Small 5th wheel pin weight?

marquette wrote:
I looked at a 22 ft 2005 Sun Valley 5th wheel today with a dry weight of 3800 lbs. The dealer of course told me it is 1/2 ton tow-able. I quick did the math and said with a 700-900 pin weight it would be close to maxing out a 1/2 ton cargo capacity by the time you added passengers and fuel to the truck. His answer was that short fifth wheels with tandem wheels have proportionately less pin weight than a larger fifth wheel. Any one know if that is true?

Over a span of 14+ years, I've had lite 21ft, 25ft and 27 ft fivers that I pulled with a 1500 series Silverado. That last unit had a dry weight of 5000 lbs, pin weight of 950 lbs and a GVWR of 6550 lbs. Also had a 40 gal. aux tank in the truck. Loaded, I was over the truck's 6200 lb GVWR, but under the rear GAWR and GCWR. Pulled these fivers all over the western US w/o issues. Seems like today there are 1/2 ton trucks more capable and higher rated than that 2000 Silverado with the 5.3L and 4 speed auto and easily capable of handling a 22 ft, 10 year old fiver.