Safe maximum 5th wheel hitch weight on 2500

[RANDZRAM]

I am looking at buying a Sandpiper 5th wheel by Forest River. The one that I'm really interested in has a dry hitch weight of 1965 lbs and the total dry weight is 8276 lbs. It is 33' long. Can my Ram 2500 handle this size 5th wheel, or is the hitch weight too much? I've never owned a 5th wheel before. I don't want to drive down the road with my front wheels off the ground!

 

[Paul Somers]

I have a 1999 2500 with trailer tow package but not camper package. My 5th wheel pin weight as weighed on certified 'Cat' is just short of 2200#. Any more than this and my truck would look over loaded. You have the camper package and I think you can handle more than me. We have a camping club member that has a F250 with pin weight of 2800# and had to have leaf added to springs. You should be just fine.

Paul

 

[Dieselnerd]

You won't have any problems. My truck rides level with a 5th wheel that has a weight of over 13,000#, pin weight around 2100#. It also rides level with a 2800# camper in the bed.

 

[SLightfoot]

Careful now....

Since you have a 2500, your GVWR is 8800 lbs and NO MORE!



Your truck by ITSELF, weighs roughly 6700 lbs full of fuel.

Then, you have to add the weight of the hitch, the weight of you and your wife, and anything else you pack in the truck.

For the sake of argument, let's just say its you, your wife, and the hitch, and a few extra add on-items.

You are looking at an extra 500 lbs. roughly.

So, we are now at 6700 + 500 = 7200 lbs.



Now you take 8800 lbs - 7200 lbs and you are at 1600 lbs left for what you can actually carry.



If you want to carry 1920 lbs of hitch weight, you're gonna have to leave either you, or your wife behind.



I STRONGLY recommend that you do your homework before buying. The RV dealers will sell you anything that has wheels. They don't care if you are overloaded. When we bought our 5er, I cam completely prepared, knowing exactly how much TOTAL trailer weight we could carry, how much HITCH weight, etc.

This knowledge made the decision for us between two fivers. We ended up getting the smaller one due to hitch weights being too close to the edge for my liking.



Shawn

 

[Dieselnerd]

Shawn, like many of the other members, I tow a bigger trailer and haul a heavier camper than recommended by Dodge. That's the main reason I upped my power. My trailer has such big brakes that the rig stops as good as or better than the truck alone. I know all my axle weights (the real indicator of safety) and I am well within safe limits with everything. I also upgraded my rear wheel brakes to the 3500 size. I suggest you read the "Earthroamer" articles in the TDR to get another opinion on gross weight. Many have asked why Dodge offers a camper package that allows you to carry a 2800# camper and than says don't do it, knowing full well that most do. It has a lot to do with warranty. Like most manufacturers, Dodge knows people overload and so they build in a large safety factor. If you look at the specs for a single rear wheel 1 ton from GM or Ford, you will see that the Dodge has heavier components than either of those and yet Dodge is rated at 8800#. The rear axle alone is a 7500# axle. The limit is the tires. My truck is no longer on warranty but even if it was I wouldn't worry. I am my own warranty station. As far as safety, I know my truck and how it handles and it is very safe. That's my opinion, everyone has one.

 

[RANDZRAM]

Thanks!

Thanks for the info! I sure hate to have to leave my wife behind even though she doesn't weigh very much! But my truck doesn't run on air, so I have to have a tank of diesel. And she can't drive a standard transmission, so She can't leave me behind.



I never even thought about being over gvwr on my truck. The numbers I posted are out of the camper brochure book. Of course the dealer said the weight was no problem, he has sold them for 3/4 tons before. And probably has. But it worries me.

 

[SLVRBLT]

Don't Sweat It.

RANDZRAM-



I had the very same worries when I bought my 5er last month. My 30' weighs just under 9000# dry with a pin weight of about 1800#. With the exception of mine being a LB, our trucks are about the same. I also have a 90 gal. aux. fuel tank in the bed which adds to the situation. With the fuel tanks full and the trailer on, the truck sets right at level!



Dieselnerd is correct, if there is a limit you need to worry about it is the tires. Don't know what you are running, mine are 265 with an E rating which is enough for my load. When loaded up with everthing, fuel and trailer, looking up under the truck I can't believe how much spring capacity is still available!



If you're still worried, load up about 2500# in just dead weight in the bed to simulate the trailer, hitch, etc. , and see what it looks like and drives like. (Don't forget to inflate the tires properly!) Take a look at the capacities of the 1 tons vs. ours. The difference is the tires.



