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joeburnes's avatar
joeburnes
Explorer
Aug 29, 2015

Open Range?

I'm new to RVing. I'm a catastrophic insurance adjuster and have to travel around alot and I'm completely tired of living in hotels. :) Towing shouldn't be an issue as I drive a 2500HD Silverado with the Duramax that is rated at almost 18,000 towing gooseneck/5er.
I'm trying to find something that is four seasons that I can full time in but won't break the bank. I've got a $20 to $25K budget and have been looking at all the different classified sites. I'm really like the Open Range, specifically the 385RLS, and have found a really good deal on it.
I'm hoping you guys have some input as to how these trailers hold up. I've heard they're not as good as Montana's, but they're also less expensive. I just want to make sure I'm not buying a lemon.
Any ideas on the Open Range or suggestions of brands to look into?

EDIT: 2013 Duramax Diesel 2500HD
Tires rated just over 3,100#
Cargo rated approx. 3,100#
Rear axle rated over 6,200#
  • joeburnes's avatar
    joeburnes
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    I have the 2013, 2500HD, 2WD, CREW CAB.
    I can't attach a pic, but I got 3,037 exactly, from page 11 on the 2013 Chevy PDF. You can look at it at http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Help%20Center/Download%20a%20Brochure/02_PDFs/MY13%20Silverado%20HD%20eBrochure.pdf

    I could easily be mistaken because those charts get confusing. :)
    My GVW is 10,000 but I can't figure out what the truck weights. I assume it would be the 10,000 less the cargo capacity.
    I have a 36 gallon tank so fuel would be roughly 288 lbs, I weight 250, my dog weighs 50 (and he never lies about his weight ;) ), I'll assume 80 lbs for the hitch, and 100 lbs of misc tools, etc. If my math is correct, that's 713 of cargo....subtracted from 3037 would leave 2,324 for a pin weight plus whatever portion of the trailer's cargo weighs on the pin.
    Does that sound right to you?
  • 08UltraRider's avatar
    08UltraRider
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    dfm wrote:
    OK, did some research on my truck for those of you who've brought up towing concerns. It looks like I have about 3,100# of cargo, my rear tires have over 3,100# and my rear axle has a 6,200 # rating.

    Now, I'm a little confused, what do I do to "do the math". The trailer's pin rating is roughly 2,000. Of course, that's dry. How do you determine how much weight is on the pin once loaded down.


    So what is the "formula" for towing a 5er? """

    Please tell us exactly what Duramax You have.

    My Duramax in my signature has a gvw of 9200 and going thru the scales with a full fuel tank, my 135 pound wife, 20 pound dog , 80 pound trailer hitch ,40 pound tool kit in the box , my weight is 7380 pounds. My duramax is 2wd so lighter than a 4w4.

    So my cargo carrying limit is about 1800. When I throw a few things in the box like golf clubs, bbq , chairs,etc. and hook the trailer on I am near maximum gvw for the truck.

    I don't know how You get 3100 cargo ability on your Duramax. Is it a Dually? More details needed!!!


    Ideal method would to scale the unit but pin weight is approx. 20 to 25% of the trailer weight. i.e. 13,000 GVWR fifth wheel will have 2600 - 3250 pounds of pin weight.

    OP's original post says he has a 2013 2500HD Duaramax. Like your 2007 my old 2010 2500HD had the same GVWR of 9200. 2013's have a higher GVWR of 10,000 pounds. RAWR is still the same @ 6200 which would be the weight ratings of E rated tires.

