Sorry...another tow vehicle capacity thread
Lets just get this out of the way up front. I am a newbie to camping that made an uninformed purchase of too much 5th wheel for the truck I have. I already own the camper and the truck so no going b...
Forum Discussion
Wildwilly101 wrote:
I tried the same thing with my 08 Ram 2500 long bed. Installed firestone ride rites, Helwig stabilizer, upgraded tires to 3,750lb rated, and hitched up the new 5er (upgraded from a 28ft bumper pull) 2,700lb pin weight, yes I was over the weight limits. Towed it from PA to FL and back. When I got home I immediately traded in the truck for a Ram 3500 Dually. The truck simply wasn’t adequate to handle the weight. Yes, it sat level and looked fine, but the suspension was too soft to handle the load without see-sawing. I drove 65 the whole way, hit a well hidden dip in the road that threw us into the left lane, began see-sawing and rocking side to side. Thank God there was no one in the left lane. I’ve been towing bumper pulls for close to 30 years, I should have known better.
Heck yes, on the verge of insanity. :S
Towing a 13,000# dry with a GVWR of 16,500# should not be a good experience even with 3500 SRW. See sawing is a sign of bad shocks, and not enough pin weight.
That said the OP's 5er, is about 11,000# dry and a GVWR just under 14,000#.
I tow a 12,360# GVWR 5er at 11,000# with a 2001, Ram 2500 and it tows great at 1,200# over the 8,800# GVWR. well within tires and axle ratings.
Was it great when I started , NO! Not bad but, bucked a bit at bridge transitions, Bilstein 5100's on the TV and shocks on the 5er, and getting the 5er close to level and carrying about 3/4 to 7/8 tank of fresh water, tank slightly ahead of axles.
Still don't need bags, still don't engage the upper over loads. Camper Package 3500 springs and 265/75-16E's in place of the stock 245/75-16E's extra 373# capacity per tire. I only run between 65 to 70 psi loaded.
