5th wheel with a Chevy 5'8" bed

[challrv]

is anybody doing this ? (gm says no)what brand of hitch are you using ? what brand of fw are you towing ? or should we just stick with a travel trailer ? thanx for you help guys long time reader first time poster

[450Donn]

Welcome to the forum. Bed length will have far less impact on towing a fiver than the truck itself. Is this a Colorado? Or more something like the SSR?
Generally for a fifth wheel mainly because of the high pin weight (that is the amount of weight placed directly on the truck) fifth wheels are not recommended for 1/2 ton pickups. That is not to say that some folks don't do it. But after towing marginal and then towing the same load with a truck suited to the load it is no longer an argument for me.

[challrv]

the truck is a 2008 chevy 1500 crew cab 4x4 gvw is 7500lb the owners manual says not suited for fw towing the rv sales says they do lots of short beds we used to pull a fw toyhaluer a few years back different truck/trailer set-up have the 1/2ton now thinking about getting back into a towable rv tradeing to a different truck is probably not an option right now

[jperry29]

challrv,

Here is a piece I wrote for someone else. It is very applicable to your inquiry.

Taking a comprehensive look at a towing match-up one has to look at gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), front gross axle weight rating (GAW), rear GAW and gross combined weight rating (GCWR).

GVWR = the maximum weight the vehicle can be loaded to, regardless of the source of the weight

GCWR = the maximum weight of the combination of truck and trailer

GAWR = the maximum weight the individual axle is rated for

Using this knowledge makes it possible to calculate the realistic towing capacity of the vehicle you are interested in.

Every year Trailer Life Directory publishes a towing guide. In this guide they describe a hypothetical example, it goes like this:

"Consider a fictional one-ton longbed, diesel, extended-cab, 2WD, single-rear-wheel pickup set up for towing. We'll arbitrarily assign it a GVWR of 9,900 pounds, a front GAWR of 5,000 pounds, a rear GAWR of 6,824 pounds, a GCWR of 23,000 pounds and a quoted maximum tow rating of 17,000 pounds.

As is often the case in single-rear-wheel trucks, the rear axle's GAWR on this truck is derived from each tire's maximum load of 3,412 pounds. Pickups such as this normally start at more than 6,000 pounds, and with a diesel, automatic and nice trim, figure that with a full tank of fuel and hitch, this unit weighs 7,000 pounds. If we add two "standard-size" people (154 pounds each), a few tools and some cargo, it weighs 7,500 pounds. That is split to 4,000 pounds on the front axle, and 3,500 pounds on the rear axle.

The first thing you should have noticed is that the maximum tow rating cannot apply with the truck fully loaded because GCWR (23,000) minus GVWR (9,900) leaves 13,100 pounds - about two tons less than quoted towing ability. After adding options and people to the example truck, and subtracting that value (7,500) from GCWR (23,000), the effective working tow rating of the truck becomes 15,500 pounds, about 1,500 pounds less than the truck's quoted maximum towing rating of 17,000."

BUT, that is not all. You have to check all the numbers and verify that a 15,500-pound trailer will work. If that trailer is a 5th wheel and has 20 percent of its weight on the pin (a generally accepted percentage), that adds 3,100 pounds to the back of the truck. This would make the truck overweight - its 7,500-pound ready -to-roll weight plus the 3,100 pounds on the pin equals 10,600 pounds - 700 pounds more than the truck's GVWR, and just 224 pounds shy of the rear-axle limit of 6,824 pounds.

So, while manufacturers publish a maximum tow rating, it is a rare occasion that it is meaningful. Without doing the full calculation you really do not know what your limits are.

In the 2009 towing guide, of 71 Ford F-150 cab/engine/wheel base combinations, only 5 are rated at 11,300 pounds. One of the common footnotes to get to this rating requires 3.55:1 or 3.73:1 gears (improved towing power, poor fuel mileage (I have 4.88:1 in mine and the mileage is awful)).

I have been saying a lot but have not yet given you a direct answer to your direct question. I would say, "Yes" you should be able to easily tow a 6,000 pound TT unless you have some really heavy modifications like extra fuel tanks, tool boxes or bolt on equipment like a welder.

I can't say the same for a 5th wheel. If you can really find one that is truly 6,000 pounds, then yeah, the math will probably work out. I just have a hard time envisioning what that 5th wheel would look like.

I really hope this has helped. When I graduated from a pop-up to a 5th wheel it really took me some time to get my mind around this weight thing. But I am glad I did. More than anything else, I know I can stop and I don't break the truck every time I do a tow (two problems I briefly had).

If you need anything else, just ask.

[NLOVNIT]

Never, ever, EVER believe the rv sales folks. They'll tell you anything to sell you an rv. Now there are some 5-r's out now that are supposedly rated to tow with a 1/2-ton truck (Titaniums & Keystone Cougars are ones I've actually seen with a sticker right on them reading "1/2-ton towable); however, you have to be very careful not to go over your axle rating for the hitch or your trucks CGWV (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) & the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) for your truck plus your rv. All you have to do is read through past posts in the TT/5-r Towing Issues Forum to learn about what you can & can't tow with a 1/2 ton 4x4 truck.

