Thinking of getting a new 5er!

[Turlock_Bill]

We are thinking of upgrading to a new 5er, I would like to get some of your opinions on the different brands. I have a 3/4 ton Ram Cummins TV, and would like to keep the 5er less than 33 feet, and we will be on the road a bit more after retirement in the near future. I currently have a 1/2ton Cougar. I would appreciate all opinions.

[goducks10]

Make sure you check the CCC on Lite 5th wheels. Not always but most of the time they have low CCC's. If you plan on extended trips then you'll be taking 1500lbs+. Some of the lites only have 1300-1400lbs for CCC. We aren't gone for more than a week at a time max, and we pack close to 1500lbs. The dry brochure pin weights are for base units without options so checking the 5er's shipping sticker will be key.

[tdsxt51]

Take a look at our signature fifth wheeler- we're very happy with it. But it's gotta have the Diamond package.

[blacktop]

what's wrong with the cougar. i have one and love it. Have you looked at the triple slide light weight from rockwood ultra lite and flagstaff?

[csamayfield55x]

So we went through this this summer. WE looked at tons of units and narrowed it down to a few manufacturers. Floor plans are kinda up to you

4. Grand design. They are pretty nice but WAY TOO MANY ISSUE"S WITH SUPPORT

3. Keystone Cougar Light- I really liked it but it was too dark for my wife

2. Wildcat Maxx- This was what we were going to buy until we found our favorite

1. Open Range Light series- These are just a beautiful unit with tons of super cool floorplans and features and a factory 2 year warranty


Chris

[AUwing2]

Turlock Bill - there a number of 33 - 35 foot fivers to choose from. We're Jayco fans and they have 3 or 4 Eagle models between 10,000 & 11,000 pound that might serve you well. I'd suggest you make a list of a upcoming RV shows and spend time walking thru a bunch of units Leave the checkbook at home until you've checked out as many as you can. It sounds weird to think but even @ 33-35 ft, there are compromises. Might be a cramped bedroom & large living room or as in our case, we learned on the first weekend that we have limited cabinet storage foe dishes.

Happy shopping

[Turlock_Bill]

Thank you for your comments, my truck is a 2015 Ram Cummins 3/4 ton so replacing is not an option. I will purchase a 5er that I can safely tow. I just would like your opinion on 5ers are in the moderate price range that will be more for longer trips. Thanks

[minnow]

In case some of you missed it and from your comments - you did; he already has his truck and was looking for advice on RV's under 33'

To the OP, look at the Grand Design RV's. The Reflection 303RLS, 27RL and 29RS are all under 33'. The company is very responsive to customers "after the sale" where the selling dealer plays the "I don't know who you are game" after they cash your check. There is a Grand Design Facebook page and a Grand Design Owners forum that you can check out too.

[rhagfo]

goducks10 wrote:
You will be fine with most lighter weight 5th wheels. Don't pay attention to the GVWR of the 5thwheel. You need to look at the UVW and dry pin weight. GVWR's and pin weights compared to the UVW are all over the place.
Example, my 5er has a GVWR of 11,500lbs but a UVW of 7315lbs. My dry pin is 1385lbs. Going by the GVWR of the 5er would mean I can't tow it cause the pin would theoretically be 2300lbs. In fact it's only 1800lbs and my loaded weight is 9000lbs+/-.
I too have a 2500 CTD and as usuall most 3/4 ton diesels have low payload ratings. Upside is they also have good RAWR. I'm over my trucks GVWR by 200lbs but under the RAWR by 1300lbs, under the tow rating by 3400lbs and under the GCVWR by 2600lbs. Truck and 5er handle extremely well.
I could care less about the GVW of a trailer. To me it's the UVW, dry pin and the CCC. I know I load about 1300-15000lbs in it so when shopping I look at the trailers factory shipping sticker and the CCC on the sticker. Add in my 1500lbs and figure 20% for pin weight.
You can use the 5ers GVW for figuring but like in my case I would have to pass on what I bought. Which is wrong because it's a great setup. If you know how much you load in your current TT then you should be able to use the new 5er UVW and dry pin then add you current cargo weight.

Tend to agree with GoDucks, There are some 5er with 1,200# CC, and others with 4,000# (not TH) so with the Dry weight, I know that we currently carry about 1,200# of STUFF in our 5er.
It has a dry weight of 9,820, and a GVWR of 12,360#, we tow it at just over 11,000#.
Yes also over TV GVWR, but still have 500#+ on a 6,084# Rear Axle rating, and 1,246# of tire capacity.

[Old-Biscuit]

What year 2500.............big difference in ability between a 2002 and 2015 2500

Older vintage......up to 12K GVWR FW
Newer vintage......up to 14K GVWR FW

SO what year, model, engine, tranny, rear end is your 2500?

Otherwise...get a 3500 dually cause that solves are problems...at least that is what usually is suggested.

[MFL]

OP says he wants to stay with a FW less than 33'. so in most cases his 2500 should have enough capacity.

It is very hard to say what FW, in that size range, that would be better than the others. I would suggest an upper end model, in whatever floor plan you like best.

Jerry

[goducks10]

You will be fine with most lighter weight 5th wheels. Don't pay attention to the GVWR of the 5thwheel. You need to look at the UVW and dry pin weight. GVWR's and pin weights compared to the UVW are all over the place.
Example, my 5er has a GVWR of 11,500lbs but a UVW of 7315lbs. My dry pin is 1385lbs. Going by the GVWR of the 5er would mean I can't tow it cause the pin would theoretically be 2300lbs. In fact it's only 1800lbs and my loaded weight is 9000lbs+/-.
I too have a 2500 CTD and as usuall most 3/4 ton diesels have low payload ratings. Upside is they also have good RAWR. I'm over my trucks GVWR by 200lbs but under the RAWR by 1300lbs, under the tow rating by 3400lbs and under the GCVWR by 2600lbs. Truck and 5er handle extremely well.
I could care less about the GVW of a trailer. To me it's the UVW, dry pin and the CCC. I know I load about 1300-15000lbs in it so when shopping I look at the trailers factory shipping sticker and the CCC on the sticker. Add in my 1500lbs and figure 20% for pin weight.
You can use the 5ers GVW for figuring but like in my case I would have to pass on what I bought. Which is wrong because it's a great setup. If you know how much you load in your current TT then you should be able to use the new 5er UVW and dry pin then add you current cargo weight.

[Second_Chance]

donn0128 wrote:
Upgrade the truck first. With a 2500 your really limited in trailer choices.

I agree with Don. Unless you want to stick to something 10,000 gross or less, move up to a heavier truck. We have a 2013 2500HD diesel and, even with 3,000 lbs. payload left on the truck after weighing, we have to be very careful about pin weight on our 13,000 lb. fiver to stay under the GVWRR on the truck. Wish I had a heavier truck... never heard anyone wish they had less truck.

On the fifth wheel, you'll get a lot of opinions - usually recommending what people have themselves. We are very pleased with our Grand Design Reflection (full-time since August).

Rob

[donn0128]

Upgrade the truck first. With a 2500 your really limited in trailer choices.