fifth wheel towing capacity

[dlasich]

I Have A 2004. 5 Long Bed 4x4 Cummins Auto And Want To Tow A Toyhouse That Gvwr 18500. Truck Towing Capacity 13000 On The Internet. Would It Be Safe To Put Airbags On It? Will The Brakes And My Truck In General Be Fine?

 

[RustyJC]

Just a suggestion - if you do a search on "overloaded" or "towing overloaded", you'll have many hours of reading. It's really an individual decision - obviously, you're concerned (and rightfully so) or you wouldn't be asking these questions. If you're looking for "enabling", I'm sure you'll get lots of "the mighty Cummins can handle anything" posts. And, no, I'm not preaching - our 5th wheel has a GVWR of 16,000 lbs, and that's about as far as I was willing to go. And, yes, I'm over some of the DC ratings, but not my GAWRs.



Rusty

 

[Graphic man]

A few things to think about

1. Airbags are a good choice,

2. Is your trailer a 5th wheel?,

if not then a equalizing hitch is the only way to tow heavy loads (on a hitch),

3. Do you have a rear sway bar?... if not you should think about one,

4. How many axles does the trailer have (with brakes) a good brake controller is a must.

5. What kind of tongue weight is your trailer loaded?

6. EGT gage would be a good idea!



Hope this helps a little

Scott

 

[DPelletier]

If I were you I'd be more concerned with your GVWR than your GCWR. You haven't really told us what your truck is, so I can't get much more specific. If it is a 2500, then although you'll be about 5,000 lbs over your GCWR, it's the 3,000 pounds that you'll be over the GVWR that would concern me.

You will get all kinds of responses from people saying you'll be fine and ultimately its your decision on just how overloaded you go before you decide it's too much.

By my calculations, your proposed trailer would overload my dually by about 1,000 lbs GVWR and the GCWR by about 6,000 lbs.



If you want to buy the trailer, then I suggest (at a minimum)

- don't exceed your GAWR's or tire max load ratings

- a good brake controller

- good quality load range E tires

- stiffer shocks

- a transmission temp gauge

- possibly an exhaust brake (yes, I know they're not warranty approved for your truck)



Cheers,

Dave

 

[dlasich]

Yes It Is A Fifth Wheel. What Is A Egt Gage? My Truck Is A Quad Cab And Has 373 Gears. The Trailor Has Three Axles And I Have A New Prodigy Brake Control. But I Am Pretty Sure That It Would Be Unsafe Just Wanted Some Advise. I Appreciate It.

 

[klenger]

dlasich: Is your truck a 2500 or 3500, 4WD or 2WD? If it's a 3500, is it a dual rear wheels? As DPelletier mentioned, that trailer will overload the meanest, badest, biggest, Dodge CTD you can get. Personally, I wouldn't even consider it.

 

[Rosco]

Sounds to me like your flirting with disaster. Again, what kind of truck do you have? I pull a fifth wheel camper with a GVW of 10,000 lbs and a pin weight around 1800 lbs with my 2500 QC 4X4 I'm at the max GVW for my truck. If you do decide to pull this I hope you have at least a dually 3500, preferably a 2wd with a HO/six speed combo.

 

[Sarge]

Big time overload.........

These posts always spark some lively discussion, to say the least :-{} . But Klenger is right on. I don't know of any standard duty pick up that could handle those numbers safely. Lots of folks will chime in and tell you how they have pulled 25K for years with no problems. What it boils down to is this: It's your truck, and you and your family's safety. Is it safe? No. Is it possible? Sure. All it takes is one dummy in a 72 Toyota to pull in front of you and hit the brakes, and your life gets real interesting, real fast. Either buy a bigger truck, or a smaller trailer. Remember, you can only have fun if you get there... ..... Sarge

 

[THartfield]

Safety is the most important thing but what really scares me is the liability the family of the 72 Toyota driver has against you. Pulling overloaded is just crying for a lawsuit after a wreck. I have read posts on another site about a guy who wrecked towing an RV and killed the other driver. He was over his GCVW by quite a bit. He is now facing prison time for manslaughter. It only takes an instant to do something you will regret the whole rest of your life.



I just went through all these calculations as I found a great deal on a 36 foot triple axle trailer - 16,000#. The GCVR of my brother's F550 (26,000) wouldn't pull it legally either (Truck weighs 10,500 empty).



I agree with above, new truck or a different trailer.

 

[wild-t]

EGT gage - Exaust Gas Temp gage.

 

[dlasich]

It Is A 2500 Qc 4x4 Auto And You Are All Right. It Is Definetly Overloaded From What I Have Found On The Internet. What Do You Guys Think The Safest Amount Is If A Guy Was To Go Over. Obviously You Shouldnt Go Over. But How Much Does Your Rv Weigh. It Is Hard To Find A Good Full Time Rv That Wont Over Load The Truck. Dodge Says 12500 For My Truck For A Fiifth Wheel. Do You Think With Airbags I Could Stretch It Out To 14000?

 

[OT-OF-HERE!!]

