Need 5th Wheel Advice - Which Cab & Box on GM HD2500

[mrnoyb]

I'm trying to decide which GM HD2500 body combination is best to pull a new 5th wheel. Crew or Double Cab - Standard or Long Box?

I'm looking at a Jayco Eagle HT 26.5RLS which is well within the capabilities of any new GM 3/4 ton pickup.

Please share your thoughts. I appreciate any advice you may offer.

Thank you.

[Itripper]

I know this is a late posting, thought I would add some important info.

Not everyone wants a bigger and bigger 5th wheel, depending on what type of RVing you do a smaller 5th wheel can be ideal, I personally pull a little 24ft 5th wheel that serves me very well for camping in many state and federal campgrounds, as well as a lot of boon docking. I have both a short bed and long bed Silverado, and can tell you there is a big difference in maneuverability between the two, both are ext cabs.

The shorter you can keep your truck, the much more maneuverable your setup will be, this is really important if you do a lot of primitive boondocking. The beauty of smaller 5th wheels is you can get them into some amazing spots you would not think you can. A slider hitch on a short bed is a must if you do any backwoods camping.
If you are just hopping from RV park to RV park, then it really doesn't matter at all, get what you like. I do enjoy the extra cargo space of the 8ft bed, but I can't park it in my garage. As far as street parking, SRW longbed truck is not that much more difficult to park than shortbed.

[MFL]

rhagfo wrote:

lee worsdell wrote:
I pull a rushmore 41ft with my crew cab 2500 hd. regular box no slider. have at least 3ft to 4 ft from back window

Boy, talk about a broad statement!!
Have at least 3' to 4' from back of cab to what the nose,or pin location.

With a Standard/Regular bed best you will do with pin over axle is about 36" to the from the pin. Seeing how an 8' wide 5er, is 48" from pin to one side or the other, unless a space wasting rounded front cap keeps it narrower about 36' at a point about 36" back of the pin the cab and 5er will meet.

I would be more concerned with the 2500 carrying the 41' Rushmore, than distance from cab. I think most figure distance from cab to pin center. My Ford SD is 41"s from cab to axle center. My pin center is at 40"s, or one inch ahead of axle center.

The big 3 are all a little different, with GM having the greater distance from cab to axle center (about 42"s). Ram has the shortest distance, and would more often require a sliding hitch, depending on the front design of FW being towed.

Jerry

[rhagfo]

lee worsdell wrote:
I pull a rushmore 41ft with my crew cab 2500 hd. regular box no slider. have at least 3ft to 4 ft from back window

Boy, talk about a broad statement!!
Have at least 3' to 4' from back of cab to what the nose,or pin location.

With a Standard/Regular bed best you will do with pin over axle is about 36" to the from the pin. Seeing how an 8' wide 5er, is 48" from pin to one side or the other, unless a space wasting rounded front cap keeps it narrower about 36' at a point about 36" back of the pin the cab and 5er will meet.

[RustyJC]

Dayle1 wrote:
Texas DMV has a different opinion, since 1989 I've only had short beds and the state always titled them as 'Truck'.

That doesn't mean much, considering that they also titled my wife's Toyota Highlander Limited SUV as a truck.

Rusty

[Dayle1]

sayoung wrote:
Just my opinion, if its not 8 ft bed then its not a truck. I had a 2004 crew 3/4 short bed & was always needing more bed. That was both short beds, 1st & last.:S

Texas DMV has a different opinion, since 1989 I've only had short beds and the state always titled them as 'Truck'. I've also towed fivers each and every year, no slider. When it comes to carrying things, can't say I've ever had a problem. Seems like what I can't fit in a short bed a trailer is needed anyway, like today 4000 lbs of steel, lengths 24 to 30 ft. My vehicles, titled as 'Truck', also fits a standard garage. But the really great thing is that both bed lengths appear to be economical for manufacturers so that we each have a choice.

[sayoung]

Just my opinion, if its not 8 ft bed then its not a truck. I had a 2004 crew 3/4 short bed & was always needing more bed. That was both short beds, 1st & last.:S

[Fxfymn]

Over the years we have gone from an extended cab 2500 DMax to a CC 2500 DMax, to the present 3500 SRW CC DMax. They all had long beds which I prefer because it gives you room for an auxiliary fuel tank and other storage.

Given the rather large rebates GM is offering right now I would go with a SRW 3500 with the DMax. Long bed if there aren't any reasons not to such as garage room.

If you care about such things GM is totally redesigning the DMax for 2017 with dealer delivery scheduled for early 2017. It will have quite a bit more torque and HP and the only thing it will share with the present DMax is the 6.6L displacement. Everything else will be a new design.

And I'm sure you have heard about the new Ford line of Super Duty trucks by now. They have really stepped up the game and would be my choice if I were buying a truck right now.

[RollandB]

I'm shopping trucks as well, crew cab only. Grandkids keep growing, two shelties and it's nice for the rare time we have adults with us. For the box, I'm a year from retirement. I use the truck we have now for commuting as well as towing, it's a short bed and I use a auto slide hitch. I'm looking for a long bed as soon commuting isn't a factor. If the right thing came along in a short bed I'm not opposed to it, but the long bed does give some more options when hauling stuff.

[Peg_Leg]

Check the size of the fuel tank. Some of the shorter trucks have smaller tanks.

I have a 8' short bed. It ended up that way with the addition of a 80 gal aux tank.

[AUwing2]

Once I looked at the new Double Cab which replaced the previous Extended Cab, the decision was easy, stepped up to a Crew Cab. The added pillars make getting in or out of the DC much more cramped than the previous CC. The DC is a much quieter interior however. With the extended pin box and rounded front cap on our 5er, I have no problems with the 6 1/2 bed.

Here's another vote for a 3500 SRW v 2500. New, it priced out about $500 over the same 2500. Finally, look for the 5th wheel hitch prep option - great option!

[pcaffrey]

Go for it, we have a 2016 Chevy 2500 HD double cab,6.5 ft bed 6.0L gas, tow a 31 foot bunkhouse 5TH wheel with no issues and enjoying it

[Jim102]

I have a new GMC HD2500, crew cab, 6 ft. bed and a 5th that weighs in at a little over 10,000....No slider. Earlier this year we went from Arkansas to visit our son and his family at Hill AFB, Utah, no problems.....They wanted an extra 5K for the diesel engine....If we were full time, I would have got it..I really like this truck.

Jim

[Dayle1]

I've had extended cab and crew cab trucks but always 6-1/2 ft bed because being garagable is important to me. I don't have a slider hitch and never had a problem. 2500 or 3500 your choice and while price diff is minimal, the 3500 will have a few less standard features.

My one new point, pay attention to fuel tank capacity. I don't know about 2016/17 but in 2013 the short bed ext. cab had a 26 gal tank, all the other configurations have the larger tank.

[lee_worsdell]

I pull a rushmore 41ft with my crew cab 2500 hd. regular box no slider. have at least 3ft to 4 ft from back window