We have a 2005 Chevrolet 2500 Duramax crew cab and are looking to upgrade our trailer. We are considering getting a 5th wheel but are not sure if our truck can handle the ones we are looking at.Specifically, we like the Cougar 327RES. Keystone's website says that shipping weight is 10,185, carrying capacity is 1,950, and hitch is 1,735.I think these are pretty typical numbers for most of the 5th wheels we are looking at but I'm not sure our truck can tow it. Pull behind trailers of the same length are lighter but a 36' 5th wheel would tow better than a 36' trailer.When we travel, it is just the two of us and our dogs so there wouldn't be a whole lot of weight in the truck.

I had a 2007 gmc cc lb diesel and bought a 345 ret sandpiper.Truck towed it fine and it was lifted when we bought it.But when the wife wanted to add the whole house into it..I ended up buying a duallycan handle it .But depends on how much you put into it..Would be borderline.I went the safe route

With a shipping weight of 10,200# and CC of 2000# you are looking at a FW with a GVWR of probably 12,000#. Means your actual hitch weight is going to be in the range of 2,400# (forget that dry hitch number the manufacturer quotes, means next to nothing in the real world, salesman trick)You're are probably going to over your GVWR and probably your payload rating if you load it up to the GVWR of FW but I would bet your just under on truck axle ratings.Bottom line is you will be close on weight numbers but you have plenty of engine and transmission. It's probably doable but your definitely at the top end of your truck's capability.

You are pretty much stuck with a travel trailer and all of the lightest fifth wheels with a 3/4 ton truck. Add a heavy diesel engine and crewcab (both 400 pound options) and you have about 800 - 1000 pounds LESS cargo rating than a regular cab gas 2 WD truck that GMC says will carry a certain weight and tow a 15,000 pound trailer (with only one 154 pound driver inside the truck). So the dually is a great idea, then you can tow just about anything. Fred.

My fifth wheel is similar to the 327RES (see signature). I used to tow this with a 3/4 ton and knew I was exceeding payload (500 lbs over per the scale). It pulled it fine but I was concerned as the ride was uncomfortable. The rear Springs were definitely maxed out and could feel every bump in the road. I moved up to a 1 ton SRW and could not be happier. Much better ride and Towing experience. My pin scaled is 2400 loaded.

Thank you for the input. A new truck is definitely not going to happen so it looks like we will just have to stick with a pull behind trailer. The floor plans we like are in the 34-36 foot range and we are nervous about towing that long of a trailer. Any advice?

Will truck handle this? | Good Sam Community

davosfam
Explorer
Apr 01, 2014
Looked at the tires last night and they are "D" rated. Doesn't matter though because we will upgrade to "E" rated tires before we upgrade our trailer. My son (whose trade is installing tires on everything from passenger cars to log trucks) agreed with all of you and assured his dad that he would find him "E" rated tires with the look that he likes.

You have all been so helpful and we appreciate the feedback!
rhagfo
Explorer III
Apr 01, 2014
NC Hauler wrote:
davosfam wrote:
Hmmm. We have BFG Mud Terrain KM2 which are apparently "C" rated. I guess new tires would be in order.

Yeah, towing a 5er with a pinweight that could hit 2400#, I don't want a "C" rated tire on my truck....Need to get back into an "E" rated tire, if not going that route, I couldn't recommend towing that 5er with C rated tires on the truck, Believe you'll be over the trucks GVWR, so I would want tires that will handle the extra weight that your axle can handle, or close to it.

To NC's comment, I am sure your will be over your GVWR. You need to get back to E rated tires, your payload numbers and GVWR are based on the VIN sticker tire size and weight rating listed on the drivers door post!!

5er or not you will not like the towing experience on C rated tires. I run over GVWR, but well under axle and tire ratings, and don't need any extra suspension enhancements to carry the load. It is your decision if you want over the GVWR of your truck, Good Luck.

Keep in mind the 5er you are looking at is slightly heaver DRY than ours, but ours has a slightly high GVWR of 12,300#.
DiskDoctr
Explorer
Apr 01, 2014
NC Hauler wrote:
davosfam wrote:
Hmmm. We have BFG Mud Terrain KM2 which are apparently "C" rated. I guess new tires would be in order.

Yeah, towing a 5er with a pinweight that could hit 2400#, I don't want a "C" rated tire on my truck....Need to get back into an "E" rated tire, if not going that route, I couldn't recommend towing that 5er with C rated tires on the truck, Believe you'll be over the trucks GVWR, so I would want tires that will handle the extra weight that your axle can handle, or close to it.

This is good advice. On trucks hauling loads, it is best to consider C rated tires as 'everyday' tires meant for a soft comfortable ride with occasional light load for short distances.

Sidewall stiffness is much less in most C tires, with more bulging under load, leading to more heat and risk of premature failure.

They serve their purpose, but it's best to gear up with the equipment that best matches the intended use of your truck.
davosfam
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
Also, we would be towing with empty tanks. We have a seasonal lot with hookups and only camp at other campgrounds with hookups.
davosfam
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
We would definitely get new tires. No worries there. Hopefully, hubby can find tires he likes or we will be back to looking at pull behinds.
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
davosfam wrote:
Hmmm. We have BFG Mud Terrain KM2 which are apparently "C" rated. I guess new tires would be in order.

Yeah, towing a 5er with a pinweight that could hit 2400#, I don't want a "C" rated tire on my truck....Need to get back into an "E" rated tire, if not going that route, I couldn't recommend towing that 5er with C rated tires on the truck, Believe you'll be over the trucks GVWR, so I would want tires that will handle the extra weight that your axle can handle, or close to it.
davosfam
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
Hmmm. We have BFG Mud Terrain KM2 which are apparently "C" rated. I guess new tires would be in order.
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
davosfam wrote:
Not sure what we have for tires on our truck. My hubby put custom wheels and nobby tires on it. I will let him know about the "E" rating.

We have never had to worry about these kinds of things before because our current and past trailers never came close to capacity for our truck. We just didn't want to take the stance that all the dealers seem to have which is "you can pull anything with that truck".

May want to check the custom wheels and knobby tires....Tires need to be "E" rated tires to cover RAWR and be filled to 80 psi. If I were going to tow the 5er with that ruck, I DO want to make sure about the tires...
davosfam
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
Not sure what we have for tires on our truck. My hubby put custom wheels and nobby tires on it. I will let him know about the "E" rating.

We have never had to worry about these kinds of things before because our current and past trailers never came close to capacity for our truck. We just didn't want to take the stance that all the dealers seem to have which is "you can pull anything with that truck".
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Mar 31, 2014
12th Man Fan wrote:
You will be at the upper end of your GVWR with that truck but it should be just under the max.

I had the same truck and pulled a 5er with a gvwr of 14,400 and I was over weight by about 800 lbs. but I never filled the water tanks with water and I pulled at about 12,000 lbs. with no problems. That was always in the Rocky Mountains also.

The only thing I did not like was when hitting a bump like some of the bridges in Texas I kind of held my breath for all of the weight to come down on the single rear wheels but that was just me. I upgraded to a dually just for peace of mind.

I would do it and enjoy.

same with me when I towed the Coachmen, I didn't carry any water in any of the tanks, and when I left a campground, I dumped everything....Don't recollect hitting bumps and worrying, but in 05, I too upgraded to a dually:)

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