5er or TT for use with my older Tow vehicle?

[Baja_Man]

Well, we decided to go truck and trailer instead of a MH. We also decided to purchase the truck and trailer for cash instead of financing. Which brings me to my questions....

The truck has 59K original miles. I have added a trans cooler, gauges, serviced trans, new hoses, belts, plugs, dist cap. rotor, plug wires, new radiator, t-stat, new PS pump, and new smog pump.

I do have a topper that would add storage if I went the TT route (although my decision will not be based on this)

1. With this the new to me truck in sig, would I be better suited with a TT or 5er?

2. Is the truck bed/rear axle strong enough to handle the 5er hitch and hitch weight? I would like to install a hitch that completely hides under bed (when not in use) if I go the 5wer route.

3. I am thinking MAX GVWR of 10,000#. This is within limits based on owner's manual. Is this doable?

Thanks!

[Baja_Man]

Thanks for the replies.

I found a 2008 Jayco 31.5 BHDS. UVWR is 8355#; GVWR is 10,700#. It has a nice bunk room slide where kids can relax and watch TV as desired; there own room. The Jayco uses the J-Cube beds which are foam that fold from couch to bed.

Still looking for a nice TT but most that have bunkhouses are 32-35' overall. That is a pretty long set up. The Jayco 5er is only about 28' behind truck bumper.

Also, the bunks in most TT are like coffin boxes, about 28"-30" wide!

I am having a difficult time deciding on deciding on something that, for all intents and purposes, will only be used 4-5 times per year for 3-5 day trips.

Thoughts?

[wintersun]

At most the 5th wheel will put a load on the rear axle and its tires of 2500 lbs. and that works out to 1700 lbs. for the truck on each wheel and 1250 lbs. for the trailer of 2950 per tire. All the E range tires can handle that load so no need to go with a DRW truck. In fact more than 80% of the people towing 5th wheel travel trailers (excluding horse and commercial trailers) on the highway have SRW trucks.

For trailer weights under 13,000 lbs. a conventional ball hitch can be used. At 10,000 lbs. you will not have a problem. You will want a weight distributing hitch on many trucks (not the 2011 and later GM 2500/3500 trucks though for example) and you will want a trailer brake controller and trailer with electric brakes. Surge brakes are legal but I would opt for electric on a travel trailer.

The 5th-wheel trailer provides a tighter turning radius and is easier to maneuver. The downsides are that the rear of the truck is lost for carrying gear and the front of the trailer is another 4-5 feet off the ground so you have a lot more air drag when towing and a lot more steps to contend with both in getting in and out of the trailer and even a step up for the sleeping area.

For recreation my preference would be a travel trailer and a crew cap or extended cab pickup with a fiberglass cap on the rear. With this rig I can haul canoes or kayaks or a small boat on the cap roof, or haul bicycles and fishing gear and anything else inside the shell where it is protected from the weather and thieves. With a pet or two I would put them in the back of the truck where dirt and sand can be easily hosed out.

Lots of people are hauling a motorcycle or two or one or more ATV's in the open bed of their pickup and hauling a travel trailer behind the truck.

One aspect of the truck you get that is very important is the gears used. 4.10 gears provide 25% more towing capacity than 3.73 gears and provide faster acceleration for merging with traffic or passing a slow semi on a grade and better engine braking on downhill sections of roads. Most trucks have higher gears that do not work nearly as well for towing and are also likely to hurt and not help fuel economy as the engine is working harder and is more often outside of its peak power RPMs with the tow load.

[rjstractor]

Baja Man wrote:
my GVWR is 9200#. My axle is 3.55 so my GCVWR is 15,000#

Gotcha. Odd ratio for an F350. A 4:10 swap should be reasonable in a 2WD and that ups your GCVWR to 18500.

