Fishing for information

[mikeflys]

Good day to you all. Never owned a 5ver. We have owend a tent trailer, followed by a 31 foot class c, now a nice 24 foot TT. I have a Toyota Tundra that we really love. Recently we were at a RV show and started looking at the 5vers, many of them were tagged as 1/2ton towable. My question is, how well do these lighter units hold up over time? My concern was using lighter materials it might not hold up as long as a more stouter unit. I don't think I could trust the word of a salesman, they will tell you whatever younwant to hear to make the sale. I would like to hear from folks who have or do own them. Thanks!

[doughere]

Your question was how do "light weight" 5er's hold up!

I have a 2005 Trail Cruiser TC524DS (about 24 feet) that is 5000 dry, 7000 loaded up. We travel 3 to 4 months a year. I do all maintenance, and am pretty careful about keeping things working correctly. I'm hoping for at least 10 more years. I expect this to be our last trailer (figure 90's about time to decide what we want to do when we grow up).

Doug

[kzspree320]

Your problem is not what the Tundra can tow but what it can carry, in other words payload. On the inside of the drivers door will be a sticker that states something like "The maximum weight of passengers and cargo is XXXX pounds." I have a friend I helped shop for a Tundra to pull his travel trailer. Most of them had payloads of around 1,400 pounds or less. Let's work through an example and you can include your actual weights.

Payload starts at 1,400#. If you and the wife and dog weigh 400# then you are down to 1,000# of remaining payload. If you carry 100# of tools and stuff now you are down to 900# remaining. Most fifth wheel hitches will weigh about 150#, which now brings you down to 750# remaining.

Fifth wheels, when loaded, should have a pin weight of about 20% of loaded weight. That means your fifth wheel, when loaded, can weigh no more than 3,750# in our example. Some F150s do have a pretty high payload, but those trucks are pretty rare on dealers lots. That is the truck the manufacturers assume you have when saying half ton towable.

I have owned a Tundra. They are great trucks and good for travel trailers, but lack the payload and RAWR for all but the lightest 5ers. Hope the example helps.Keith.

[C_Schomer]

I had a 1/2t 96 Dodge when we got our first 5er and it did great, all the weights were in the limits. Your Tundra is probably a lot more truck than mine was. Be careful of all the weights and there's no reason you can't do it. Craig

[laknox]

My '02 Duramax 2500HD is right at it's frame limits (tires are larger than OEM, so I have plenty of room there), and I'm solid on the overloads with my FW. It grosses 11,300 and has a somewhat light pin weight, but it's all I want on that vintage truck. I'm looking at a Jayco that's =larger=, but has a GVW that's 1,300 LESS than my low-profile, single slide FW. Were money no object, I'd keep the frame from my Komfort, demolish the superstructure and have a new box built on the old, =heavy= frame. 🙂

Lyle

[kaydeejay]

mikeflys wrote:
I have a Toyota Tundra that we really love. Recently we were at a RV show and started looking at the 5vers, many of them were tagged as 1/2ton towable.

Unfortunately your Tundra is on the low end of payload ratings, probably 1200-1400#.
You will need to find a VERY light fiver to stay within ratings.
Not saying it can't be done, but your choices are limited.
There are some "1/2 tons" out there with 3000# of payload (Think a base F150HD with the max tow package) so trailer manufacturers CAN state their fivers are "1/2 ton towable".
Just not by all 1/2 tons.

[kaydeejay]

TomHaycraft wrote:
..............I did buy my Springdale because it was about the only 5th wheel that had a pin weight (plus hitch and cargo, etc) less than my rear GARW..............

Eerrrrr, does none of the weight of passengers and gear add load to the rear axle too??

[goducks10]

Most every 1/2 ton towable is in fact towable by a 1/2 ton. But the 5er needs to be unloaded. No one tows unloaded so that's where the misnomer lies. My 5er is in the 1/2 ton territory. 7185lbs dry with a dry 1385lb pin. Loaded up I'm near 9000lbs with an 18-2000lb pin. Those weights would certainly push 99% of the 1/2 ton trucks sold out there. I tow with a 3/4 ton.

[Jayco23FB]

I don't pull a fifth wheel. My setup is a #6000 24' TT. I started pulling with a 1/2 ton and it did a good job and it meet all the weight requirements. I traded that truck for a 3/4 ton, the towing with the 3/4 ton was so much better in regards to sway, braking and handling I personnally would not go back to the 1/2 ton.

[mikeflys]

Me Again wrote:

mikeflys wrote:
Thanks for the reply's guys! Right now we are just in the dreaming phase. Our little TT is really nice for the 2 of us. Our trips are mostly short so the small size is OK. We are just thinking down the road it might be nice to have a little more room.

So just keep what you have until you are ready to move up with both a higher capacity tow vehicle and trailer. Chris

That's part of this whole process isn't it! That's really what my question boils down to, would I be able to keep my current truck or would I have to move up to a 3/4 ton. I know that is a questing only I can answer. I am just looking for information to be able to make that decision in an informed manner. All of you have given me great stuff to think about. That's why I love these forums, more information from really informed sources.

[statehoss]

I have a "half ton towable" that has not given me any problems over three years. We spend about 30-35 days a summer camping typically traveling within a 4 hour radius of home. I will say that I notice flex in the floor, nor would I walk on the roof. I am 6'4" and 275 pounds, so I notice these things a little more than most.

[Me_Again]

mikeflys wrote:
Thanks for the reply's guys! Right now we are just in the dreaming phase. Our little TT is really nice for the 2 of us. Our trips are mostly short so the small size is OK. We are just thinking down the road it might be nice to have a little more room.

So just keep what you have until you are ready to move up with both a higher capacity tow vehicle and trailer. Chris

[DutchmenSport]

Personally, I think that term "light" doesn't mean a whole lot. If you consider how RV's were manufactured 30 - 40 years ago, EVERYTHING today is "light". All manufacturers for all campers use lighter weight materials than their predecessors a couple RV generations ago. I would not even factor in that term "light" into any of future RV buying decision plans.

My Dutchmen Sport was a "light". I never figured that out. It was 18 feet long and still over 6000 pounds. My parents had a 1963 Phoenix (single axle) travel trailer that weighed about the same. Light? It's just a marketing term.

As stated above, look at the pin-weight of the camper and make sure your tow vehicle can safely handle that. Remember, if you get a 5er, you'll also need to get a 5er hitch. Those hitches are not "light weight" at all! You'll need to consider that extra weight in the bed of your truck in addition to the weight of the actual trailer.... just something to think about if you really want to go with a 5er with your current tow vehicle.

[mikeflys]

Thanks for the reply's guys! Right now we are just in the dreaming phase. Our little TT is really nice for the 2 of us. Our trips are mostly short so the small size is OK. We are just thinking down the road it might be nice to have a little more room.

[MFL]

To be truly 1/2 ton towable, they would have to have a light pin weight. If you look at your door sticker for total weight allowed, including passengers, everything in the truck, plus the 200 lb. hitch, how much will be left for pin weight?

Then you have to look at RAWR, most newer 1/2 tons will be about 4,000 lbs. There are some 1/2 tons out there with higher GVWR, RAWR, but not many.

I think the 1/2 ton towable FW, is more of a marketing tool, due to there being so many 1/2 ton owners. The reality is, the 1/2 ton can tow them, but many will be over their trucks ratings.

You will enjoy towing a FW, if you find one that works for you.

Jerry