5th wheel trailer question

JIMNLIN wrote:


Sure wish the poster that screwed up the page size would delete his post or make it a clickie.

Amen
Marty must be sailing :B or don't like Chebies.

Chevy has two truck cabs with 4 doors and a short bed.

A extended cab with a 6' 6" bed with a 9400 lb GN or 5th wheel tow rating. Payloads run from 1400-1800 depending on cab selection.

The other four door is the crew cab with a 5' 9" bed. Chevy doesn't have a GN or 5th wheel tow rating for the 1500 crew cab.

My wife has a '06 1500 crew cab chevy that doesn't recommend a GN or 5th wheel trailer.

I contacted chevy truck for the reason why.
After going through three female tech persons that had no idea what I was asking I finally got a line with person in a chassis engineering dept. His comment was chevy felt the 69" short bed would have too many clearance issues. He said the truck had no problems carrying weight or pulling a GN or 5th wheel trailer weight.
Thats probably the reason the OP's dealer wanted big bucks to rig up a hitch or pin box for the 4 door pickup. The devil is always in the details.
I added a GN plate to the floor of the bed of the wifes 1500 crew cab chevy so I can use my smaller 14k GN trailer.

I would contact some of the hitch makers for their input on a 5th wheel hitch for a 1500 crew cab chevy. They may not make one.

He will have to do his own searching though each RV manufacturer website and look for a 5er with 900-1100 lb dry pin weights that a 1500 truck can handle. Use this handy web page for lots of searching http://changingears.com/rv-sec-manufacturers-type-fw.shtml

Sure wish the poster that screwed up the page size would delete his post or make it a clickie.

While he could technically pull the right 5'er he will more than likely need a sidewinder hitch. With the short box, it helps with turns and backing.

deleted

The biggest issues is the 5.5' bed, slider hitch, or pin box that moves the pivot point for sure, as to get the pin over or slightly ahead of the rear axle, will put it very close to the cab.

Sarcasm On ...

Ummm ... THANK YOU for YOUR help with THIS. I can sleep better tonight.

Sarcasm Off ...

johnm1 wrote:
Chevy, on their website, shows the 2013 Silverado 1500 with the 5.3L/3.42 gears can 5th wheel tow between 8100 - 9600 pounds depending upon configuration (crew cab, short box, long box, etc.).

Go here to see the specs for a 2013 Chevy (or GMC for that matter).

http://www.chevrolet.com/content/dam/Chevrolet/northamerica/usa/nscwebsite/en/Home/Vehicles/Trucks%20and%20Vans/2013%20Silverado%201500/Model%20Overview/02_pdfs/Trailering%20Guide%20MY13%20eBrochure.pdf

You really need to LINK items so you don't have ALL of us side scrolling ALL posts. If you need help doing so visit the help section or ask.
Sincerely
Anyone who can correct it, errrrrr a Moderator.

thanks for your input.

I will past the information along to him.

he is fully aware of the 1/2 ton less pin weight so finding a trailer he likes and fits his truck capacity may be his biggest problem.

my other friend pulls a heavy 5th wheel trailer around 12.5K with a gmc 3/4 ton diesel Single rear axle, but he added air bags to hold the weight, he to may be overloaded.

again, thanks for the input,

but, so far he has had no problems.

There is no reason to choose a 5er over TT for how well it tows. Both can provide pleasent, comfortable towing experience. My combo was rock solid with my half ton F-150 and still now my 3/4 ton Burb at speeds up to 75mph.

I've towed multiple fivers with GM half tons, older trucks with less capability but also lighter fifth wheels (even fewer on the market today). Towed with the 3.42 ratio, many years and lots of miles but much happier with a 3.73 ratio. The biggest challenge is finding a fiver and other cargo/passengers that won't exceed the truck's GVWR, or at a minimum the rear GAWR. No point in stating my older numbers for pin weight, GAWR, etc. That will need to be determined for his truck, loading and potential fiver. I will say that my last half ton also had an aux 40 gal fuel tank in the bed yet I was still under the rear GAWR.

All of my tow vehicle have be 6.5ft bed GM trucks. My first setup (with the 3.42 ratio) was so long ago, it was before slider hitches were even on the market. All I had was an extended pin box. And the fiver didn't have a curved front cap like today's units. Same setup with the second truck, total of 14 yrs without a sliding hitch, three different fivers and never damaged the fiver or truck cab. If the truck in question is a 5.5ft bed and the fiver has a curved front cap, then he won't be any worse off than my older setup. However, a manual slider isn't that expensive or heavy compared to a fixed hitch and used ones are readily available. Have one in my current truck that just isn't used.

Anyone that says a hitch needs to be mounted with the king pin 6" in front of the axle doesn't need to touch the truck.

Finally, I do agree with the husband's view regarding TT vs fiver. While challenging to match a fiver to a half ton truck, I would rather tow a fiver at 100% of the truck's ratings than a TT at 80% of the ratings. Just more stable and less driver fatigue. Even at the end of a long day, I still backed into a site w/o hitting the back of the cab going on 24 yrs.