Towing a small 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton truck
I am thinking of trading in my TT for a 5th wheel.... I have a Dodge Ram 1500, 4.7L V8 with towing package. The specs show that I should be able to tow 7300 lbs. Do you see any problems with towin...
Forum Discussion
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You might get a different attitude on a 1/2 ton truck forum. This may not be the best forum to ask this. Many of the folks that post here regularily, have purposely oversized trucks and tend to give a firmly biased opinion that everyone should have such a truck. They will be the first to insist, "You cannot have too much truck". Sorta true in a limited sense. That said, I am just as guilty by owning a larger 3/4 ton truck.
But I know that a smaller 1/2 ton truck can work just as well if the transmission cooler and tires are up to it. The engines are often the same, and they don't count anyway until one considers, "How fa$t do you want to go?" That is an old racers adage, but it also applys to towing performance. You cannot have too much engine if all it does is tow, but you sure can have too much engine as a daily driver. Unless you own OPEC.
I think you would find the rig acceptable, primarily since you seem to already have realistic expectations. The weight almost has nothing to do with it here since it is not really a safety problem to exceed suggested weight guidelines within reason (+500# load capacity, +1500# GCWR). It is heartily recommended to stay within tire ratings by upgrading rear tires as some other have done. Tires are pretty much the lone safety issue. The rest is merely increased wear on smaller driveline components.
TRIVIA:
My buddy had a 20 foot low-profile 5vr that he pulled with a 1/2 ton F-150 Ford with a smog '80's 302 cubic inch V-8 in it. It worked great for me when I borrowed it to go to Medora, but he became upset when it overheated climbing in the Black Hills. The 5vr was made for a mid-size Dodge Dakota, mind you.
So my buddy bought an F-250 with the V-10 in it. I once followed him to a campsite with my wifes Impala, and had to gas it to keep up in stop-and-go traffic. It literally was hard to tell the camper was even hooked up to his oversize truck.
Then he bought an older, 8K dry, TALL 32+ foot 5vr. He couldn't believe the severe loss in performance, and he even looked to make sure he didn't have stuck trailer brakes. It wasn't the weight or brakes, but the wind. Now it wouldn't have mattered much if he'd bought a F-350, or F-450, it still would tow the same. Maybe worse uphill, since both bigger trucks themselves weigh more with the same power (sometimes less power w/similar de-rated V-10 engine).
I thought his rig was just fine, still snappy actually. Towing is different than running empty, and it can be hard to get used to. Some guys never get over it. Before I retired, I worked for a railroad, and there is nothing more ponderous, or slower on land, than 18k HP towing a load that weighs 25+ times the 600 ton tow vehicle. I think it has permanently biased me to accept slow towing.
Wes
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You might get a different attitude on a 1/2 ton truck forum. This may not be the best forum to ask this. Many of the folks that post here regularily, have purposely oversized trucks and tend to give a firmly biased opinion that everyone should have such a truck. They will be the first to insist, "You cannot have too much truck". Sorta true in a limited sense. That said, I am just as guilty by owning a larger 3/4 ton truck.
But I know that a smaller 1/2 ton truck can work just as well if the transmission cooler and tires are up to it. The engines are often the same, and they don't count anyway until one considers, "How fa$t do you want to go?" That is an old racers adage, but it also applys to towing performance. You cannot have too much engine if all it does is tow, but you sure can have too much engine as a daily driver. Unless you own OPEC.
I think you would find the rig acceptable, primarily since you seem to already have realistic expectations. The weight almost has nothing to do with it here since it is not really a safety problem to exceed suggested weight guidelines within reason (+500# load capacity, +1500# GCWR). It is heartily recommended to stay within tire ratings by upgrading rear tires as some other have done. Tires are pretty much the lone safety issue. The rest is merely increased wear on smaller driveline components.
TRIVIA:
My buddy had a 20 foot low-profile 5vr that he pulled with a 1/2 ton F-150 Ford with a smog '80's 302 cubic inch V-8 in it. It worked great for me when I borrowed it to go to Medora, but he became upset when it overheated climbing in the Black Hills. The 5vr was made for a mid-size Dodge Dakota, mind you.
So my buddy bought an F-250 with the V-10 in it. I once followed him to a campsite with my wifes Impala, and had to gas it to keep up in stop-and-go traffic. It literally was hard to tell the camper was even hooked up to his oversize truck.
Then he bought an older, 8K dry, TALL 32+ foot 5vr. He couldn't believe the severe loss in performance, and he even looked to make sure he didn't have stuck trailer brakes. It wasn't the weight or brakes, but the wind. Now it wouldn't have mattered much if he'd bought a F-350, or F-450, it still would tow the same. Maybe worse uphill, since both bigger trucks themselves weigh more with the same power (sometimes less power w/similar de-rated V-10 engine).
I thought his rig was just fine, still snappy actually. Towing is different than running empty, and it can be hard to get used to. Some guys never get over it. Before I retired, I worked for a railroad, and there is nothing more ponderous, or slower on land, than 18k HP towing a load that weighs 25+ times the 600 ton tow vehicle. I think it has permanently biased me to accept slow towing.
Wes
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