Any input help on new TT/5th wheel.

[Hans1979]

Hello all. Currently have a 2019 ram 2500 Tradesman 6.4 with 3.73 short box. Looking at selling our home and going full time RV for our family of 5 for 6-12 months. While in the market trying to find out what will be both safe, legal and comfortable to tow. We are planning on staying in AZ at property for 6 months and then towing back to home state of Texas for good. So we don't plan on towing mountains much if at all and won't be moving spots every few weeks. Current specs are Max payload:3213.09 lbs, Max Towing: 14713 lbs, GCVWR of 21,500. As it stands i think we are down to two trailers. Both grand design. 3250BH bumper pull with GCVW of 10,195 and tongue weight around 1200. next up is a grand design 31MB with GVWR of 11995 and pin weight of 1,834. I do not plan on using a 5th wheel hitch but switching to a goose box to save weight and bed space. I have crunched the numbers and I can honestly say i don't really ever plan on towing with anyone in the truck. so mainly unloaded with a few odds and ends. I need to hit the scales to check a real world weight. I am trying to crunch numbers but if i am ever stopped will they combine the GVWR of the max number on the truck with the GVWR on the trailer and then state that the max of the combined two is 21,995 which is over the GCVWR of the truck. or is it based off actual scaled weight of the combination? I am very OCD about these things and basically refuse to tow something that is not legal due to not wanting the fallout if God forbid an accident happens.
Thanks in advance for any help with this

 

[AFMoulton]

It’s a possibility they could add your numbers and cite you, will it happen probably not. The truck will do it, but you have to climb some serious mountains to go from AZ to Texass so it will struggle.

My trailer is 9995 GVWR, and we were right there at that weight. If you stay around 60mph, it doesn’t work too hard. Control your gears with the switch on the column.

5th wheel will tow easier than that long ass bumper pull. And the winds in west Texas are absolutely zero fun with that giant sail behind you.

This is our set up. Tongue Weight is right at 1500#s. Used my weigh safe hitch to figure that number.





2018 Ram 2500 6.4L 4x4
Amsoil SS 0W-40

 

[Hans1979]

Thanks for the reply and Awesome looking setup. I spent the first 20 years of my life as a West Texas farm kid so a 20 mph wind to us was considered a light breeze. . I am not a speed demon by any means so 55-60 is comfortable and if i lose some speed on hills its not the end of the world. Main goal is to remain safe and legal. The bumper pull is 36'11" in th GD website and not sure if that's with tongue length added or not. with the bumper pull I'm still 1300 under GCVWR so that one doesn't cause me any concern on scales. will be heading to CAT scales on wednesday when looking at trailers in person.

 

[dhay13]

Not that it will put you over payload but that tongue weight is pretty light. My son has a 2018 Grand Design Imagine 2670MK and his tongue weight was around 1100lbs. His is about 32' from tip to tip. He has a 2018 2500 6.4 with 4.10's and it towed it easily. We just towed it 1400 miles to Texas about 5 weeks ago and last year he towed it 1500 miles to North Dakota and back.

You should probably be ok with either of those but definitely a good idea to get actual weights

Here is my sons setup with a weigh slip.

 

[AFMoulton]

dhay is right, tongue weight will be 10-15% of the loaded trailer weight.


2018 Ram 2500 6.4L 4x4
Amsoil SS 0W-40

 

[dhay13]

Not that it will put you over payload but that tongue weight is pretty light. My son has a 2018 Grand Design Imagine 2670MK and his tongue weight was around 1100lbs. His is about 32' from tip to tip. He has a 2018 2500 6.4 with 4.10's and it towed it easily. We just towed it 1400 miles to Texas about 5 weeks ago and last year he towed it 1500 miles to North Dakota and back.

You should probably be ok with either of those but definitely a good idea to get actual weights

Here is my sons setup with a weigh slip.

Something to keep in mind that I would probably not realize if I was just reading this but this weigh slip shows the trailer being 7060lb. That is not including the 1100lb tongue weight that is being transferred to the truck. So the total weight of the trailer alone would be about 8100lbs. Dry weight on the Grand Design site says about 6600 IIRC

 

[NH RAM]

First off, I wouldn't want to spend 6-12 months in a travel trailer- the ceilings are too low. I've done a few two-week trips with ours and being 6'2, it's noticeable, it just feels small. Second, the winds are far more noticeable and the overall towing experience in a travel trailer and a fifth wheel are worlds apart. The 5w is more stable towing and once setup unless you're blocking the trailer or something similar. My current 9600# empty weight Cougar 5W tows better than my travel trailer that was 7500# loaded. Similar fuel economy. The auto leveling feature is far better than the previous setup I had in the travel trailer (Coleman 2855BH).

