How long can I go

Jake · 01-31-2017, 02:35 PM

My wife and I presently have a 195RB jayco trailer (20 ft travel trailer)
But we find it too small for the two of us because the odd time we want to bring two young grand children . So we only need one queen bed and one double or two single bunks (so sleep four is all we need) But I think I prefer to jump up to a 5th wheel . I have a 2014 5.3 liter V8 GMC Sierra with double cab and 6 and a half ft box.
How long a 5th wheel can I go with that my truck can carry, just a rough estimate because it will help me better understand the actual length numbers that the models are listed with. No use me looking at used or new models on internet if truck can only handle a certain length.
This is prelim research only, I know weight is the key , but this gives me starting point. Truck is new only has maybe 25000 miles on it so NOT trading it yet.

Sundancer330 · 01-31-2017, 02:42 PM

Its not the length you need to worry about, its weight. Look at the sticker on the door jamb of your truck, depending on options it will tell you exactly what your payload weight and max trailer weight is. Then you can figure which trailer will work with your truck.

Dustdevil · 01-31-2017, 02:43 PM

Hard to correlate length with weight with any consistency. It is all about weight your truck is rated for, and the actual loaded weight of the 5er. Is your pickup a 1500 series or 2500 series? Likely, your drivetrain is limited to 8000 lbs or so, maybe 10k. Most 5ers are likely to be heavier than that, unless you are looking in the real shorties (25ft or so?? ). I'm no expert on 5ers by any means. But I do know they tend to be much heavier than travel trailers. My 26 ft toy hauler was 6400 lbs empty, and 10,400 fully loaded. The GVWR of my 2500HD crew cab short bed DIESEL ALLISON was 13000 lbs. I could be wrong, but that is likely the very bottom end of the 5er weight class.

Khans Keeper · 01-31-2017, 02:55 PM

Jake,
I have the same truck only a '13 model. I would not be comfortable towing ANY 5er with this truck, not even the HT models. For me it looks to be an unfavorable pairing. My truck has a payload of 1647 lbs. and a towing capacity of 9600 lbs. The smallest HT fifth wheel Jayco makes has a GVWR of 9950, using 15%-20% as a guide, that puts the pin weight somewhere between 1492 and 1990 lbs. Unless your truck has a significantly increased payload over mine, I would suspect you will be unhappy with the performance that would result from any 5er being paired to your truck.

drk98 · 01-31-2017, 03:58 PM

As others have mentioned, it's weight you need to be worried with and not length. Jayco claims to have a 1/2 ton tow-able 5er but looking at the pin weights on that you'll every quickly exceed the payload limits on your half ton.

I would suggest finding a travel trailer that fits your needs or move up to a 3/4 ton before going the 5th wheel route.

Wrascal · 01-31-2017, 04:10 PM

One other thing that has not been mentioned is your short (truck) bed. While there are work-arounds (sliding hitches) a long bed makes things <southern redneck term> More Gooder.

I mention this because you will eventually end up with a 5th, and then you will discover the shortfalls with your current tow. That leads to shopping for another truck.

Go large, diesel, 4wd, long bed. Like many before me - I've been there, done that.

Bobx2 · 01-31-2017, 10:16 PM

No need for a long bed if you have a 6.5' bed. Don't get sucked into that myth. I have no need for the slider hitch everyone said I "had" to have, (and never have used the slider) and have just replaced it with a PullRite SuperLite hitch. I have a 1135 lb pin weight, and a max trailer weight of 9900 lbs. It would take 3100 lbs of cargo to reach my max weight. No way you would ever load that much cargo in it. There's not many 5th wheels you can safely pull with a 1/2 ton, but there are a few. I have one, although it's not a Jayco.
Here are the specs.
http://www.windishrv.com/product/new...245rl-341565-5

Jake · 02-01-2017, 06:46 AM

Thanks everyone , and in particular BobX2, As I stated I know the weight is the critical key but now with BobX2's post I see that if I look at Models like the 245 (26 ft) there might be the odd one that has the applicable weight and payload aspects my truck can handle. I had already read about the sliding pin type hitch option and good to know.
I presently pull my Kubota diesel tractor on a dual axle steel trailer with no problems , but now I know to just look at the smaller models of 5th wheels and not get depressed seeing the big ones are way to heavy .
I may just go with a longer travel trailer anyway.
But you do have to laugh because back in the 1980's I (and most other camping folks) was pulling a 26 ft Terry Taurus beast of a trailer with a Ram 318 Cubic inch that had a 100 hp less than what my GMC has now. I think manufacturers (and maybe husbands to explain to their wife why they need more HP truck) exaggerate the HP needs of the 2016's . But I will stick to the ratings to keep the MTO ( transportation government) happy .

TaftCoach · 02-01-2017, 07:18 AM

To achieve better gas mileage the components that make up vehicles have been downsized and optimized for everyday driving not stopping a load.