Very shortly, there will be some extremely knowledgeable members (way more so than I who's towed a 5-r with a 6ft bed Chevy) who will post valuable info. Read what they have to say & by taking their advice you won't go wrong - they did right by me when we were shopping for a 5-r. Good luck with your search & let us know what you find (or post back with more questions).

P.S. to Mods: Where's Ken Lenger's calc spreadsheet post? The search with this new software drives me nuts - it won't narrow it down like the old search sofware did. A link to THAT would be most helpful here. Even better would be to find that post & make it a STICKY at the top of this Forum, for future reference.

Lori-

[K-Star]

The SuperSlide by PullRite is probably the best solution for anyone towing with a shortbed truck.

Just make sure you know the weight of your truck and what the GVWR/GCWR is. Load it up as you would to go RV'ing, fill the fuel tank and get it weighed. Add about 125 #'s for the hitch. That is the only sure way you can shop for a 5er. You are almost certainly will be looking at ultra lite weight 5ers.

Not sure what type of RV you are interested in, but 5ers will maxout the GVWR of a truck long before it maxs the GCWR. That said, you may want to look at TT's also. They have much lower hitch weights than 5ers.

[TXiceman]

First thing to do is forget everything that the RV dealer or sales person has told you. Learn the terms and how to do the math for yourself. The salesman is there only to sell RV's and not be your friend or educator.

Just follow the advice above. The 1/2 ton truck will pull a much larger travel trailer than a 5th wheel due to the pin weight and limited GVWR of a 1/2 ton truck.

Ken

[Hitchhiker]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT P.S. to Mods: Where's Ken Lenger's calc spreadsheet post? Lori-

Lori,

Is this site the one you're looking for?

[NLOVNIT]

THAT's it, Richard. That's the spreadsheet I used when we were looking for our 5-r a while back. I think it would be of great help to put that link in a separate post & STICKY it to stay at the top of the Towing Issues Forum. JMO.

Lori-

P.S. I screwed up the initials for Gross Vehicle Weight Rating in #5 above, shoulda read GVWR (not CGWV - that stands for CampGround in West Virginia!). I knew better, my fingers just didn't.

[wandering1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by challrv the truck is a 2008 chevy 1500 crew cab 4x4 gvw is 7500lb the owners manual says not suited for fw towing the rv sales says they do lots of short beds we used to pull a fw toyhaluer a few years back different truck/trailer set-up have the 1/2ton now thinking about getting back into a towable rv tradeing to a different truck is probably not an option right now

Get the right truck to do the job. 1/2 ton shortbed 4x4 is the wrong truck. Get at least a 3/4 ton long bed 2wd to haul a 5er. You have one of those neeet looking play trucks,, not a truck for RVing. Light truck with a short wheel base could be a recipe for disaster depending on just how much you want to overload it. I have seen a few that have lost control and rolled and killed and injured their children because they wanted to stick with a neet truck. Dont listen to the dealers, remember they are iin business to sell vehicles and couldnt care less about your safety or anybody elses.

[Broadstone]

Because of changes in circumstances we have most recently been traveling with motorized RV's but we rate the 5th wheel campers over most other methods for lots of reasons. We have had 2 and towed both with short bed F-250 3/4 ton diesel trucks. Because, in both cases, the trucks were also daily users, our preference was for the more maneuverable 6' bed, especially when combined with crew cabs. Dealers and experienced 5th wheelers alike advised us that the short bed would not provide enough clearance at the cab to accommodate sharp turns especially with elevation changes. We found this not to be the case. Our hitch was a slider which had approx 10" of travel and although I usually moved it to the rear position in tight backing situations for the slight advantage that this position provided, it wasn't necessary. This is not to say that there may not be combinations of trucks and campers where this could be a problem; it just wasn't the case for us. In reference to some of the above comments, I agree that bigger trucks are better.

[wandering1]

Read this: http://hubpages.com/hub/Should-Short...w-Fifth-Wheels

[Broadstone]

I read the info suggested in Wandering1's post wherein it stated that the issue is resolved because some GM rep said that towing a 5th wheel with a 6' bed is not recommended. Also, was he only referring to GM trucks?? The article didn't explain why or even that towing with the long bed WAS recommended but I'd say that it's still an unresolved question. With both configurations the pin is directly over the rear axle and similar suspension duty is available for both. Although I may never tow a 5th wheel camper again, I am very curious to know the reasoning. I towed 2 different fivers with 2 different 4WD short bed F250 diesels and towing was a dream. Also, the short beds are more maneuverable in tight situations. If I ever do go back to 5th wheeling, with the knowledge and experience that I have, I would choose the short bed again. Is there some safety issue that I'm overlooking?

[diandtom]

I tow with a 2500 Chevy CC short bed. It has been great pulling our fiver. If I need a new truck I would get a dually as I am so limited to what I can tow. I do use this truck as my everyday transportation, so that the reason for the 2500 short bed and it still a fit in some parking lots. Next one a dually and have a big fit on parking lots.
Tom