Can this truck handle this fifth wheel or should I go to a 3500?

[DonaandDon]

Originally Posted by Phil Saran

Go with the 3500 either short or long bed.
The body is the same on a 2500 & 3500.

But the 3500 gives you a safety margin
and the 1 ton brakes/suspension is stronger.

Make sure you get a truck with at least a 3:73 gear ratio.

I own a 2012 Dodge Ram 3500 diesel 4x4, 4 door, 6.5 foot bed with a B&w slider hitch.

On mostly flat terrain I get between 10.5 to 11.5 mpg. With hills it averages 9.5 to 10.5.

Big deal for me is mine does not use DEF fluid, just a added expense with 2013 or newer diesels of all brands.

Phil Saran
Parker Colorado

The only difference between the F-250 and the F-350SWR are the top overload springs on the F-350.

[K Holbrook]

Don’t make the mistake I did. Look at the yellow sticker on the inside of the driver door. It shows the maximum payload capacity for each truck based on options and trim. I bought a F-250 Diesel Lariat that I absolutely LOVED, but the payload on that truck was only 2080 pounds. I found out later that I couldn’t safely pull the 5th wheel that my wife fell in love with. I ended up trading it in after 10 days and lost my butt! But my F-350 is barely big enough. Costly mistake. Look at the sticker before you buy it.

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by K Holbrook

Don’t make the mistake I did. Look at the yellow sticker on the inside of the driver door. It shows the maximum payload capacity for each truck based on options and trim. I bought a F-250 Diesel Lariat that I absolutely LOVED, but the payload on that truck was only 2080 pounds. I found out later that I couldn’t safely pull the 5th wheel that my wife fell in love with. I ended up trading it in after 10 days and lost my butt! But my F-350 is barely big enough. Costly mistake. Look at the sticker before you buy it.

Better yet, look at the sticker for the GVWR rating on the trailer before letting the wife fall in love with it. [emoji848]

[K Holbrook]

The GVWR was not the issue, because the F-250 6.7 Powerstroke will pull a house. But the payload capacity is the kicker. Your truck Salesmen won’t tell you that. They’ll say “Just put airbags on it”. The RV Salesman will say “This type of RV was made to be pulled by guys with trucks like yours”! (Yes, I heard both of those comments) but neither person had a clue about payload capacity neither does a lot of people overloading their rigs every day. I know I’m very close to max even with an F-350, but I’m very careful what I load, and I have a 300 pound cargo rack on the rear bumper that I utilize to offset the overage.

[rkymntsno]

Originally Posted by K Holbrook

The GVWR was not the issue, because the F-250 6.7 Powerstroke will pull a house. But the payload capacity is the kicker. Your truck Salesmen won’t tell you that. They’ll say “Just put airbags on it”. The RV Salesman will say “This type of RV was made to be pulled by guys with trucks like yours”! (Yes, I heard both of those comments) but neither person had a clue about payload capacity neither does a lot of people overloading their rigs every day. I know I’m very close to max even with an F-350, but I’m very careful what I load, and I have a 300 pound cargo rack on the rear bumper that I utilize to offset the overage.

It's actually laughable at the misinformation salesmen put out there. When we were looking at 5'ers, I told him I wanted to stay under a certain weight cuz my combined GVWR needed to stay under 26,000 pounds I didn't want to be required to obtain another drivers' license to be legal, i.e. Class A Exempt non-cdl. (Texas) He said I wouldn't need a new license and didn't know what I was talking about anyway. Moot point, we went over 26000 lbs and I got a new license. But you get my point.

[Quantum]

If you want a diesel and adequate payload so that you don't need to go to a suspension specialist, buy a 1-ton. Doesn't have to be a dually. My folks F350 4x4 shortbox diesel has 3450lbs of payload. That will give you plenty of payload for that trailer.

3/4 ton diesels don't have the payload from the factory that you require to tow many 30ft+ 5ers

[Freeriver]

I had not thought about a 1 ton that was not a dually. Thanks

[RedHorse1]

You have the 5th and the TV, I’d suggest visiting a CAT Scale. It will let you accurately KNOW what your 5th weighs on the axles and the pin. You can also tell if the TV is overloaded and by how much. My opinion is that you are probably over weight. The CAT Scale is your friend.
We pull a 5th of similar weight, GVW 12780#, GAW 6800# (per axle), Pin 3020#. Our TV is a ’13 F350 SB 2WD, Rear GAWR 6730#, Rear GAW 3300# unloaded and 6240# loaded. I’ve understood the pin will be 20-25% of the 5th GVW, we’re at 24%. Since our purchase in ‘14 we’ve towed around 30k miles. I can’t brag that the miles have all been “drama free” miles but none of the drama was due to being overloaded.
The TV is my first pickup and first diesel (I’ve always been a “blue oval” guy tho) and I love my truck, the Bride likes to drive it too. The 6.7 is an OX and it loves to pull.

[barryg]

My 2017 ram 3500, bighorn, crew cab, diesel, long bed, 342 gears, 4x4, with single rear wheels, has a payload rating of 4463lbs (sticker on the door) and we pull an 11k trailer through the mountains of Colorado and Utah no problem. All numbers are well under oem ratings. IIRC correctly when looking for the truck the SRW 1 ton was literally $300-400 dollars more than a comparable (trim/option wise) 2500. The 2500 had a payload of somewhere around 2300lbs.

[CAG]

Here is my take on this question. Asking on these sites is kinda like going to the bar and asking all of your drinking buddies if you should marry the woman. What ever answer you get it going to be from a perspective that will get you in trouble no matter what.

There are places to get your answer. Like: https://rv.campingworld.com/towguide

and there are others. Making a mistake here can cause some serious issues down the road. Get the correct answers.

[JohnWedell]

my North Point is about 2000 lbs heavier but after looking at the 5th wheel accidents on youtube it convinced DW that we needed the proper truck for safety. hence the setup in my sig.

[TxLoser]

I just did some YouTube searching. I learned if you have a big FW or TT for that matter and things go south you will end up on your side. No matter the truck. Small TT, you only may end up in your side.

A DRW could definitely keep you out of trouble for longer. That’s for sure. In high winds, although it worked for me in my SRW, DRW would be ideal. A couple feet more of support probably go’s a long way.

[Big1]

Originally Posted by JohnWedell

my North Point is about 2000 lbs heavier but after looking at the 5th wheel accidents on youtube it convinced DW that we needed the proper truck for safety. hence the setup in my sig.

So what kind of payload you have with your rig?

[JohnWedell]

Originally Posted by Big1

So what kind of payload you have with your rig?

6,500 lb payload. It is so stable I never have to look to see if a large semi is passing me.

[Big1]

Wow, that is a lot of payloads, you won't run out of payload.

[JohnWedell]

it may be a gasser but it is built for towing. it has a GVWR of 14,000 lbs.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by JohnWedell

it may be a gasser but it is built for towing. it has a GVWR of 14,000 lbs.

John, what brand are your tires? I would guess Nexen Roadian, but I didn't know they came with white lettering.

[JohnWedell]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

John, what brand are your tires? I would guess Nexen Roadian, but I didn't know they came with white lettering.

Yes, they are the original factory tires that came with the truck.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by JohnWedell

Yes, they are the original factory tires that came with the truck.

John, did you read my post?

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...res-72239.html

[JohnWedell]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

John, did you read my post?

https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...res-72239.html

I only have 12,000 miles on the tires and at this point I can’t afford to put a new set of tires on it. However I will keep close watch, thanks for the heads up.