5th Wheel Towing

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Ram4RV2500

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I have a 2015 2500 diesel Crew cab with 6.5' box. What max hitch weight, 5th wheel weight and length can I safely tow?
 

BlkZrx

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Check the yellow sticker on the door frame, will give you weight info. You're going to wish you had bought a 3500 for a decent size fiver..

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MADDOG

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You need to do a little trailer math.

First, get the Body Builder Guide for your year Ram. Find the weights and capacities for your particular model. Now load up the truck with fuel, passengers, gear, etc...and find out what it weighs loaded...

There's more.

If you get the body builder's guide, then PM me your email address and I'll send a spreadsheet that will take your weight inputs and tell you if you are under or over your trucks Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR).
 

mtofell

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Probably the biggest decision you have to make is if you want to stay within the truck's GVWR of 10,000# or let the rear axle weight (same axle as the SRW 3500 btw) dictate what you carry.

Your engine can pull just about any trailer within reason. The payload of the truck will undoubtedly be the limiting factor. There are lots of threads on the subject of towing over GVWR on a 2500. I would personally have no problem doing it. The most important numbers are tire and axle max weights. A 2500 with a good set of airbags or Timbrens is actually more capable of handling a load than a 3500 but this is where the fight usually starts. The only physical difference between a 2500 and 3500 truck is the rear suspension (this is where the airbags come into play) and some numbers on a door sticker that are rarely, if ever, enforced - at least in my state.
 
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Burla

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tow guide - need to know ur gear ratio and auto or manual tranny.

Something like 15k pounds very easily. Most 5ths are designed really well to heep the weight on the back wheels. Your payload is 2500ish, I doubt you will have any issues, most 5ths are designed to not exceed your payload.
 

mtofell

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most 5ths are designed to not exceed your payload.

Not sure I'm on board with this. After shopping for a 5th it's tough to find one of any size that doesn't exceed the payload of 2500.... especially a diesel (I concede the GVWR is artificially low). Most payloads are around 2300#. Put a slider hitch in the bed and you're down to 2100#. That means you're looking at a 10,000# LOADED 5th wheel. Which would be in the 8500-9000 dry weight at best. Cruise through some manufacturer sites and that's a rare find. Certainly a far cry from "most".
 

BossHogg

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You need to do a little trailer math.

First, get the Body Builder Guide for your year Ram. Find the weights and capacities for your particular model. Now load up the truck with fuel, passengers, gear, etc...and find out what it weighs loaded...

There's more.

If you get the body builder's guide, then PM me your email address and I'll send a spreadsheet that will take your weight inputs and tell you if you are under or over your trucks Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR).

Wow, that is an awful lot of work when you can simply open the driver's door and look for the tire pressure label which also states the truck's maximum payload.

LoadingLabe_zpsitlpryhf.jpg

I have a 2015 2500 diesel Crew cab with 6.5' box. What max hitch weight, 5th wheel weight and length can I safely tow?

Shop for fifth-wheel trailers, look for the trailer's maximum loaded weight, around 20 to 25 percent of this weight will be carried by your tow vehicle, deduct this weight from the truck's maximum payload and you will see how much capacity is left for cargo and passengers, etc., remember to reserve 200 pounds for the fifth wheel hitch weight. The 2500 Cummins will pull just over 17K pounds, length doesn't make much difference but longer trailers tow easier. Mine is 40 foot long, sounds long but it isn't that difficult to maneuver.

There are several available models in fifth wheel trailers you can safely tow.
 
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barr0208

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or to reduce your hitch weight go with the Anderson ultimate hitch I just ordered one it weighs just 40 lbs or the aluminum one which weighs 30 lbs it can take a pin up to 4500lbs and trailer weight of 24000 lbs oh and it works in a short box
 

BossHogg

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or to reduce your hitch weight go with the Anderson ultimate hitch I just ordered one it weighs just 40 lbs or the aluminum one which weighs 30 lbs it can take a pin up to 4500lbs and trailer weight of 24000 lbs oh and it works in a short box

The downside of the Anderson in short beds is the pin position is moved forward of the rear axle center reducing the already tight turning space between the truck's cab and the cap of the fiver. If you mount the Anderson 180 degrees, then the pin is behind the rear axle guaranteeing an uncomfortable tow and constant chucking on the highway.

Unless the fiver has a really unique front cap design, you really need a slider hitch to guarantee no cab/cap collisions in short bed trucks. Ask me how I know :(
 
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barr0208

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yeah that's true but a lot more fivers are coming with a special turning radius cap mine is a chaparral I have a slider right now and have not used it yet.
 

rontimmer

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Reese also makes a special Pin Box called a "side winder" which moves the pivot point from the fifth wheel hitch to where it attaches to the fifth wheel. I bought one of these so that I didn't have to get a slider and so that there was no chance of the pin box making contact with my Ram Box. So far it works really good and I like the way it handles.
 

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The only physical difference between a 2500 and 3500 truck is the rear suspension .

