opinions please

[rammerjammer]

Hello all, our family is just venturing in to the rv'ing world and have probably gone about it all wrong but we did start out with a Jayco Featherlight TT. Easy to tow but we found that it was very small for our needs. After buying the TT, we had an opportunity to get a 1999 Chevy dually with a 454 and a factory added Whipple supercharger for a great price. While on vacation recently, we found a great deal on a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel 37 footer. just would like any advice on towing or the 5th wheel life. It is rear living which we had with our tt and we do enjoy that. Thanks.

[Al F]

A 37' 5th wheel is most likely to heavy for a 1999 dually.

To be sure you will need to find the following:

-- GVWR on the placard inside the trailer (that is the gross weight capacity of a fully loaded trailer)

-- the hitch weight of the trailer, preferably when it is loaded. You may have to go to a scale to find this weight.

-- the the GCVWR for the truck. (that is the gross combined weight of the truck and the trailer it is towing)

-- the max weight of a 5th wheel trailer the truck is rated to tow

-- the max load you can put in the bed of the truck so the hitch doesn't overload the truck.

 

The last 3 items should be in the owners manual for the truck if you have it.

[Kirk W]

Welcome to the Escapee forums! We are here to help if we are able and hope to hear from you regularly.

 

Al has given a pretty good start. It is wise to get an actual loaded weight by taking the RV to a truck scale just to be sure the weight is accurate. If there are specifics that you are seeking, please do post in more detail and we will try and help.

 

Glad to have you with us!

[Guest ticat900]

Hello all, our family is just venturing in to the rv'ing world and have probably gone about it all wrong but we did start out with a Jayco Featherlight TT. Easy to tow but we found that it was very small for our needs. After buying the TT, we had an opportunity to get a 1999 Chevy dually with a 454 and a factory added Whipple supercharger for a great price. While on vacation recently, we found a great deal on a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel 37 footer. just would like any advice on towing or the 5th wheel life. It is rear living which we had with our tt and we do enjoy that. Thanks.

should do fine. The one thing with a super charger you will have to use premium fuel and they also tend to run hot. 37ft is fairly heavy and a duramax will be a better set up but the dually

assuming its got a decent overload spring package will sufice

[Rif]

Let me add my welcome to the Escapees Forums. Your post asks for advice about towing and the 5th wheel life, and all the responses so far have dealt with the question of do you have enough truck for the 5er you purchased. There's a reason for this. Towing anything with a truck that is not rated for it, or even with a truck that is loaded near its max rating, is not a lot of fun. Worrying about every grade, up and down, increased stopping distances, and less than ideal handling in touchy situations all take the joy out of RV'ing. That's why so many of us tend to focus on that aspect.

 

No one can tell you if "you should do fine" without knowing the numbers. You have given us very little information at this point so until you work through the steps Al Florida and Kirk mentioned, we just don't know. Since you have already purchased the truck and trailer there may not be a lot you can do about it now, but at least you need to know where you stand.

 

All that aside, since you are already experienced RV'ers you already know the ropes. A large 5er takes a lot more space for maneuvering, larger campsites, and usually more vertical clearance than what you are used to. Stopping distances are also greatly increased so you need to keep that in mind. Otherwise just take it easy and enjoy yourselves.

[Guest ticat900]

Hello all, our family is just venturing in to the rv'ing world and have probably gone about it all wrong but we did start out with a Jayco Featherlight TT. Easy to tow but we found that it was very small for our needs. After buying the TT, we had an opportunity to get a 1999 Chevy dually with a 454 and a factory added Whipple supercharger for a great price. While on vacation recently, we found a great deal on a Jayco Eagle 5th wheel 37 footer. just would like any advice on towing or the 5th wheel life. It is rear living which we had with our tt and we do enjoy that. Thanks.

Like I said earlier not to worry you will tow that 5er with the dually just fine. One thing I forgot and is most likely obvious as the overload system I mentioned is to make sure the tires are correct and in good shape and the trailer axle bearings and brakes are serviced correctly and working properly. also when installing the hitch make sure its placed in the correct position weight wise over the axle

[whj469]

My only fear is the MPG with that pickup pulling that RV. The truck is 16 years old and they were able to tow less then that truck new today.

Good Luck

[Guest ticat900]

My only fear is the MPG with that pickup pulling that RV. The truck is 16 years old and they were able to tow less then that truck new today.

Good Luck

the 1999 dually for sure don't have the pay load the new ones do for sure. this one can pull 9K if 2 wh drive and around 7K if 4x4

[bigjim]

rammerjammer, read through a lot of posts about this from the past. We have a lot of people on here that know what they are talking about but you have to sort out who is who. In example when it comes to computer questions I will listen to anyone but I know key ones by now from experience that I trust their opinion and experiance. The same holds true for all questions. Even the reliable ones are human so it never hurts to cross check. When it comes to towing your experience and abilities will be a factor. Like Rif said it is supposed to be fun. A friend or mine flew to PPL in Houston bought a 31' class C drove it to Albuquerque and decided it wasn't for him so he went within weeks and traded for a 5thW. He lost a lot of money. You have come on here to get good advice which puts you ahead of the game. Just be careful of your sources even here. Good luck.

