Towing options?

[topcat]

Well we have sold are slide-in camper,and are know looking at a trailer. My question is that since I have a Regcab,4x4,auto,3:73. Should we go with a fifth wheel hitch in the bed,and lose some bed access. Or go with the class 4 hitch,that came with the truck. Or increase the receiver hitch to a class 5,(though limited still by the axle/tire load carrying cap's?)We still what some fuel mileage so we thought maybe around 9000-10,000 lbs for a trailer combined weight. 13,200 is the rated by Dodge. Thoughts?

 

[Gonzo 1066]

The FIRST time you pull with a gooseneck or 5th wheel hitch will be the LAST time you pull a bumper trailer. IMHO

 

[GAmes]

Well we have sold are slide-in camper,and are know looking at a trailer. My question is that since I have a Regcab,4x4,auto,3:73. Should we go with a fifth wheel hitch in the bed,and lose some bed access. Or go with the class 4 hitch,that came with the truck. Or increase the receiver hitch to a class 5,(though limited still by the axle/tire load carrying cap's?)We still what some fuel mileage so we thought maybe around 9000-10,000 lbs for a trailer combined weight. 13,200 is the rated by Dodge. Thoughts?

5er or TT is a personnal choice that only you can make. Variety of floor plans, usage, and family size are only a few of the variables.



Class numbers on hitches mean nothing since there is no industry standard. The "class 4" hitch you have could very easily be a class 5 from another manufacturer. The number you need to focus on is the towing weight/tongue weight that the hitch is rated for. For instance, the receiver I have on my truck is rated to pull 15,000 with a tongue weight of 1500 (15,000/1500) while using a weight distribution (WD) hitch. Without WD the rating is 7500/750. The original receiver was rated at 10,000/1000 with WD and 5000/500 without. I literally tore the steel of the mounting bracket by overloading it with a large enclosed cargo trailer that had no provisions for WD because a deck had been welded to it's forward frame.



As for mileage, weight is not the real determining factor, aerodynamics are. A fiberglass skinned trailer will give you better mileage than an aluminum skin(other than airstream). A toyhauler will always get worse mileage than a regular trailer of the same size because the rear door is like a huge suction cup going down the highway. A 5er will give you better mileage than a TT of the same length, weight and skin type. Of course, unless you tow it 25 or 30k miles the savings are not that significant.

 

[HBarlow]

I agree with both replies above. It is a choice that only you and your family can make based on the way you plan to use one.

I would suggest you visit RV dealers and/or look at used private sale RVs from classified ads. Go inside and experience the floorplans and space offered by conventional and fifth wheel trailers and compare features, advantages, and disadvantages to the price tags of each. Only you can decide what you want to spend for one.

Those of us who own and tow fifth wheels will tell you that a fifth wheel tows better in wind and weather conditions, places more weight on the drive axle for traction. However, almost all fifth wheels are much heavier than conventional travel trailers. They also push more air than a conventional tt. Towing more weight with poorer aerodynamics takes more power and more fuel.

Older Airstream and Avion travel trailers were great units. Their weight, shape, and size made them very easy to tow compared to big fifth wheels popular now. Big fifth wheels with three or more slide-out rooms make the inside space of older rounded aluminum trailers seem tiny by comparison.

 

[RVTRKN]

There are hitches (B&W) that have the rails/supports under the bed. The storage you will lose from the 5ver over your bed, you will gain in storage compartments that a TT does not have. When you check out your RV dealer, look for the storage capacity that the 5ver's have, some have less than others. A 5ver has another advantage over a TT, that is not mentioned as often as the others. You can carry passengers in the 5ver under tow as long as you have communication with cab. Also buy the biggest your 2500 can handle, don't forget about the wet weight, it will seem small real quick when you get used to it. Look at your axle GAWR, for that is the true capability of your tow vehicle, not what Dodge say it is. (your GCVWR) That only pertains to your warranty if you have one. Good luck with your decision.

 

[HBarlow]

There are hitches (B&W) that have the rails/supports under the bed. The storage you will lose from the 5ver over your bed, you will gain in storage compartments that a TT does not have. When you check out your RV dealer, look for the storage capacity that the 5ver's have, some have less than others. A 5ver has another advantage over a TT, that is not mentioned as often as the others. You can carry passengers in the 5ver under tow as long as you have communication with cab. Also buy the biggest your 2500 can handle, don't forget about the wet weight, it will seem small real quick when you get used to it. Look at your axle GAWR, for that is the true capability of your tow vehicle, not what Dodge say it is. (your GCVWR) That only pertains to your warranty if you have one. Good luck with your decision.

