I'm looking at purchasing a new fifth wheel and I am getting a wide array advice on how much trailer I can tow. According to my owners manual my truck has a fifth wheel trailer weight rating of 17900 pounds with a GCVWR of 24500. I've been looking around at a few RV dealers to see what is out there and some tell me the most I can pull is a 14000 pound fifth wheel and some suggest that a trailer with a GVWR of 18000 is okay because I will never load it that much. I thought I would throw this out to the group. Anybody pulling a fifth wheel with a 2015 Chevy 2500 HD Duramax crew cab short bed and if so, how much does your fifth wheel weigh?

There are many people with 2500HD fiver combinations out there. Have you considered the 2500's payload limitations? The 2500 has a GVWR limit. This includes the weight of the truck, the pin weight of the fiver, people, fuel, and whatever other gear you carry in the truck. Payload is usually the limiting factor for a 2500 TV not the weight of the fiver...

Towing is totally different from load carrying capacity. Which is what your avter if you want to haul a fiver. A fifer is going to place approx 20% of its total weight dire tly over the rear axle of your truck. Since you dont have a trailer yet, use 20% of a fivers GVWR as your number of choice. Go weight your truck loaded ready to travel plus 200 pounds for hitch and subtract that from the trucks GVWR. Payload minus your intended fivers pin weight. Thats what you need to know.

17,900 5th sound good until you figure out the rear axle can not handle 3580 pounds of pin weight, the hitch and other things in the bed.My trailer has a 16K GVWR and is just about at that, and I am almost maxing out my rear axle rated at 7K. Person that told you 14K is close to the mark. Given a 6200 pound rear axle capacity you will not be able to tow a 17,900 5th wheel. And you would be way over the 2500HD GVWR also. Many do not care about that number and only worry about RGAWR. However at 6200 you are in trouble city.Chris

Bags or timbrens will eliminate the weight carrying capacity of your truck vs an equivalent 3500, provided your wheels and tires are also rated the same. I think I'd personally limit a SRW truck to the 16k lb neighborhood although some tow more without issues. What you load in the trailer is certainly relevant as well. Most here assume you'll be at full gross weight but that's overly conservative for some. Just depends on how you load it up.

You need to weigh your truck with fuel, gear, passengers to get actual numbers. As most of the FW pin wt will be on your rear axle, you need to stay under RAWR, and max tire.A 14K actual loaded weight FW, would max out your 2500. Like mentioned, 20 percent would be 2800 lbs, plus 200 for hitch. After weighing rear axle do you have 3000 lbs left before going over RAWR? Jerry

Towing with a 2015 Chevy 2500HD Duramax | Good Sam Community

lightfoot
Explorer III
Oct 25, 2016
I checked the TrailerLife Towing Guide and I think you might be limited to 14K.
CampGuy
Explorer
Oct 25, 2016
Thank you all for the help. I now have some homework to do to determine how much I can safely pull.
CWSWine
Explorer
Oct 23, 2016
Here is a video put out by the RVSEF (RV Safety and Education Foundation) in how to match your Truck to the RV. It shows how the number relate to each other. These guys have been doing this since 1993 and weight thousand of RV.

Matching your truck and RV Video
ktmrfs
Explorer II
Oct 23, 2016
my 2015.5 denali 4x4 CC short box has a cargo capacity of 2600lbs. Me thinks that it wouldn't be hard with a few people in the truck, hitch, and a few other things, that you would be over the 10,000lb GVWR for the truck.

Heck, towing my 10,000 travel trailer, with 1400lbs tongue weight and either DW and grandkids along with firewood etc. in the bed, or myself with dirt bike and riding stuff in the bed, I'm pushing right at or slightly over the 10,000lbs.

Now, the 10,000lb GVWR is determined by the max GVWR for that class of truck, so there is likely some margin.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2016
2015 2500HD CC SB Diesel

Open your truck drivers door.....tire data sticker YELLOW
What is listed as you trucks PAYLOAD? (3000# or less????)

Now look at other sticker which lists axle and GVWR
RAWR...6200#
GVWR..10000#

My 2007 3500 QC LB Diesel has similar ratings.
I tow a 14K 5th wheel *Scaled at 13,873#

I am over trucks GVWR of 10,100#
I have a wet pin wet of almost 3000# (scaled 2980#)
I am right at RAWR 6200#
And truck has a 'tow rating of 16,600# (2700# MOVE than what can actually be done)

You need to look at/consider trailers that have 14K GVWR or less
Me_Again
Explorer III
Oct 23, 2016
CumminsDriver wrote:
I had a 2500HD Duramax pulling the 5th Wheel in my signature. It has a 15,700 GVWR, and when I scaled the truck and trailer I was 1k over the trucks GVWR and right at the rear axle weight rating. Trailer only weighed 13,000 lbs.

******None of the trucks can pull a 5th Wheel that they are rated for and stay under all the trucks ratings.******

Rich

For 250/2500's that is mostly very true. For SRW 350/3500's got to watch your weights. Duallies generally are fine.

Chris
azdryheat
Explorer
Oct 23, 2016
My previous truck was a 2009 2500 Duramax and I pulled a 36' Everest with a GVWR of 14,000 pounds without any problem. A new Duramax can handle more weight. What I did wrong was not buying my "last" truck and trailer first. I would have saved a bundle if I had bought what I have now first.
Rich1961
Explorer
Oct 23, 2016
I had a 2500HD Duramax pulling the 5th Wheel in my signature. It has a 15,700 GVWR, and when I scaled the truck and trailer I was 1k over the trucks GVWR and right at the rear axle weight rating. Trailer only weighed 13,000 lbs. None of the trucks can pull a 5th Wheel that they are rated for and stay under all the trucks ratings.

Rich
MFL
Nomad II
Oct 22, 2016
You need to weigh your truck with fuel, gear, passengers to get actual numbers. As most of the FW pin wt will be on your rear axle, you need to stay under RAWR, and max tire.

A 14K actual loaded weight FW, would max out your 2500. Like mentioned, 20 percent would be 2800 lbs, plus 200 for hitch. After weighing rear axle do you have 3000 lbs left before going over RAWR?

Jerry
IdaD
Explorer
Oct 22, 2016
Bags or timbrens will eliminate the weight carrying capacity of your truck vs an equivalent 3500, provided your wheels and tires are also rated the same. I think I'd personally limit a SRW truck to the 16k lb neighborhood although some tow more without issues. What you load in the trailer is certainly relevant as well. Most here assume you'll be at full gross weight but that's overly conservative for some. Just depends on how you load it up.