5th Wheel Novice Needs Advice!

WeGoCamping wrote:

laknox wrote:

WeGoCamping wrote:
Thanks for the replies! My GVWR is 8600 lbs (4250 Front and 6000 Rear). Trailer GVWR is 10,200 lbs. Trailer Gross Dry Weight is 7200 lbs. Hitch weight is 1420 lbs according to the trailer specs...so I assume this applies to the portion of the hitch on the trailer?

Without actual weights, you're right at 2,000 lbs on the pin with that FW. (1420/7200)*10,200 = 2,011. Add the weight of a hitch, people, fuel and "stuff", and you're at ~2,500 cargo for your truck, ASSuming the ratio of 19% stays the same. If it loads more to the front, it could be even more. Probably =way= over the payload rating for that truck.

Lyle

So if I understand properly, you're evaluating the max load on each axle in this case? So If I have 6000 lbs capacity on the rear axle, and lets assume I have 2200 lbs dry on that axle (I'll weigh the truck axles soon), then that gives me 3800 lbs capacity. You're saying I should expect around 2000 lbs pin weight from the 5th, so that would leave me 1800 lbs for people and gear. Assuming that's under the total 8600 GVWR, I would be okay, correct? (At least in terms of weight ratings?) I could see how that can come down to distribution from the front to rear. It seems it would take some careful measurement and adjustment.

It's more about the rear axle....how much weight you're going to put in the bed of the truck. A 5er will not put that much weight, if any, on the front axle....almost ALL of it will be distributed on the rear axle....your trucks GVWR is based, to some extent on how much weight your front and rear axles can handle...though sometimes, the math doesn't add up.

If you stay within your trucks GVWR, you'll be more than ok...if you decide to ignore that number, which a lot of people do, then you work with your RAWR....just don't dig into a hole you can't dig out of.....