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Picked up our new fifth wheel on Friday. 2017 Grand Design 303rls.
Nice rig. What are you using to pull the 5th wheel?
It's the truck in my sig. 15 2500 6.4
Please let us know how your truck does towing it. We have been looking at the same model, just concerned how my 6.4 with 3.73s will do towing a 12,000 GVW 5th wheel. It does great with our 8500 pound travel trailer, but 12000 is just about at max towing with the 3.73s.
What is the trailer weight, how does it pull and what gears do you have, 373 or 410?
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Picked up our new fifth wheel on Friday. 2017 Grand Design 303rls.
I'm towing basically the same weight as the OP with the 3.73 and it does fine. My 5th is 9000# dry and I've got a truck full of kids and wife.... and a heavy slider hitch. When loaded up I'm usually right at my 10,000# GVWR on the truck. I've been as much as a couple hundred pounds over but still well under RAWR. Also, I have a set of airbags which help a bunch. The 5th is probably right about 11,000# loaded up with some water in the tanks.
I have a question? If your 5th wheel is 9000 lbs dry that would be about an 1800 pound pimweight so how can the truck be loaded with wife, kids and a heavy slider hitch are you right at the 10,000 pound GVWR on the truck? I am looking at 8000 lb 5th wheel the dry pin weight is 1600lbs and With the family in the truck I am at 10,000lbs GVWR? My truck weighs 8400 pounds with everybody in it, and a full tank of fuel
I'm towing basically the same weight as the OP with the 3.73 and it does fine. My 5th is 9000# dry and I've got a truck full of kids and wife.... and a heavy slider hitch. When loaded up I'm usually right at my 10,000# GVWR on the truck. I've been as much as a couple hundred pounds over but still well under RAWR. Also, I have a set of airbags which help a bunch. The 5th is probably right about 11,000# loaded up with some water in the tanks.
I have a question? If your 5th wheel is 9000 lbs dry that would be about an 1800 pound pimweight so how can the truck be loaded with wife, kids and a heavy slider hitch are you right at the 10,000 pound GVWR on the truck? I am looking at 8000 lb 5th wheel the dry pin weight is 1600lbs and With the family in the truck I am at 10,000lbs GVWR? My truck weighs 8400 pounds with everybody in it, and a full tank of fuel
Great question.... it surprised me too. It all adds up really quick. Something like this:
Truck = 7200# (supposedly was 7000# when new - I'm constantly searching for the anvil that is hidden in my truck)
Me = 240#
Wife + 3 kids = 310#
Slider hitch = 250#
Pin weight of 5th dry = 1800#
Pin weight of things loaded into 5th = 300#
This is all 10,100# and I'm not even storing anything in the truck yet. Last time we were out I had a bit of firewood, kids' scooters, wife always has a bag or two of "stuff" that for whatever reason can't be put in the 5th.
Last time I was out I rolled across the scales at 10,300# on the truck.
The slider hitch is kind of a killer. Also, my usage is a bit extreme with all 5 seats in the truck being full. Only going to get worse as the kids get older (they are 8, 7 & 7 currently).
Front axle is about 4550, rear about 5750 if I remember right. 5th axles about 8600#. So I'm still 900# under my RAWR and about 600# under my GCWR. This is about as close to the max that I really like to use anything.
Yeah, it's kind of amazing how an 1800# dry pin weight 5th can overload a truck with 3000# payload so easily but it happens.
I have to say though, the more I drive this truck the more impressed with the engine I am. The tranny gearing sucks and I have the non-towing friendly 3.73. But even with those challenges I have no problem merging on uphill on-ramps and maintaining speed. The only place I struggle is the dreaded 1-2 gap going up a really steep hill. It just can't hold 2nd so I have to putt along in first at 30MPH. In the whole grand scheme of things it's really not a huge deal. Manually shifting the tranny is an absolute must though.