krisstie wrote:
I am a current owner of a tt and have been actively searching for a fifth wheel that can be towed by our truck. We were quite surprised to find out that our 2005 chevy 2500hd (6 liter gas, 4.10), with a towing package can only tow 9900lbs. Does anyone have experience with this particular truck and fifth wheel towing? I am looking at a 2013 Forest River Sierra 300RL and a 2010 Forest River Wildwood Heritage Glen 316RETS. I have absolutely no experience with fivers other than what I have read here in the forums (and have been told by salespeople). Are tow allowances different when towing a fifth wheel vs. a travel trailer? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
OP - you didn't state enough specifics on your truck: is it 2WD or 4WD? Crew cab, extended or standard? Long or short bed? These all make a difference in the towing and payload ratings. 2005 is a bit old to find the specs on-line, but you should be able to get what you need off the sticker on the door jamb. Here's something I wrote up on the Silverado/Sierra forum a while back to explain how to go about the calculations (don't equate the ratings for my truck with your's - there have been significant changes in the build and ratings over the years - this is just an example):
GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating - truck plus all cargo; 10,000# for my truck)
GCWR (gross combined weight rating - truck + trailer and all cargo; 24,500# for my truck)
GAWR FRT (gross axle weight rating, front... not so important here, but 5,200 for my truck)
GAWR RR (gross axle weight rating, rear; 6,200 for my truck)
Tire max load ratings; 6,390 for my SRW load range E rear tires
Manufacturer's conventional hitch max tow rating (13,000 for my truck), and Manufacturer's conventional hitch max tongue weight (1,500 w/o weight distributing on my Class V hitch)
The next thing is to load the stuff (and people) in your truck that you would normally haul camping (make sure you have a full tank of fuel) and head for the nearest CAT scales. Get separate front and rear axle weights with everyone in the truck. Subtract the total weight of the truck from the GCWR and you have your max towing capacity. Subtract the actual rear axle weight from the GAWR RR and you have the amount you have left over for tongue weight. Make sure nothing exceeds the max load rating for the tires, either. The final numbers for my truck are: actual weight - 7,520; actual rear axle weight - 3,080. That leaves me 3,120 on the rear axle (and 3,310 for the tires), but the hitch is only rated for 1,500 tongue weight. For a travel trailer, I would stick with that. Subtracting the actual weight of the truck from the rated GCWR leaves me 16,980 - but, again, the hitch is only rated for 13,000, so I'll stick with that for a TT, as well (would have to with a fifth wheel to use the full 16,980). For a fiver, that would leave me 2,480 for pin weight (3,120 for the rear axle, but I've already maxed out on GCVWR) and 16,980 for the total 5th wheel weight (loaded). Since fifth wheels typically run about 20% of the weight on the pin loaded, I'm going to be limited by the pin weight, rather than the gross weight on the whole trailer.
Going through this process will tell you what the frame, suspension, cooling systems and brakes will safely handle - but it doesn't tell you how much fun the rig will be to drive in the mountains/on steeper grades or with a significant head wind. These are all functions of the engine and transmission combination. The LAST thing you want is to have the tail wag the dog or not be able to stop in an emergency situation or going down a steep grade. Also, depending on the state, you can get an expensive ticket for towing over the manufacturer's rated limits for the truck. However, the horror stories I've read about this on the RV forums seemed to mostly be in the Northeast. Better to err on the side of caution. As my first flying instructor used to say (early 70s), "There are old pilots and there are bold pilots - but there are no old, bold pilots...
I hope this helps.
Rob
