A true 1/2 ton fith wheel?

OP is MIA.

I wised up and went ahead and bought a 1 ton dually regular cab. Still looking for the right 5th wheel that I want and yea still searching. Been searching for over a year and i'm still at a loss for what I want.

Check on Grand Design they have one. Don't remember the full number but is 150 something. I believe it's 28 ft. with one slide. GD uses a lot of aluminum in the structure to reduce weight.
Milt

thomas201 wrote:

Now has anyone tried towing right at max, under the new J2807 spec? How do the newer trucks perform against the spec?

This is me. Max fifth-wheel weight rating is 9100 pounds by J2807. I'm at 8200 pounds. I use tow-haul mode and lock out the overdrive gears (5th and 6th). No problems whatsoever.

But I should say I haven't towed it in any extreme conditions. I typically travel at 55-65 mph. Largest climb has been from home into the Grey Highlands which is 1000 feet total elevation change. Temperatures in the 90s at the most.

Dumb luck. I dumped the water down the storm drain, while I got something to eat.

Still looking for those towing the max rating, as per the J standard, in the modern pickups.

dpgllg wrote:
With my 1st 5th wheel the dealer told me that I could tow it with my 1/2 ton Chevy Gasser. I towed it once and when we came home I told my wife we either sell the 5th wheel or get a bigger truck.

It did tow it BUT I had to be aware of hills and get sort of a run at them and the stopping factor was not good either. I was white knuckled the whole time and not a pleasant experience.

I upgraded to a 2500HD Gasser and it was like the trailer was not even back there.

I have since upgraded to a 2500HD Diesel and also my 5th wheel which is heavier. It has three slides where the old one had only one. Same length at 31 foot. The diesel handles it BUT when it comes time to upgrade I'll be looking at a 3500 or F350 for sure.

The daily driver is not an issue for me as I have always enjoyed driving a truck over a car although there are times such as WalMart I wish I had a shorter bed than the 8ft back there but I get by.

I wish you luck in finding the right solution for you!

Dave

This was my story;
1/2 4500lb 26ft 5W, one tow and went F250
F250 9300lb 33ft 5W towed great
new 5W 35ft 11900lb towed OK
F350 with the 35ft and I think it have a great combo.
The F350 tows well in all conditions, winds, mountains, & down hills.
These newer TV's have come so far, built in exhaust brake, built in brake controllers, two packages, 5W prep. Each TV got a bit newer and a bit larger, none of the trucks were new I look for low mile used.

From my experience no 1/2 ton can tow much more than a popup.

That is an amazing combination. You got a truck with 1340 lbs payload rating and found a 9000 lbs fifth wheel with only 1240 lbs pin weight. And made it just under the 15000 GCVWR. Amazing find!

I have posted this before, but the topic always comes up, and few give scale numbers, so again:

My experience with a ½ ton fifth wheel, on a drive to Yellowstone, from New Jersey. The 2011 Silverado was set up with the 5.3 and 3.73 gears, along with the towing package. It is a standard bed and rated for a 9600 pound trailer. Trailer was a new 2011 Wildcat.

Over the Cat scales at Flying J exit 2 in Jersey with a full freshwater tank, and loaded for a long camping trip:

Truck only:
Front 3320
Rear 2360
Gross 5680

Truck & Trailer:
Front 3180
Rear 3740
Trailer 8000
Gross 14920

Calculated:
Truck 6920
Pin 1240
Trailer 9240

So, with the truck rated at 7000, and the combined at 15000 and the trailer at 9600, I ain’t no bricks shy of a full load.

So how did it tow? Not too well at 104 degrees and a stiff headwind across SouDak. I was slow and the truck overheated so I ran the heater to cool it down. I traded for a bigger truck and have been happy.

Now has anyone tried towing right at max, under the new J2807 spec? How do the newer trucks perform against the spec?

