Community Forums

ardvark16 · 11-20-2020, 07:49 PM

I am down to these choices. I do not have a 5th wheel prep in my 2019 Ram 2500 but would add one. Any advice? Is it just easier to go with a tt or should I upgrade to a 5er?

tuffr2 · 11-20-2020, 08:31 PM

I priced having 5th wheel rails added to my F-250 without the 5th wheel prep package. That was $800 but I would have the old fashion rails which I do not like. I also priced having a turn over gooseneck ball added to my truck and that would be $1,200.

Then I looked for a truck with the 5th wheel prep package and really did not find one I liked as much as the truck I already had. I even looked for a Nissan Titan XD with the gooseneck prep package but I would loose over 1,000lbs of payload with the smaller truck.

My truck does not have a camera that shows the bed so using just a gooseneck ball will not work. I would need to use the Anderson Ultimate hitch if I had my truck modified to tow a 5th wheel.

I am hoping I find a travel trailer that I like so I do not need to modify my truck.

I had a big 5th wheel before and the height was an issue with low hanging wires the went across the street at my house. When I sold it I towed it to a place with more low hanging lines and my wife said it actually hit the line.

Travel trailer vs 5th wheel - a travel trailer is 10.5' high and a 5th wheel is 12.5' to 13'2" high.

1st-tt2018 · 11-21-2020, 04:49 AM

I had the 5th wheel added to mine. I habe the rails. I do not habe a garage to keep the hitch in so it stays in the truck so i was not worried about the puck system. 2200 installed for an autoslider.

xc-mark · 11-21-2020, 05:47 AM

The rail system can be added to any production line truck with a reasonable payload rating. Having said that I had a rail system in the bed of my GMC3500 from Demco autoslide. There 18K premium autoslide hitch works well , not much noise and once it had a few miles to break it in it connected a locked easy. Brand new it was so tight in the jaws it so times was hard to lock, that went away after 300 miles of towing. The hitch would slide to the rear of the bed by itself with zero drivers input any time the truck turned 30* or more. This will save you a body shop visit and about $3500 the first time you back you truck into a tight site.

A Good friend of mine just did this with his toy hauler that the dealer said it really is your option if you want a sliding hitch .

Most Gas motor 250 /2500 trucks can safely put 2700lbs of pin weight in the bed , If yours is a diesel then that number is lower by about 500lbs. DONT go by the manufactures pin weight that isnt what you will see for real world weight. Take roughly 22% of the gross weight of the trailer and that's your real world pin weight + or - 3%. Every truck has differnt payload and tow ratings but most 250/2500 can handle up to about 11,000lb gross weight trailer. this is a very general statement that many will argue I can tow "18,000lbs " , Yes you can but your pin weight will far exceed the payload rating of your rear axle well before you get to your gross combine weight raiting. Most 350/3500 SRW trucks are safe to about 14,000~15,000 lb 5th wheels again your rear axle will be over weight rateing of the OEM.

Bottom line the hitch is easy , the hard part is understanding how to not overload your truck and your trucks rear tires / axle rating.

5th wheels is much more stable towing and better on the highway with cross wind and Semi passing. I will most likely never own a travel trailer again.

Rhagfo · 11-21-2020, 06:22 PM

I would buy the 5th wheel prep kit from Ram and install or have it installed. Nothing beats a flat bed floor.
I had rails in a previous TV and while not a major pain did have their issues.

ardvark16 · 11-22-2020, 02:24 PM

Well. Wife finally decided. We are going with the TT because she wanted the outside door to the bedroom. I can’t argue it.

1st-tt2018 · 11-22-2020, 02:28 PM

Yup, that's the truth![emoji16]

Cumminsfan · 11-23-2020, 09:04 AM

That door does come in handy at times. We added the solid steps to our TT at the rear entry. Having the regular style steps at the bedroom makes entry easier when pulled into rest stops or any other parking lots for a quick stop.

ardvark16 · 03-18-2021, 06:06 PM

So I had this thread about choosing a 5er or a tt. Went with a tt because of the door to the bedroom. The order has been delayed several times and now it’s into the summer. My wife has had plenty of time to look. She now wants to consider a 5er since the weight is similar to the tt and it seems “nicer”. Can anyone tell me what I can expect to pay to have a hitch installed since I don’t have a puck system? Is this something I can negotiate with the purchase? Also. The 5th wheel is 3” Taller than the tt I ordered but they are both 32’. So I assume the 5er would be easier to manage. The height of 3” is negligible. Other than figuring out how to manage a different tracking behavior behind my truck. Is it a big deal to switch to a 5er? I have a 2500 gas ram and am looking at a reflection 150 274bh.
10195gvwr. 1338 hitch dry. My truck says it’s payload is 3100 and can tow up to 14500. 21500 gcwr.
The trailer was 9995 gvwr 1100 tongue dry. Prob more like 1500

I know this is extra as hell. Any advice would be great.

nicky8668 · 03-18-2021, 06:13 PM

Actually, you’ll be better with TT. Most 5ers would put 3/4 ton to their upper limits.

Cumminsfan · 03-18-2021, 06:26 PM

If you're on the fence I'll push you to the 5th wheel side. Can't tell you how much it would cost to have the hitch installed. I did have rails installed on my 12 Ram and IIRC it was around 250? Takes a few hours. Not sure what pucks would be. Doesn't seem like that much more work. May be less? Rails are cheaper but not as clean.
I would call around to some hitch shops and get an estimate.

ardvark16 · 03-18-2021, 06:32 PM

Can someone explain how I would be at 2500lbs in the bed on that model? I don’t want to struggle at all. I know that they are the gd 1/2 ton model (har har) but are they really too heavy for a 3/4 ton with a 3000lb payload?

cfowler55 · 03-18-2021, 06:43 PM

With 3100 ccc on your truck I think you would be fine with the GD 150 series Reflections. I also think they all come with a turning point pin box , which will eliminate having to go with a heavier, more expensive slider hitch if you have a short bed truck.
Charlie

nicky8668 · 03-18-2021, 07:05 PM

I personally will never tow a 5er with my specific truck. My 3/4 ton has 2995 lbs ccc. 5600 lbs and 6340 lbs axle ratings. These ratings are pretty average for 3/4 ton trucks. A 10000 lbs 5er would transfer at least 2000 lbs to the bed. Tonneau cover, LineX, bed mat, and misc would be another 200-250 lbs. A 5er hitch would be 200 lbs. A family of 3 plus dog weigh 400-500 lbs. I’d be very lucky if it’s not over the ccc, but would be very close to the upper limit. But I think I maybe ok if go by axle rating.

Btw, a 10000 lbs 5er is pretty “light”. And many folks high trim diesel 3/4 ton trucks’ ccc is more like 2300-2500 lbs. If it doesn’t work out on paper, it would likely be overloaded on CAT scale.