TV for 5th Wheel??

[magnolia44]

Hi,
? ? ? ?I have checked? the trailer life towing guide and have a question?? Can I tow a 5th wheel with a gvwr of 14,000# with a Dodge 2500 ext. cab LB RWD? diesel truck?? Towing guide says top weight for this truck is 13,300.? ?Reason I ask is I have been told and the consensus seems to be no,? according to the tow guide answer is no.? But, and there's always a but,? my husband and I ran into a couple at our little local rv park doing just that,? and they were full timers and the gentleman had a 'certified rv technician' sign on the side of the truck and said it was probably the best towing match he had ever had?#&#^$%? ?He didn't strike me as the type to do anything unsafe.? They also travel between 3or 4 different places in the southeast only.? ?So what's up?? ? ? Thank you in advance for any and all help, Magnolia 44? ? ? ? ?Oh, and they are hauling a 5th wheel on our short list!

 

[Shayne]

Simple answer  --Safely NO  but I'll let Carl and Gary do the explaining, cause they are the best I know of at the specs

 

[Ned]

Our towing experts will give you the details, but the short answer should be obvious.  The trailer already exceeds the rating for the truck and that's without allowance for towing in hills and/or mountains.  People will often justify to themselves (and others) unsafe situations because they don't or won't correct it.  You need a bigger truck for that trailer, or a smaller trailer for that truck.

 

[Carl L]

What year is that Dodge? Rear end ratio?

The 2006 Trialer Life numbers put your 13,300 lbs in the right ball park so lets go with the calcs. 

If you tow in the East, we like to allow about 10% as a general safety factor which would indicate that your truck should tow nothing with GVWR of more than 11,970 lbs.

If you would tow in the mountain or Pacific west, make that safety factor 20% to allow for ascending and descending long 6-8% grades and 6000 foot plus altitudes.  Now that max GVWR would be 10,640 lbs.

...and they were full timers and the gentleman had a 'certified rv technician' sign on the side of the truck and said it was probably the best towing match he had ever had?#&#^$%  He didn't strike me as the type to do anything unsafe.  They also travel between 3or 4 different places in the southeast only.  So what's up?

Certified?  By whom?  My wife certifies me as one.  Anything something goes wrong with the trailer, I am certified to fix it.  ;D

Anyway, you named it, he goes 3 or 4 places only in one of the lower and flatter parts of the USA.  Likely short runs at that.  On the other hand, you may want to do the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Glacier, San Francisco, LA, Tahoe, etc..  You might like that 20% edge.  Myself, I have visited those areas with that sort of edge and have been glad to have it.

 

[magnolia44]

O.K.  I have a followup question,  is there any correlation between weight and quality in a 5th wheel?  The "higher end" units seem to be extremely heavy, and I am not referring to the corian countertops, I am strictly talking quality construction of the coach itself??  Thanks for your patience with  someone who would like to make the right choice the first time!!  Magnolia 

 

[Carl L]

O.K. I have a followup question, is there any correlation between weight and quality in a 5th wheel? The "higher end" units seem to be extremely heavy, and I am not referring to the corian countertops, I am strictly talking quality construction of the coach itself?? Thanks for your patience with someone who would like to make the right choice the first time!! Magnolia

Yes there is.  The best way you can satisfy yourself is to sample a trailer of any type, that is touted as a lightweight unit.  Construction is lighter all around.  Wall are thinner, cabinets are more lightly constructed.  No slideouts.  Plumbing tends toward plastic and away from porcelain.  Underneath the frame may be of 4 or 5-inch I-beams instead of 6-inch. 

 

[stevemc]

Good point.  We recently bought a low mileage Chevy 2500HD, Duromax/Allison pickup that we thought was a good deal.  We were still looking at lightweight model 5th wheels thinking we might as well take advantage of the easier pull but maybe would be smarter to get a little heavier model to take advantage of better construction.  "Lightweight" 30' models we've looked at are around 6,000 - 7,000 pounds (dry weight).  "Normal" weight models of the same brands seem to be 8,000 - 10,000 pounds, well within our trucks capacity.

 

[Cabbie]

But isn't there a differance between between the value of tow weights depending on if it's a travel trailer or 5th wheel. I've been told ( never tested) that my 2001 F250 4x4 with a PowerStroke will tow a travel trailer up to 13500 GVW or a 5th wheel of 14500.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Yes, most trucks are rated to tow a heavier fifth wheel than a travel trailer. This is because of the difference in the hitch point - over the axle vs behind the bumper.  Generally speaking, with a fifth wheel the truck can tow up to its GCWR. With a travel trailer and "tagalong" hitch, the rating is often somewhat less. Sometimes a lot less if the rear of the frame where the receiver hitch attaches is not as strong as it might be, as may be the case on a car-like half ton truck.