[Baja_Man]

my GVWR is 9200#. My axle is 3.55 so my GCVWR is 15,000#

[rjstractor]

mdamerell wrote:
The truck will weight around 7,000# so that's around a 8,000# trailer. The TT will probably be a better option.

Those trucks actually specced out pretty good. GCVWR with the 7.5L, 4:10 axle and auto trans was 18,500. I had a '94 4WD F250 SuperCab and it only weighed 5500 pounds empty. No airbags, less body structure for crash protection, overall those trucks were much lighter than today's. IIRC his GVWR is probably 9K or 9200, but being 2WD his empty weight should only be around 6K. A 10K fiver with a 2K pin weight should not be an issue if the truck is in good shape mechanically.

[Baja_Man]

I agree.....My plan is to stay closer to 7000# GVWR...which will probably put in a TT, as not many 5ers in this weight category. I have two kids and usually camp with 3 adults and my two kids.

[mdamerell]

Depending upon the 5er 20% is probably more accurate. Mine runs around 22%. At 10,000 he's probably going to be closer to 2,000# pin. B&W companion hitch might be an option for a clean bed. I went with the Reese Goose Box but that's up to you.

'92 F350 SRW is pretty anemic for towing by today's standards. Would have to weight truck and look at the door post for GVWR. It's probably around 9,900# GVWR and GCWR of 13,500# or 15,000# (with tow package ie rear end). The truck will weight around 7,000# so that's around a 8,000# trailer. The TT will probably be a better option.

These go back to 2002 to give you an idea. In 2005 the numbers took off.Ford Tow Specs

[wincrasher65]

To make this decision, you have to see what kind of pin weight your truck can tolerate. Some of the older trucks don't have a very high payload.

I'm guessing that a 10,000 lb 5th wheel is going to have a pin weight of 1500 to 1800 lbs - it's usually 15% of the trailer weight, sometimes a bit more, plus the weight of your cargo. The actual hitch you mount on your truck will weight 250 to 300 lbs. So add all this up and see how it compares to the payload rating for your truck. Most of the time, that is your limiting factor, not the total weight of the trailer.

For a pumper pull, it's a bit easier. You truck should have a stamped metal tag near the rear hitch with the weight limits for tongue weight - with weight distributing setup, and without. On a truck like yours, I'm guessing that it's probably 1000-1500 lbs with a WD setup. That's pretty standard.

Which type of trailer to get, ease of setup and towing is a subject that is much debated whenever these type threads come up. I've had both and each have their pros and cons. Other's will chime in I'm sure.

I'd recommend you not be in the mindset to haul the biggest and heaviest trailer you can get away with. That is not necessarily the path to happiness or comfort. Look around and you'll see you have ALOT of choices. You may find a 25' 5000lb trailer that serves you very well and would be a breeze to tow behind your large truck.

Good luck with what you decide!

[kaydeejay]

Baja Man wrote:
Well, we decided to go truck and trailer instead of a MH. We also decided to purchase the truck and trailer for cash instead of financing. Which brings me to my questions....

The truck has 59K original miles. I have added a trans cooler, gauges, serviced trans, new hoses, belts, plugs, dist cap. rotor, plug wires, new radiator, t-stat, new PS pump, and new smog pump.

I do have a topper that would add storage if I went the TT route (although my decision will not be based on this)

1. With this the new to me truck in sig, would I be better suited with a TT or 5er?

2. Is the truck bed/rear axle strong enough to handle the 5er hitch and hitch weight? I would like to install a hitch that completely hides under bed (when not in use) if I go the 5wer route.

3. I am thinking MAX GVWR of 10,000#. This is within limits based on owner's manual. Is this doable?

Thanks!

That truck will be fine for most medium sized trailers or fivers out there.
If your limit is 10,000# GVWR, then either would work no problem.

Not sure how you will get a hitch that disappears under the bed, unless you go with a gooseneck conversion on the fiver and a turnover ball type hitch.
Be warned that goosenecks put a lot of strain on the fiver frame.