In desperate need of 5th wheel towing advise

[Moose2]

And you would always wear a mask--even when your alone in your house or car!

I chuckle every time I see that. I guess they are supposed to protect a person from themselves?

 

[Moose2]

Of course not Doh. The tin foil always goes in the ceiling.

I even get that wrong.......I’m doomed!

 

[steveTS]

Hello everyone! I have a 2021 ram 2500 laramie 4x4 with the 6.7 Cummins. It has a payload capacity of 1987 lbs, GAWR front 6000 lbs, GAWR REAR 6040 lbs, R rated tires, and the 5th wheel prep package. We are looking to purchase a keystone Sprinter 31MB that weights 9500 lbs dry with a pin weight of 1715 lbs. My family would roughly be 350 lbs, the hitch 250 lbs, and maybe 300 lbs in cargo. The RV dealership says that I should have no problem and to not worry about the payload numbers since occupants and cargo is already taken into account and will not count agains my total payload. I‘ve been doing my researching online and I can’t seem to find a straight answer. I contacted the dealer where I purchase the truck and RAM’s headquarters and both said they’ll have to research the information and will call me back (it’s been 4 day and no call yet). This would be my first towing experience and I’m trying to be as safe as possible. Thanks in advance.

Never trust the trailer dealers! They can give a crap! Once you sign the “stupendous “ help disappears. I will say the 2500 is a beast and you have nothing to worry about! Take the trailer for a shake down trip. Nothing long just enough to get a feel for load and braking/mileage! You’ll know fast if you need to make a change. I just bought a GD which weighs 10,950 and I am not the least bit worried.

 

[ChesterJack]

I have similar concerns and have pretty much the identical setup as you and I figured I would be over my payload capacity with just about any 5th wheel, so we are focused on some very nice Grand Design Imagines that have a hitch weight around 900lbs but with all the space amenities that we want and I think that's how we are going to go. The Cummins will pull it with ease and I will have peace of mind that I am on the road safely.

 

[Elvira]

keystone Sprinter 31MB
Dry Weight
9,625 lbs.
Payload Capacity
2,475 lbs.
GVWR
12,100 lbs.
Hitch Weight
1,715 lbs.

This is the specs for your trailer, at 35 ft, i would be looking at a 1 ton to pull and be safe with loads, although your truck does have the power to pull it. I know you have a truck already, so as someone mentioned, a smaller and lighter fifth wheel trailer is your best bet. Remember, it is not just pulling, you have to be able to stop too. Even with trailer electric brakes, it is quite a mass to bring to safe stop under normal circumstances. You mentioned dry weight for the trailer, you should be thinking gvwr, which is 12,100, to give you a clear picture of the totals you will have to deal with. Payload for your truck at 1987 lbs, deduct the trailer pin weight, 1715 lbs, then the fuel, passengers and the cargo....you are over weight. You could re-register your truck to be legal for the weight, but the safety factor is still not there.

 

[dhay13]

I have similar concerns and have pretty much the identical setup as you and I figured I would be over my payload capacity with just about any 5th wheel, so we are focused on some very nice Grand Design Imagines that have a hitch weight around 900lbs but with all the space amenities that we want and I think that's how we are going to go. The Cummins will pull it with ease and I will have peace of mind that I am on the road safely.

GD has some very nice trailers. My son is selling his 2018 Imagine 2670MK. He bought it new and pretty much lived in it for 2 years while working at job sites but he is OCD and took great care of it. Still spotless. He is near Pittsburgh, PA. Anyway, fully loaded at 8100lbs his hitch weight was 1000lbs. Advertised dry weight was 6600lbs an dadvertised tongue weight was 690lbs. My step-son has bought a 2021 Imagine 3250BH this spring and empty off the showroom floor with his 52 gallon fresh water tank full it weighed 9300lbs with 1100lbs tongue weight. I think dry weight was listed at 8600lbs and advertised tongue weight was 860ish I think.

 

[Irishthreeper]

Yep, you'll probably be fine. In my mind though...the real issue is not whether the truck can handle it. The real issues are safety and liability. The OP's case puts him WAY over rated payload. If you find yourself in trouble (accident) your insurance company absolutely has the right to deny you coverage, on top of which the courts (silly and irrational as they can be) can find you grossly negligent. This could put you in both criminal and civil litigation.

Is this a stretch? Yeah, maybe. Am I being a bit too alarmist?? Sure, I'll give you that. Is it worth it? Not to me. YRMV.

As an aside - I drive a crapload of highway miles and, call me a nerd, but I pay attention to other trucks towing. I'm amazed at the amount of squat I see so often both on bumper pull and 5th wheels. I'm terrified at how many half ton trucks loaded with families, bed loaded with coolers, bikes, etc etc, and pulling a camper with either no WDH or squatting like they didnt have one due to to improper set up. I cringe when I remember that I was once one of them.

Driving across country and back this summer I also saw an awful lot of squat, including some 3500 dually’s. A bigger problem was driving too fast. We saw many folks pulling RV’s at or over the 80 mph limit in S Dakota and other areas.
Doesn’t matter your truck can pull that fast, your RV isn’t designed to go that fast. Not to mention ability to respond to sudden events. We tended to stay in the right lane and cruise at 65.

