Survey says... 1T for 5th wheel & 3/4T for BP Toyhauler

[Txsurfer]

Well after reading many posts and researching payload caps ( diesels) ..it appears to me that if you are even thinking about a 5th wheel you should go with a 1T class truck where as a 3/4T should be able to handle most BP types. I know this a generalization but seems pretty accurate no? The payload is the really the deciding factor from what I have seen and the pin weights are just too high on 5th wheel toyhaulers. That is if you want to stay in-line with the law atleast.

[Txsurfer]

The $ between the two is nothing if you order but off the lot it's a different story. Not many 1T short beds on the lots in these parts. Well I'm towing towing 8k with a gasser in the Rockies in a few weeks and that should help me at least decide on the gas or diesel.. Towed the same trailer last year in the same area with my CTD so I should have a good comparison. Really don't want another diesel and trying to keep my next trailer under 35' for storage reasons.

[valhalla360]

If you haven't bought the truck yet and there are 3/4 & 1 ton trucks of similar quality for similar price...yes, get the 1 ton.

But if you have the 3/4 ton already or you find a great deal on one....it really does come down to the trailer you are matching it up with. Below 32-34', a lot of 5th wheels can be towed by a 3/4 ton without exceeding the limits. Above 35' it gets more difficult to do. By the time you get to 40', 1 ton duallies may be outmatched.

You have to look at the specific truck and the specific trailer as both can vary greatly. We wound up with a 34' that is right at the limits on our current 3/4 ton but we passed on a couple 30' 5ers that would have left us over weight.

[ShinerBock]

IdaD wrote:
My own opinion is that most consumers choose between one of three full size truck categories - half tons, SRW heavy duty and DRW heavy duty. The distinction between a modern 2500 and SRW 3500 ranges from non-existent to minor and easily remedied (with a couple of minor footnotes like the Aisin option on the Ram). I also think the scale in each category has slid upwards in the last few years, meaning you can tow heavier with each variety than what was possible 5-10 years ago.

That and the fact that all SRW 350/3500 trucks of about 8-15 years ago had the same or less of a GVWR than the 250/2500 trucks today. My father in laws 2003 F350 crew cab long bed 4x4 has a GVWR of 9,900 lb GVWR which is 100 lbs less than my 2014 crew cab short bed 4x4 2500 and I have a higher GAWR. Yet no one will even question if his truck pulls a fifth wheel while questioning mine.... go figure.

[ShinerBock]

Txsurfer wrote:
Well if a truck is rated for 10000 and weighs 7500 and you add 3500#'s of pin weight and people I think you have a problem if you rear end a load of lawyers - no? I could care less what the truck can actually do - I just don't want the hassle of dealing with it on the legal end if something happened.

If an accident is your fault, you will be in trouble legally regardless of whether you are over the tire load rating sticker or not.

Riddle me this.... What is the difference mechanically between an F250 with the camper package and a regular F350? Or between a regular F350 and one with the 10k GVWR package?

[IdaD]

My own opinion is that most consumers choose between one of three full size truck categories - half tons, SRW heavy duty and DRW heavy duty. The distinction between a modern 2500 and SRW 3500 ranges from non-existent to minor and easily remedied (with a couple of minor footnotes like the Aisin option on the Ram). I also think the scale in each category has slid upwards in the last few years, meaning you can tow heavier with each variety than what was possible 5-10 years ago.

[Txsurfer]

Well if a truck is rated for 10000 and weighs 7500 and you add 3500#'s of pin weight and people I think you have a problem if you rear end a load of lawyers - no? I could care less what the truck can actually do - I just don't want the hassle of dealing with it on the legal end if something happened.

[BobKrogstie]

stickdog wrote:

Txsurfer wrote:
Well after reading many posts and researching payload caps ( diesels) ..it appears to me that if you are even thinking about a 5th wheel you should go with a 1T class truck where as a 3/4T should be able to handle most BP types. I know this a generalization but seems pretty accurate no? The payload is the really the deciding factor from what I have seen and the pin weights are just too high on 5th wheel toyhaulers. That is if you want to stay in-line with the law atleast.

What law is that?

The law(s) of physics and common sense.

[stickdog]

Txsurfer wrote:
Well after reading many posts and researching payload caps ( diesels) ..it appears to me that if you are even thinking about a 5th wheel you should go with a 1T class truck where as a 3/4T should be able to handle most BP types. I know this a generalization but seems pretty accurate no? The payload is the really the deciding factor from what I have seen and the pin weights are just too high on 5th wheel toyhaulers. That is if you want to stay in-line with the law atleast.

What law is that?

[BB_TX]

For 5th wheels I look at them in 3 categories: lightweights that can be towed by a 3/4 ton (250/2500), mid weights that can be towed by a 1 ton SRW (350/3500), and heavy weights that should be towed by a 1 ton DRW or greater.

[Hammerboy]

Not if you ask the campers I seen at the last park I was at. I seen a couple Duramax 2500's pulling some enormous fifth wheels. One looked like a brand-new 40 foot long Cardinal and the other I forget which brand it was but it was a triple axel 40 foot plus toy hauler. :E

I am by no means a member of the weight police, but that was just plain crazy.

There are plenty of fifth wheels that are three-quarter ton capable, even diesels. Realistically, the ones that are labeled half ton capable would satisfy most members of the weight police brigade.

Dan

[ShinerBock]

What modern 3/4 tons are rated to handle and what it can actually handle are two very different numbers.

Also, please post the law requiring you to stay within the manufacturers tire load and inflation sticker. I have asked this many times and not one person has ever been able to provide it. The only laws I know of about what a vehicle can legally haul or tow is in regards to the registered GVWR(which can differ from the trucks actual GVWR) and GAWR limits.

If you do not have much knowledge about tow vehicles or towing in general then I recommend staying within whatever the manufacturer suggest. If you have plenty of knowledge and experience to know what a vehicle can safely handle, then by this point you would have already known that a 3/4 ton can handle way more than what its (de)rated for.

[DutchmenSport]

Your observation is probably correct.

Still, I remember in the early 1970's I fell in love the RV Fifth Wheel and dreamed one day I'd own one. They were gigantic! That second floor was awesome. And they were heavy! And as I remember, almost everyone who towed one, had normal, everyday, average pick-up trucks. I don't think anyone even thought about weights, and payload, or anything. If it was a pick-up truck, you put a 5er hitch it it and away you go!

Maybe back then, they made only one kind of pick-up trucks ... GOOD ONES!

What happened to the simplicity of life?

[DinTulsa]

In general that would be an accurate assessment.