Fifth Wheel Weight and a Truck
We currently have a Class C but have started thinking about a fifth wheel as a possibility for our next rv. My question is about fifth wheels and trucks needed to pull them. I am looking at two ...
Forum Discussion
All manufacturers play the same published towing capacity bs. They simply do not work with an rv 5er because of their fine print - never overload an axle rating, or GVWR, and get this - these weights exclude any options added to the truck from the basic, basic model, fuel in excess of a few gallons (full tank reduces payload by up to 200#, driver exceeding 185#, no passenger, no tools, no stuff.
In short, plan on a rv tow vehicle (tv) using about 1,000# payload capacity just to get it ready to put the pin load on it.
Some 1 ton SRW models will have enough payload to meet the fine print requirements for the smaller 5er modestly and carefully loaded to minimize pin weight, many will not. Even then, you might find that you can't fill the fresh water tank without exceeding the fine print on your tv.
Many of us learned the hard way and paid a big price to upgrade. Do yourself a favor, look at much smaller 5ers if yoy want a SRW, or pay the modest $1-2k to buy the similarly appointed dually. Buying too small of a truck, and trading out of it will cost you $5-10 grand, plus whatever you put into that truck trying to get it to work for you.
A dually isn't that much wider than a SRW - if the mirrors fit so will the dual wheels, and the dually is a bit narrower than the 5er.
Yes combined cost of a great 5er and TV does come out to be about the cost of some Class C's, but you end up with better floor plans, more usable space, and have the TV to go out to dinner or to the hardware store.
In short, plan on a rv tow vehicle (tv) using about 1,000# payload capacity just to get it ready to put the pin load on it.
Some 1 ton SRW models will have enough payload to meet the fine print requirements for the smaller 5er modestly and carefully loaded to minimize pin weight, many will not. Even then, you might find that you can't fill the fresh water tank without exceeding the fine print on your tv.
Many of us learned the hard way and paid a big price to upgrade. Do yourself a favor, look at much smaller 5ers if yoy want a SRW, or pay the modest $1-2k to buy the similarly appointed dually. Buying too small of a truck, and trading out of it will cost you $5-10 grand, plus whatever you put into that truck trying to get it to work for you.
A dually isn't that much wider than a SRW - if the mirrors fit so will the dual wheels, and the dually is a bit narrower than the 5er.
Yes combined cost of a great 5er and TV does come out to be about the cost of some Class C's, but you end up with better floor plans, more usable space, and have the TV to go out to dinner or to the hardware store.
