5th Wheel Novice Needs Advice!

NC Hauler 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?

Do yourself a BIG favor and don't even go by the dry weight, it's sort of a joke, NO ONE tows a 5er empty or dry....and it's amazing how much one can pack into their rv and not realize it until they decide to completely empty it....You need to use the 5er's GVW of 10,200#...now you may never load to that, but, "what if"...using the 20% "ball park" pin weight equation, you could be looking at a pin weight of 2,000#.

I owned a 27' travel trailer, with a GVW 6500#, went to a 27' 5er with a GVW of 8500# and I traded trucks after a couple of "up hill" extreme slow downs.

The pin weight/hitch weight is what you'll be putting in the bed of your truck..

if your GVWR is 8600#, that is how much your truck can weigh with full fuel tank, all family in the truck, any pets, 5er hitch (figure 200#) AND the pin weight of the 5er, which again, would more than likely be MORE than the dry weight the manufacturer shows. I'd weigh the truck, just like you were about to hook up and go camping, (truck loaded)...then add 200# for 5er hitch...get the weight and subtract it from the GVWR of your truck, 8600# and that'll give you an idea of how much pin weight you can put in the bed of your truck..

NOW, if you exceed your trucks GVWR, which some do, you can ignore the GVWR numbers as quite a few do and go by your RAWR of 6,000#....I just wouldn't cut into it too deeply or you'll start wearing out components on your truck...I had an 01 Chevy 2500 that had a 9200# GVWR, which is 600# more GVWR than your truck has....

I think, though I might be wrong, a 5er with a 10,200 GVW may be too heavy for your older 2500 truck, and if your towing in the mountains, you may find this out sooner than later.....I've been there, done that and got the T-shirt:).....not a fun towing experience....

ON EDIT: OK, maybe I read something wrong,but in your first post you stated 8500# loaded 5er...after re-reading that, I thought I needed to re-thing what I posted, but in your next post you stated trailers GVW was, 10,200#...I would think THAT might push your older 2500 a little with limits....the 8500#, no, but the 10,200#...yeah, I'd want to know the numbers by doing the weighing.

Guess like Chris said, hook up and see what it does...

Sorry for the confusion. I meant to say that the empty weight of the trailer is 7100 lbs with a max GVWR of 10200. Judging by my empty weight vs loaded weight of previous trailers, I assumed about 1/2 way loaded for around 8500 realistically loaded. I don't travel with water or grey water since we usually camp in campgrounds with water and a dump on the way out.

My 29' trailer was 6200 lbs dry, and I towed it around 7500 loaded.