Looking to upgrade to a fifth wheel.

The limiting weight on your 2500 is the pin weight of the trailer and the trucks GVWR and GAWR for the rear axle. A typical 5er when loaded has a pin weight around 20% of the trailers GVWR.

Weigh your truck loaded for travel with passengers, cargo, hitch and fuel. now you have a baseline for selecting a trailer that will not over load the trucks ratings. Adding air bags and help springs does nothing toward increasing the trucks ratings.

Ken

valhalla360 wrote:
There should be a sticker on your door frame that gives the max payload and subtract off anything added since it came from the factory.

Actual scale weights are better but if you want to start selectively ignoring the ratings, you can do whatever you like but live with the results...it may be nothing but it's on you.

Generally 5ers assume 20-25% of the trailer as pin weight.

The payload sticker was not required until 2006, as as you stated scales weights are far better, which the OP provided. He scaled his truck at 7,450# and has a GVWR of 9,000# leaving 1,460# of payload left before exceeding GVWR.
Others, the go by rear GAWR will state the likely as scaled only about 3,000# on the rear axle, so with the 6,000# rear axle about 3,000# payload before reaching GAWR.

You can tow a lot bigger TT than a fifth wheel and still stay within your ratings - Just Saying.

Keep in mind that fifth wheels have evolved, from being super heavy to now lighter series. The most popular trucks sold are the 1500's, f 150 and the manufacturers are building light fivers for them. I thought that I needed a diesel until we stayed at a favorite cg. The owner had a 2500 gas chevy told me to look at the light series fivers. We tow with a f250 4x4 short bed quad cab. 6.2l 6 speed gasser 3.73 rears. Our 37 ft Heritage Glen, dry weight just under 10k wet weight just a hair over 12k. Pin weight around 1700 lbs. Tows and drives like a dream we aren't suffering.

There should be a sticker on your door frame that gives the max payload and subtract off anything added since it came from the factory.

Actual scale weights are better but if you want to start selectively ignoring the ratings, you can do whatever you like but live with the results...it may be nothing but it's on you.

Generally 5ers assume 20-25% of the trailer as pin weight.

usmc616 wrote:
Hi all, I currently tow a TT but am looking to get a fifth wheel. My questions are about "pin weight". My current TV is a 2004.5 Ram 2500 with the HO 5.9 Cummins rated to tow 13,050lbs. GCWR is 20,000lbs ( I found this on several tow guides), GVWR is 9,000lbs ( from label on door) and curb weight is 6727 lbs ( from same label on door) but weighed 7540 on scale( full tank of diesel, 140lb driver, cap on bed and tool box in bed) . My truck is a 4x4 with a 6' 3" bed.
With the above info I am trying to find out what will be my limiting factor when looking at fifth wheel campers. If I understand it correctly I should estimate 15-20% of the fifth wheel GVWR to be my pin weight, is that correct??Iif so then I only have 1490lbs available of pin weight? ( GVWR- Curb weight) is that correct? Educate me please

Just some food for thought, before we upgraded our TV from a 2001 Ram 2500 CTD and NV4500 5 speed manual we towed a 12,550# 5er.
The 5er had a pin weight of 2,700# just under 22%. My 2500 had a GVWR of 8,800#, ready to camp with me DW and 35# Beagle, full fuel, hitch and in bed tool box weighed 7,800#. This put me 1,700# over GVWR, but still about 300# under the 6,084# rear axle, and well under tire rating.
The fact I was 1,700# over GVWR kept eating at me, so I upgraded to a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW, now have 1,300# of spare capacity.
The choice is yours.