While it is easy to focus on horsepower really it is the suspension and brakes that are different which lowers towing limits.

The views expressed may not be mine in five minutes.

Khans Keeper · 02-01-2017, 08:58 AM

To be clear, I think the 5.3 has plenty of HP to pull a 10k lbs 5er, I just have my doubts as to how well the brakes and suspension would hold up. Even with an unloaded trailer pin weight of 1150 lbs, or a more reasonable pin weight of around 1275 lbs (that pin weight easily reached by putting 700 lbs cargo in trailer) you run out of payload in a hurry when you start loading the truck with family and supplies. I do agree with Bob that their are 1/2 tons which are capable of safely pulling the smaller 5ers, I just don't think the O.P. owns one of those 1/2 tons. I could be wrong I personally would not put my own wife or kids in my truck (same truck as O.P.) and hook up to a 5er for a trip down the turnpike.

garyp4951 · 02-01-2017, 09:09 AM

I would look at a longer TT, and it would suit your truck better.

Camper_bob · 02-01-2017, 09:41 AM

I'll echo what the others have said; I don't think you should be looking at 5ers with that truck. There's just not enough payload there.

Why limit yourself to fifth wheels anyway? With your truck, there are PLENTY of travel trailers that would accomplish what you need, AND be within the weight specs of your truck. If you pigeon-hole your decision to a fifth wheel, you will find only a handful (if any) that will fit the truck. With a TT, you can get a lot more trailer for your weight budget because a truck only carries 10-15% of the GVW on the tongue as opposed to a fifth wheel where the truck carries 20-25% of the GVW on the pin. Your towing tackle will be cheaper as well; a good WDH will run you $600, whereas a good fifth wheel hitch can easily run into the thousands. And in many cases they're heavy, which further subtracts from the payload available for a heavy pin.

The term "Half-ton towable" comes with a huge asterisk anyway, "When properly equipped". Sure, you can get some half-ton trucks that can tow some of those fifth wheels, but you have to be really careful. And recently, payloads have increased somewhat, but you have to be careful about that "properly equipped" clause.

Another thing I've learned through all this is that your rig needs to be able to handle the 90%. What I mean by that is you want to make sure your rig can accommodate you very well for what it's used for 90% of the time, and you can "make due" with it the other 10% of the time. Don't spend a pile of cash to buy something for the 10% (unless you just really want to and can afford it). So in your case with the kiddos coming along every now and then, I wouldn't be dropping a bag of cash to prepare for that somewhat rare eventuality. Again, you can take a modest step up into a travel trailer that will accommodate your 90% VERY well, and handle your 10% (when the kids are in tow).

Anyhoo, good luck with your decision, and let us know how it goes!

Jake · 02-01-2017, 11:44 AM

Well you convinced me Camper Bob , with your statement that 20 to 25% is on the pin, that is new to me and that explains it all. I will slink away and look for a wider and slightly longer Travel trailer.
I did have an ulterior motive for chasing down a fifth wheel , because I have a small aluminum boat and trailer maybe 600lbs together, that I would of liked to tow behind the fifth , maybe twice a summer on rural roads (no turnpike) max 50 mph . Legal here…….but wife will have to bring our second vehicle to bring the boat , if she wants to be rid of me fishing . Thanks all !

Dustdevil · 02-01-2017, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jake

Well you convinced me Camper Bob , with your statement that 20 to 25% is on the pin, that is new to me and that explains it all. I will slink away and look for a wider and slightly longer Travel trailer.
I did have an ulterior motive for chasing down a fifth wheel , because I have a small aluminum boat and trailer maybe 600lbs together, that I would of liked to tow behind the fifth , maybe twice a summer on rural roads (no turnpike) max 50 mph . Legal here…….but wife will have to bring our second vehicle to bring the boat , if she wants to be rid of me fishing . Thanks all !

I think the advice to look toward TTs more than 5ers is very sound. You can have just as much fun, with way more space and a greater selection of trailers and options. I pulled TTs for most of our trips, as our kids were growing up, and it's fine. Takes a bit more getting used to backing them up compared to a 5er, and as you say there is no way to pull a boat trailer behind a TT legally (or practically either). I think you're wise to look into TTs while your truck is still pretty new, and where you'd likely take a financial beating to trade it in now.

Camper_bob · 02-02-2017, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dustdevil

...snip

I think you're wise to look into TTs while your truck is still pretty new, and where you'd likely take a financial beating to trade it in now.

I took that financial beating personally, he speaks the truth.

OP, if you want to take a small aluminum boat, there are ways to accomplish that with a truck rack. You'd still have to watch your payload, but it can be done. I looked into it a while back, but we decided that we're fine with our canoe. Not for lack of payload capacity (my truck has over 3k lbs of available payload), but for the expense and complexity. We try to keep things simple wherever we can.

You may also like: