weight question

ofchancellor wrote:
I have a 2011 dodge 1500 quad cab with a 5.7 v-8 hemi set up with a tow package. It is rated to tow 10,050. I'm looking at a 2007 Keystone Copper Canyon 293 sls rated at just at bit over 9000lbs. dry. Would I be over weight and damage the truck and not be safe? I will not carry any water and run all the tanks dry going down the road.

Pull it MAYBE, Carry it NO WAY!

#1. the 9,000# you are referring to is the "Dry Weight" of the 5er it is rated for about 12,000GVWR.

#2. The pin with at or just above 2,000#, your MAX payload is 1,620# that is for anything you put in the truck, the math doesn't work.

#3. I tow an 05 version with my 01, 2500 and I am over the GVWR ONLY, you will be over GVWR, RGAWR, and possibly rear tire rating.

Not only will you need to have the water tanks empty, no food, no cloths, no propane, get the picture the 5er is way too big for your 1500.

Get yourself a 2500 or 3500, this would even over load the mighty F150 Max/Max 8,200# GVWR, not only the GVWR but also the RGAWR.

Just did a quick search and found one close to your camper (06 293 fwsls) . That camper has a 2200lb hitch weight. Way too much for any 150/1500 truck. Ram 1500 (and Dodges before 09) don't have the payload capacity for large fifth wheels. I am in the market for a Ram myself and was hoping for a "half ton towable" fifth wheel, but most of those were a joke, and still exceeded payload.

Just remember, anything you add into the bed, any passengers, even the fifth wheel hitch itself, will subtract from your payload.

Here is a good site. www.learntorv.com

You will be over the rated payload capacity and rear axle rating of your truck which is by definition unsafe.

X2 - Check out the payload capacity of your truck. It's usually listed on the tire placard.

You 'carry' and tow a 5th wheel. That is why RAWR and actual payload numbers are important to know.

150/1500 trucks are capable towing platforms......towing of a bumper pull trailer

5th wheel pin weights will result in over weight on Rear Axle, Rear Tire Load Capacities, max/over on GVWR long before reaching the mfg. tow rating.

Check out travel trailers...lots to choose from that are within your trucks ratings.
See what the two previous posters are towing

I'll have to second camp-n-family's response. Tow rating is a helpful (though not 100% reliable) figure for towing a trailer, but not a 5th wheel, because of where the weight sits. Pin weight of the 5er sits ON the bed of the truck, directly over the rear axle, while hitch weight of a "bumper-pull" trailer sits on the hitch itself, which is (or certainly should be) attached to the truck's frame, and that weight is mitigated by the use of a weight-distributing hitch, so the entire truck frame carries it, instead of just one spot on the truck.

At least that's my understanding! :) Pin weights are virtually always much higher than hitch weights, too.

Yes you will be overweight, severely. Tow ratings are useless numbers as you will almost always exceed most other ratings before getting anywhere near it. You need to be more concerned with the trucks payload and axle ratings. I don't know details of your specific truck but I'd guess you're probably around 1500lbs. Check the sticker on your door jamb to see what your payload is. Subtract the weight of all passengers and stuff you will carry in the truck plus another 200lbs for the hitch weight. What is left (won't be much) is what you can afford for the pin weight.

Most fivers carry between 20-25% of their loaded weight on the pin. A 9000lbs dry trailer will easily be over 10k loaded, putting well over 2,000lbs on the pin. That's well into 3/4 ton truck territory. Only a few of the smallest and lightest fivers are 1/2 ton towable while staying within ratings.