My brother in law just purchased an 06" Dodge 1/2 ton with the 4.7 v-8 auto, quad cab, 6ft bed. He has been interested in buying a camper for sometime. He wants to purchase a fifthwheel due to him being 6ft 5 and need the extra head room. What is the largest size fifthwheel is any he could pull. I have advised him of staying away from a fifthwheels due to the size of his truck but I could be wrong. Any help or advice would be great.

 

with a 1500 truck the 5ers hitch weight can overload the rear axle/suspension and "P" rated tires [trucks gvwr] real quick. There are smaller 5ers that a 1500 can tow. Use the trucks gvwr number , say 6500 gvwr. Weigh the truck with all people and gear and 5er hitch. Subtract that number from the trucks gvwr. If it weighed 5600 lb then you have a 900 lb payload. Look at 5ers with a 900 or less, lb hitch weight. Tires will need to be upgraded to LTs and aftermarket suspension products can be added to help with sagging. ........JIM

 

ouch! i dont suggest a 5er at all! a 1/2 ton, short bed, w/ the 4.7 isnt designed for that at all. im sure it would be over the trucks capacity as well.

 

Fiver on a half ton is a challenge. Size???? Small, real small.

I have seen a couple small light rigs in the nature of 23 - 24' that could be handled. Can't remember the name on them, but they are out there. Check out Jayco.

Bob

 

I pulled a 21' foot fifth wheel with a '97 chevy half ton short bed with a six inch lift, for a few years. It pulled it all right but I was a nervous wreck the whole time pulling it. I wouldn't recommend doing it. I blew a rear end out on the truck and wether pulling the trailer did it or the way I drive did it I don't know .

 

Dodge's published numbers are listed below. I don't see pulling a fiver with either example. Your advice to him would be the best, in my opinion. Brakes, transmission, suspension.........everything really, doesn't seem up to the task.

A small lite toyhauler might be a better bet if he is looking for interior height. I am 6'2" and had the same reaction to TTs when we started looking. My head would hit anything suspended from the ceiling, namely the A/C unit. Carson Trailer makes some pretty lite units and I'm sure there are others. Use a weight distribution hitch and better tires for some more piece of mind.



With 3.92 Axle Ratio You Can Tow 7200 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating(GVWR)[i]=6700
Payload[i]=1536
Curb Weight[i]=5164
Curb WeightFront/Rear=2910/2254
GAWR[i]Front/Rear=3700/3900
Gross Combination Weight Rating(GCWR)[i]=12500

With 3.55 Axle Ratio You Can Tow 6200 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating(GVWR)[i]=6700
Payload[i]=1536
Curb Weight[i]=5164
Curb WeightFront/Rear=2910/2254
GAWR[i]Front/Rear=3700/3900
Gross Combination Weight Rating(GCWR)[i]=11500

 

One thing that isn't often mentioned - all the 1/2 ton trucks I know of use semi-floating rear axles. This means that the outboard ends of the axle shafts carry the weight of the truck and cargo (and trailer pin weight) placed on the rear axle. Our 3/4 and 1 ton trucks use full floating axles - you can pull an axle shaft with all 4 (or 6) wheels sitting on the ground, and the truck is still supported by the wheel bearings.

The importance of this is that a heavily-loaded semi-floating axle shaft can fail under load, and when it does, the tire, wheel and axle stub leave the truck and head off to points unknown. Not a good situation!

Rusty

 

Thats what I thought. Whats the biggest on a TT, their looking for a 25-35 ft for that option. Still to big in my opinion...

 

With all respect, you should tell your brother-in-law that they make big trucks for big trailers and little trucks for little trailers.

Rusty

 

I agree Rusty,
I just wish that someone would have told Shovelhead before he showed up at one of our events with this,,,,,,,,,

 

I would like to but did I mention he is 6ft-5 and is a shinok (ch-47) pilot in the Army. I think I'll just stay on his good side..

 

I would tell him to get a 35' er,after the paperwork is signed its his and he will be forced to get a real truck to pull it ! first steep overpass it will power out

 

not to hijack this thread but i was wondering the same thing how do these little s10s and s15s and daks get away with a fiver hitch in the bed i have seen several of them come in to my store and i just shake my head with the thought of a fiver camper on the back of them

 

Well, no doubt about it! That rig would get the weight police seal of approval!!!

Rusty

 

To summarize what the various truck sizes can do:

Larger than 1 ton --- very large RV
1 ton -------------- large RV
3/4 ton ------------ small RV
1/2 ton ------------ mulch