RobWNY wrote:

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the half ton truck towing a 5th wheel. Even with the Aluminum body F150 with 2,019 of payload. Most 1/2 tons have several hundred fewer pounds of available payload because of the steel body. So, using 2,019 pounds of payload as an example, subtract 200 pounds for the hitch, that leaves 1,819. Now subtract your weight and a spouses weight. Lets say that's 350 pounds. Now you're down to 1,469. Now subtract 60 pounds for 25 gallons of gas and you're at 1,409. Now subtract the weight of propane tanks, batteries and camping stuff in the 5th wheel. Most people guestimate they put 700-1,000 pounds in their campers. Lets say the Propane, batteries and gear adds 400 pounds to the pin weight. That leaves 1,009 pounds to work with. Now maybe you have a spray in bed liner or a fold up tonneau cover or a dog and you throw a few camping chairs in the back seat or a few other things. Lets say that all adds up to 150 pounds. Now you're at 859 pounds left before going over available payload. How many 5th wheel campers being sold today have a 859 pound or less dry pin weight? There might be a few very small 5th wheels but the vast majority aren't anywhere near a dry pin weight of 859 pounds. Now imagine it's not a F150 with aluminum body and the available payload is 1,590 pounds like it was when I owned a 2015 F150 with Ecoboost. No way I could tow a 5th wheel and be within specs. I have a sticker on my new Salem Hemisphere that has all the buzz words and stickers. Half ton towable, Ultralight, etc. I tow it with a one ton Ram with 3,900 pounds of available payload. Yes it's more truck than I need but I don't worry about whether I can throw a camp chair in the back seat either.

The factory spray-in bedliner and the full fuel tank are accounted for in the payload figure printed on the door sticker, so you don’t have to subtract those.

Now if you’re worried about the weight of a camp chair in the truck, then I agree you should probably have something bigger than your typical half ton.

We bought our current truck and trailer from my brother in law, who’s a professional truck driver. He towed it for two years with a Ram 2500, then replaced that with the F-150.

RobWNY wrote:

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the half ton truck towing a 5th wheel. Even with the Aluminum body F150 with 2,019 of payload. Most 1/2 tons have several hundred fewer pounds of available payload because of the steel body. So, using 2,019 pounds of payload as an example, subtract 200 pounds for the hitch, that leaves 1,819. Now subtract your weight and a spouses weight. Lets say that's 350 pounds. Now you're down to 1,469. Now subtract 60 pounds for 25 gallons of gas and you're at 1,409. Now subtract the weight of propane tanks, batteries and camping stuff in the 5th wheel. Most people guestimate they put 700-1,000 pounds in their campers. Lets say the Propane, batteries and gear adds 400 pounds to the pin weight. That leaves 1,009 pounds to work with. Now maybe you have a spray in bed liner or a fold up tonneau cover or a dog and you throw a few camping chairs in the back seat or a few other things. Lets say that all adds up to 150 pounds. Now you're at 859 pounds left before going over available payload. How many 5th wheel campers being sold today have a 859 pound or less dry pin weight? There might be a few very small 5th wheels but the vast majority aren't anywhere near a dry pin weight of 859 pounds. Now imagine it's not a F150 with aluminum body and the available payload is 1,590 pounds like it was when I owned a 2015 F150 with Ecoboost. No way I could tow a 5th wheel and be within specs. I have a sticker on my new Salem Hemisphere that has all the buzz words and stickers. Half ton towable, Ultralight, etc. I tow it with a one ton Ram with 3,900 pounds of available payload. Yes it's more truck than I need but I don't worry about whether I can throw a camp chair in the back seat either.

It’s really simple...most people not on RV.net look at ratings from the Pirates of the Caribbean perspective. In that movie the Pirates Code was looked at more like guidelines than actual rules.

Most people who tow a fifth wheel do not weigh their rigs or care about weight and go entirely by feel and “tow rating.” Its the pirates code of towing. Do what feels right. If it doesn’t feel right when you tow, buy a bigger truck.

I don’t like it any more than you do, but it’s the way it is.

I know several dozen RV’ers and I am the only person in that group who weighs their stuff and makes sure it’s right.

Thanks!

Jeremiah