What Size RV can I tow? Please Help!

[Chuck___]

I known someone out there knows the actual method to figure out how much legally a person can tow with; the vehicle they have now and or the truck their looking to purchase to tow with. I am talking about a simple guide of the meanings of like GCWR and GVWR and calculations needed.

My goaded is to know exactly the weight in "all important areas" before shopping and or purchasing a 5th wheel.

I have read were too many people purchase a RV and later found out that the RV/5th wheel is too heavy to legally tow and most important "safely".

Please educate us fellow RV'er on all weight aspects what to look out for, meanings, how to calculate, were to look up, before we go shopping.

Update 12-28-14 Time:1:35 PM

I courtly hare a 99 Dodge 250 Cub Cab long bed Diesel. Possibly looking to upgrade some great day.
Information on driver door. GAWR Front 2001 KG (4410 lbs.) Rear 2760 KG ( 6084 lbs.) GVWR 3992 KG (8800 lbs.)

Weighted truck at scales: Front axle 3880 lbs. Rear axle 2780 lbs. Total weight of truck unloaded 6540 lbs.

Yes, I have been a member for sometime now; but to me I would like to see were a person could click on a heading without digging though pages after pages. Maybe a main heading or something.

With the truck data weights in hand; any shopper could easily click on a heading, see the meaning for example GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Ratings) take the weight information on any trailer
and know with a little math if they are purchasing trailer that they can Safety Handle!

Thanks and look forward to all your help.

[MTPockets1]

Based on your info - GVWR 8800 and actual weight of 6640, you have a payload capacity of 2260 lbs. now, if passengers, hitch, cargo and a full tank of fuel were in truck when you weighed, 2260 lbs is the maximum weight you can add on the hitch pin. If those were not in the truck, you will have payload capacity limit less by the weight of items mentioned. Total weight of trailer is limited by the pin weight capacity of your truck.

[justme]

I pull a 16,500 lb GVW 5th wheel with a 2012 Ford F350 SRW diesel maxed out with factory suspension options with absolutely no problem. I have over 20000 miles pulling the trailer in all kinds of highways and mountains. The CGVW is 200 lbs over Ford specs while the axles weights and carrying capacities are well under spec. I see no need to go dually unless the trailer is in the 18000+ gvw. I would say that the trailer suspension with 7000 lb axles is much weaker than my truck 🙂

[dballentine]

Chuck .. wrote:
...
Update 12-28-14 Time:1:35 PM

I courtly hare a 99 Dodge 250 Cub Cab long bed Diesel. Possibly looking to upgrade some great day.
Information on driver door. GAWR Front 2001 KG (4410 lbs.) Rear 2760 KG ( 6084 lbs.) GVWR 3992 KG (8800 lbs.)

Weighted truck at scales: Front axle 3880 lbs. Rear axle 2780 lbs. Total weight of truck unloaded 6540 lbs.

...

Hi Chuck!

As you know, you really can't be SURE until you weigh the loaded truck and FW. So consider the following a hypothetical, back of the envelope, ball park estimate.

PAYLOAD: Your truck is rated as 8800 lbs, and you've weighed it (empty) at 6540 lbs. So, without exceeding the GVWR, you can load an additional 8800 - 6540 = 2260 lbs in the truck. That's not just the pin weight of the FW, it includes passengers, any cargo (tools, etc.) carried in the cab or bed, and the weight of the fifth wheel hitch. Just to make the math easy, I'm going to estimate all these "others" to be 760 lbs.

MAXIMUM PIN WEIGHT: After allowing for the "other stuff", that leaves 2260 - 760 = 1500 lbs for the pin weight of the FW (loaded). Using the usual 20-25% ratio for pin weight to total FW weight, you should be looking for a FW with a loaded weight of 6000-7500 lbs.

ALTERNATE CALCULATION: You have quite a bit of margin on the rear axles. 6084 RAWR - 2780 Actual Rear Axle Weight = 3304 lbs. Assuming all of the cargo weight is on the rear axle, that leaves you with 3304 - 760 = 2544 lbs, which would translate into a FW with a loaded weight of 10000-12500 lbs.

You would be over the truck's GVW (and probably the GCWR), but you would be within the rear axle rating. You might want to put air bags or heavier springs on the rear of the truck.

Again... this is just back-of-the-envelope estimation.

[NC_Hauler]

edbehnke wrote:
what kind of truck do you have? diesel? gas?

90+% of 5th wheelers pull with a 3/4 ton....unless you are looking at some of the designer suites and other heavy heavy 5th wheels you can pull anything.

Wow, that's some really good information there:R...just because some do it, doesn't make it right or safe....I really couldn't live with myself if I told someone that, Hey, everyone else does it, you can pull almost anything with a 3/4 ton truck and something ended up happening to them or their truck....I'd need to know what year 3/4 ton truck and just how heavy the 5er is than to make an all inclusive statement such as you have....

