1st timer with a towing question

[Richngin]

Hey folks !
We have a Chevrolet 2500HD, gasser, 6.0l motor.
We are looking at adding airbags, and are thinking of going with the Anderson hitch.
We are going to purchase the 30.5CKTS HT
The truck weighs 7100lbs, full of fuel, and no one in it
My tow capacity is 9500/14000
I'm done "googling" because you can't get a straight answer on the internet, so I'm coming to ask people that actually do this !
My question is, with my setup, are my weights and limitations way in the green and I won't have any issues pulling this thing in the real world, cross country???
The truck can pull a concrete truck, but I don't want to pull the concrete truck to Montana !

[Kim Gass]

What is your payload of your tow vehicle?
That fifth wheel has a hitch weight of nearly 2000 lb

There is a sticker on the door jamb of your tow vehicle with the max payload

[Richngin]

9500

[Richngin]

And then I've heard that you don't want to go over 80% of your max.
Is that max hitch weight, or is that max tow weight ?
80% of what ??
All these numbers get really confusing, and I'm learning that there is a lot of grey area out there. And there are a LOT of people towing overweight

[87Yugo]

I am towing a 2020 30.5CKTS with a 2017 Silverado 3500HD Duramax.

Total truck payload is 3757 lbs

Trailer Pin weight is 1540 lbs
5th wheel hitch/assembly 270 lbs
full tank of fuel 36 gallons 255.6 lbs
Passengers and payload in the truck 600 lbs

Spare 1324.4 lbs


This is just a approximate numbers, There is a sticker on the drivers door jam, tell you what is the payload of your truck. Do your math and be safe.

[87Yugo]

Originally Posted by Richngin

9500

The sticker on the door jam should say " Combined weight of occupants and cargo..." That is the number you should look at.

[Kim Gass]

That seems very high
The website says between 2500 and 3800
We are not talking about the overhyped and useless figure of how heavy a trailer can i tow
Payload how nuch yor truck can carry is the first limiting factor
Not hiw much it will pull

[Richngin]

Let me re-ask the question in another way....
Is there anyone on here that uses a 3/4 ton vehicle, similar to mine, and is it plenty of truck to pull a 5er weighing 9500 ???
Or do you need a Freightliner ???

[eow]

Answer the question in post #2 if you want a response to your question. Payload of your truck is what is important, if you want an answer your question.

[Smitty0]

Originally Posted by Richngin

Let me re-ask the question in another way....
Is there anyone on here that uses a 3/4 ton vehicle, similar to mine, and is it plenty of truck to pull a 5er weighing 9500 ???
Or do you need a Freightliner ???

I’m pulling a 2018 30.5mbok with a 2016 f250. I have the 6.7 diesel which is super nice. I put airlift 5k on it and use an Anderson on rails (steel version; didn’t have the factory 5th prep) I level it with the bags and it pulls like a dream. Gets bouncy on some bridge transitions but I’d guess it’s going to be the same when I get the 350. I do plan on upgrading but honestly the 3/4 ton does just fine. I did some research and mine is the exact same as the 350 except the spring packs so…. I feel safe, I keep nice tires on it and take care of all my gear. Totally confident in it. Just my 2 cents.

[RedHorse1]

I’d suggest visiting A CAT scale with a “traveling” load (people/gear in the bed) and getting your current weights on your TV. Your rear axle weight compared to the rear GAWR will show you how much additional weight you can put on the rear axle. Use the TT’s GVWR as an estimate of your camping weight. Multiply that by 0.15 (15%) to estimate your tongue weight and add 100# for the hitch. If that number is less than the GAWR minus the actual weight then you are likely good to go.
We had a bit too much sag with out current TV and 5th and I was mentally going down the air bag route. With all the “extras” I envisioned things quickly got $$ and I looked at other solutions and thought I’d give Timbrens a go. That brought our squat to an acceptable level for MUCH less $$. With a WDH you may not need bags, I’d get the TT and go from there.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by Richngin

Let me re-ask the question in another way....
Is there anyone on here that uses a 3/4 ton vehicle, similar to mine, and is it plenty of truck to pull a 5er weighing 9500 ???
Or do you need a Freightliner ???

Jus saw this post. My neighbor pulled his TT of comparable weight with a diesel and it was an excellent TV. Recently he traded it for a new gasser and has only recently made some short local tows. His report is that it uses lots of gas due to a lower MPG, towing and not towing and it didn’t pull like the diesel. The initial buy in is much lower for a gasser so the up charge may not be worth selling your current TV and buying a diesel. I’d suggest keeping the gasser for a couple of trips to see how it performs. Let me warn you, once you pull with a diesel you’ll never go back.

[Richngin]

Thanks, that's what I needed to hear.
When I bought the truck, I had no idea 2 years later I'd be buying a 5th wheel; and I agree,when it comes time to revisit a new truck , I'm going diesel, but I'm hoping what I have will work fine with the lighter HT models.

[87Yugo]

Originally Posted by Kim Gass

That seems very high
The website says between 2500 and 3800
We are not talking about the overhyped and useless figure of how heavy a trailer can i tow
Payload how nuch yor truck can carry is the first limiting factor
Not hiw much it will pull

Go by the sticker on your truck. Website is just a general info. The sticker is takes your options into account.

[Old and soft]

What year is your truck? New half tons are rated for as much or more than my 01 f250. According to my door sticker, I'm close with a 6000#bumper pull and all my stuff.

[Richngin]

I thought I did answer the question.
My GVWR is 9500, and the truck weighs 7100 full of fuel and zero passengers
That leaves 2400 lbs
The pin weight is 1805, so now I'm at 595lbs left for passengers, hitch, and "stuff"
That's how you do the math on this stuff, correct ???
Am I missing something ?
I was more interested in how the Chevy HD 3/4 ton gasser performs with the lighter HT 5ers

[Richngin]

2017

[Richngin]

My 5th wheel max rating is 14000
So if the 5er weighs 9430 dry, I'm at 67.3% of the magical 80% number
If I cram 1000lbs of stuff in it, I'm at 74.5% of the 80%
So even though it is a gasser, it should be a very decent TV. Correct ?
I didn't mean for my original question to have 2 meanings. I was giving info on the vehicle and asking about "real world" performance
I think I understand how to calculate ratings and be as safe as humanly possible
Again, if I'm missing something, let me know
Thanks for all the fast replies though !

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by Richngin

Thanks, that's what I needed to hear.
When I bought the truck, I had no idea 2 years later I'd be buying a 5th wheel; and I agree,when it comes time to revisit a new truck , I'm going diesel, but I'm hoping what I have will work fine with the lighter HT models.

Oops! I thought your new TT was a bumper-pull. In my previous post substitute 0.25 for the 0.15.
Our 5th is 13k# and we have 3k# on the pin. Our 1st TT was about 4500# which we towed with an Expedition gasser. Got 9 mpg, now towing 13k# with a diesel and get 12mpg. Was not impressed initially but then it hit me, 3X the weight and a 30% increase in mpg. We owned our first TT 2 yrs before we upgraded but we kinda had that in the plans. Like I said, tow diesel and you’ll never go back.

[87Yugo]

Towing capacity is how much the truck can pull, while payload capacity is how much it can carry. These can depend on such factors as the truck's configuration, its chassis, its engine and transmission, its rear axle ratio, and its weight, and there can be considerable range over a truck's full lineup.