5th wheel and half tons

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by Ted Lambert

Very impressive, but running a truck engine for power while camping seems like over kill.
But as a service truck in an industrial setting makes a whole lot of sense.

With cylinder deactivation it could easily be a 2 or 3 cylinder....whatever it needs to be.

[JIMNLIN]

JIMNLIN - I knew I saw Chevy 1500HD trucks. Do you happen to know the RAWR on the 2019 and newer GM 1500 series trucks? I do not.

hmmm...not the 2019 but when the wife bought her 2016 1500 chevy crew cab 5.3 6 speed 4wd the NHT option was a 4300 rawr. I'm not sure what the latest NHT RAWR is now.
Maybe someone has one and can tell us.

[Cumminsfan]

You're cheating.

Most 1/2 ton 5er owners don't have the HDPP.
If they all did there'd be no debating.

[Old Bill]

You're right!
Sorry about that. I'll stay away from the F150 comparisons in the future.

[Roy-c]

Just saying, I don't ever recall seeing a post where anyone is unhappy because they bought too much truck yet I keep seeing posts where people ask is this enough truck for what I want to do. I can say that my neighbor has a F150 with the turbo v6 eco boost and I have a 2500 Ram hemi. We have towed a boat trailer with 24' boat with both trucks ( yes I realize it isn't an RV ) and while the F150 would do the job there is no comparison between the 2 trucks in ability. Go big or go home. JMHO.

[Fiesta48]

Check the specs BEFORE you buy either.
We pull a '18 Grand Designs 230RL 150 series behind '17 Ram 1500 with 5.7 L, 392 hp, 3.90 axle.
Pulls easily under spec. Gets 12 mpg loaded, 22 without.

[tuffr2]

The best two RAWR I know of are the Ford HDPP with 4,800lbs capacity and the Nissan Titan XD with a 4,900lb RAWR capacity.

For camparison these are the most muscled up half ton trucks built.

A normal 3/4 ton truck will have at least 6,000lb RAWR and Rams with a 6,500lb RAWR.

[LERD]

I am pulling a 2007 Copper Canyon 252 FWRLS with a 2013 F150 3.5l ecoboost engine and 3:55 gears. When i first crunched the numbers on this rig, I thought we were good weight wise. But since I have the 5.5 ft bed, only a Pullrite hitch would work. That added almost 400 unexpected pounds to my payload. The RV was 7100 lbs empty and 1100 lbs pi weight. We weighed everything we have put in and I believe we pull at 8400-8500 lbs and 1500 lbs pin weight.
So I am over budget about 500 lbs. Thats us, dog and tools. [Trust me, 50% of that excess weight is me!] To help with the added weight, I added a set of Timbrens, 10 ply tires and a set of Powerstop brakes just because I needed brakes anyways.
Is the truck safe and capable? You bet. Does the truck handle and pull the camper with confidence. Oh yeah. Engine braking, check And the acceleration is all there. In the W.V. and Virginia Mountains I passed everything that wasn't doing 65 mph. That's my pre-set limit. I do have a class A CDL, so I am very versed in proper towing techniques.
While towing, I am averaging between 7.0 - 9.0 miles per gallon depending on wind and terrain. Would I do this combo again? Yes. But as I am nearing retirement, I would like a slightly larger 5er, and that really does mean a larger truck.

[Toby Dog]

BTW Buba has 2 Bs in it. It's Bubba.

[Horace479]

Originally Posted by Ted Lambert

I would like to hear from people who tow a 5th wheel with a half ton.
Make and model of trailer and truck.

I am not interested in hearing about pros and cons . 1/2 tons versus 3/4 tons.

I want to hear about 1/2 tons only and what you tow.

I towed a fiver with a half for ten years coast to coast and recently bought a new truck and bumper hitch trailer. Wished I would have went to a fiver.

This thread should give a chance to have some discussions on what people are towing with 1/2 tons.
Too often BUBA takes the spotlight about his 3/4 ton and that only those should be allowed on the road. And threads become a contest of I'm bigger and better.

Sorry if I offended anybody but I have read the pros and cons a zillion times.
Now I would really like to hear and see pictures of actual not theoretical, of what people are towing.

I will be looking at a changing in the spring!

Diminishing marginal returns. The whole reason people moved to fifth wheels is that they can toe longer heavier loads safely. Fifth wheels by design decrease the possibility of the trailer whipsawing the truck. Because you’re driving a half ton you by necessity need a lighter trailer which reduces the need for a fifth wheel configuration. All the additional expense of setting up a fifth wheel is lost because the trailers are so much lighter. 22’ trailers are just fine as bumper pulls and significantly less expensive. Hope this helps and is just my opinion.

[asherdav]

I've had my cougar 25res,7525# for 2years now and haven't had any problems. 2017 f150 3.5 ecoboost with Auto slider . 10 speed transmission, max payload capacity, PIN weight is 1600#.

[Deny]

We are toying with the same change

We have a Cougar 22rbs xlite bumper pull and like it.

Cougar (by keystone) makes a 1/2 ton towable 5th wheel...They never seem to be available to view, we ran into the same thing when we ordered our current rig....it has 2 recliners and a king bed..weighs 6k dry and pulls great with our 9400 lb rated gmc 1/2 ton

[kmanning]

Hi,
I had a 26ft 5er with slide unloaded weight 7200lbs. I towed with a 2015 F150 5L with 373 rear end and it had a 6 speed tranny.
I had the super slide since it was a 5.5 box.
Had lots of power and no issues towing. Only mountains I did was in northern Quebec.

[GL243]

Ted - it might not have been said clearly enough here, but you need to see what the the payload or cargo carrying capacity is on the door sticker of your GMC, and figure out just how much of it you'll have left to go towards pin weight of whatever 5th wheel you're considering after you put your hitch, gear, human and other animal species bodies, tools, beverage cooler, hand sanitizer, and anything/everything else that weighs anything in or on the truck. Although some here appear to be saying it's no problem to go over your truck's payload or axle weight bearing capacities, those limits are there for a reason, and having something break and causing a wreck that hurts or kills someone could sure give their or their survivors' lawyers something to prove you were negligent and get way more out of you than your insurance coverage will pay. So the numbers are important, but towing capacity is very misleading in terms of showing what you can actually tow.