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Gjac's avatar
Gjac
Explorer III
Jul 17, 2019

Basic 5th wheel towing questions.

I have owned a Class A MH for the last 14 years and have been looking at small 5th wheels. I don't know much about them and have been noticing there are different hitches to tow with. Some trucks have a 2 in ball right in the bed of the truck some look like big plates that the hitch of the 5th wheel attaches too, and some look like they slide so you don't hit the front cap on tight turns. For a 24-27 ft 5th wheel that weighs lest than 9000 lbs 1,What would be the right type of hitch? I see a bunch of add on's that people buy to add to the 5th wheel to reduce bouncing. 2, Which affect the ride more the suspension on the truck or the 5th wheel itself? Which leads to the last question. 3, If the truck has a greater influence on the ride, is there a proper match between the truck and 5th wheel? Said another way for a very light short 5th wheel would a 350 or 450 HD truck cause a worst ride(more bouncing) that a 150 or 250 truck?
  • RobWNY's avatar
    RobWNY
    Explorer
    Jul 17, 2019
    Your questions can't be answered properly. What kind of truck do you plan on using? Long bed? Short bed? How much truck you have is also going to have lots of opinions. I have a 34' 5th wheel that has a loaded weight of just under 10,000 pounds. I tow it with a Ram 3500 SRW gasser with the 6.4L Hemi. It does just fine. I can get up to around 4,000 RPM's going up steep inclines and for some that's annoying but for me it's no big deal. I don't lose any speed and I'm not always going up steep inclines! Don't even consider a half ton pickup with a 5th wheel. You'll have payload issues. Yes, 3/4 ton, 1 ton and bigger trucks have stiff suspensions and have rougher rides but they aren't terrible. You get used to it quickly. Many more will chime in and give their opinions. Provide a little more information so they will be able to give you better information in return.

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