.

Another option is to get a bigger truck. A 250/2500 should do the job. However, for a little more cost, I'd get a 350/3500.

 

[CharlesinGA]

OP says they want a "larger RV" which indicates they have something, probably a travel trailer, now. I would suggest that even a 7000 lb bumper pull would almost be too much, probably closer to 6000 lb would be better, however 7000 is doable, but even at 7000 you are looking at about 1000 tongue weight including the hitch.

Charles

 

[Ray-IN]

Another factor is; you will be pulling an 8' wide x 12' tall wall. Just the wind resistance will consume so much HP at highway speed that any hills will overtax the engine and drive-train.
This online 5th wheel towing calculator will accurately and safely match a tow vehicle and trailer. 5th Wheel Weight Calculator

Re-read your pickups owners manual and I suspect you'll find where 5th wheel RV towing is not recommended.

 

[joerone]

Keep Your Daydream has a You Tube channel and he does a great informational video on all aspects of towing GVWR, GAWR etc. They also include a link to a downloadable spreadsheet where you put in your truck and RV info as well as passenger/payload weights and it will calculate you tow capacity

Understanding GVWR & Payload - Keep Your Daydream

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'll just agree with all the others. Too much trailer for that truck.

 

[darsben]

I'll just agree with all the others. Too much trailer for that truck.

No too little truck for that trailer. He already has the truck

 

[steveblonde]

1/2tons are not designed for 5th wheels they are glorified grocery getters unless you get a special order base model

 

[Gizmo]

This is easy, no way. This is the only 5th wheel I have seen that can be towed with many half ton trucks Trailer Escape 5.0 Otherwise half ton trucks are not the right platform to tow 5th wheel trailers.

 

[rvlifer]

I agree with the other posters. I wouldn't do it. Posting to include other factors to consider that haven't been mentioned here yet.

You need more info than just from the stickers. They may not be accurate and they don't cover everything. Get the full towing specs for your truck and if possible weigh the RV yourself. I don't trust the info provided by the RV manufacturers. When you know how they are put together each unit is unique so the numbers can easily vary on a specific unit. If you get into an accident you have to be sure. If you are over any specs by any amount your insurance might not cover you and the state where it happened might not look too kindly on it either.

Just about anything will get an RV moving. The most important thing is how well is stops in an emergency. The bigger the tow vehicle compared to what it is towing, the safer, easier, and less fatiguing it is to drive. The older you get the more you appreciate that.

Everyone uses their RV differently and carries different stuff so the numbers on the RV help but they aren't going to match what you are towing. Where you put things in the TV and RV affects the numbers and that can get really important when you are near the limits.

Changes you make to the RV after you own it affect the numbers. For example, did the manufacturer spec the RV with wet cell batteries? If you upgrade to lithiums you will drop a lot of weight. The further in front of the wheels the batteries are the more impact on tongue weight. If the rv has options that weren't the same as the one they weighed for the sticker, it won't match the specs. Even changing carpeting will change the weight. We replaced our counters and were shocked at how much weight we saved. The point is that the stickers are best used as approximate numbers and if you don't want to take chances you really need to know the exact numbers.

It comes down to risk management. If you want less risk you want a bigger tow vehicle in relation to the RV.

 

[rvlifer]

I find it interesting that so many still use terms like 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. They don't really apply anymore. You can get an F150 decked out from Ford that can handle way more than 1/2 ton and aftermarket accessories let them do even more. If all you go by is general rules that you should have a certain type of truck to tow a certain type of RV you are rolling the dice. It is best to get the exact specs of everything and base your decisions on those.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I find it interesting that so many still use terms like 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton. They don't really apply anymore.

True - those terms are just a generic label these days. So is the term "short bed", which in general use can mean anything less than the 8 ft "long bed". Anywhere from about 5 ft up to around 7.5 ft.

 

[Tulecreeper]

OP says they want a "larger RV" which indicates they have something, probably a travel trailer, now. I would suggest that even a 7000 lb bumper pull would almost be too much, probably closer to 6000 lb would be better, however 7000 is doable, but even at 7000 you are looking at about 1000 tongue weight including the hitch.

Charles

A travel trailer is an RV. Other than that, you're right.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Not enough truck for that 5th-wheel. There are a couple models that would be doable, but that isn't one of them.

 

[rvlifer]

True - those terms are just a generic label these days. So is the term "short bed", which in general use can mean anything less than the 8 ft "long bed". Anywhere from about 5 ft up to around 7.5 ft.

Agreed but at least short bed/long bed is still an accurate description and carries some real meaning. Short beds need articulating hitches for 5th wheels and long beds can carry full sheets of building materials.

 

[1stimerver]

I suspect that even if you find one that is a 1/2 ton towable 5VER, you will end up disappointed with a very limited cargo capacity.
At last weigh in, our bumper hitch mounted TT, fully loaded, we measured 6,600 lbs. Its empty weight is 4,400 lbs.
Which meant we were carrying aprox 2,200 lbs of cargo. As previously stated, with 400 lbs of water aboard, and 100 lbs for propane, and the rest clothes, food, misc stuff like folding chairs, pop up canopy, black stone, hydraulic jack, tools, spare tire, pots and pans, utensils, plates, glasses, cups, bowls, toaster, coffee maker, TV, Water hose, pressure regulator, filter, slinky, folding table, etc. Plus the weight of the hitch (150 to 200 lbs) you will run out of cargo capacity very quickly.


Just my $.02 FWIW

Safe travels and all the best.