What do you think, I'm wanting to tow a 31 ft fifth wheel that has a dry pin weight of 2015 lbs with a 06 Dodge 2500 4x4 SB Cummins diesel.

Can I or should I say do it safely? I use a 03 3500 dually right now but my dealer said he can work out a great deal on a 06 2500 4x4 that he has on his lot.

What about air bags? Will I need to change the tires as well? The 3/4 ton has LT265/70R17E BSW All Season Tires on it right now?

Thanks
-Mark

 

I have a Sandpiper that is overall 33' long. I would stay with a 3500. Mine pulls fine and works well but in hind sight I would rather had bought the srw3500.

A dually would be the best but I could not get that in my garage. If one can fit the dually in the shed then that is what I would go with.

I have not made any suspension mods to my setup.

 

The 2500 will handle it just fine but it will not be as stable as the dually. I went from a F350 dually to my 2500 and there is a big difference. I fill the cross winds alot now and you have to be ready if a tractor trailer flies by you on the interstate. I used to set my cruise on 80-85 when towing my 5'r on open roads with no traffic with the dually but now I try to keep it 75 or less with the 2500. It will handle it fine just not as fine as the dually. Oh yeah, my 2004 F350 squated more than my 2500 does with a tailer.

 

9000# GVWR - 6500# curb weight - 300# of people - 200# fifth wheel hitch - 100# tonneau cover / bedliner - 100# of miscellaneous cargo = 1800# maximum pin weight

That's how the math works out for me. You will be closer to 1500# since the 4X4 gear adds about 300# to the curb weight. That puts you 500# over on DRY pin weight and it gets worse from there. Stick with the dually!

 

I have a 29 foot 9500 lb prowler 5er i 'm guessing I have aprox. 1700lbs of pin weight thats totally loaded no problems at all I did add a set of Firestone airbags but I only run about 25 psi to the bags it makes it feel a little more stable when going over railroad tracks or unevan roads, also I d'ont have four wheel drive which saves a bunch of weight and since in my area it hardly ever snows I have no need for four wheel drive. A two wheel drive has a lot more towing capacity.Normally I try to stay under 70 and I never use cruise control while towing.

 

2500 will work just fine. If you cannot put 2k in the back of a 3/4 pickup it has no bussiness even being called a pickup. I haul 4+k worth of firewood in my 3500 and used to haul the same in my 92' d-250 Can't say I can tell that the 2 extra make a bit of difference. I know quite a few people pull 40' fifth wheels with 2500s or srw 3500s and don't wish they had a drw.

jed

 

OK, legally Air Bags do NOT increase your load carrying weight capability, all they do is allow you to level out the truck with the load you have. As far the 2500, DON't do it. Yo will be close to 1k over the legal weight limit(payload) with that 5vr, people, and other stuff you normally carry.
The truck will carry it and pull it, but you will get stoped and weight checked and then pay a hefty fine and have to drop the trailer where you are until you can get a truck that can LEGALLY carry the weight.
Stay with the Dually and be safe not only for you but for the rest of us

 

The short of it is there should not be a diesel in the 2500 series and only in a 3500. The payload just isn't there after adding in the added diesel weight.

 

The way I see it is there is no real differance in a 2500 and 3500 srw the ONLY differance is an additional spring in the rear. With air bags or springs added they are essencialy the same truck. Anything a 3500 srw will tow so will a properly equiped 2500.
joe

 

If you care about GVWR, that pin weight will put you over the 2500 GVWR. My truck weighs in at 7600 lbs as is with everything in it - then I hook up the boat. 9000 lb GVRW; do the math yourself.

Will the truck do the job? yeah...... then again, I've seen suburu's pulling 27 foot sportboats.

Just remember that the salesman doesn't give a rats butt about you or your trailering needs - he needs to move inventory. My apologies to salesman who frequent this page; but in my 30 years of vehicle buying experience (and especially when looking for my current truck), educated salesman were rarer than hens teeth.

It sounds to me like you've got the right truck already sitting in the driveway.

 

As long as you don't exceed the axle and tire ratings you will be fine with the law. They don't look at your tow ratings, they go by the sticker on the door that has your gross axle weights.

 

Joe's right. Shoot, my truck says 3500 on the side and has the sticker in the door jamb to back it up, but since I removed half my spring pack and replaced them with a softer, more compliant progressive pack I'm sure there are plenty 3/4-tons better equipped to tow than my 1-ton. Even though, my truck handles 10,000 lbs without flinching.

Yep. From what I have been told by local law enforcement, if they check at all, the check tire ratings and tire pressure, and axle ratings. And very few check because they don't keep portable scales in every car.

 

I'm not saying it's right to tow with a heavy pinweight, but the 3rd gen 2500 is the same truck as the 3500 SRW with the exception of the rear leaf spring and I've never seen a RV pulled over and weighed unless it was obviously, dangerously and visibly overweight. My 2500 with air bags and exhaust brake is more "capable" than a stock 3500 SRW....except for the sticker

 

Hello all
I do not agree with the above statements.

We have been pulling 5ers for a few years now. I to thought that a 2500 would do just as good of a job as a 3500.

Then

We came across a to good of a deal to pass up. It was a 1999 3500 4X4 dually, I pulled our 5er with it and could not believe the difference in the stability when going over bridges or meeting semis and most important when towing on windy days.

I am not trying to start anything here, but fire away if you have pulled a high profile 5th wheel camper in the above conditions. I have and I would much rather have the comfort feel of 4 rear wheels helping me that just relaying on 2 wheels flexing like crazy.

One of the problems with sites like this is we have folks that pull 5ers/goosenecks and those that think they can.

I have what I think as a 2500 that can hold it's own when pulling ANYTHING.
My wife's truck is a 3500 dually that I CHOOSE to pull the 5er because I feel safer and I want to see my grandchildren grow a few more years. I have alot of friends that pull 5ers with 2500 trucks, that's fine I used to do it to.

Sorry for a long post.
Here is my final thoughts.
If you are used to the stability of a 3500 Dually I do not think you will like the wishy washy feel of the 2500 in a windy condition. I did not know the differences until we bought a 3500 dually. I will pull our gooseneck trailer from here to Ca if need be in the 2500. If we are traveling in the 5er I hook the 3500 up and away we go.

 

PapaSmurf,

You're comparing a 2500 to a 3500 DRW while we were comparing a 2500 to a 3500 SRW. Obviously a DRW will be more stable than a SRW, but between 2500 and 3500 SRW there isn't much different, other than the sticker.