Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've been shopping for truck and trailer for the last year, so I'm pretty sure the numbers will work. The GVWR of the trailer is 16,000. The dry weight is somewhere around 13,500, but I know those dry weight numbers aren't always exact when your particular unit arrives from the factory. Fully loaded, I hope we would be less than 15,500, but we'd still have a little margin if we exceed my estimates.
The listed "max trailer weight" of the Ram 3500 DRW Diesel Mega Cab 4x4 3.73 that I'm looking at is 17,450 lbs. I believe that capacity for for TT and not 5th wheels. But if someone knows how to calculate or where to find the different capacities for TT vs 5th wheels, I'd appreciate it.
The max towing capacity increase by 150 lbs, if I were to switch to a crew cab with an 8' bed, all other things being the same. The max payload also increase 150 lbs to 5,600 lbs for the crew cab. Those numbers are so close that I'm willing to overlook them for my 3 kids comfort in the back.
However, I've never driven a 5th wheel before. I've been driving a 33' TT for a couple of years, but I recognize it will be a totally new experience for me pulling a 5th wheel that is about 10' longer. So, that's why I'm looking for some solid advice here before taking the next step.
I plan on getting a sliding hitch, and I'm sure that will help. But since I've never driven a 5th wheel I'm really reaching out here to see if I'm worried about nothing and would be just fine with a 6'4" bed in most circumstances, or if I would find myself instead really wishing for an 8' bed after the fact.
Thanks again,
Tom
