Our first 5th Wheel... Soon

[Dangerboy]

Hello, wife and I are snow-birding for the first time in our Greyhawk 29MV. Long story short, we just don't have the floor room we think we should have (to keep doing this over the next five or ten years) so we're shopping for a 5th wheel. My question today is about towed weights. I'm being told that the 2020 Chevy 2500, with diesel, will tow a certain weight unit depending on exactly which model - 2WD, crew cab, etc... When it comes to a 5th wheel, am I right in ensuring that 5th wheel hitch weight should be below the truck payload capacity. It seems like the language used by the truck dealer is different than the language used by the RV dealer.

We like the Jayco Eagle 319MLOK, so far, and the trade looks possible. Our current rig with 20 grand out the door. Any thoughts there?
Thanks.

[Big1]

Yes, this is correct, what is the payload of the new 2020? It look like that the gvw of that 5th wheel is about 13,000 lbs so 20% of that is 2,600 lbs and I think that the new 2020 Chevy diesel is 3000 lbs.

[Lake Huron]

Spec sheet shows pin weight of 1900# and GVWR of 13,000. Truck should be good on the 13,000. The pin weight (payload) you have to remember tou need to add the weight of the hitch, and passengers and other cargo you're gonna throw in the truck. Also, dont go cheap on a hitch just because of the weight of it. Not saying the heavier the hitch the better it is by any means. But a good hitch helps with the ride of the truck AND trailer.

[TCNashville]

Why not just get a SRW 3500 and not worry about it for not much more $.

[Fyrehuntr]

I went through this same thing last year. Not the trading part, but purchasing a truck and fifth wheel. I ended up with a 1 ton truck and couldn’t be happier. The real weights come in to play when you are fully loaded for a trip. You may be over your payload capacity with a 3/4 ton truck. The 3/4 ton truck will no doubt pull the 5er, but its the payload capacity you have to be aware of. Check the yellow sticker on the doorframe of the truck, that will give you the actual payload capacity of the truck you are looking at. This can vary depending on the options the truck has. You will read all types of responses when it comes to 3/4 ton vs 1 ton. Go to your dealer and compare a 3/4 ton and 1 ton. Drive them both back to back so you know if there are any differences in ride quality when unloaded. I don't think you will feel a difference. Do your research and choose what you feel will keep you safe and happy.

[GHen]

I’ll second some of the comments above. I got a Chevy 2500 Duramax and absolutely love it, but I should have stepped up to the 3500.

I’m not overweight, but I could be if we upgraded to a larger 5th wheel.

[Jim Smyth]

Payload and Max read axle weight are the numbers that will most likely be your potential restricting weights in any set up. I have a 2018 Ford F350 TD with a 3540 Payload. My bud just bought a 2020 Chevy 2500 gaser and his payload is 3510. Not much of a difference from mine. But you always have to look down the road and its always better to have more truck than you need. I learned this the hard way and the 1 ton isnt much more money and usually has much better weight numbers for the given year.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by Dangerboy

Hello, wife and I are snow-birding for the first time in our Greyhawk 29MV. Long story short, we just don't have the floor room we think we should have (to keep doing this over the next five or ten years) so we're shopping for a 5th wheel. My question today is about towed weights. I'm being told that the 2020 Chevy 2500, with diesel, will tow a certain weight unit depending on exactly which model - 2WD, crew cab, etc... When it comes to a 5th wheel, am I right in ensuring that 5th wheel hitch weight should be below the truck payload capacity. It seems like the language used by the truck dealer is different than the language used by the RV dealer. We like the Jayco Eagle 319MLOK, so far, and the trade looks possible. Our current rig with 20 grand out the door. Any thoughts there?
Thanks.

Get a 1 ton dually and don't look back...........you'll be super happy, comfortable and above all safe. Happy travels!!

[curver900]

IF you already bought a GM 2500
The only difference between a 3500 and a 2500 is the overload spring and the 18" higher load rated tires.. all the rest of the truck is identical.. technically you can upgrade (downgrade;')) from the 20" wheels and tires and go to the 18" wheels and tires and have the same capacity as a 3500 you can add the spring as well it is simple... that may or may not be cheaper than trading and buying new.. I bet it is...

[Lake Huron]

Originally Posted by AKRUEBBE

Get a 1 ton dually and don't look back...........you'll be super happy, comfortable and above all safe. Happy travels!!

X2. That's what I got.