Great tips,..here's a couple more

Wow,... these guys sure know their towing. I won't touch on what they've covered but here's a couple things to look at. Call your insurance agent and see where you'd stand if your in an accident and are overloaded,... think you probably know that answer. Also the air bags are a great idea,... at least some kind of leveling device is needed to insure you haven't lost any braking capability on your front axle as that is where most of your braking occurs for the truck itself. Be sure you know how many of your trailer axles have trailer brakes and be sure you know how to adjust your controller to maximize their affectiveness without wearing them out prematurely. Be sure you are licensed (vehicle tag) properly and for the right weight to avoid a ticket or worse in the event of an accident. Don't tow your vehilce wet (that's with water in your fresh water holding tank). You can always fill up at the RV park as needed or hook up directly and carry no water. The water causes you to pull a lot of extra weight and the sloshing around will cause imbalance in your rig. Pack like your going for a weekend and not a month. They have washers and dryers at all the RV parks. You'd be surprised how much weight you'd save. Safe traveling.

 

[klenger]

Instead of thinking about how much weight you can tow, work on the problem from the point of view of how much weight can the truck carry. This includes the pin weight of the trailer, driver, passengers, fuel, cargo, etc. You will run out of GVWR long before GCWR. See my webpage at http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/weight/index.html for more info.

 

[THartfield]

Air bags will help with stability and squat. The real issue is usually breaking ability. That is why the rating is on the vehicle. I don't know what is available to us out there for added braking (besides a Jake). I have also heard of police (here in Oregon) starting to crack down on overloaded trucks. We have a lot of horse people up here that will run goose necks all over. A lot of them are going the F650 or the small Freightliner.



If I were you, I would find a local State Patrol and quiz him a little about how lenient they are.

 

[SnoKing]

Lets see his truck is going to weigh 7500 plus and has a 9000 GVWR. That leaves 1500 lbs for pin weight. Adding air bags or overloads does not change the 9000 GVWR.



My 2001. 5 2500 4x4, with camper option has a better rear suspension, but of course we all know it was really Dodge's 1 ton SRW for that year. SNOKING

 

[Dean Upson]

dlasich: Is your truck a 2500 or 3500, 4WD or 2WD? If it's a 3500, is it a dual rear wheels? As DPelletier mentioned, that trailer will overload the meanest, badest, biggest, Dodge CTD you can get. Personally, I wouldn't even consider it.

Ditto. I agree with Klenger and Roscoe.



Dean

 

[Sarge]

Klenger is right again. Find an RV that's fits your needs as well as your weight limit. When I first bought my RV I pulled it with a 01' 2500, two wheel drive, six speed. The RV is 30' long, double slide, and camping weight is approx 11,500. It is well appointed, and could easily be a full time rig. It is built strong and has a ton of storage. When I put it all together, I was over my payload capacity by about 300 pounds. Not bad. However, I was under the axle weight rating (important) and GCVW by about 1000#. I was happy with that. An exhaust brake and a good brake controller and I was good to go. The truck pulled great, stopped fast and smooth and handled easily. This is just one example of how you can set up a really nice full timer rig without endangering your safety, or your future like THartfield says in his post. I have pics of the RV with my 01' if you are interested. PM me and I will send you a few. Sarge

 

[DBoyd]

I sure hope the Texas Highway Patrol Weights and Measures Dept. never sets up on Hwy. 77 or 281 or 37 down here in South Texas!! Some of the fifth wheels and trailers being pulled by 3/4 and 1 ton rigs are amazing and darned scarey!!! I saw a 38' Travel Supreme triple axle being pulled by a 3/4 ton ford this afternoon. It seemed to handle it but I sure didn't get in front of him!!!

 

[djbobo]

So the new ford 1 ton can tow over 19,000 lbs. Question is would you be safer pulling that 18,000 lb trailer with a ford one ton dually than with the biggest baddest dodge that money can buy?

I thought towing capacity was determined by tires, braking ability, and rear axle ratings.

I know that both the ford and the dodge offers the same in tire capacity and gear ratios --BUT thought dodge had better brakes than the ford. OR did the ford also go to the 17" wheels to acommadate bigger brakes?

I really dont see how ford can tow 19,000 lbs safely and an equally equipted dodge will be a death trap.



db

 

[DPelletier]

So the new ford 1 ton can tow over 19,000 lbs. Question is would you be safer pulling that 18,000 lb trailer with a ford one ton dually than with the biggest baddest dodge that money can buy?

I thought towing capacity was determined by tires, braking ability, and rear axle ratings.

I know that both the ford and the dodge offers the same in tire capacity and gear ratios --BUT thought dodge had better brakes than the ford. OR did the ford also go to the 17" wheels to acommadate bigger brakes?

I really dont see how ford can tow 19,000 lbs safely and an equally equipted dodge will be a death trap.



db

A couple of points;

- Firstly, don't put too much stock in the trailer tow ratings that any of the manufacturers publish. Tow ratings are sales literature to sell trucks. Ford may say that they can tow 19,000 lbs, but I'd take that with a grain of salt until I weighed one and deducted the weight from the GVWR.

Now, Ford HAS upped thier GVWR on thier new trucks and have also made some changes. For instance thier new F-350 DRW has 17" tires (like ours) and I presume, larger brakes. Thier F-350 SRW has 18" wheels. I applaud them for the changes and hopefully DC will rise to the occasion. For years many trucks were grossly underrated (my 2001. 5 2500 camper pkg truck with a weight of 6950 lbs and a GVWR of 8800 lbs giving it a payload capacity of 1,850 lbs is a stellar example).

I had heard that the new F-350 DRW was rated at 26,000 lbs GCWR. If this is true and it weighed the same as my Dodge (8338 lbs all ready to go), then the true tow capacity would be 17,662 lbs, not 19,000 (properly equipped, of course)

- I see what you are saying with regards to the seemingly illogical ratings on some vehicles, yet they are the only ratings we have to work with.



Dave