Fifth Wheel Capabilities Truck

This motor has 300plus HP, and it only has teh ability to tow 10K lbs?!?!?!?!? yeah right! This setup has better gearing the the 4sp trannies with 4.10'S! I'd pull my 12K equipment trailer with this truck. My guess is a 12K 5w will tow easier yet, much easier than a TT would, due to better aerodynamics of the setup! Frankly, as long as you get a hard sided smooth walled trailer, with no frontbed room slide, I'd go for it! You should be under the axel wt ratings etc too!

Yeah you will be turning some rpms, like 4K going up hills, in the gear below direct, not that the 6sp has a direct from what I understand....still, you will be in 3rd or 4th gear going up steeper hills, probably in the 50 mph range. The only person that gets tired, is one not wanting to hear a motor turn some rpms! My dmax sounds horrible with a 25K total load going up a 4% grade with the pedal to the metal doing 55 at 3000 rpm. Would imagine the same sound at 5K+ rpm in a as rig.

As long as you can stay under axel wt ratings, the truck will handle the trailer fine! A dmax is rated higher, so the truck etc will handle the trailer.

Marty

I appreicate all of the feedback. So, if I am understanding this correctly if I had 4.10 gears put in some day I would greatly increase my towing capabilities. I know the cost is substantial but still cheaper than another vehicle upgrade. How bad would fuel consumption be with 4.10 gears vs. 3.73? The majority of our travel is local with a couple big trips each year. We did travel from Wisconsin to Disney last year. That has been the biggest trip. My curent set up is great with the hensley arrow and the wilderness 3150ds. I am just considering a upgrade with features and stability some day. I still feel like a fifth wheel will be a better towing experience compared to a 35 foot travel trailer. Am I wrong to assume that? I wish I had diesel but it was not in my budget for the new truck.

nhtope wrote:
Snip... I still feel like a fifth wheel will be a better towing experience compared to a 35 foot travel trailer. Am I wrong to assume that? I wish I had diesel but it was not in my budget for the new truck.

If you are presently towing with a Hensley hitch then NO, the towing experience will not be any better with a 5th wheel and could be worse. There are other reasons for going to a 5th wheel from a TT towed with a Hensley but towing experience is not one of them. :)
Barney

nhtope wrote:
Hello,
I have a 2013 Chevy 2500HD Work Truck model with the 6.0 Gas and 4X4. It is extended cab short bed with 3.73 gearing. I currently tow a travel trailer but was considering a future upgrade to a fifth wheel. How large can I go with this truck. I have tried several calculators online but it is a bit confusing. If anyone can help clarify I would appreciate it. Is a 10,500 lb dry weight fifth wheel too much?

OP- if you are of the opinion that you should stay within a truck's ratings, here's a page that I wrote on how to decide how much you can tow:
What Can I Tow?

It'll hopefully break down the math for you and give you a better understanding.

Dave H M wrote:

JIMNLIN wrote:
Looking at GM online fleet ordering guide CLICKY LINK shows your 2500 Chevy WT has 3500-3600 lbs payload. The truck will have no problems carrying that trailers pin weight.

Now the deal killer is GM say the '12 2500 WT 6.0 4x4 short bed 3.73 has a 9800 lb tow rating (4.10 gears = 14300 lb)

IMO any smallblock pulling over 12k will not make for a comfortable towing experience. The truck will struggle at those loads. I would stick with a 10k wet weight trailer.

OK I give, give me an example of a 2012 LARGE block.

OP if you got a 6 speed you should be fine in towing with 5th most of the time.

I do not know what a 6.0 is, but a 454 cubic inch engine is a big block.

EDIT

I had to convert 6.0 into cubic inches to be able to understand how big a 6.0 is, a 366 cubic inch definitely not a big block

silvercorvette wrote:
I do not know what a 6.0 is, but a 454 cubic inch engine is a big block.

EDIT

I had to convert 6.0 into cubic inches to be able to understand how big a 6.0 is, a 366 cubic inch definitely not a big block

Keep in mind the OP is about a '13 model truck.
The problem is Ram hasn't had a big block gas engine since dropping the 488 ci (8.0) V-10 in '03.

Or GM dropped the 498 ci (8.1) in the late '00s.

Or Ford dropped their V10 in the late '00s.

These big blocks had the hp and more importantly the big torque numbers (450-500+) to pull heavy loads more easily without all the typical high rpm as our small block gassers require.

At one time we had a choice to pull heavy (similar tow ratings) with a diesel or the big block gas engine.