New 5ver Questions

Dayle1 wrote:
Weight the truck, fully loaded, by axle. Subtract the actual rear axle weight from the rear GAWR. Then you will know what your available load capacity is. Most likely you will be around 3000 lbs and with a rear GAWR of 6084 lbs, you have about 3k available. However you will be over the truck's GVWR. I don't know what Ca law is, but in some states you can license the vehicle for a GVWR higher than the manufacturer's stated GVWR and your truck is out of warranty.

Unless the fiver floor plan is a rear kitchen, it is unlikely that you can load it to reduce pin weight. While dry pin weight may be around 15-17%, if you add 1500 lbs of cargo, 25% or more will show up as pin weight because so much storage is forward of the fiver axles.

My previous truck was a 2500HD diesel with a utility bed and 45 gal replacement tank. My fiver dry pin weight was 1800 lbs and loaded I was still under the rear GAWR.

Your other question cannot be answered realistically by anyone else, I can't even visualize the parking situation. Added length is only part of the issue, the other is distance from the truck's rear axle to the fiver axles. Generally, you can compensate for a longer rig by pulling further forward before backing. Maybe you could tape two wood sticks on the back of your current fiver and see how much impact the extra 2-1/2 ft makes.

I like the sticks idea. I'll give it a try the next time I have the receiver on the truck. Right now its in storage.

My pin weights were calculated using the actual raw with the aux tank full with and without the 5ver attached. Very little changes in our rig forward of the axles. The bins, and bedroom stuff is pretty much in there year round. A BIG variable is the nearly 500 lbs of water which is loaded in the rear of the rig when the tank is full. Big shifts. We don't like the weight but sometimes its necessary when dry camping.
Regards
Bill

Your 2008 2500hd is identical to the 3500hd srw with one less leaf spring on the rear. Add a leaf or air bags and go get that new rig.

Weight the truck, fully loaded, by axle. Subtract the actual rear axle weight from the rear GAWR. Then you will know what your available load capacity is. Most likely you will be around 3000 lbs and with a rear GAWR of 6084 lbs, you have about 3k available. However you will be over the truck's GVWR. I don't know what Ca law is, but in some states you can license the vehicle for a GVWR higher than the manufacturer's stated GVWR and your truck is out of warranty.

Unless the fiver floor plan is a rear kitchen, it is unlikely that you can load it to reduce pin weight. While dry pin weight may be around 15-17%, if you add 1500 lbs of cargo, 25% or more will show up as pin weight because so much storage is forward of the fiver axles.

My previous truck was a 2500HD diesel with a utility bed and 45 gal replacement tank. My fiver dry pin weight was 1800 lbs and loaded I was still under the rear GAWR.

Your other question cannot be answered realistically by anyone else, I can't even visualize the parking situation. Added length is only part of the issue, the other is distance from the truck's rear axle to the fiver axles. Generally, you can compensate for a longer rig by pulling further forward before backing. Maybe you could tape two wood sticks on the back of your current fiver and see how much impact the extra 2-1/2 ft makes.

I don't think anyone can really answer your question about turning into your parking space; too many variables. I think you implied that you'd be traveling with your tanks full. I'd recommend against that if you think you're up to your max. tow capacity, and I definitely agree with laknok not to use your aux. tank while towing.

Also, don't forget that you're eating up a good 275-300 lbs of payload with the aux tank, if it's full. 30 * 7.5 lbs/gal = 225 lbs, plus the weight of the tank/pump.

Lyle

Some things to consider--Northwood MFG. makes their own trailer as well as camper to fit together, keeping weights in mind. The majority of RV. camper trailer Co's do not make their trailer. With that in mind--I have found after owning 2 Arctic Fox's 5'vrs that they are extremely well balanced campers keeping in mind the gray, black, water heater and fresh water tanks can at times be full or empty and the generator goes into the forward storage area. Than comes all the stuff you put into the camper. We have a 3/4 ton truck with all the heavy duty packages and have never had a problem towing the 5'vr--it probably has about 30,000 miles on it. Has been to the Yukon Territory, Alaska, Florida, and many points in between from So. Calif. Lars

donn0128 wrote:
I'll bet anything your looking at the advertised dry weight, right?
Forget it. It is going to be heavier than your current Komfort. The added length is likely going to cost you some issues too.

We are mostly concerned with pin weights and length. Depending upon how they are loaded, weight can be shifted from front to rear to a certain degree. A lot depends on the location of the available storage and where the tanks are. Our current rig shifts the pin weight to the rear when loaded as the fresh water tank is in the far rear and the waste tanks are over the axles. Amount of added weight forward of the axles is much less than this.

Perhaps Komfort was unusual, but in my opinion the advertised dry weights were not that far off what we actually encountered. We realize they are going to be on the light side, but that is what most, if not all manufacturers do. I had free access to certified weight scales and had the real world weights in lots of weight configurations. In essence, I experimented. It was really surprising how much you can change things simply by emptying/filling tanks and shiftin heavier weights like generators and fuel.

I believe there are lots of rigs on the road today that have done 10,000's of miles that are not "legal". I did vehicle weight and balance for well over 20 years. I have stressed axles far beyond their rated capacities. It becomes "a how far, how long, and is it worth the risk type" equation". Each of us makes this calculation for better or worse.

I don't like exceeding the "envelope" too far. This is just me.
I fear that the additional length question is just something I am going to have to learn for myself. Want to loan me one? (:>
Thanks
Bill

Loaded pin weight can vary a lot from owner to owner depending on how much "stuff" they carry. But it can easily add a few hundred lbs to the pin.

Since a few feet of a 5er is over the truck bed, your overall length may actually be shorter. But the different turning characteristics of the 5er (trailer turning inside the truck turn radius) may be a different problem getting it in that space.

I hate to bust your bubble but the pin weight of that trailer will never go down. I do believe you will need a larger truck if you get the larger trailer. But go ahead and try it with the smaller truck what can possibly go wrong.

donn0128 wrote:
I'll bet anything your looking at the advertised dry weight, right?
Forget it. It is going to be heavier than your current Komfort. The added length is likely going to cost you some issues too.

Exactly what I was going to say. As for backing up, I cannot comment on your specific situation, but fivers are generally much easier to backup once you master the particular quirks of the system. They don't turn like a bumper pull and that takes some adjustment.