This just is not true.

Even if the transmission is the same 66rfe, the 3500 has different shift points, more aggressive tow/haul up and down shifting, more aggressive exhaust brake, different brake pad materials, different front spring and shock rates, different front axle weight ratings, different size rear pinions, different gear ratios, and the list goes on.

Yes, they share many common parts but to say they are the same except for rear suspension is just not accurate. Bt before you tell me i dont know what im talking about- I currently own a fleet of 6 trucks, 5 one ton duallys: 2014 big horn, 2 2015 traseman, 2 2016 tradesman and 1 2016 2500 laramie.

Below is a photo of 3 of them plus my own 2500 parked in my drive recently for the repair shop to come pick up for maintenance.
 

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hounddog

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Ultimately, it comes down to what your comfortable with, and how much you're willing to carefully pack your stuff so it shifts your weight towards the axles.

I pulled my columbus 365 (1980 dry pin weight, 2354 loaded pin weight) with our '14 2500 big horn until I needed a heavier truck for my business.

Obviously, the dually pulls it with stability, but if I'm careful loading the camper I'm very close to payload and within ALL other weight ratings of both the vehicle and the camper. Some by alot, some just barely.

I'm not advocating towing overweight, quite the opposite, but owning a dually can be very expensive.

Below- the bone stock '14 2500 with a mostly loaded camper.
The dually with fully loaded camper. The dually with a max loaded camper and a work truck my wife pulled our boat with last summer.
 

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MADDOG

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Wow, that is an awful lot of work when you can simply open the driver's door and look for the tire pressure label which also states the truck's maximum payload.

LoadingLabe_zpsitlpryhf.jpg

There's a hell of a lot more to it than just reading a sticker.
 

mtofell

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This just is not true.

Well then you are right and the rest of the world is wrong:

Differences between 2500 & 3500? - Page 2 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum


http://www.ramforum.com/f158/2500_vs_3500_ride_difference-89196/

The only thing I might clarify is that sometimes the tires on some 2500s are rated a bit lower on some years/brands but essentially the ONLY differences are at the rear end. All the stuff you list - brakes, shift points, etc, etc. are EXACTLY the same. Shopping for parts is where this becomes apparent. They are all the same between 2500/3500.
 

hounddog

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Well then you are right and the rest of the world is wrong:

Differences between 2500 & 3500? - Page 2 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum


http://www.ramforum.com/f158/2500_vs_3500_ride_difference-89196/

The only thing I might clarify is that sometimes the tires on some 2500s are rated a bit lower on some years/brands but essentially the ONLY differences are at the rear end. All the stuff you list - brakes, shift points, etc, etc. are EXACTLY the same. Shopping for parts is where this becomes apparent. They are all the same between 2500/3500.
Sorry, but you are flat out wrong.

But the fact I own a fleet makes you more knowledgeable I guess. LOL at your claim to understand these trucks.

Normally, I am a pretty easy guy to get along with but I just can't stand know it all who know nothing about what they're spewing on about..
 

mtofell

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Sorry, but you are flat out wrong.

But the fact I own a fleet makes you more knowledgeable I guess. LOL at your claim to understand these trucks.

Normally, I am a pretty easy guy to get along with but I just can't stand know it all who know nothing about what they're spewing on about..


So, specifically what am I wrong about?

the 3500 has different shift points?, more aggressive tow/haul up and down shifting?, more aggressive exhaust brake?, different brake pad materials?, different front spring and shock rates?, different front axle weight ratings?, different size rear pinions? (okay, the DRW does have different so I guess this is technically a difference but only the DRW), different gear ratios?

That's 0 for 8 and 1 on a technicality.

Give me some facts not insults and I'll happily admit I'm wrong.
 

BossHogg

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There's a hell of a lot more to it than just reading a sticker.

No there isn't.

The two placards in the driver's door jamb provide a set of numbers that covers gross vehicle weight, combined vehicle weight, axle weight ratings, payload, etc. You should not exceed any one of or any combination of these numbers.
 

cptwing

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Boss that sticker you posted is not from your truck is it? Seems kind of low for your truck? The number on that sticker is just one of several that should be adhered too. In my case the max payload is very high and I would exceed my max tow rating (an abysmal 12,500) way before coming anywhere near max payload.

IMG_1068[197].jpg
 
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BossHogg

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Boss that sticker you posted is not from your truck is it? Seems kind of low for your truck? The number on that sticker is just one of several that should be adhered too. In my case the max payload is very high and I would exceed my max tow rating (an abysmal 12,500) way before coming anywhere near max payload.

View attachment 85118

It is from my truck, 2015 3500 Longhorn SRW. It is optioned out and the weight of the options totals up quickly. I only posted the placard to show that the manufacturer publishes the payload of the truck and for no other reason simply because the OP was asking about 2500HDs. With a 2500, it would be difficult to exceed any one of the other numbers before payload was reached.
 
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