Forum Discussion

minihub67's avatar
minihub67
Explorer
Mar 10, 2020

Fifth wheel towing question

Pin weight question for my fifth wheel friends..

In my trailer hunt with my 04 2500 ram Diesel quad cab 6.3ft bed.. I have after people added full tank etc.. 1,980lbs of payload left. I still have to account for curt hitch, and trailer pin weight. I know the rule is 15-25% of GVWR for pin weight, seems I would be ok maybe at 20% with units below.

How does one reconcile this.. I know this is a hot topic sometimes.. just looking for guidance. Tks

The Grand Design 260RD would be 1899lbs with 20% rule... the 230RL maybe even better. I also like the Cougar 24RDS but it would be 1998lbs at 20% GVWR..

Crazy the payload issues to stay legal. with these trucks... How solid is the 20% formula? I doubt I would load to GVWR.

I would have to order the "Cougar".. no real way to hook to etc.. the UVW pin shows 1430lbs, UVW trailer 7393lbs. GVWR trailer 9990lbs.

Thanks for any feedback.. I know it's potential "touchy" subject.

Doug

I am adding this reply from someone with the grand design 230RL and his weights.. seems to make me have a good set up, some wiggle room from the 20% rule. Seems I should be ok with my available payload assuming his weights are accurate?

Maybe these number can help. We took our 230 RL all set up for camping across the CAT scales a couple of weeks ago. Out actual trailer weight came in at 8040 lbs. Our UVW from the factory was 7076 lbs delivered. Our pin weight loaded for camping was 1480 lbs. We tow with a 2019 F250 4x4 crew, 6.75 box with the 6.2 gas. Payload is 3196 lbs on the yellow sticker. Happy travels!
  • valhalla360's avatar
    valhalla360
    Navigator
    Mar 10, 2020
    15% is light...go at least 20%.

    And if your typical, use the GVWR. Most people are pushing much closer to the upper end of empty vs GVWR.

    The extra fuel tank and other stuff in the truck is likely eating up a lot of your payload. If you want to load up the truck with a 1000lb of gear, I would be looking to move up to a 1 ton.

    I'm not sure about the 2004 dodge but might be that the difference between the 3/4 ton and 1 ton SRW is just the rear springs...so while you can't officially change the ratings, upgraded springs may make if functionally identical.
  • Cummins12V98's avatar
    Cummins12V98
    Explorer III
    Mar 10, 2020
    Stock tires on your RAM have about 6,300# capacity. Weigh your truck FULLY loaded ready to tow. Subtract rear axle weight from the tire capacity. Now take that number x 5 that will give you the FULLY loaded weight of a RV you can tow allowing 20% pin. This is MAXING out the rear tires so I would reduce the weight of the RV some.

    For a RV that size only 100# or so will actually transfer to the front tires.
  • MFL's avatar
    MFL
    Nomad II
    Mar 10, 2020
    Towing a FW puts the hitch wt over the rear axle. You need to be most concerned with RAWR/tire rating. You should not have any problem carrying the wt of any of the trailers mentioned. Just weigh the truck, get individual axle wts. If rear axle weighs 3,000 lbs., you likely have around 3,000 left, before going over RAWR of approx 6,000.

    Jerry

About RV Tips & Tricks

Looking for advice before your next adventure? Look no further.25,104 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 24, 2025