Towing Capacity

Tow ratings don't mean a lot other than for comparing different trucks. Load up your truck with the hitch and everything else you will be carrying, weigh it and subtract that weigh from the truck's GCWR. That's your real tow rating. Pin weight vs truck GVWR, axle and tire ratings are a separate limits that also have to be satisfied.

I have a C4500 Chevy Kodiak crew cab Dually, it has the same engine as the 3/4 and 1ton chevy/GMC trucks with the exception in my class of truck Chevy detunes the engine by 30 horsepower. I tow a 15,000 lb 5th wheel that I used to tow with a 1 ton chevy crew cab dually gas engine. With the first tow in the C4500 I thought I had died and gone to heaven. The torque from the diesel makes hill climbs a breeze, now mind you it's no hot rod but I'm able to do 45MPH up the same 6% grade that the 1 ton would get down to 25MPH on with the same trailer. Plus with the diesel it came equipped with an exhaust brake which makes going downhill a lot more comfortable and safer.

The 1ton without an exhaust brake I would have to use the truck and trailer brakes close to 20 times on a 21 mile 6% downhill run. In the c4500 I hit the brakes once to get the exhaust brake to engage and never get above 55MPH. The exhaust brake helps hold the speed without the need to keep hitting the brakes.

^^ This is very true.... MY pin is just about at 21%..
Total fiver = 15,840#
Total pin = 3,460#

The MINUTE I start camping more than weekends here and thee, I will be in DRW... 90% of my trips are 2 hrs away, with 1 summer trip each year.
At this point, I am in total control of the combo towing...

When you add weight to a 5er MOST of it goes forward of the axles and then transfers to the rear axle of the truck.

Anyone using their 5er for more than weekend camping should really keep an eye on their pin weight at it can EASILY be 25% as mine is.

Although a different RV, last year we ought a Big Country 3560 SS. At that time, we had a '15 F350 SRW sb, cc,4x4, PSD, as we just bought that truck in Dec of '14. The BC specs from factory were: dry wt/13420, pin/2888, max wt/16,000. Weighed unit on a CAT scale on way home from dealer netted: empty wt/14,000, pin wt/2860. I was aok w/ steer axle weights. Just under rear axle by 500 and pretty much at truck max capacity of 11,500 completely UNLOADED! I knew I was going to be close on weights w/ everything, BUT NOT this close!. Once fully loaded, I was over on rear truck axle by 300 and truck by 860 with NO ONE in cab. Oh, pin weight now came in at 3680, and total weight for the BC was 15,980 or maxed out. With the BC hooked up, rear truck axle was 7300 (max axle: 7000), max tire capacity: 7280. Again nobody in cab.

So to say the least, we towed all last summer ('17) w/o any problems and a long trip to Bar Harbor. However, I had in back of my mind this nagging/gut feeling about the overall weight of things. Come summer '18 planning and trip to FL in height of summer (Aug) and NOW the weight of things was really eating away at me and the gut feeling got worse. Was always told to trust your gut, so we ended up getting a '17 F350 CC,4x4,PSD, dually. Admit-tingly, since we bought it, I haven't weight things and cannot explain why, but just haven't. I will say, it was a very wise decision and felt very comfy towing the BC down/back at 70 mph and w/ wife driving at times.

While I haven't looked at today's towing numbers for SRW trucks, personally, I'd be very concerned and nervous to tow a RV over 15-15,500 with a SRW. I guess you could say, "Well how many half tons do you see towing overweight?", which is true, but based on my personal take, I just wouldn't. To each his own, but IMO to answer OP's question about rucks, I'd opt for a dually from one of the mfr's.

I really don't like DRW trucks at all, but at 16k lbs...you could make the right new SRW work but I think you'd be happier with DRW. If you already had a suitable SRW I'd say give it a shot, but since you need to buy the truck it would probably be a mistake to go SRW. Just my two cents.

I think I am the only one on the site that plays in the dirt with the tow vehicle, but consider what else your TV will do. I hate prying rocks out from between dual wheels (they will cut your side walls) in a closed fender truck. If you like this form of play it will limit your fifth wheel choices. Rear kitchen models are often lighter on the pin and that can help. However, no doubt that a DRW is best for straight out towing. It is all about your lifestyle and the choices.

Most of us with experience towing know that the pin weight of a heavy fiver is what limits the size of fiver you can handle. There are some who feel the gvwr of the truck is the number that determines the payload a truck has. Others are comfortable staying within the rear axle weight rating. My Ford sRW can handle a 3200 lb pin and stay within the gvwr of the truck. Because I'm comfortable loading to the gross axle weight rating I will comfortably put up to 3750 lbs of pin weight on my truck..... It handles that very well. My truck is rated for a 21000 lb fifth wheel or gooseneck. A 21000 lb triple axle fiver might have a pin weight my truck could handle but a tandem axle of that weight would definitely overload the rear axle.

Don't be like me.
4 trucks in 8 years.
Get a dually.

RonLB wrote:
I suspect this has been asked and answered...
The 5th wheel trailer we are looking to buy has a gross weight of just under 16,000 pounds. We are planning on trips out west going through mountains. Am I naïve to think that a vehicle with a max towing capacity of 17,000 pounds is going to be adequate? We are buying both a trailer and a truck. One of the worst things that could happen would be to realize the truck we purchased does not have the horsepower or just barely has enough horsepower. Are we better off getting as much horsepower as we can afford? Comments please. Thanks in advance.

If looking to buy a new TV keep in mind the DRW option is only about $1,300 on Ram, I believe the other two are about the same.