I haven't hit the scales yet as there were none within 45 minutes of my trip but I suspect that I'm near 11,500# loaded and I think it handled the weight quite well between NH and Maine. I don't have a lot of big inclines to deal with en route but there's a couple good ones and the 8 speed helps with finding the right gear.

If you get stopped, they should have portable scales if they want to question with your weight.

 

[Toddz]

Hello all. Currently have a 2019 ram 2500 Tradesman 6.4 with 3.73 short box. Looking at selling our home and going full time RV for our family of 5 for 6-12 months. While in the market trying to find out what will be both safe, legal and comfortable to tow. We are planning on staying in AZ at property for 6 months and then towing back to home state of Texas for good. So we don't plan on towing mountains much if at all and won't be moving spots every few weeks. Current specs are Max payload:3213.09 lbs, Max Towing: 14713 lbs, GCVWR of 21,500. As it stands i think we are down to two trailers. Both grand design. 3250BH bumper pull with GCVW of 10,195 and tongue weight around 1200. next up is a grand design 31MB with GVWR of 11995 and pin weight of 1,834. I do not plan on using a 5th wheel hitch but switching to a goose box to save weight and bed space. I have crunched the numbers and I can honestly say i don't really ever plan on towing with anyone in the truck. so mainly unloaded with a few odds and ends. I need to hit the scales to check a real world weight. I am trying to crunch numbers but if i am ever stopped will they combine the GVWR of the max number on the truck with the GVWR on the trailer and then state that the max of the combined two is 21,995 which is over the GCVWR of the truck. or is it based off actual scaled weight of the combination? I am very OCD about these things and basically refuse to tow something that is not legal due to not wanting the fallout if God forbid an accident happens.
Thanks in advance for any help with this

I keep looking at your post and I am trying to figure out if I am looking at it wrong. According to the numbers you posted, the closest you get to GCWR towing either trailer still leaves you with 3,213 lbs to left over. It might be a couple hundred pounds less once you roll across a CAT scale to get your trucks actual weight, but you are good with either trailer according to the numbers.

 

[Toddz]

Now deciding which trailer you like best is the challenging part. I have owned and towed both types of trailers (current is a bumper pull). The 5th wheel tracks better in the wind, but if you have a good hitch set up properly, neither trailer will give the Ram 2500 issues especially if you keep it under 65.

 

[Firebird]

We pull a Heartland North Trail, 34.5 feet total length, bumper pull. I have 4.10 gears, and it is a piece of cake to cruise at 70mph, however, I prefer margin, so usually I'm at 65 mph. My tongue weight is around 780 lbs, and the 6.4 never misses a beat.

 

[14hemiexpress]

I'm pulling a east to west 28krd with my 19 6.4l 3.73. I'm sitting at just over 35 ft long. Brochure says 6800 actual empty was 7200. Empty hitch weight was 780. Loaded up I'm about 7900 with out water 8200 with. Hitch weight is right about 1050. It pulls great but make sure you get a good hitch and take the time to set it up properly 37ft is a healthy sized trailer but i wouldnt hesitate to hook up to it and go.

Now as far as lay out goes I think you'll be happier in the travel trailer vs the fifth wheel I say that mainly because the travel trailer has beds for all 3 of you kids. (I'm assuming 3 kids being you said family of 5) you won't be always hindered to making and un making a bed I have 2 kids and it's perfect they each have there own bunk and any mess stays contained. My brother full times in a 28 ft trailer (24 box) with 4 kids all they have is 2 bunks and dinette I'm not sure how he does it but he does.

Wind will suck but I think mountain passes in new Mexico will suck more just dont be in a hurry and you'll be fine.

 

[Spedly]

We tow a Grand Design 31MB with my 19 6.4 2500. The ruck pulls it a lot better then I expected on flat ground. I thought I was going to miss my Cummins truck but that hasn’t been the case. Our pin weight is generally in the 2200-2400 range so no problems keeping the truck within its payload rating.