Stock trailer hitch good enough??

[JEgan]

We are considering purchasing a travel trailer. Probably 28 ft. or so. Never had one before and I was wondering if we need to get a special tow hitch. The stock Dodge hitch looks pretty stout, but, again, I am a total newby when it comes to towing. While I'm at it, I would also be interested in hearing any input re: the pros and cons of a TT versus a 5er. Thanks

 

[Blufrog]

I tow a 27 ft TT with the stock setup. weighs in about 7k. Personally if I could do it again as for getting a trailer I would do the 5th wheel, but I am going camper so I can tow the 4x4 or boat and camp without driving two vehicles.



Good luck with your choice.

 

[Casey Balvert]

The stock hitch receiver is good for 12,000 pounds so I don't see where the hitch is going to be a problem. Still, fifth wheels handle far better than a tag along type and you might want to consider that.



Casey

 

[PaulG]

the only real problem i'd say with a 5er is if you bring alot of wood for a week or so of camping i can stack my truck up and use the whole bed for whatever and still bring my 30' camper. with a 5er you can't do that.

also even though they have a quick take off systems for the fifth wheel hitch still need a place to store it if you plan on using your bed and also taking it off and on will need help.



i have a 30' trailer and tow it just fine with the stock hitch juts make sure you get weight distribiting bars.

 

[BStoecker]

I happened to look at the drop hitch I bought from U-haul a while back. The 2" ball reciever is only rated at 5,000 pounds. So, even though the hitch is rated at 12,000, make sure your reciever can handle the weight as well.

 

[RustyJC]

As you start looking at the RVs available in the marketplace, I think you'll find that most manufacturers concentrate on the 5th wheels - you'll generally have a much broader selection of 5th wheels than travel trailers. The hitch removal and storage issue isn't that big of a deal - with my B&W setup, I can tow a gooseneck, a 5th wheel (with the companion 5th wheel hitch), or have a clean bed within 10 minutes with no help to install or remove the hitch.



A couple of potential problems with a 5th wheel, however, are:



1. The 5th wheel carries more of its weight as pin weight (20% of total trailer weight is typical) than a travel trailer (12% of total weight is typical. ) If you have a 2500 or SRW 3500 and want to tow a larger 5ver, you'll run out of GVWR on the truck before you run out of GCWR.



2. Towing a 5th wheel with a short bed truck may require a sliding hitch to keep the trailer from hitting the back of the cab. If the distance from the 5th wheel hitch pin bore to the cab is less than 1/2 the distance from the kingpin to any point on the front or sides of the 5th wheel RV ahead of the pin bore axis, cab contact when turning or backing is possible.



I'd suggest looking in the forums over at iRV2.com for additional RVing advice as you make your selection and decisions.



Rusty

 

[gonzo2]

Like PaulG said, get a weight distributing set up and you will have no problem. It comes down to the trade off of better towing (5th wheel) vs the ability to use your box. You won't have a problem with the stock hitch and WD set up with most 30 footers.

Of course your tongue weight cuts into your GVW.

You may have trouble finding a fiver to clear the box on a 4x4, plus you should have a slider hitch with a short box.

 

[DPelletier]

JEgan,

I'll clarify a couple of issues;

- SAE rates class IV hitches at 500 lbs tongue weight and 5,000 lbs towing capacity without weight distributing bars and 1,000 lbs tongue weight and 10,000 lbs towing with weight distributing bars.

- We have contradictory information on the factory hitch saying it is good for 12,000 lbs (towing with wd bars) and also that it is a class IV, but nonetheless you should be safe within the manufacturers rating.

- The factory 3rd gen hitch appears to be a more robust design than earlier models.

- Without knowing the tongue weight and GVWR of your trailer (which you don't have, yet), I technically can't answer your question. That having been said, I would be fairly comfortable suggesting you will be withing the ratings of the stock hitch as long as you use the weight distributing bars. You'll need to weigh any potential trailer to know for sure.



I think everyone else covered the 5er vs. trailer issue well enough



hope this helps

Dave

 

[SteveMiller]

Just as a side note and probably not of real importance to you is that a Tongue trailer will follow the truck better. Meaning you don't have to swing as wide around corners and it will be easier to get into tight situations. Most people going to RV sites and such won't have a problem but just remember if you get a 5er that you need to swing wide around stuff cause the trailer will cut the corner quite a bit.



I tow 12klb tongue trailers all the time and have to get them into interesting places sometimes. I also use a friends gooseneck from time to time and i really have to adjust my driving to not hit stuff when I'm pulling his trailer.



Good luck



Steve

 

[klenger]

I think that you will find that many serious RVers eventually move up from a TT to a 5th wheel eventually. I would suggest looking closely at 5th wheel campers before making your decision. It may save money in the long run. 5th wheel campers are heavier and more expensive than TT's of the same size, but the advantages are significant. YMMV.

 

[rblomquist]

The hitch on my truck is OEM and says it's rated for 10-10. 5k. I had some good reasons to buy a tt over a 5ver but now that reason is dead and if I had to do it over again I'd prolly go with a 5ver. Oh yeah, fully loaded I've weighed the trailer in a 11. 5k. We go somewhere everymonth year-round.

 

[David Pendleton]

As others have stated previously, pay attention to the ball mount.



The factory hitch is very capable, but only when you pair it with the correct ball mount.



I went with a Hidden Hitch 10K mount and a 2" 8K Hidden Hitch ball, the highest capacity 2" they made at the time.



Regards,



Dave

 

[MChildress]

The stock hitch spooked me being on the very end of the frame rails. I went with the Reese Titan V for piece of mind. It mounts right under the factory hitch,leaving two hitches. 04 1/2 4x4 drw

 

[JEgan]

Thanks all, for the great input. I'm on my way and have looked at some units (Keystone Laredo). Will be looking around for some time. I will say, that. on first look, the 5th wheels seem bigger on the inside. Having said that, they also are somewhat intimidating from the outside (more so than the TT's). Inside height is important to me (I'm 6-4) but I think I just need to look at a ton of them and get use to their individual sizes and layouts. It appears that we will be narrowing in on 29 or 30 ft. units.



Again, thank you. Next stop, Sunnybrook.