Survey says... 1T for 5th wheel & 3/4T for BP Toyhauler

stickdog wrote:

Txsurfer wrote:
Well after reading many posts and researching payload caps ( diesels) ..it appears to me that if you are even thinking about a 5th wheel you should go with a 1T class truck where as a 3/4T should be able to handle most BP types. I know this a generalization but seems pretty accurate no? The payload is the really the deciding factor from what I have seen and the pin weights are just too high on 5th wheel toyhaulers. That is if you want to stay in-line with the law atleast.

What law is that?

The law(s) of physics and common sense.

Txsurfer wrote:
Well after reading many posts and researching payload caps ( diesels) ..it appears to me that if you are even thinking about a 5th wheel you should go with a 1T class truck where as a 3/4T should be able to handle most BP types. I know this a generalization but seems pretty accurate no? The payload is the really the deciding factor from what I have seen and the pin weights are just too high on 5th wheel toyhaulers. That is if you want to stay in-line with the law atleast.

What law is that?

For 5th wheels I look at them in 3 categories: lightweights that can be towed by a 3/4 ton (250/2500), mid weights that can be towed by a 1 ton SRW (350/3500), and heavy weights that should be towed by a 1 ton DRW or greater.

Not if you ask the campers I seen at the last park I was at. I seen a couple Duramax 2500's pulling some enormous fifth wheels. One looked like a brand-new 40 foot long Cardinal and the other I forget which brand it was but it was a triple axel 40 foot plus toy hauler. :E

I am by no means a member of the weight police, but that was just plain crazy.

There are plenty of fifth wheels that are three-quarter ton capable, even diesels. Realistically, the ones that are labeled half ton capable would satisfy most members of the weight police brigade.

Dan

What modern 3/4 tons are rated to handle and what it can actually handle are two very different numbers.

Also, please post the law requiring you to stay within the manufacturers tire load and inflation sticker. I have asked this many times and not one person has ever been able to provide it. The only laws I know of about what a vehicle can legally haul or tow is in regards to the registered GVWR(which can differ from the trucks actual GVWR) and GAWR limits.

If you do not have much knowledge about tow vehicles or towing in general then I recommend staying within whatever the manufacturer suggest. If you have plenty of knowledge and experience to know what a vehicle can safely handle, then by this point you would have already known that a 3/4 ton can handle way more than what its (de)rated for.

Your observation is probably correct.

Still, I remember in the early 1970's I fell in love the RV Fifth Wheel and dreamed one day I'd own one. They were gigantic! That second floor was awesome. And they were heavy! And as I remember, almost everyone who towed one, had normal, everyday, average pick-up trucks. I don't think anyone even thought about weights, and payload, or anything. If it was a pick-up truck, you put a 5er hitch it it and away you go!

Maybe back then, they made only one kind of pick-up trucks ... GOOD ONES!

What happened to the simplicity of life?

In general that would be an accurate assessment.