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I am wondering if those of you who tow 5th wheel toyhaulers are concerned about pin weight. The payload of my truck is only 2000lbs and most 5WTH's are north of that, some more than 3k lbs.
When I bought this truck I wasn't thinking about getting a TH again. I know, should have gotten a 3500, but I didn't, got the nice riding 2500. I have air bags to help with the sag.
I see this all the time, very large 5th whl TH being towed with SRW trucks. This really scares me. Some of these must be 40' since they have 3 axles. I don't know the axle rating of my '06, but the axle rating of my '98 was 7500#. The stock "E" rated tire is rated at 3040#. A "G" rated tire may be the answer to your problem, if the axle has a high enough rating. Just my 2 cents.
John
GVWR is not a problem.... until it IS a problem.I know on my 5th wheel if my waste tanks are full then I'm over my trucks GVWR but still within my axle GAWR and tires, but only just, this with my SRW 3500 with air bags. A toy hauler is a different subject and is designed to be towed full of toys, you need to load it up and go weigh the complete rig axle by axle then weigh the truck with hitch separately but both front and rear axles, then do the math, that's the only way to know for sure. We have many scales around us and I'm forever popping in to weigh what I'm towing, I try to pick quiet times though. The size of the trailer means little about the pin weight, it's where the axles are positioned and where the load is positioned .My son towed this with his Stock no air bags 2013 3500 SRW before the oil crash and was perfectly legal, he showed me the scale ticket the first time, it was just on 44,000lbs if I remember.
The trucks GVWR for the rear axle will be most determined by the tires capacity not necessarily the axle rating. Axle ratings from manufactures are not the same as the actual components capacity. For instance, I tow around a 3000+ lb pin bigger trailer with 6500+ lbs sitting on the rear axle (CAT scaled). My E rated tires have a 3750 lb capacity each with 80 psi. Not only am I legal but my license makes me legal.
As for axle capacity..... Dodge says my axle is rated at 6800 lbs. Dana says its rated at 11,000. So who's right?.....or does it seem more logical that Dodge would have reason to under rate their trucks for insurance.
There are lots of 5th wheels out there and many are short bed friendly too (meaning lighter pin), so you'll find what fits your needs in relation to weight and length for your truck and what you're comfortable with. You dont "need" a DRW truck to pull a 5th wheel.
The only way to know what you have is to run it over a scale.
When I decided I wanted to get rid of my 30' 5th wheel TH in favor of a 40', I knew I would need a dually instead of the 3500 SRW I has. Being over GVRW is one thing but I'd be way over rear axle and rear tire weight rating.
I towed the 30' with the dually before I found the big TH I wanted. Though the SRW handled the 30' fine and it was within ratings, I found I was fresher and ready to ride after a trip up a narrow winding and uneven road when driving the dually.
Not really aware of it, but just more planted feeling and more relaxing. For me, as long as I have any sort of 5th wheel, I will have a dually. IMHO the only downsides are a bit more $ when it comes time to buy tires, and requires a bit more care in drive throughs or tight parking lots.
I think you are overly concerned about this.
Try it out and suit yourself if it handles the load or not. If you don`t feel safe get a dually.
2500 vs 3500 single is often just a matter of an overload spring. Your air bags will take of that.
I personally have friends that haul their toy boxes with a 2500-3500 single.
There those that would not haul a sack of potatoes with out a dually...............
Just my .02
Look careful at what extra's you are hauling. My inlaws would take two weed eaters with them camping. For what, I have no idea. They were so loaded thier 2500 truck (chevy) would barely do 60. So absolutly everything you pack i there will make a difference. This is the part that you have full control over. I never go to my destination with any water in any tank, including water heater. My waste tanks are behind the axle so when full they actually take some pin weight away but being full, but you can really tell when they are full. Even more so if they are not full. The water will push the tail of the trailer around if not full. Weight is not an issue for us, but we have changed to getting groceries after we have arrived at our destination. A full ice chest with a couple of cases of drinks can go close to 100 pounds. No sense burning fuel to haul that stuff 200 miles when you can wait and just haul it 5 miles. It all adds up.
And going from a SRW to a DRW makes an entire world of difference. The DRW feels so much more stable.
03-02-2016, 03:45 PM