My truck is 2004.5 2WD dually with 8ft. bed and 3.73 rear end. My truck weighs 8,000 pounds with my wife and I plus a heavy hitch and a tri-fold bed cover. My gross combined is 21k#. I tow a 10k# to 10.5k# fifth wheel and the truck does very nicely. The engine could use some more grunt but for the most part is sufficient. The chassis does very well with no movement from the trailer. I could see going another ton on the trailer with no problems. I do have to monitor the transmission and switch between tow-haul and OD while towing. I added a PacBrake and would not tow six tons without it. Our engine runs hot and I monitor my exhaust gas temperatures. I find the engine will continue to pull when the EGTs are in the uncomfortable zone. I'm in a campground now, averaged 11.9 MPG on the way here, 65 MPH. Show some moderation with you trailer selection and you will like your truck's performance. I consider my pin weight to be on the light end and I am at 20%.

4x4ord wrote:

usmc616 wrote:
Hi all, I currently tow a TT but am looking to get a fifth wheel. My questions are about "pin weight". My current TV is a 2004.5 Ram 2500 with the HO 5.9 Cummins rated to tow 13,050lbs. GCWR is 20,000lbs ( I found this on several tow guides), GVWR is 9,000lbs ( from label on door) and curb weight is 6727 lbs ( from same label on door) but weighed 7540 on scale( full tank of diesel, 140lb driver, cap on bed and tool box in bed) . My truck is a 4x4 with a 6' 3" bed.
With the above info I am trying to find out what will be my limiting factor when looking at fifth wheel campers. If I understand it correctly I should estimate 15-20% of the fifth wheel GVWR to be my pin weight, is that correct??Iif so then I only have 1490lbs available of pin weight? ( GVWR- Curb weight) is that correct? Educate me please

Many 3/4 ton owners ignore the GVWR of their truck and use the rear axle rating as their limiting value. If you where buying a truck to use for a fiver I'd say get a 1 ton SRW but because you've already got a truck I'll say ignore the GVWR and let your rear axle rating determine your maximum pin weight.

Stay within both the RAWR and =tire= ratings and you should be OK. Doesn't mean that you should ignore the combined weight, but it's not as critical, IMO.

As for pin weight, figure more like 20-25% of the GVW. If you can find owners of the same FWs you can ask them what their actual weights are.

Lyle

usmc616 wrote:
Hi all, I currently tow a TT but am looking to get a fifth wheel. My questions are about "pin weight". My current TV is a 2004.5 Ram 2500 with the HO 5.9 Cummins rated to tow 13,050lbs. GCWR is 20,000lbs ( I found this on several tow guides), GVWR is 9,000lbs ( from label on door) and curb weight is 6727 lbs ( from same label on door) but weighed 7540 on scale( full tank of diesel, 140lb driver, cap on bed and tool box in bed) . My truck is a 4x4 with a 6' 3" bed.
With the above info I am trying to find out what will be my limiting factor when looking at fifth wheel campers. If I understand it correctly I should estimate 15-20% of the fifth wheel GVWR to be my pin weight, is that correct??Iif so then I only have 1490lbs available of pin weight? ( GVWR- Curb weight) is that correct? Educate me please

Many 3/4 ton owners ignore the GVWR of their truck and use the rear axle rating as their limiting value. If you where buying a truck to use for a fiver I'd say get a 1 ton SRW but because you've already got a truck I'll say ignore the GVWR and let your rear axle rating determine your maximum pin weight.

I have a '03 2500 Quad cab 2wd Cummins NV5600 with a 13250 lb tow rating 3rd gen truck same as yours..

Dodge gives these year model tracks a 6000 RAWR. My 2wd trucks rear axles weighs 2860 lbs which leaves my truck with a 3140 lb in the bed payload. Your 4wd rear axle may weigh 100 or so more lbs so payload will be a bit less.

Best choice drop by the scales and weigh the trucks front and rear axles separately. That way you know exactly how much load the truck can safely carry/start and stop.

Just stay under the trucks RAWR. RAWR is the lessor of a wheel...tire.....rear suspension and the axle.
The rear axle is the same 11.5" AAM axle as the 3500 one ton trucks.
My truck comes with 17" tires and wheels.
Most 2500 Dodge trucks from that era have no upper overload spring pack. My truck sags with 1800 lbs of readi-mix bags over the rear axle so in my trucks case the rear spring pack is the weak link. I've found SuperSprings helps with the squat on this model truck.