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by curver900

IF you already bought a GM 2500
The only difference between a 3500 and a 2500 is the overload spring and the 18" higher load rated tires.. all the rest of the truck is identical.. technically you can upgrade (downgrade;')) from the 20" wheels and tires and go to the 18" wheels and tires and have the same capacity as a 3500 you can add the spring as well it is simple... that may or may not be cheaper than trading and buying new.. I bet it is...

There is also a difference in the rear axle housing. The 1 ton has a beefier rear chunk. I'm not certain whether the internals are different or not but I know the external housing is different.

[Dangerboy]

Thanks for all the feedback - I appreciate it. We found the unit (and deal) we were looking for in a 2020 Jayco Eagle 336FBOK. Able to order the unit in Florida and take delivery in Albany, NY in May. That made things a lot simpler for us. Ample time to shop for a truck.

The target truck now is a 3500 or F350, single - non-dually. It should have no problem with the 13,750 GVWR, which allows for all the extra stuff that snow-birding calls for.

I have not had a Ram before. Their pricing looks attractive and the I6 Cummings looks bullet proof. Does anyone have firsthand experience with both the V8 and I6 diesel engines? A friend at the RV park that has the new 10 speed Allison says it is really sweet for towing.

[TCNashville]

The new gen 3 Ford 6.7L Powerstroke mated with the 10 speed transmission could be a game changer. If you don't want diesel Ford has a new 7.3L gas engine also mated to a 10 speed transmission that would tow that trailer with ease. Yes I'm biased towards Ford but all the big 3 in the 1 ton class are great trucks. Go test drive them all to make your decision. Best of luck.

[GHen]

I will agree, the big three trucks are more equal than in the past. Our family have chevy’s, ford’s and a couple ram’s. They are all getting better every year. Any new choice will be great.

Used older rigs had various problems, but they are all much better now since about 2017.

I actually have a 2017 Chevy Duramax 2500. Absolutely incredible from every angle.

[robkelly]

Good to see you're decided on the 3500 - we made the expensive 2500 mistake...

Don't have experience with the Ram V8, but the I6, mated to the AISIN transmission, has been great for us. I average ~17mpg empty and ~11 mpg towing.

Agree that all big three trucks are pretty equal. We went with Ram because the local GMC dealer was more interested in his upcoming company party than doing a deal, and I wasn't impressed with the ride quality of the Ford. That was three years ago though and a lot has changes since then

[Dangerboy]

Thanks TCNashville. appreciate the feedback.

[bstuck69]

I agree with many of the posts. We are pulling our 1st 5th wheel, a 28.5RSTS HT Eagle, with a RAM 3500. The 5th wheel is light for the truck, but we couldn't pass on price. In my opinion, buy a 1 ton. I did for decades with campers and my belief is you can always underload 'em, but when needed the tow and carry capacities are there.

[Maddiemae81]

Something else to consider - if financially feasible, purchasing a new tow vehicle over used might be preferred. I might be a girl (ok, middle aged woman), but people frequently overestimate their towing ability and pull the holy crap out of a pickup with a 5th wheel ball, towing crazy payloads with all kinds of trailers, and you may not want the after effects of their errors in judgement. I live in flyover farm country and spend a lot of time on the road, and see pickups all the time overextended in towing capacity. We looked for two years for a used super duty that hadn’t hauled construction or heavy equipment, gave up, and purchased new. No regrets, after the sticker shock wore off. JMHO. Best wishes for your snowbird adventures, and hope your retirement brings the satisfaction you desire. Maddie

[ARMYG]

If you can afford it, a silverado 3500 with the diesel is great. The suspension is stronger and the lts models have some nice features.

[Dangerboy]

Thanks for the feedback MaddieMae81. We feel the same way - trying to find something used that hasn't been abused is tough. Although my 3.5 year old F250 gasser will be a great find for someone. It was a 5 mile daily commuter that clocks in at 25,000 miles and in excellent condition. I'd keep it, but it is a gasser and we know we need diesel power. We are finding that GM will give us "supplier" pricing, which seems to be about 7% off MSRP. Along with the $2,000 rebate some of the sticker shock is reduced.

Here's something interesting and I bet not very well known. The new GM Allison ten speed transmission is being made by GM. They are badging it as Allison. The tranny was jointly developed with Ford - go figure..! So the new Ford and GM ten speeds are more similar than different. I know that GM has done this before (built Allison branded units in-house), but I doubt has a joint project with a rival builder.

Snow-birding has been fun and we're looking forward to seeing the rocky mountains in person.