Well, not exactly. My RV towing rules guide lists only 23 states out of 50 where passengers are permitted to ride in a fifth wheel travel trailer with restrictions.

http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm

A prospective fifth wheel buyer shouldn't count on that as a general rule. Some states allow it, some do not.

 

[SierraRam]

It may be legal to have passengers in a 5er under tow, just make sure they are people you really don't care about. Just my opinion though.



I prefer a TT because I do a lot of dry camping and I have found is difficult to level and hitch a 5er at times. Then when I am unhitched I still loose a lot of the functionality of my trucks bed due to the hitch.

 

[Powder Extreme]

Another vote for a 5th wheel. The storage you give up in the bed if the truck is made up in extra storage in the trailer. There really is NO comparison in the quality of ride and towing stability between the two.

Another thing to keep in mind is living space. With the same overall vehicle length you will have about 10' more living space. The 5' or so of tongue and hitch is really wasted space, not to mention a 5th wheel has 4-5' of the trailer over the bed of the truck.

If you plan on towing a boat or four wheelers etc. as well then a 5th wheel is really the way to go based on length and stability.

5th wheels generally have more ground clearance as well. Really the only downside is the extra height may cause clearance issues with trees and such in some campgrounds.

The extra height does cause more wind resistance like Harvey mentioned, but from experience it has a negligible effect on fuel economy. The front of a bumper pull being 5' behind the truck generates considerable wind resistance.

Good luck and enjoy your new rig when you get it!

 

[topcat]

Well do to the over all supporting vote to a 5er,including my wife,we have decided on a 5er,I knew all along the 5er was the best way to go. Thoughts know on which hitch company to go with. There are so many types and price's. B&W,Reese,etc... 10,000-12,000-15,000 . Also I have notice some rv'ers change out the hitch on the 5er to level it out somewhat,thoughts?

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

I vote for 5th wheel based on my experience. Less likely to sway and better weight distribution than a bumper pull that takes weight off of the steer tires.
I do agree with the fact that they are harder to get into places with low clearances, but have lots more usable space for a given overall length than a bumper pull does.
Also they are much easier to back into tight spaces and track very well behind tow rig.
I went with the B&W turnover ball and Companion hitch. It is very easy to go from 5th wheel to gooseneck. Only takes a few seconds and costs about the same as a gooseneck hitch with a 5th wheel adapter.
B&W Custom Truck Beds, Inc.

 

[RVTRKN]

Well, not exactly. My RV towing rules guide lists only 23 states out of 50 where passengers are permitted to ride in a fifth wheel travel trailer with restrictions.



http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm



A prospective fifth wheel buyer shouldn't count on that as a general rule. Some states allow it, some do not.

But never any passengers for the TT.

It may be legal to have passengers in a 5er under tow, just make sure they are people you really don't care about. Just my opinion though.



I prefer a TT because I do a lot of dry camping and I have found is difficult to level and hitch a 5er at times. Then when I am unhitched I still loose a lot of the functionality of my trucks bed due to the hitch.

I don't recommend it, but as in my case, my wife likes to sleep in it at night when we travel long distances. I drive extra carefull and slower in that case.

 

[HBarlow]

Back to the hitch question from the OP.

Many TDR members use the B&W turnover ball hitch and love them. I don't, but won't criticize them.

I use an ordinary Reese 20k fifth wheel hitch. I bought it in 2003 when I purchased my first fifth wheel, a second hand Travel Supreme. The Reese hitch has been used in succession on all three Dodge Ram duallies I've owned and was used for my three year, 400,000 mile "adventure" as an RV transporter. The hitch has about 250,000 to 300,000 towing miles on it and still works as well as it did the day it was installed.

Reese is the oldest RV hitch manufacturer in the USA having started back in the '50s, perhaps the '40s and is still going strong, selling most of the hitches used by RV towing consumers.

It is not my concern which hitch anyone chooses. I would encourage anyone to shop carefully and buy a brand name from a company that has been in business for a long time, not one of the recent arrivals in the industry which are priced about the same but are not built as well.

