Need help desiring between a 5er and new TT

Well we just had our 35' TT totaled because the toilet peddle got stuck and flooded out camper we want a toyhauler for sure trying to decide on a 5er or TT. We have a 2015 2500 crew cab 4x4 w/ 6.4 and 4:10 gears. Max towing is 15,600. I have read on here the 6.4's get horrible mpg with a 5er. I am open to any input you all have.

Thanks
Paul

MPG will be worse with a 5th but it's really not that much worse. Similar weight trailers maybe .5 mpg? I get about 1 mpg worse with a 10,500# 5th than I did with an 8,000# TT.

With your truck and a 5th you'll likely hit your payload before you get close to the max towing weight. I'm right at the 10,000# GVWR with a 5th wheel that has a dry weight of 9000#. It's amazing how fast it adds up.

As for the 5th vs. TT it's a tough call. Lots of pros/cons to each. I absolutely labored over the decision for months before opting to go back to a 5th. I've had a couple of each over the years and needed something bigger. For me the biggest factor was that I just didn't want a 36'+ TT and to get what I (mainly my wife) wanted the TT was going to be that big. My 35' 5th wheel only hangs behind my truck about 3' further than my old 28' TT. Of course, I lose most of my pickup bed in the process. Overall, I love the 5th with the high ceilings and floor plan. I miss the TT's ease of hooking up by just backing up and hooking up.... w/o removing all my tools and lugging an anvil in the bed. Once that's done the hooking/un-hooking of the 5th is super easy.

How do you figure the gvwr? I'm looking at 11,000 to 12,000lbs 5er

The GVWR is the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of your truck so it's a published specification available on the Ram OEM site.

I'm in the same boat also, what is your payload, mines is setting at 3,300 lbs?

redskinredtaco said:

How do you figure the gvwr? I'm looking at 11,000 to 12,000lbs 5er

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Sorry, I was talking about the truck GVWR which should be 10,000#. The GVWR of the trailer could also come into play but I usually just go more by the dry weight then figure what I'm going to load in it.

There's quite a numbers game and lots of different ones to keep in mind. If you don't know what they all mean do some research to be sure you don't buy too much trailer. And be VERY careful living by things like "max towing" numbers that the manufacturers brag about. They are under best case scenarios - like only you in the truck with NOTHING else. Every spouse, dog, cooler and piece of firewood you set in the truck comes off that number.

Here's a start in case you don't already know it:

GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating

Assume your truck's GVWR = 10,000. Truck weighs 7000#. The 10,000 is the most it can be loaded to so that means you have 3000# of people, gear, 5th wheel pin weight, 5th wheel hitch, etc. to put on the 4 tires that make up your truck.

So, 5th wheel dry weight = 9,000# and you put 1500# of blankets, water, lawn chairs, etc. in it. So, 10,500# is the weight of the 5th. 20-25% of that will sit on the pin in your truck bed (and count towards your TRUCK's GVWR).

So, even with a 9000# dry 5th you're still putting about 2200# in the bed + a couple hundred pound hitch + a few people + some gear and you are at you truck's may payload pretty quick. The 15K max towing you mentioned is really another # altogether. That's how much the truck can pull (not carry just pull). Like I said in my first post you'll hit your payload max long before the 15K max pull comes into play (with a 5th wheel anyway since they have the heavy pin weight).

So I have a payload of 3280lbs a gvwr of 10,000 and tow rating of 15,610. One of the 5ers I'm looking at has a hitch weight of 2340lbs and a dry weight of 12335lbs and a gvw of 16250. Is this camper too big for my truck?

Total up the weight of yourself, your wife, the dogs, kids, and anything / anyone else that will be in the truck and add that to the hitch weight to see if you are over the payload rating. If it's just you, it looks fine. But adding the passengers can add up quick.

redskinredtaco said:

Is this camper too big for my truck?

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Going to be hard to stay under the payload once you get a hitch and load some people in the truck. Do people routinely exceed the GVWR of the truck without causing damage or putting people at great harm? This is where the real gray area begins.

The most often argued about thing on RV forums is 3/4 ton truck owners exceeding GVWR. Many are quick to point out a 3/4 ton truck is identical to a 1 ton except for some rear suspension parts. So, add some air bags or Timbrens and you basically have a 1 ton, right?

So, the next number is the FAWR and RAWR (front axle max and rear axle max). These are on your door sticker and you'll quickly notice they don't add up to the GVWR. Many responsible towing folk's opinion is that staying within these numbers is far more important than the truck's GVWR.

