Looking at getting 1st RV

[tgrfan2]

My wife is looking at a Potomac rv which is a 5330RLKS. The info. that I could find says it has a:

GVWR 12,550

UVW 9,610

Tongue/Pin 2,150

CCC 2,474



I have a mostly stock 03 2500. I was wondering if my truck can safely handle this 5er. Any advice would be good.

A friend with a 2003 3500 SRW HO 48re and I bought fivers at the same time. His is a Big Sky 3575. Our pin wgts were nearly identical to yours and both are rated at about 14K. After adding generators and the necessary tailgating accessories we were at 2700# and 13K+. My rear axle carries 5600# only 60# went to the front axle. He has decided to go to air bags or an air suspension because the truck is barely on the overloads and it gives him a harsh rebound on certain bumps plus he is going to hang his Harley on the back which will lighten his pin some. Personally, I wouldn't spend a nickel on the overloads on a 2500/3500 if I could get away from them.

I am planning to trash the overloads on my 3500 work truck and put on Air Lift or RideRites ASAP. I'll still have that little sticker saying 9900# and that is all that matters to some people! I am thinking about getting a junk yard sticker from a F150 and putting it on my 2500 to give me a little "cushion".

I think that one says 9500 or 9900. I can't keep up with the ratings on these Heavy Duty 150 and 1500s anymore.

Seriously though I agree about the "D" rated tires. I tried Duelers with my TT and loved them except towing. They are a little too soft for side stability and oversizing a stock rim makes it even worse.

 

[PatrickCampbell]

I agree on the tire issue. You will want LR E's not D's. Tires is where your point of weakness is going to be. Get LR E's and run them at 80 PSI.



If your truck all loaded up weighs about 3000 lbs on the rear axle, this leaves you a solid 3000 lbs before you reach the limit on any pair of LR E 17" tires. 3000 lbs * 4 for a 25% pin weight (and these 5th wheels usually run less than 25% pin weight) and you are at a 12000 lbs trailer limit, right below the GVWR of the trailer.



Do not try to lighten the pin weight by putting heavy things on the back of the trailer. This is going to severely hurt your handling and safety. You are better off running right at the tire limits than doing that.



My truck with Rickson 19. 5's (heavy), a toolbox and B&W hitch was right at 3000 lbs on the rear axle.

 

[Sarge]

First, DO NOT take any dealers word on what trailer you can pull safely. Their business is selling RV's, not keeping you safe. Weigh your truck first and get a real world weight for your truck. Then subtract that from the max weight rating of your vehicle. Remember, it's not what you can pull (the Cummins will pull a freight train) it's what you can safely STOP (over and over and over). So ask yourself "how much excitement do I want in my life?" Then go RV shopping. Sarge

 

[tgrfan2]

Sarge, if you use your advice none of us should pull much more than a pop up camper! No matter how great the brakes are on your truck, neither the brakes or the tires(which actually stop the vehicle) are going to stop a heavy trailer safely once much less over and over and over. You can have your dually, Pacbrake, and your six speed and feel good, but if you don't have good trailer brakes you are going to get run over just the same in a panic stop! Neither my 2500, your dually, or a semi tractor is going to do a decent and safe job stopping their rated GCWR without good trailer brakes.

 

[rluft]

I have a 5th with similar weights. Pin weight 2050, trailer weight 11,000 ready to camp, GCVW 19,500 verified at the truck stop scales. The weight just gets the overload springs to settle on the pads, truck sits level. Power is not a problem. But running it down the road is a lot of work. Of course the less than precise steering of the Dodge is legendary and dosn't help. I certainly don't have much margin for error. If you plan on touring the country get a lighter trailer or 3500 dually.

 

[Sarge]

Sure. That's why opinions are like armpits... ..... Everybody has em, and well, you know the rest. I won't even go into the millions of dollars manufacturers spend on engeneering to R&D these trucks. Heck, we should just take off the badges on all the trucks so that guy on the freeway next to me can pull his 36' triple axle toyhauler with his 1/2 ton Toyota. Hey, it has brakes, right? Three sets! Shoot pull it on a VW van!



Rationalization is great. When I'm watching the fire dept scrape a whole family's brains off the concrete, I'll remember your logic. And the best part is it's not the guy that was hauling the too heavy trailer that gets creamed, it's the poor schmuck he plows into. Sorry, I'll step off my soap box now.

 

[tgrfan2]

Sure. That's why opinions are like armpits... ..... Everybody has em, and well, you know the rest. I won't even go into the millions of dollars manufacturers spend on engeneering to R&D these trucks. Heck, we should just take off the badges on all the trucks so that guy on the freeway next to me can pull his 36' triple axle toyhauler with his 1/2 ton Toyota. Hey, it has brakes, right? Three sets! Shoot pull it on a VW van!



Rationalization is great. When I'm watching the fire dept scrape a whole family's brains off the concrete, I'll remember your logic. And the best part is it's not the guy that was hauling the too heavy trailer that gets creamed, it's the poor schmuck he plows into. Sorry, I'll step off my soap box now.

Yep they spend a bunch on R&D, sometimes I wonder how they can get it so wrong. Marketing still drives the train though. How else can you explain identical trucks with different tow capacities after a model year change? I don't think you will have to worry about that Toyota scrambling some poor family's brains unless he rolls backward over them, but if he has good trailer brakes he will stop faster than you or I can! You can stand on your soap opera box. I'll stand on the facts and 35+ years towing livestock, equipment, and RVs.