 

[Masdix Dragon]

Hello everyone! I have a 2021 ram 2500 laramie 4x4 with the 6.7 Cummins. It has a payload capacity of 1987 lbs, GAWR front 6000 lbs, GAWR REAR 6040 lbs, R rated tires, and the 5th wheel prep package. We are looking to purchase a keystone Sprinter 31MB that weights 9500 lbs dry with a pin weight of 1715 lbs. My family would roughly be 350 lbs, the hitch 250 lbs, and maybe 300 lbs in cargo. The RV dealership says that I should have no problem and to not worry about the payload numbers since occupants and cargo is already taken into account and will not count agains my total payload. I‘ve been doing my researching online and I can’t seem to find a straight answer. I contacted the dealer where I purchase the truck and RAM’s headquarters and both said they’ll have to research the information and will call me back (it’s been 4 day and no call yet). This would be my first towing experience and I’m trying to be as safe as possible. Thanks in advance.

Honestly it looks on the surface you're going over payload but ignoring all that..some states are now weigh scaling non commercial vehicles. Just something to consider going forward.

 

[Moose2]

Driving across country and back this summer I also saw an awful lot of squat, including some 3500 dually’s. A bigger problem was driving too fast. We saw many folks pulling RV’s at or over the 80 mph limit in S Dakota and other areas.
Doesn’t matter your truck can pull that fast, your RV isn’t designed to go that fast. Not to mention ability to respond to sudden events. We tended to stay in the right lane and cruise at 65.

Me too, as I am in no hurry to get nowhere fast.

 

[Irishthreeper]

Me too, as I am in no hurry to get nowhere fast.

Moose: Being retired I try hard to slow down in all things. My theme song in earlier years was Alabama’s “I’m In A Hurry and Don’t Know Why”

 

[2020PW]

The ram trucks site under towing will tell you the exact rating of the truck by the vin.

Exceed the GCWR and your looking at legal issues if you ever have an accident. Ask your insurance company is they will still cover you if your over the GCWR.

All the towing and payload numbers are done by the SAE specification now. There is no more guessing by the manufactures.

 

[Moose2]

Moose: Being retired I try hard to slow down in all things. My theme song in earlier years was Alabama’s “I’m In A Hurry and Don’t Know Why”

I love Alabama.

 

[Rlaman]

Moose, how many miles did you get out of the Nitto Ridge Grapplers ?

 

[Fjr vfr]

I just want to state a couple things, one should Never refer to a trailers dry weight...ever! That weight is actually the striped weight as it leaves the factory without gas bottles, batteries, spare tire, etc and is at least 400lbs less than the actual empty weight. The same can be said about the hitch weight. In the real world your 5th wheel hitch weight is and should be 20% of the gross weight. Take it to the truck scale, pay the $10 and you will find you are much closer to the gross weight than you'd like to believe.
The second thing I've experienced most, (not all) dealers will tell you just what you want to hear in order to sell you. You need to do your home work before seeing the dealer. I once had a dealer at Quartzite tell me I could tow 5th wheels that 25% above my trucks tow capacity! You have to know before you go and don't buy on the spot if you haven't resourced the trailer.

 

[barr0208]

I am having a similar issue and after extensive research decided to purchase a 3500. People will say add air bags but that does not increase payload capacity. My 5er dry weighs 9600 lbs with a GVWR of 14, 000. I normally carry 12,400. The RV notes a 10-15% pin weight and RAM recommends 15%. The tag on the door says to add all passengers and cargo weight and not to exceed this number This makes my 2500 over the rated 1990 lbs cargo as noted on the door. So yes the truck Will pull it but many will say that if in a major accident this may be a problem. It also may lead to premature failure of the Transmission

i never heard of that one unless you have the asin hi output truck the 2500 and 3500 diesel use the same tranny.

 

[Irishthreeper]

i never heard of that one unless you have the asin hi output truck the 2500 and 3500 diesel use the same tranny.

Once again, a 2500 diesel is not a friend of 5th wheels. Tow it all day but almost assuredly over payload.

 

[barr0208]

Once again, a 2500 diesel is not a friend of 5th wheels. Tow it all day but almost assuredly over payload.

awsome i was not questioning the payload capacity of a 2500 versus a 3500 i was stating the fact that the tranny for both are the same and if it fails because of payload issues on a 2500 then the 3500 tranny cant handle it either??that is what i was doubting.

 

[Irishthreeper]

awsome i was not questioning the payload capacity of a 2500 versus a 3500 i was stating the fact that the tranny for both are the same and if it fails because of payload issues on a 2500 then the 3500 tranny cant handle it either??that is what i was doubting.

I was actually referring to his post, not your response. Sorry for the mixup

 

[RaptorHD]

This topic makes me laugh...

 

[81SHOVELHEAD]

My 2015 6.4 Hemi Ram 2500 has a payload capacity of 3130 & towing capacity of 12,850. No issues towing our Montana High Country 295RL with a empty pin weight of 2300 & trailer weight of 11,300.