    Personally... we got rid of the 2500HD to a dually because 2000 pounds was not enough capacity for our trailer with almost 3000 pounds of pin weight plus the weight of the hitch etc...
  • joeburnes's avatar
    joeburnes
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    Yeah, I'm starting to think I'll need a lighter 5er...or a TT instead.
    Looks like I'll be maxing her out even with a lighter 5er and I really don't like the idea of pushing a truck at its max on long hauls....even though they rate them really low, imo, to make sure they cover their own butts. I'd put a higher rated tire, but that won't matter as the axle would be the weak link at that point.
  • dfm's avatar
    dfm
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    The 385 RLS has a gvw of 13940 pounds. You will never tow an empty trailer. So calculate your pin weight off the gvw rating for the trailer. 20% is 2780 pounds. 25% is 3485 pounds. I have not often seen a loaded 5'er near the 20% figure. You have a large cargo area in a 385 rls and nobody leaves it empty. A majority of That weight will go to the pin. I would bet most people would be closer to 3000, or more, pin weight on that 385rls.
    Take your truck to a scale loaded with what will go in the truck. Your 5'er hitch will weigh closer to 200 pounds. Then you will have a better cargo capacity number for the truck and what your max pin weight should be.
    I think you will find that your truck will weigh near 7600 to 7750 with full tank,5'er hitch at 200 pounds and every pound you add into the truck before hooking up the 5'er. With a 10,000 gvw for the truck
    You will have a max of 2400 to 2250 allowable pin weight IMHO.
  • joeburnes's avatar
    joeburnes
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    dfm wrote:
    The 385 RLS has a gvw of 13940 pounds. You will never tow an empty trailer. So calculate your pin weight off the gvw rating for the trailer. 20% is 2780 pounds. 25% is 3485 pounds. I have not often seen a loaded 5'er near the 20% figure. You have a large cargo area in a 385 rls and nobody leaves it empty. A majority of That weight will go to the pin. I would bet most people would be closer to 3000, or more, pin weight on that 385rls.
    Take your truck to a scale loaded with what will go in the truck. Your 5'er hitch will weigh closer to 200 pounds. Then you will have a better cargo capacity number for the truck and what your max pin weight should be.
    I think you will find that your truck will weigh near 7600 to 7750 with full tank,5'er hitch at 200 pounds and every pound you add into the truck before hooking up the 5'er. With a 10,000 gvw for the truck
    You will have a max of 2400 to 2250 allowable pin weight IMHO.


    Yup, those are the numbers I come up with too. To me, it's doable, but definitely not optimal. And I need to look into the insurance thing that the other commenter mentioned. I only do structure, but I have some buddies in auto so I need to see if they'd deny if the numbers aren't spot on.
    The only good thing for me is that I don't travel a lot. I'll travel to our location and stay for 6 months or so at a time. If I moved around a lot, this would definitely not be an option. Right now, it's a slight maybe. I could also shift storage to the rear during travel if needed to help out on the numbers....but that would be a PITA.
  • dfm's avatar
    dfm
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
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    Yeah, I'm starting to think I'll need a lighter 5er...or a TT instead.
    Looks like I'll be maxing her out even with a lighter 5er and I really don't like the idea of pushing a truck at its max on long hauls....even though they rate them really low, imo, to make sure they cover their own butts. I'd put a higher rated tire, but that won't matter as the axle would be the weak link at that point.


    That is why we had to go with the journeyer 340 FLR. Cargo capacity on the truck!!
    We loved the Open Range journeyer floor plans.
    The 340FLR is like a 5'er but a bumper pull. All the cargo in the trailer cargo area reduces the hitch weight because it is behind the trailer wheels. We have the same cargo area as a 5'er. Take a look at this unit on Highland Ridge's website.
  • 08UltraRider's avatar
    08UltraRider
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    joeburnes wrote:
    Yeah, I'm starting to think I'll need a lighter 5er...or a TT instead.
    Looks like I'll be maxing her out even with a lighter 5er and I really don't like the idea of pushing a truck at its max on long hauls....even though they rate them really low, imo, to make sure they cover their own butts. I'd put a higher rated tire, but that won't matter as the axle would be the weak link at that point.


    FWIW it's the same rear axle in both the 2500HD's and 3500HD including the dually. But changing the tires doesn't change the RAWR of your 2500HD.

    Our present 5er is a Sabre 33CKTS which is very comparable in weights as the OR you're looking at. My loaded pin weight is almost 3,000 pounds so I would venture a guess the OR would be close to that in reality.

    I agree with DFM to weigh your truck full of fuel taking into consideration 200 pounds for the hitch... esp if you're gonna need a slider. Then add in 3,000 pounds of pin weight and decide from there.
  • joeburnes's avatar
    joeburnes
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    Oh yeah!, I've seen the 340FLR, just didn't recognize the model #. That is definitely one of the top bumper pulls that I've been eyeing. Guess it's even better knowing that the cargo is behind the axles. That makes sense because I was wondering why that plan had steps...at least in the 2011 mdoel. Not sure if they change it up in different years or not, but I think the 2011 is about the newest I'll be able to afford in that model.
  • dfm's avatar
    dfm
    Explorer
    Aug 30, 2015
    They are still the same floor plan. Good luck in your search.

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