Community Forums

cooncreekers · 05-21-2016, 01:02 PM

So i am sick of looking at 5th wheels! Never thought it would be this hard to find a suitable trailer that dh's truck will pull. The thread about "what to buy first,a truck or a trailer", well take my advice, buy a truck first,cause it sure does limit the choices.we have a 350 with srw. So much less capacity than a dually. I know i know. Hindsight is 20/20! Every thing i find is too damn heavy.......

MSHappyCampers · 05-21-2016, 01:07 PM

I don't have the specs, but I would think with the F350 you would be able to pull most up to maybe 36'. We had a F250 SRW and pulled a 36' Cedar Creek. As I remember the loaded weight of that 5er was just under 13,000 lbs. I thought the F350 would pull up around 15,000.

jimcumminsw · 05-21-2016, 02:45 PM

I have a 2500 Ram Mega Cab with the 6.7L Cummins engine and I am pulling a 2016 34RL Cedar Creek with no issues at all. This is a 37' long trailer measured from pin box to rear cap with three slides. I towed this through the Eisenhower pass last summer doing 55 MPH and in 5th gear, transmission temps were never over 190F and EGT's were under 800F.

raineman · 05-21-2016, 02:51 PM

Bummer. But glad to read that you are sticking with the math of what to tow safely and comfortably instead of going along with others that brag Or suggest towing overloaded or at the limits. Maybe time to bite the bullet and upgrade the truck. Either way, good luck.

cooncreekers · 05-21-2016, 03:18 PM

Yep the gtw of truck capacity is 15,700. I guess i have just been looking at heavy trailers? Dh says it WOULD pull em, but its not RATED TO.

monkey · 05-21-2016, 03:22 PM

Take the "weight police" here with a grain of salt... Many good things to read and know,,, And better safe than sorry... BUT,,, Many newer trucks out there 3/4 and 1 ton SRW are very capable of towing a medium size trailer. Our 2015 Silverado 2500 crew cab 4x4 has a "AVAILABLE" pin weight of 3000 lbs... Yes thats with hitch, full fuel and DW / kids. (weighed by me) No, I wouldn't say max out anything, BUT,,, our pin weight on a near 10,000 lb 5th wheel is 1900 lbs. It all depends on where the axles are on the trailer and where things are located. So we could go bigger,, but this one fits us fine. If you want a house size 40'+ then yes, you will need a dually.. Weigh the truck,,, Our setup works out to a 19% tongue weight. Others may vary. Main thing with anything big is remeber its not a little car....

MSHappyCampers · 05-21-2016, 03:44 PM

I remember going through the same thing before buying the 36' Cedar Creek. For some reason, the Cedar Creek was a LOT lighter than other 36' 5ers. I don't know if that's still true, but you might want to check them out!

Gary RVRoamer · 05-22-2016, 07:25 AM

Quote:

I would think with the F350 you would be able to pull most up to maybe 36'. We had a F250 SRW and pulled a 36' Cedar Creek. As I remember the loaded weight of that 5er was just under 13,000 lbs. I thought the F350 would pull up around 15,000.

The likely issue with large 5W weight will be Payload, not Tow Rating. A 5W puts a minimum of 20% of its gross weight on the hitch pin. so a 15,000 lb 5W requires a truck payload in excess of 3000 lbs PLUS what ever weight of passengers and gear it carries. Trailers of that size usually put you into dually territory to get the required payload rating.

I know people who pull 5W that size with 3/4 ton trucks. Some, maybe even many, of them have enough reserve capacity to do that. However, there can be no doubt that they are being stressed enough to cause premature wear, even though they may be "safe" to drive.

CampingCajun · 05-22-2016, 10:55 AM

We also had a Cedar Creek 36RLTS pulled it with an '06 F250 with no problems weight wise.

2000 Damon · 05-22-2016, 11:59 AM

IMO. You need to also consider USE. The beauty and luxury of a large trailer is great if you spend a lot of time parked and don't boondock. Traveling on back country or steep mountain roads gets more difficult with the larger trailers. You can get a lot of trailer and plenty of luxury with a 28 to 33' 5ver with 2 slide outs and still be able to travel those gravel mountain roads.

MSHappyCampers · 05-22-2016, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CampingCajun

We also had a Cedar Creek 36RLTS pulled it with an '06 F250 with no problems weight wise.

That was the exact model we had!

jimcumminsw · 05-22-2016, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gary RVRoamer

The likely issue with large 5W weight will be Payload, not Tow Rating. A 5W puts a minimum of 20% of its gross weight on the hitch pin. so a 15,000 lb 5W requires a truck payload in excess of 3000 lbs PLUS what ever weight of passengers and gear it carries. Trailers of that size usually put you into dually territory to get the required payload rating.

I know people who pull 5W that size with 3/4 ton trucks. Some, maybe even many, of them have enough reserve capacity to do that. However, there can be no doubt that they are being stressed enough to cause premature wear, even though they may be "safe" to drive.

What is the difference between a Dodge/Ram 3500 SRW and a 2500 both equipped with the Cummins engine built between 2004 and 2012?

The difference is one helper spring on each rear spring pack for the 3500 SRW truck. Otherwise they are identical trucks with the same components for axles, brakes, driveline, transmission, wheels, tires and frame.

slickest1 · 05-22-2016, 12:23 PM

You could always get a new Husband with a bigger truck!! Just kidding.
I have a Dodge single wheel 3500 that we pulled a couple fifth wheels with and the advantage to that over a dually is when you are driving around after the trailer is parked it is alot nicer to park and drive around town in.

Like said by others you can find some pretty nice trailers with slides that that truck will easily pull.