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S_Sullivan's avatar
S_Sullivan
Explorer
May 21, 2013

2002 Cardinal 29LE - Help, Please

I have spent some time searching for this information. If this has already been asked and answered, please forgive me, but I was unable to find this.

We are looking at a 2002 Cardinal 29LE. There is no sticker in the trailer with the normal specification information. If someone has a similar unit, could you please help me? This unit is fully insulated and has the "Arctic Package" with the insulated basement and holding tanks. Although the current owner told us that he purchased it new and has pulled it with the same truck for the past 10 years (similar to ours) we are concerned that this 5ver's pin weight is too heavy.

We have a 2003 GMC 2500HD / Duramax / Allison Trans with a 3.73 gear ratio. It is 4WD with an extended cab (NOT crew cab). Several years ago, we weighed the truck with the hitch installed, full tank of fuel and DH and I, the front axle was 4180 and the rear axle was 2960.

We have been pulling a 25 foot Layton Scout that has a 5700 dry weight - so moving up to something this heavy has us concerned. Also - our current hitch is a 16K Husky with manual slider - would this hitch be okay for the Cardinal.

We KNEW that we had plenty of truck with our current rig, so all this wasn't really a concern. Without the manufacturer's specifications, we are kind of at a loss as to whether this 5ver is within our capabilities.

Thank you in advance for any help.

17 Replies

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  • C_B_'s avatar
    C_B_
    Explorer II
    May 22, 2013
    Dug out FR literature from my old Cardinal.

    They list two 29's


    29TS-------------------------------------29WB
    hitch weight 2,080-----------------------2,070
    UVW 9,655--------------------------------9,530
    GAWR 12,000------------------------------10,400
    GVWR 14,080------------------------------12,470
    NCC 3,866--------------------------------2,141
    Fresh water 54gal------------------------same
    Wast holding tanks 3@ 40 gal ea.---------same
    Height w/AC 12'4"------------------------same
    Interior Hight Bedroom 77"---------------same
    Brake Size 12"---------------------------same
    Tire Size ST235/85R 16E------------------ST225/75R 15D


    Hope this helps you


    C.B.
  • Traveler_II's avatar
    Traveler_II
    Explorer
    May 22, 2013
    Me Again wrote:
    BTW, if this trailer is on 15" tires, I would consider switching to LT235/85R16E's or LT245/75R16E's depending on the center to center axle spacing. The 235's require at least 33" c to c. My 2005 29WBLX weights in at the low to mid 12,000 lb range ready for a snowbird winter. Around 10K on the axles and 2400-2600 on the pin. We love our bird!

    Like Traveler II said, come over and join us on the Cardinal RV Club forum. All your questions will be answered there. Traveler II was a regular member until he became a SOB(Some Other Brand)!

    Chris


    Sorry about going to the dark side, but we did love our Cardinal and the support we got from Forest River and the Cardinal forum.

    About the frame, that can be a problem with the Lippert frame. We didn't have any problems with our frame, but it would be a good idea to check it out. It's just not Cardinal, because the Lippert frame was and is used on many different manufactures.
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    May 22, 2013
    BTW, if this trailer is on 15" tires, I would consider switching to LT235/85R16E's or LT245/75R16E's depending on the center to center axle spacing. The 235's require at least 33" c to c. My 2005 29WBLX weights in at the low to mid 12,000 lb range ready for a snowbird winter. Around 10K on the axles and 2400-2600 on the pin. We love our bird!

    Like Traveler II said, come over and join us on the Cardinal RV Club forum. All your questions will be answered there. Traveler II was a regular member until he became a SOB(Some Other Brand)!

    Chris
  • Wadcutter's avatar
    Wadcutter
    Nomad
    May 22, 2013
    A friend pulled that same 5er with a F-250 Ford V-10. No problems. Easy pull.
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    May 22, 2013
    Be sure to look at the frame on the I beam behind the top of each wheel for Cracks. They appear about an inch or so above the lower flange of the I-beam. This is where the cross frame lattice racks are welded to the back side of the I-beams. Very common problem and can be fixed better than new for $1K plus or minus. Wehn repair and the cross tubes installed it is better that new. If you do not find the cracks, you should still install the cross tubes. My cracks were just ripples in the paint until I took my knife and scraped the paint away.





    If you see plates like this, then I has already been repaired. The fish plates may not have the punch weld on top of the cracked area, as that was my addition.



    Second part of the repair is to install 2x2x.125 tubing between the spring hangers at all three locations.



    Here is the Lippert bulletin.





    PM we for more details. Chris
  • I_am_still_wayn's avatar
    I_am_still_wayn
    Explorer
    May 22, 2013
    Simple, since you already know the weights of your truck, just take the trailer with your truck attached to a scale and weigh. That will answer your question. If the seller balks, walk away.
  • Traveler_II's avatar
    Traveler_II
    Explorer
    May 22, 2013
    Our last fiver was a Cardinal 30SE and we pulled it with a 2008 2500 Duramax with no problem. At the time we had a 18K Reese hitch. Cardinal has a great forum with some helpful people that you might want to check:
    http://www.cardinalrvclub.org

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