 

edit was to add a C behind class to indicate type of rv.

[Al F]

the 1999 dually for sure don't have the pay load the new ones do for sure. this one can pull 9K if 2 wh drive and around 7K if 4x4

And a 37' 5'er will weigh from 15K to possibly 17K pounds.

[Chalkie]

And a 37' 5'er will weigh from 15K to possibly 17K pounds.

 

I think this really depends on the exact model. Some are heavier than others. Ours, for example, at 40' has a dry weight of about 12300. We try very hard not to load more than we actually need and we travel with a minimum of water on board.

 

The best advice is, as previously stated, to take it to scales and know the exact weights.

 

My personal feeling is that the tow vehicle will be inadequate to the task or at best marginal.

 

My two cents.

[Guest ticat900]

And a 37' 5'er will weigh from 15K to possibly 17K pounds.

10650 factory says?

 

1999 gmc dually 454 MPI plus supercharger and a good overload spring and adaquit tires will pull this unit no problems

 

BUT as mentioned you will have around 1500 lbs in supplies,equipment. lpg,water etc

don't know the pin weight but guess at around 1000-1200lbs

 

the number one issue is WHAT year is the 37 and HOW many slides

[hdonlybob]

All good comments above, and as I am prejudiced, from towing a '36 foot fifth wheel with an HDT I will not comment on that.

However, being close to (71) years old and pulling travel trailers, as well as about everything else from the time I was (16), I strongly urge you to add at least an extra (2000) lbs to your figures for the stuff YOU will add inside..

Believe me, it will be that.. !!

Cheers, and add another Welcome to this forum !!

Bob

[Kirk W]

......... just would like any advice on towing or the 5th wheel life. It is rear living which we had with our tt and we do enjoy that. Thanks.

Checking the user profile, he hasn't been back so it appears that the responses have not yet been read. Hopefully he will return and let us know if we have been of any help.

[Al F]

 

I think this really depends on the exact model. Some are heavier than others. Ours, for example, at 40' has a dry weight of about 12300. We try very hard not to load more than we actually need and we travel with a minimum of water on board.

 

The best advice is, as previously stated, to take it to scales and know the exact weights.

 

My personal feeling is that the tow vehicle will be inadequate to the task or at best marginal.

 

My two cents.

Have you considered taking your 5'er, loaded for traveling, to a scale and weighting it? You might be in the 15K range even w/o much fresh water and empty gray and black tanks. To get your total weight you will need to get the rear axle weight of the tow vehicle w/o the trailer and then with the trailer so you can get your hitch weight.

 

I'll bet your GVWR on the sticker, somewhere inside your 5th wheel, is in the 15K to 16K pounds.

 

I found a spec list on a dealer for sale for your Infinity 3640 5'er and it listed the dry weight of 12,355 pounds (roughly the same as your posting) with a cargo capacity of 3155 pounds for a total of 15.5K. Unfortunately they didn't list the GVWR.

[Chalkie]

Have you considered taking your 5'er, loaded for traveling, to a scale and weighting it? You might be in the 15K range even w/o much fresh water and empty gray and black tanks. To get your total weight you will need to get the rear axle weight of the tow vehicle w/o the trailer and then with the trailer so you can get your hitch weight.

 

I'll bet your GVWR on the sticker, somewhere inside your 5th wheel, is in the 15K to 16K pounds.

 

I found a spec list on a dealer for sale for your Infinity 3640 5'er and it listed the dry weight of 12,355 pounds (roughly the same as your posting) with a cargo capacity of 3155 pounds for a total of 15.5K. Unfortunately they didn't list the GVWR.

 

Yes, I have scaled it and as I said, we try to keep things pretty minimalist. When we bought the trailer the dealer took it to the Cat Scales just down the road and cert placed the trailer at 12316. Last year when we were traveling in the fall we held it to roughly 1500 lbs. I say roughly as when we scaled it, it was at 1526. When we take off this spring I am hoping we will come in somewhat less as I intend to remove things from the trailer that we thought we might use, didn't, and therefore need not haul around. But then I am going to add a couple of things since are planning to be gone a least 2 months, so who knows? I will have to make another trip to the scales to see if we are successful, however.

 

I am a firm believer that the only way to have a meaningful conversation about weights is to be armed with scales information.

[Ray,IN]

You'll find your dually and 5er are a good match. Learning to drive while towing the 5er is not much different than your TT, except the 5er is much longer, turning radius will be wider for RH street corners, backing is a learning curve_ practice will overcome that. IMO the best backing practice is in a vacant parking lot. Practice driving down a lane, the backing into a parking spot (and one behind it) without getting the truck into the parking spot in front of you. Speed is your enemy when backing, as you already know.

Cross-winds while driving will not affect handling as much with your dually, as they are much more stable than a SRW pickup.

I towed a 40', 15,500# GVW 5er, with my 02 Duramax dually for nearly 80,000 miles. I felt it was a nearly perfect matchup, and we've been nearly all through the lower 48, and to Alaska. Average mileage for that 80K miles was 7.5. That was with that diesel engine, can't speak to the gas engine mileage.

And yes, we traded for the MH in my picture 2 years ago.