Sorry you asked yet

All number crunching aside I think that 5th wheel is a lot for a gas truck. The GVWR of the 5th (if one was to actually load up the max) is too much for all but the most capable SRW trucks.

I am generally in the camp that axle ratings are the most important not to exceed and that exceeding the truck's GVWR by a bit isn't a huge deal. I personally wouldn't tow your proposed 5th with a loaded up truck any distance with any regularity. Meaning, if you needed to haul it to a seasonal site twice a year and carried minimal stuff maybe okay. Out cruising around the country up and down hills? No thanks.

redskinredtaco said:

So I have a payload of 3280lbs a gvwr of 10,000 and tow rating of 15,610. One of the 5ers I'm looking at has a hitch weight of 2340lbs and a dry weight of 12335lbs and a gvw of 16250. Is this camper too big for my truck?

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You don't have as much payload as you think. They base it on a base model with 1 150lb driver!

Look at this chart and do the math.

http://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2016_ram_2500_towing_charts.pdf

I just bought a 2500 Big Horn 6.4L 4x4 with anti spin and 4.10 gears.
10,000 GVWR
6,700 Base Weight
3,300 payload

You have to subtract from the payload all the people and everything else you added to the truck - fifth wheel hitch tools etc.

You also have to make sure you have the right tires to get to that 10,000 GVWR mine are 285/70r16 - if you have smaller you have less then 10K

So it sounds like I should go with a Travel Trailer which has a average tongue weight of about 1400lbs. All the ones I've looked at have been between 8000-9000 dry weight. Figure in a 1000lbs for our golf cart and another 1200 for my family and gear. Of the 1200lbs about 700lbs of the gear will be in the toy hauler. So I'm well under Payload and the tow capacity.

Does this sound correct?

And I have the OEM transforce HT 275/70/18 which are almost bald after 23,000 miles. Planning on going with Toyo open country AT2. From what I've read on here the last the longest on these heavy trucks

if your worried about mpg get a motor home and toad your 2500
on my v10 motor home toading my explorer I get bpg (blocks per gallon)
I think if I were to get a trailer I would go 5th wheel much better use of space
living on a dead end hilly curvy road I could never get a 5er in my allocated space
no body I know worries about cost of fuel ITS JUST A FACT RV ing can be costly and when you die St Peter isn't gonna say "if you spent less on fuel and had less enjoyment from life you'd get a better parking spot up here"
brianj

redskinredtaco said:

So it sounds like I should go with a Travel Trailer which has a average tongue weight of about 1400lbs. All the ones I've looked at have been between 8000-9000 dry weight. Figure in a 1000lbs for our golf cart and another 1200 for my family and gear. Of the 1200lbs about 700lbs of the gear will be in the toy hauler. So I'm well under Payload and the tow capacity.

Does this sound correct?

And I have the OEM transforce HT 275/70/18 which are almost bald after 23,000 miles. Planning on going with Toyo open country AT2. From what I've read on here the last the longest on these heavy trucks

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You need to read up more on towing
1,400 tongue weight
1,200 family etc
2,600 total

Figure out GVWR

I have a similar truck except a MC. While mod have never towed a TT or 5er I have towed my share of heavy dump trailers and large generators and compressors for construction.

I'm also casually look at camping trailers of both varieties. With my 2500 6.4 I have come to the realization that for best performance and long term reliability I will stick with a larger TT and if/when I step it up to a 5er I will get the 3500 with diesel.

redskinredtaco said:

So it sounds like I should go with a Travel Trailer which has a average tongue weight of about 1400lbs. All the ones I've looked at have been between 8000-9000 dry weight. Figure in a 1000lbs for our golf cart and another 1200 for my family and gear. Of the 1200lbs about 700lbs of the gear will be in the toy hauler. So I'm well under Payload and the tow capacity.

Does this sound correct?

And I have the OEM transforce HT 275/70/18 which are almost bald after 23,000 miles. Planning on going with Toyo open country AT2. From what I've read on here the last the longest on these heavy trucks

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They make some awesome 5'er that you can tow, the wife and I have being looking at this one. 2016 Eagle HT 27.5RLTS | Jayco, Inc.

Or this 2016 Eagle HT 26.5RLS | Jayco, Inc.

I am in the same exact boat. Looking at TT and 5'er Toy Haulers. I have found that if I stay under 35 ft, I can be under 12,000lbs dry (5'er). I have found a few that are 11,000lbs. I have 3.73 but am going 4.56 in the near future. That said, I still would like to stay under 12,000bls dry.

I am told that 5'er tow much better. And a 37-38ft TT does not sound like the easiest thing to navigate with (race tracks get pretty packed and tight). I'm interested to see where this thread goes.