To the OP again, be careful with selecting a fifth wheel to tow behind a Ram 2500. Don't buy one that will overload the rear axle and tires of your truck because your wife loves the floorplan or fabrics or because the salesman tells you what a deal it is.

A Ram 2500 can safely carry somewhere around 2,000 lbs. on the rear axle. Weigh each axle of your truck loaded with wife, kids, dogs, fuel, tools, and fifth wheel hitch before you shop for a trailer. Consider additional items you may later want to carry such as a Honda portable generator, or whatever.

Subtract the actual rear axle weight from the rated weight which is posted on a decal in your driver's door post. The result is your maximum allowable kingpin weight. Know what that number is before you walk onto a dealer's lot.

A normal fifth wheel travel trailer, loaded for a family vacation, will carry around 20% of GVWR on the kingpin. A fiver with generator can carrry more kingpin weight. Don't pay any attention to what an RV salesman tell you. Pay no attention to trailer "dry weight", shipping weight, or any other phony number. Consider ONLY the GVWR from the VIN tag on the left front.

A fifth wheel trailer with a GVWR of 12,000 lbs. will carry 2,400 lbs. of kingpin weight on your rear axle. A prospective buyer must understand, a travel trailer has limited weight carrying capacity for LPG, water, canned goods, linen, clothing, camping accessories, and personal items. Manufacturers don't build them to carry huge volumes of cargo because the frame, running gear, wheels and tires would cost a lot more money to build. Also, manufacturers are aware that a high GVWR figure scares away many buyers. A trailer will weigh very close to GVWR (sometimes more, sometimes less) when the average family pulls out of their yard for a weekend trip or vacation.

 

[RVTRKN]

All good advise, let me add a sujestion. If you are going with a 5ver, have the hitch installed that you picked out (I like the B&W companion) and then have the salesman hitch it to your truck with a full tank of fuel and wife, then weight it. If they don't allow this go to the next dealer. The one thing you want to make sure of, is your axle ratings, you will have to guess on wet weight, but recommend 10 gallons of fresh water for bathroom use on the road, if you plan on staying at RV parks only, that, you will have to hand calculate in. I'm pretty sure a 30' or less will be just fine, if its more than that you will need to be cautious and weigh it. Don't let the salesman talk you into anything until you looked at dry weights before you have it weighed. No dealer is going to fill all of the tanks including Propane and install a generator, if not in at the time of sale, so you will need to figure this in on paper.



I had a 3500 and a 2500 (look at sig), at the time I weighed my Arctic Fox, to check out the actual weights, and found out I could tow it with my 2500 if I kept it to 10 gallons of fresh water for bathroom use when on the road, which incuded full Propane tanks.



Good luck

Steve

 

[Grizzly]

Well do to the over all supporting vote to a 5er,including my wife,we have decided on a 5er,I knew all along the 5er was the best way to go. Thoughts know on which hitch company to go with. There are so many types and price's. B&W,Reese,etc... 10,000-12,000-15,000 . Also I have notice some rv'ers change out the hitch on the 5er to level it out somewhat,thoughts?

You made a good choose.



I would never ride passengers in a TT, 5th Wheel or Truck Camper. I did ride my kids in my first truck camper when I had a Furd single cab truck, but never again. I don't believe it's safe.



george

 

[RVTRKN]

Well do to the over all supporting vote to a 5er,including my wife,we have decided on a 5er,I knew all along the 5er was the best way to go. Thoughts know on which hitch company to go with. There are so many types and price's. B&W,Reese,etc... 10,000-12,000-15,000 . Also I have notice some rv'ers change out the hitch on the 5er to level it out somewhat,thoughts?

I like my B&W companion hitch , but I have a slightly different version because of my B&W Elite series flat bed. But the hardware sits below the bed and you only see a 5" (guess) hole, and with the Goose neck ball upside down, makes it's flat. Also the locking jaws that clinch on the pin are a perfect fit, and I don't feel any movement like some cheaper hitches have. Their rated at 18K but would easily handle more, besides your 2500 couldn't handle that much any way. A cheaper RBW "Lill Rocker" rated at 15K will work OK but don't recommend it. I've owned one, and it got me by, but I was never happy with the overall performance. But with my older smaller 5ver, it served its purpose. Reese are very good hitches, but if you go with no rails they are over priced and heavy. If rails don't bother you, I would recommend Reese, you can't beat that setup.