Dave

 

[Texas Diesel]

I pull a 39' 5th wheel, 12,000 empty, 2200 on the hitch. The truck can easily handle more, the trailer does it's own braking. The only things that worry me, #1, tire failure, sure wish I had a dually and #2, if there is an accident the blood sucking lawyers will probably say I severely overloaded my poor little Dodge. We swim in a shark infested world.

 

[SLightfoot]

The weight information that I posted actually had nothing at all to do with the Dodge warranty. It has to do with legalities.



Largely this is because there are many parts of British Columbia and Alberta that are VERY strict on this. They are always pulling over the 1/2 tons and 3/4 tons with big trailers and sticking them on the weigh scales. They handed out so many tickets over the past few years that the Candadian RV Association started petitioning the local police to ease up a little.



Additionally, if you are ever in an accident with the trailer, this is easy bait for the lawyers.



Maybe they don't patrol the truck and RV situation like around BC, and maybe you won't get in an accident, and even if you do, maybe they won't look into the fact that you were overweight. These were just the issues that I was advised of from others.



Yes, I agree the 2500 will handle a bit more. I just wanted to point out what the truck "can" do, and what you legally can do.

BOMBers flame away, but I took the safe route.



Shawn

 

[swamp rat]

Since you are well below GCWR, an easy way to get around being over on the drive axle is to not load any gear in the truck, and move a couple of hundred pounds of stuff from the trailer nose rearwards on top or aft of the trailer axles. Heck you could even load up about 600lbs. of dead weight in the rear of the trailer to lower drive axle load by cantilevering the weight across the trailer axles, and still be a long way from max GCWR if I recall my numbers correctly.



Thats comparable to what the big rigs do by sliding the rear tandem and 5th wheel plate.

 

[RANDZRAM]

SLVRBLT

The tires I'm running are still the Factory Michelin 265's that came on the truck. I think they are load range E. 25000 miles on them now, still have alot of tread left.

All this info is real helpful. I'm now convinced that My truck can handle it ok. I guess I'll have to "Do the Deal". And I guess I'll have to take the ol' lady with me.



Thank for the Help, Fellow Rammers!

 

[Fireman]

Pulls like a dream

Randzram, My trailer is almost exactly the same weights, and it pulls like a dream. The truck settles a little in the rear, but still sits level. I think you will be just fine.

Fireman

 

[SLVRBLT]

Weights?

Shawn-



In your post you said BC and Alberta were handing out tickets for over weights. Were the tickets for over GVW, over on a single axle weight, over GCVW? Just curious as to where they were concentrating their crusade on weights?



Down in this part of the USA, I've never seen a truck (pick-up)/trailer combo pulled over for weighing and I've seen some horribly overloaded with backhoes, etc. Your post made me curious.



Dave

 

[Happy Camper]

Shawn. Here is a link that may help or confuse!



http://www.island.net/~cihp/weight.html

http://www.island.net/~cihp/weight.html



Gross vehicle weight"



means the aggregate of the net weight of a vehicle and the weight of its load



This info caused me to trade my 97 2500 for a 2001. 5 3500 prior to traveling in Canada. They look at the tag on the door and that is the GVW.

 

[pmartin]

5th wheel weight

Shaun, I pull a 32 ft 5th wheel GVW 12,100 lbs with 1,800 lbs hitch weight. Tow vehicle is 96 D2500 with 5 speed, camper package and tow package. The weight of trailer sets rear of truck down on overload springs but stays level. Truck now has 128,000 miles and no towing problems.

 

[SLightfoot]

I keep seeing posts about the 5th wheels weight just running level, and handles good, etc etc etc... .



That isn't the point.



What they were pulling over in BC were 1/2 ton and 3/4 ton trucks hauling big 5th wheels and campers, simply because they KNEW they were legally overweight. A cash cow so to speak.

It doesn't matter if your rear of the truck sits 6 inches higher than the front with the load, it all comes down to the GVWR of your truck.



And yes, that is correct, GVWR is the COMBINED weight of the truck AND your load. The axle rating is a red herring, because no matter WHERE you place the load of the 5er hitch on the truck, you will exceed the GVWR first usually.



Campers are yet a bigger problem. Dealers here are having a heck of a time selling them because they received notices from the traffic cops that they are to clearly advise customers if they will be overweight with the camper. One dealer flat out told me that there is not a 3/4 ton truck made today that will legally take the campers they had on the lot due to the GVWR of the 3/4 ton trucks.

They had trouble giving them away.



You could probably hitch up twice the rated load and tow it if you wanted to. Heck, a lot of people do that..... just not me I guess.



What DOES bother me are the number of rigs rolling down the road that ARE overloaded. Those weight ratings aren't there for decoration.



Now I never have to worry about being pulled over for being overweight. Maybe that's not an issue in your area.



shawn