Fifth wheel hitch weight concerns

That pin weight is probably based on dry weight not what it will actually weigh. You also have to add everything you are carrying in the truck: hitch, passengers, everything else. But you have a 1000# to work with.

.......and add a couple hundred pounds for the hitch.

You should be fine.

As they've said a couple of hundred lbs for the hitch. Add in the DW, rugrats, fido and anything you want to stick in the bed around the 5er hitch.

Looking at a 5th wheel you'll see most of the things your going to haul will be carried in front of the axles. With a lot of this going into the basement just behind the pin. This means that all of that stuff is going to add weight to your pin weight. Not a lb per lb addition but I use 80% as a conservative estimate, it's probably between 65-75%.

If you only haul half of the trailers 3470 capacity you'll add about 1400 lbs of pin weight. Add that to your 2160 and your at 3560 on the pin. Don't even think about 2800 lbs if you max it out.

My trailer has the same gross (13,500 lbs), I wouldn't trust single wheels on the TV for this kind of weight. My old truck had 19.5" tires and would easily carry the weight but the side walls were so stiff any rut would move you around. You'll need 4 tires on the rear axle of the TV for this kind of load. I see a lot of 3/4 tons pulling heavy 5ers but I don't travel close to them. They add helper springs or air bags but most of the time the rear tires are rated about 6200 lbs total.

How come everybody says to add 200# for a hitch? I just looked up the shipping weight for a couple of large hitches, 18 and 20k, and they only weighed 143#. Maybe they are adding 60# of paint to cover the mounting bolts.
Dave

das wrote:
New to posting on the forum but have been reading for a couple of years and learning from other's experiences. We currently own a 7300 pound TT and are looking to upgrade to a fifth wheel. Looking at the Keystone 324FWBHS that is 10869 pounds and has a 2160 pound hitch weight. I have a 2015 Chevrolet 2500hd 6.0 that has a payload of 3152. Just looking for thoughts of the hitch weight concerns from other fifth wheel owners or am I just being parinoid? I know there is a big difference in the weight and payload but the 2160 weight is a huge difference from the 750 pound trailer tongue weight I am used to towing. Not totally stuck on the 324FWBHS model but do like the rear bunks and outdoor kitchen that come with it so I would also be up for ideas of something similar. Most of our towing will be less than 3 hours from home.

The pin/hitch weight a trailer manufacturer publishes is a number used by them to balance all their numbers on paper. They must do that to establish the figures they put on the vehicle’s certification label. Once the vehicle is sold the pin/hitch weights become the responsibility of the vehicle owner.

The most common rule of thumb for the owner is to figure 15% - 20% of the total load to get a ballpark figure for your pin weight.

It’s probably best to load up the trailer as it would be loaded for a camping trip and then find some scales for a more accurate pin weight until you become familiar with your trailers balance when loaded.

FastEagle

A "rule of thumb" for GVWR of 5th wheel trailer;
250/2500 up to 13k
350/3500 SRW 13-14k
Above 14k 350/3500 DRW

Actual numbers will vary depending on truck and RV. Some trailers are designed to be lighter on the pin and some trucks have so many options they can barely haul themselves. It's case by case basis.

Payload of 3,152.

Add two passengers (@ 150 pounds each) payload is down to 2,852

Add 200 lbs for hitch and 2,652 remain.

So far so good. Add more passengers, pets, fire wood, or say a tool box full of stuff in the box and you are getting into close to maxed out weight territory.

And to byronlj; it does make math a whole lot easier to just say 200 pounds instead of figuring 143 pounds or whatever. Besides, always better to over-estimate in this case, cause it gives a person more room to move with the other weight items to figure out.

Other things people fail to consider are changes in the vehicle weight once you customize it... like spray-in bed liners, retractable covers, side steps, etc. Best way to know what your true carrying capacity is is just to weigh the truck at a CAT scale with your passengers, fuel, and all the junk you plan to carry. THEN you'll know how much wiggle room you have for the 5th wheel.

My biggest weight concern would be that 11000 dry trailer weight which will most likely be in the 12k-13k after loading. That is a big load /13' tall wind sail on a smallblock v8 won't be much fun towing down the road. Now if your making short trips on flat land the 6.0 smallblock could work if your patient pulling that much weight.

250/2500 trucks have a 6000-6200 rawr which can have 2800-3200 lb payload regardless of engine type. Actual weights depends on scaled numbers.