Very New with 5th wheel

2015/2016 350/3500 SRW will work but you could be running slightly overloaded depending on trim level and payload rating

First off congrats on the trailer. Don't pay any attention to dry weight. You don't tow a trailer with nothing in it. Read the max weight and pick the tv that will handle that. I won't get into which is better: Ford, Chevy, or Dodge. You will need a diesel and go with a 1 ton SRW. Decide on new or used truck: depends on budget. Once you have the type of truck look at the tow guides for that truck and see if it can handle the weight.

Enjoy the process of looking.

Thank you for the response. I am a Ram fan and was thinking the 3500 diesel. I will definitely take your advice. Glad to meet ya's.

Agree with advice of late model 1T diesel. I think your 5er is at the limit of what an SRW can do, but probably not over that limit. (I pull a 14,000lb 5er with my SRW very comfortably)

You really need a dually. Its not tow ability, but load carrying capacity and especially tire load capacity. At 16,200 pounds that fiver could have at least 3000 and as much as 4000 pounds pin weight. Add that to the emptie trucks rear axle weight will be too close for comfort with a SRW setup.

Jersey5er wrote:
Hello everyone. New to all of this and learning a lot from you guys just by reading the forums. Thank you. My question is, what type of vehicle do I need to pull my 5th wheel? It's a 2016 palomino Columbus 381fl 42.5 ft long and dry weight 12200 and max weight 16200. I'm trying to stay away from a dually.

When you buy a big trailer you need a big truck. Simple. When shopping look on the door post of that truck for cargo capacity. On a SRW 1t it is usually between 3000-4000lbs depending on body style and options. Subtract from that the hitch weight, passengers, and anything else you carry in the truck. What's left is what you have for hitch weight. Spec's show the empty hitch weight as 2300lbs, loaded probably around 3000lbs. Seeing a problem?

It's not what a truck can pull with a 5th wheel but what it can carry.

I don't know but it has been posted some versions of the Megacab are barely rated for a bag of groceries. The sticker on the door post is your friend, not some spec sheet for a stripped model.

Well you be doing just weekend camping close to home or are you looking at longer stays further from home. Loading for just weekends if careful a SRW TV could work, but if looking to load for longer stays that pin could start approaching 4K easily. We can only offer suggestions, you have to make the final decision. Driving a Dually isn't that bad, one has been our only transportion for a few years now and it takes us everywhere we want to go.

donn0128 wrote:
You really need a dually. Its not tow ability, but load carrying capacity and especially tire load capacity. At 16,200 pounds that fiver could have at least 3000 and as much as 4000 pounds pin weight. Add that to the emptie trucks rear axle weight will be too close for comfort with a SRW setup.

Absolutely!! I have a Dodge Ram 3500 6.7L diesel dually automatic with a 8' box, timberens (a bit of a rough ride when empty) and it's a joy to haul my CC Daydreamer at 16.000+lbs, in my experience the dual rear end and long box adds to the linear stability, braking and overall performance of the tow vehicle which in turn add to the reduced stress while towing. The added space in the long box allows me to have a locking tool box for gear and add the retrax bed cover and locking tailgate everything is nicely secured! The down side is using it for a daily driver which seems to be the biggest complaint I hear but we simply adapt and park farther out in the parking lot and enjoy the added exercise.

Red Green: Remember, I'm pulling for ya. We're all in this together!

Jersey5er wrote:
Thank you for the response. I am a Ram fan and was thinking the 3500 diesel. I will definitely take your advice. Glad to meet ya's.

X1. you can't go wrong with the Diesel Dodge 1 ton. I prefer the standard 6 spd. manual transmission. Make sure your truck has an Exhaust Brake, if not add one. Going on my 2nd. Dodge diesel truck. The other addition I would make is installing a diesel auxiliary fuel tank to replace your stock fuel tank. I have a 60 gal. diesel tank that fits in the same location as the original from Transfer Flow in Chico Ca.. I pull a 14K 5th wheel when loaded with no problems in mountains 8K grades.

Thank you all for the advice. Our RV will remain stationary for awhile. We maybe will tow it once or twice a year so I'm looking to spend the least on a tow vehicle till we go full time in it which may not be for several years. I will pay strict attention to tow capacity. We do not expect to load it to its full capacity. Being new to this I want to be cautious yet frugal. Lol