[TakingThe5th]

When it's my time-I want to die peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not yelling and screaming like his passengers in the ½ ton pickup towing the Teton 5th wheel down the long hill.

[Artum_Snowbird]

A quick look at your previous posts about your 99 Dodge 150, and your consideration of the 34 foot Alpenlite. I havent run the numbers, but I would thnk that would be a real stretch for a set up like that.

You have had considerable experience towing, so being at maximum would not be such an issue for you, but do you realy want to feel good running at or slightly over the limit?

Probably, like most of us, knowing we are 10 - 20% under just makes us feel good about our setup.

[edbehnke]

what kind of truck do you have? diesel? gas?

90+% of 5th wheelers pull with a 3/4 ton....unless you are looking at some of the designer suites and other heavy heavy 5th wheels you can pull anything.

[NC_Hauler]

KD4UPL wrote:
Legal doesn't have much to do with it. It's not illegal for a private citizen to pull an RV that is over the truck's ratings. You would need to have it registered for the weight but that's just so the state get's their money.

Any tips on ratings will be useless without knowing actual scale weights of your truck, especially the rear axle.

It would be nice just to know WHAT KIND of truck OP has first, then the axle weights, GCWR ,etc....could fall into place. Yeah, he should weigh his truck, but everyone is speculating numbers when it really would be helpful again, to know vehicle and model....We've already told OP to look on his door jamb for pertinent information..

[KD4UPL]

Legal doesn't have much to do with it. It's not illegal for a private citizen to pull an RV that is over the truck's ratings. You would need to have it registered for the weight but that's just so the state get's their money.

Any tips on ratings will be useless without knowing actual scale weights of your truck, especially the rear axle.

[donn0128]

Hi neighbor,
Load your truck like your going camping and drive across a set of scales. The state scale on 22 west of town is a good candate. Now, once your home, open the drivers door and look at the mfg weight lable. You will see several numbers, pick the GVWR number. Subtract your scaled weight from that number. That is your real world honest cargo carrying capacity (CCC). For a TT figure 12% of its GVWR will be tongue weight, 20% for a fifth wheel. Now with real numbers in hand you can go shopping. Give me a call if you have any more questions.

[Veebyes]

Chuck, you have been a member here since 2003. Have you not seen any threads dealing with this issue in 11 years? Just askin.

There is a sticky right at the top dealing with this very same question. Pages & pages of it.

[NC_Hauler]

Chuck .. wrote:
I known someone out there knows the actual method to figure out how much legally a person can tow with; the vehicle they have now and or the truck their looking to purchase to tow with. I am talking about a simple guide of the meanings of like GCWR and GVWR and calculations needed.

My goaded is to know exactly the weight in "all important areas" before shopping and or purchasing a 5th wheel.

I have read were too many people purchase a RV and later found out that the RV/5th wheel is too heavy to legally tow and most important "safely".

Please educate us fellow RV'er on all weight aspects what to look out for, meanings, how to calculate, were to look up, before we go shopping.

Chuck, Kind of need to know what truck you have....You should also be able to look on the drivers side door jamb and let us know what your trucks GVWR is along with it's front and rear axle ratings are.....all this will help probably more than some of the towing guides one can look at...a lot of variables go into it.

For example, a 2500 regular cab, short bed, 2 wheel drive truck could carry more than same type 2500 with a crew cab, long bed and in 4X4 configuration.

Again...if you could let us know what truck you have and it's configuration, it would help quite a bit...probably some in here with the exact same truck...

[john_bet]

And do not forget that everything you put in those big cabs is part of the payload. So subtract that from pin weight capabilities. The more people and pets and other stuff such as a tool box with tools, compressor,etc. the less pin weight allowed. Just food for thought.

[valhalla360]

First, "legal" is somewhat fuzzy in terms of weight ratings. You generally aren't obliged to go thru weigh stations and unless you are grossly over weight, no one isn't going to pull you over. That doesn't mean you should ignore the weight ratings but just a clarification.

The actual calculations are fairly simple. Getting the actual weights before buying is the hard part. Most people estimate on the high side (to account for loading up the truck and trailer) and just run with it.

Some will take the rig to a scale and get axle by axle weights with and without the fully loaded trailer. This is the most accurate method but generally not practical to do before you buy.

GWR of the truck: Max weight of truck, cargo and pin weight.
GWR by axle:
- With a 5th wheel, generally no weight is applied to the front axle so it is typically ignored.
- ************The max weight on the rear axle is typically the controlling factor determining how big of a 5th wheel can be towed. The pin weight is typically around 20-25% of the trailer weight. (don't forget the hitch which can weigh a couple hundred pounds)
CGWR: Then you have the combined max of both truck and trailer. This is mostly related to engine and braking capability.