Bumper pull versus fifth wheel

For towing a FW, look to your RAWR, as that is where most all the pin wt will land. If truck has rear axle curb wt of 2800 lbs, now add 200 lbs more for hitch=3,000 on R/A, and RAWR is 3,900 lbs, that leaves 900 lbs for pin wt, if nothing else is added to truck wt. A 20 percent FW pin wt would mean a FW loaded wt of less than 5,000 lbs. I doubt a 24' FW will fit this description, when loaded to camp.

Jerry

jdonjohn wrote:
I pull a 22 ft. bumper pull wt. 3700# with a 2018 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 3.6L gas with no problem. Will my PU handle a 24 ft. 5th wheel?

You are asking the wrong question. Length has very little to do with towing capacity. Your question should be "How heavy of a 5th wheel can I tow?" And the answer to that question would be, It depends on how your truck is optioned out.
Look inside the door panel for the placard that tells you your weight limits of your truck. Payload will be your killer for the 5th wheel. Many 1500's are technically over weight when you fill the tank and put the family in it.

You can pull a fifth wheel with a half ton, you just have to be a little careful in terms of not getting something too large. The little lightweight ones that have been mentioned previously in this thread shouldn't be a problem even for a lighter rated half ton like OP's.

ReneeG wrote:

A1ARealtorRick wrote:
This is just my opinion, but I just can't wrap by brain around pulling a 5er with a 1/2-ton, 6-cylinder (269 lb. ft. of torque) truck. Plus (and maybe this is just me) I always like to see dual rear wheels under a 5th wheel. Personally, I'd stick with a bumper pull.

Agree or get the bigger truck as mentioned.

Oh come on guys, stop fear mongering the new guy. The OP would be looking at a Scamp or Escape, 5500lb GVWR, 850lb pin, to make it work. Hardly DRW territory. There are a few that are a little heavier, but I think his 3900lb rear axle would put them out of reach. He would have to do the numbers.

It would likely handle one of these:

Scamp

For the most part, 1/2-ton truck aren't designed for towing fifth wheel RVs. Doesn't mean you won't see people doing it, though.

Rob

guidry wrote:
Short answer, no. There may be very few 5’rs that it “could” handle but in my opinion you wouldn’t feel comfortable towing them. A bigger question would be why you want to move to a 5th wheel. Quarter tons are pretty much the starting point but there’s a whole lot that goes into towing a 5th wheel safely and comfortably.

What do you mean by "Quarter tons are pretty much the starting point..."? A quarter ton of what?

Thanks

Length isn’t your determining factor.

A1ARealtorRick wrote:
This is just my opinion, but I just can't wrap by brain around pulling a 5er with a 1/2-ton, 6-cylinder (269 lb. ft. of torque) truck. Plus (and maybe this is just me) I always like to see dual rear wheels under a 5th wheel. Personally, I'd stick with a bumper pull.

Agree or get the bigger truck as mentioned.

This is just my opinion, but I just can't wrap by brain around pulling a 5er with a 1/2-ton, 6-cylinder (269 lb. ft. of torque) truck. Plus (and maybe this is just me) I always like to see dual rear wheels under a 5th wheel. Personally, I'd stick with a bumper pull.

You tell us based on this
2015 Ram