Can't believe what i heard

It's not so much if it's a 3/4, 1, or 1/2 ton. It has more to do with who the person behind the wheel is.

I go to Florida almost every winter for a week to get out of the winter. We have stayed in the same city 3 years. All 3 years I saw 2 guys with Tundra's pulling 5th wheels. I know for a fact that the 5ers were over the Tundra's yellow sticker rating. I know for a fact that both Tundra's pulled the 5er's just fine at least 2 years and there were no accidents. Both truckers were from the northern Midwest... Illinois, Michigan, somewhere up there.

I'm not advocating pulling those heavy weights with a half ton. I won't do it in my Tundra. I am worried about longevity and safety of my family.

However... people talk about stopping power being a big factor. What difference does it make if I am towing an 8,000 lbs bumper pull or 5er when it comes to braking? If the trailer loses brakes, I still have to stop 8K lbs, no matter how much payload I have. That weight isn't any lighter because its a travel trailer with 13% tongue weight rather than a 5er with 20% tongue weight. If anything, the 5er would be easier to control.

People talk trash about a 1/2 ton pulling 8,000 lbs not being able to stop in an emergency. But they drive a 1 ton dually with 20,000 lbs. You really think that dually will stop faster with a 20,000 lbs 5er than my Tundra with an 8,000 lbs 5er? Now... imagine the brakes go out on both trailers. I would bet my 15K lbs GCWR Tundra stops faster on stock brakes than your 28K lbs GCWR 1 ton dually.

Again, not advocating that people do it, just pointing out the hypocrisy that a 1 ton pulling 28K lbs is somehow safer than a half ton pulling 8 or 9K lbs...

caberto wrote:
I agree with the main gist of this thread... that salespeople and dealers should be held responsible for selling someone something that will endanger their lives.

+2 ...Except in this thread the Sales person does not appear to have lied. So in reference to this thread....

-3 to the rest of your post.

I agree with the main gist of this thread... that salespeople and dealers should be held responsible for selling someone something that will endanger their lives.

If I hire an electrician to wire an additional room, I expect him or her to know what I need and how to install it- I look to them for advice. Likewise, why is it so far-fetched that a dealership should know what a person is able to tow with their vehicle.

They are both in business to sell products/services... why is it OK for the dealership to lie to a consumer about what they can tow, but not OK for the electrician to do so? Why do we expect truth from one and not the other.

Should I have to study electrical and wiring before I talk to the electrician to make sure he isn't lying to me? If not, why is it expected here that people do that before they buy an RV? Would you not expect the electrician to tell you what you need for the room addition? Why then, would we not hold the dealership to the same standards, especially when lives are at stake. I'm tired of some businesses not having to be responsible for their actions.

Yea, people should probably have some general idea on what makes their RV tick, just like we should know how to use the new electrical being put in, but the dealerships should also have some responsibility here.

The more we accept this behavior without recourse, the more people can get screwed or worse... doesn't make sense.

Eric&Lisa wrote:
The question is... How long will the 1/2 ton's service life be? Will it be having transmission problems by 50k miles? Will the differential be shot by 75k miles? Will it go through brakes every 20k miles?

If the 1/2 ton truck can be bought with an optional 4:XX ratio differential, the differential and transmission life may not be an issue. However, I'm not sure if new 1/2 ton pickups are offered with differential gear ratio options.

Brakes on a 1/2 ton truck should not be an issue if the thing being towed has a properly sized and setup independent braking system. I wouldn't tow anything heavy with even a 1 ton pickup - unless the thing being towed had an adequate independent braking system.

dspencer wrote:
...The guy asked the salesman what the weight was on the 5er and supposedly replied it doesn't matter the trailer was 1/2 ton towable and it was tested by the manufacturer and could be towed by any 1/2 truck on the market....

And the sales guy was right. The truck towed the trailer to the campground.

The question is... How long will the 1/2 ton's service life be? Will it be having transmission problems by 50k miles? Will the differential be shot by 75k miles? Will it go through brakes every 20k miles?

And what is the 1/2 ton's normal usage like? Does it get groceries twice a week and commute to the office, only seeing the 5th wheel a few times a year? Or is this truck making a cross country run and taking the 5th wheel coast-to-coast?

-Eric

I agree that a salesman will tell you anything to make you buy there product, can't believe that those guys can sleep at nite. Most of my experiences with them are very negative, know what you want before dealing with anyone of them.

In the OP the size of the trailer was unknown. And guessed to be in the 28 to 30 foot range. If the manufacturer declared and advertised it to be 1/2 ton towable, that is a design feature of that trailer. And the sales persons responsibility (job description) is to advise a customer of the products features and benefits. It is NOT the salesman's responsibility to doubt the documented product specifications. Especially to the customer. If he does that he is not doing the job.

Does not qualify him as a liar, or deceiving the client.

Mont G&J wrote:
At a recent RV show, I looked at a number of 5th Wheels, and the attached manufactures specification sticker. After looking, I was quite surprised to find that pin weight, and GVWR had little to do with number of slides or overall length. In some cases my 5th wheel with two slides had more pin weight than those with three.

Half-ton not enough truck? I don’t believe a reliable opinion can be made by just an eyeball, not anymore.

Below is an example.



Link to you-tube video

I don't think they are lying
It doesn't say how far how fast,how it will handle and stop :)

In my original post I never said a 1500 isn't capable of towing some 5th wheels, I was making a remark about what was supposedly told to the customer by there salesman. I know full well there are 1500's that are very capable of pulling some 5th wheels. It was a comment made by a salesperson that floored me. It just never ceases to amaze me about what some salespeople will tell a customer today.