1500 truck with max trailer package?

smkettner wrote:
If you are spending money do yourself a favor and get 350/3500 single rear wheel for that trailer.
Go used if you must.

Gotta remember there's always 2 ends of the spectrum and this is the other end. Truth it best compromise is usually somewhere in the middle.........and that's the case here.
A max pay/ Max tow1500 will have all it wants with that trailer but isn't incapable of hauling that trailer by any means and the suspension of a 3500 will work great but is overkill.
While I say it's doable and I've done it before, I'd rather tow with a HD truck when talking 10klb and up unless I placed more priority on the commuter use of the truck.

Blt2ski is correct. you will need a truck with a bare minimum payload rating of over 2,500 lbs. for that trailer. Shop for a 2500 with a gas engine, or a 3500 with diesel. The 2500's with diesel option lose several hundred pounds of payload with the diesel engine and sticker GVWR's of around 10k for registration purposes. Your pin weight will push or exceed 2,000 lbs., then you have hitch weight and weight of everyone and everything in the truck added to that.

250/2500 for sure but a 350/3500 will give you room to upgrade your FW without having to upgrade the truck again. I upgraded (after 6 months) from Silverado 1500 w/ Max tow to a RAM 2500HD and now I wish I had just jumped in with both feet and gone with 1 ton. Lost my shirt on the trade so hopefully you won't make the same mistake ;)

Let's estimate the minimums with a 10k loaded 5th wheel RV. 1500 pounds of pin weight, 200 pound receiver, 500 pounds for people and cargo in the bed. Find a half ton with 2200 pounds of payload - I have never seen/heard of a GM NHT half ton with that much payload. Now realistically, I expect pin weight to be closer to 2000 pounds, so you''ll want more like 3000 pounds available. That's a 3/4 ton gasser or 1-ton diesel.

If your 9800 pounds is published dry weight, then you'll like be 11-12k pounds loaded with 2200-2500 pounds of loaded pin weight.

jserv61 wrote:
Has anyone had experience with this truck? We need a truck to pull our 9800lb 5 th wheel? It was a recommended option from a couple of dealers. We would only need the truck to pull the 5 th wheel, maybe once or twice a year. Mostly the truck is needed for everyday transportation. Not sure whether to get a 2500 or 1500 with pkg.

I'll repost your question.
The NHT package from GM for their 1500 trucks is the highest package for towing. You get a 7600 GVWR with a 4600 RAWR which will be short on load carrying ability for your 9800 lb 5th wheel trailer which may have 2000 lbs pin weight. Now add a 200 lb hitch and another 100 lbs over the rear axle and your looking at 2300 lb load. The truck may weigh 2700-2800 lb on the rear axle = 5100 lb on the rear axle. Severe overload condition
I would look at a 250/2500 truck. They're good for around 3000-3200 lbs on the rear axle and built to tow/haul day in and day out but still make a good daily driver.

payload aside, its the rear axle that you will most likely overload very quickly - the F150 with the 8200lb GVWR had about the stoutest 1/2 ton rear axle in the game and it only had a 4800lb capacity when compared to most 3/4 tons with 6000lbs +.

to pull a 5th wheel, most 1/2 tons don't have enough payload capacity for the pin weight.
it's the Achilles Heel of 1/2 tons.

and you don't say which 1500 truck you're asking about.

look at the pin weight of the 5th wheel you're looking at. then find a truck that has enough payload to handle it.

payload is more important that towing capacity, when looking to tow a 5th wheel.

If you are spending money do yourself a favor and get 350/3500 single rear wheel for that trailer.
Go used if you must.

"IF" you go with one of the 7500-8500 gvwr high payload 15's with a reg cab, no issues. If you go with a 25 series, fully loaded leather etc, diesel.....you may not have the payload for a 10K 5w either! A gas CC with a 2500 fully loaded 25 series, no problems. Reg cab or ext cab diesel 25, moderatly to fully loaded for the reg cab, no issues.

As noted, 2000 -2500 lbs of potential hitch wt, a couple of people at 500-700 lbs including hitch etc......Your needing 2500-3500 lbs of payload. Tow capacity be danged. That has NEVER been my issue towing, even if over the gcwr of the truck. As LONG as I am UNDER the gvwr of the truck, I have towed without white nuckles, even if over gcwr assuming the truck with a higher powered motor has the gcwr to tow the trailer. Yes I am slow....but I still get there!

Marty

I recommend stepping up to a 2500/250 truck.

Half tons and Travel Trailers can work very well.. It gets a lot harder to stay in capacity with a fifth wheel with a half ton.

Not saying its impossible to tow a fiver with a half ton truck... its just that things can get sideways on you really quickly.

Travel trailer tongue weight gets heavier in the couple hundreds of pounds increments... Fivers can get into the several hundred to thousand pound increments.

Thanks!

Jeremiah