Also dont let anyone talk you into welding or drilling into your frame. Reese makes a one piece bracket that uses two plates with bolts and positions the rail bolts perfectly as well as, and is way stronger than the cheap brackets you get with the rails. I can look up the part number if you need it. Dodge does not recommend drilling or welding on the Hydro-formed frame that you have.

 

[Driftwood Ram]

Let me add my $. 02 on the subject of weight/size of the 5th wheel. We had a 2000 Alfa 31RL and pulled it with the truck in my signature for 10 years until we sold it this fall. "Dry" weight was 10,060 lbs. I probably weighed it 12-15 times on various trips and every time the truck weight was between 9,200 and 9,400 lbs. I guess what I am trying to say is a 30 foot 5th wheel will probably put you over on your truck GVWR.

 

[topcat]

Looking at Reese's 15K pdf installation manual shows Gross Weight at 15,000lbs ,and king pin weight at 3750lbs. Rear axle GAWR 6010 lbs,Curb at 4142lbs,and GCWR 20,000lbs. Hankook's at 3750 SRW. Soooo, with that we fiqure a 29 ft in a "Lite" series. And I plan to expense out also a new pin box just in case I would need to bring me in at a bed rail height around 6-7 inch allowing for my hand to reach in and do my disconnect and plug out from the driver side. Thoughts?

 

[HBarlow]

Looking at Reese's 15K pdf installation manual shows Gross Weight at 15,000lbs ,and king pin weight at 3750lbs. Rear axle GAWR 6010 lbs,Curb at 4142lbs,and GCWR 20,000lbs. Hankook's at 3750 SRW. Soooo, with that we fiqure a 29 ft in a "Lite" series. And I plan to expense out also a new pin box just in case I would need to bring me in at a bed rail height around 6-7 inch allowing for my hand to reach in and do my disconnect and plug out from the driver side. Thoughts?

Your plan is making sense to me.

A Reese 15k should be a good hitch for the trailer you plan.

I don't have any confidence in Hankook tires but in theory two of them rated at 3,750 lbs. will give you 7,500 lbs. of carrying capacity at the rear axle.

Rear axle curb weight of 4,142, if fully loaded with fuel and passengers, would mean you can carry a kingpin weight of 3,358 lbs. Subtract another 100 lbs. estimated weight of a Reese hitch so figure 3,200 lbs. but you'll need airbags, Timbrens, or added spring leaves to take advantage of the rated capacity of the rear tires.

I don't know what the specs are for a speculative 29' "lite" series trailer but such a trailer should be well within your capability.

With 3,000 lbs. of kingpin carrying capacity you should be able to tow a trailer with a GVWR up to 12,500 lb.

Don't forget to factor in the price of a MaxBrake brake controller, about $400. Don't leave home without one!

You shouldn't need a new pin box. Trailer kingpin boxes are normally adjustable and the Reese hitch will be also.

 

[RPlamondon]

I tow a 25' x 8. 5' enclosed tandem torsion axle trailer with a sports car and two motorcycles across country, CT to NV and back for the last two yrs. I have a class 4 hitch that came with my 2500. I am towing/hauling less than all are rated for by choice b/c more truck and trailer is better. I have an brake proportioner b/c truck did not come with one, 07. 5, but does have the 6 sp auto transmission and exhaust brake which works great. My total weight tow/haul is between 10 and 11k as close as I can figure and never had a problem. Towed I 40, I 70, I 80, I 81 and other various routes with no problems. I carry four chains for truck b/c of chain laws in mountains but never needed so far. I chose to keep the class 4 b/c I have a hard lockable tonneau to haul all other items, tools, power equipment, luggage, golf clubs, etc. Back seat, folded down, is full of computer stuff and overnight luggage. I know that a 5th wheel would be more stable and "safe" but do not like the loss of space and grease/dirt it comes with so hence the class 4. Good luck with your choice but remember to get more than u need and u won't be sorry.



2500, Quad cab, 4x4, SLT, hd, 6. 7, thunder road pkg.

 

[BIGNASTY]

Seem's like im one of the few that actually like TT im 6 '6 and most of the 5th wheel trailers ive been in when your in the master suite I cant stand up without hitting my melon. Im sure there are 5vers out there that I wouldnt have that problem. just a thought.