I recently purchased a 2010 Chevy Silverado 2500HD (50K miles). It is a great truck and I am lucky to have found it. It has an Edge chip, B&W turnover ball, 60 gallon auxiliary fuel tank, and air bags. We are working on selling our 2010 Jayco 26BH which has been awesome, but my dang kids are getting bigger and need more room so this was purchased in preparations to upgrade to a 2014 Jayco 31.5 FBHS. I have just a couple questions I was hoping I could get some guidance on...Anyone have any feedback on the B&W RVK3000 5th Wheel Hitch? I think it will be great, but just wanted to get feedback. No sense in having something else installed over the to of this when this system is already in.I filled my auxiliary tank up to the max so I was carrying about 95 gallons of diesel and pulled my Jayco 26BH from SLC to Boise and back for work with no fill-ups. Weird thing was my fuel gauge would drop to empty after driving for a while. Once I turned off the engine it would go back to full. It just has a manual valve that drains directly into my main fuel tank. Any thoughts?Lastly, I have the airbags and the system is manual so I just have a valve stem like on a tire to fill it or empty it. My question is how do I appropriately adjust the bags? Do I just fill them to level it out or is there a certain pressure I can put in them measured by a tire guage? I think they are Air Ride, but I am not exactly sure.Thanks in advance for your thoughts and advice!

You bought a 3/4 ton truck with a 2,000 pound cargo rating to carry growing kids and a fifth wheel? You are probably going to be over the GVWR with the fuel tanks full while the kids are inside, without hitching up to the trailer. Add the 1500 pound or so hitch pin, and you will be way over the GVWR, and probably at the GAWR and tire weight rating.I would recommend checking the weight of the truck empty. Then check the weight of the pin on the new trailer.Fred.

My previous 2009 Chevy 2500HD had a 5th wheel tow rating of 13,900 pounds so your 2010 is either equal to or better than mine. Your new trailer has a GVWR of 10,200 pounds. Your truck will tow it fine.I also had air bags and kept them at about 50 pounds. BTW, my trailer is 14,000 GVWR and my 2500HD handled it with ease.

I wouldn't have any other hitch than a B&W. It's made right here in America with American steel. Best customer service in the industry. As far as the air bags go, it will be trial and error. I went ahead and put an onboard air system in mine, but start out with the truck empty. Most people leave 5-10 pounds in them when unloaded. Then when loaded with 5er, the pressure goes up to around 25 pounds or so. Might be enough for you, may not depending on pin weight. When loaded with a TT, the pressure doesn't go up that much. Get you a portable air tank and keep it with you for a while until you find the right combination for your setup.

Your fuel gauge sounds about right. The electronic ones do that. I say normal.

azdryheat wrote:My previous 2009 Chevy 2500HD had a 5th wheel tow rating of 13,900 pounds so your 2010 is either equal to or better than mine. Your new trailer has a GVWR of 10,200 pounds. Your truck will tow it fine.I also had air bags and kept them at about 50 pounds. BTW, my trailer is 14,000 GVWR and my 2500HD handled it with ease.Tow rating is not the issue, PAYLOAD certainly is!You might want to check yours too!My 2WD 2500HD has 2700# of payload available and I use most of it with a 9600# fiver, auxiliary tank, superglide hitch and two occupants.

5th Wheel Hitch, Aux Fuel, and Air Bag Questions

Peg_Leg
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
B&W Companion is great. Since you already have the turnover ball mount installed it's a logical choice for you. You'll love it.

The computer is getting confused on your fuel level. You can install a 12v solenoid valve in the feed line. Leave it off until the fuel level drops below 3/4 or 1/2 and then turn the feed on. The computer will not lose it's mind this way. I also have a manual shut off at the aux tank that I leave off when I not going to be using the aux tank. My computer is very accurate and when I fill up the fuel used reading on the computer is right on.
jevanb
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
when I ran a 100gal aux tank in my dmax (plummed into filler neck) it would register full when the tank was full, most peoples with this setup do not work this way, so their is nothing you can do, also get rid of the edge or you will regret it unless it is a CTS moniter. also I have bags and I put a pump in a box and mounted on frame rail with switch in cab.. Btw with a full aux tank and 5er you will be over axle rating because your pin weights is at 1650 without propane, hitch, camping stuff. that is the reason i had to remove my tank
glazier
Explorer II
Dec 16, 2013
I towed that same trailer with about the same truck. My air bags are manual as well, I would just put 30lbs in each then hook up to that trailer. The fuel tank will sure eat up some major payload, the hitch you are talking about, I have never owned. Your truck will handle that Fiver with ease.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
I agree with the others on the lack of payload and rear axle/tire capacity issue of the 2500 truck, with so much weight going in the bed of the truck, plus family in cab.

You'll likely need to remove the aux fuel tank in order to keep the truck under the GVWR and RGAWR, once the hitch is in, family and other cargo are on board, and loaded trailer is hooked up. I doubt the truck will have any more payload capacity left over to carry the extra ~550 lbs of aux fuel and tank weight.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
I would add an extra leaf to the rear springs, and use Torklift Stable Load overload spring spacers, to get the overloads in play sooner, instead of adding air bags.
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
I fully agree about using the B&W hitch. B&W is truly a class act company and makes truly great products, all right here in the USA. :)
SoCalDesertRid1
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
The truck's computer is probably confused as to why the stock tank keeps staying full when the truck has been using fuel. Maybe there is a programming fix for the gauge, available from the aux tank manufacturer?

Or maybe you will need to eliminate the gravity feed valve and use a pump and filler nozzle system instead, so the stock tank only fills when you fill it, like filling at a gas station, instead of staying full all the time.
kaydeejay
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
azdryheat wrote:
My previous 2009 Chevy 2500HD had a 5th wheel tow rating of 13,900 pounds so your 2010 is either equal to or better than mine. Your new trailer has a GVWR of 10,200 pounds. Your truck will tow it fine.

I also had air bags and kept them at about 50 pounds. BTW, my trailer is 14,000 GVWR and my 2500HD handled it with ease.
Tow rating is not the issue, PAYLOAD certainly is!
You might want to check yours too!
My 2WD 2500HD has 2700# of payload available and I use most of it with a 9600# fiver, auxiliary tank, superglide hitch and two occupants.
mpierce
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
Your fuel gauge sounds about right. The electronic ones do that. I say normal.
nremtp143
Explorer
Dec 16, 2013
I wouldn't have any other hitch than a B&W. It's made right here in America with American steel. Best customer service in the industry. As far as the air bags go, it will be trial and error. I went ahead and put an onboard air system in mine, but start out with the truck empty. Most people leave 5-10 pounds in them when unloaded. Then when loaded with 5er, the pressure goes up to around 25 pounds or so. Might be enough for you, may not depending on pin weight. When loaded with a TT, the pressure doesn't go up that much. Get you a portable air tank and keep it with you for a while until you find the right combination for your setup.

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5th Wheel Hitch, Aux Fuel, and Air Bag Questions

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