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Fifth-Wheels Towable with Half-Ton Truck?


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The only way to safely handle these kinds of hills is with an engine brake. Conventional brake systems will be fried.

This need not be true if you match the weight to the tow vehicle and know how to use your brakes. We have traveled most areas of the continental US and with only hydraulic brake systems in gasoline powered tow vehicles or motorhomes. It can be done safely and without vehicle damage but just as you need to know how to use any equipment, you do need to use them properly.

 

I do agree with you that a 1/2 ton truck is too small for all but the tiniest of fifth wheel trailers.

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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The only way to safely handle these kinds of hills is with an engine brake. Conventional brake systems will be fried.

 

First of all, there are 1/2 ton trucks with diesel engines. However, if you are implying that diesel engines have engine brakes and gasoline engines do not, then that is not true. Gasoline engines have an inherent engine braking, diesel engines do not. Simply put, when you release the accelerator on a gasoline engine, air is cut off to the intake thus producing a natural engine brake using the compression of the engine for braking.

 

Diesel engines have no natural braking. Engine brakes or exhaust brakes must be added to a diesel engine to have any braking power. It's true that current diesel pickup models do use the turbo charger as an exhaust brake, but this has not always been true.

 

In the early 90's, I towed a 26' fifth wheel travel trailer with a 1/2 ton pickup. It towed it very well and safely. However, that trailer only weighed about 7,000 lbs and the front bedroom area was not standing height. I don't know if anyone still manufactures fifth wheels in that size and weight range anymore, but if so then it could be towed easily with a 1/2 ton pickup. Most of the fifth wheels I see nowadays are 30' or larger and full height.............or older ones of the type I once owned.

Everybody wanna hear the truth, but everybody tell a lie.  Everybody wanna go to Heaven, but nobody want to die.  Albert King

 

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It is the age old issue that if folks want to tow underpowered, nothing you can say will change their minds.

 

BUt a few years ago, I had a fellow on one of the forums fussing about the power and handling pulling his 30' travel trailer with his 1/2 ton Dodge truck. Off line I ask him if he knew anyone with a 3/4 ton diesel he could "borrow" for a test tow with his trailer. A couple of weeks later I got a message from him with a photos oh his new to him Dodge Cummins diesel hooked up to his trailer and a very thankful note for taking the time to explain towing and ratings to him. He said he thought he was doomed to miserable towing and was a "happy camper" now.

 

A gas truck can do fine with the right trailer and you do not expect it to pull what it was not designed to pull.

 

Ken

Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot

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Highland Ridge/Open Range http://www.highlandridgerv.com/ has a lite light of TT and FW that are late half ton short bed towable, they weight in at 8800 or 10400 GVWR depending on model. They say it is 90 degree turn radius with a 5'5" bed. I have a lot of friends that own a light who tow with a 1/2 ton Ecoboost some pull it with a 3/4 and they love them.

Dave Watkins

Highland Village, TX

2014 F-350 Dually

Open Range 349RLR

 

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Yes, a diesel will cost more to begin with, but look at the value of a diesel and a non-diesel truck used. You will get a large portion of the difference back when you sell it.

 

I get better diesel mileage when towing an 18,000# 5er than the gas crowd gets pulling an 8,000# trailer. WE get between 9 and 10 mpg at 63 mph on relative flat/rolling hills highway. The gas crowd we talk to are getting 7 to 9 mpg and when they hit the hills, it really drops. The worst we have done was heading up to Palo Duro Canyon and had a 20 mph plus wind on the nose. 63 mph, we dropped to 7.2 mpg, but no lack of power,

 

WE had a friend that bought a 3/4 ton Ford with the 5,4 and a 27' TT. He was so disgusted with it, he was ready to sell the whole thing and forget RVing. I kept telling him to try a diesel. He finally bought a new F250 diesel and loved towing so much he bought a 33' TT.

 

SO chose your posion.

 

Ken

The value of your truck when its time to sell or trade is much more for a diesel. Maybe even the total cost of the diesel if you have a Ford 7.3 for example. With the problems of the later diesels that engine is at a premium.

Funny that seldom gets discussed when someone talks about the cost of a diesel.

its more of an investment and you enjoy the benefits of a diesel all the while.

Doug

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Highland Ridge/Open Range http://www.highlandridgerv.com/ has a lite light of TT and FW that are late half ton short bed towable, they weight in at 8800 or 10400 GVWR depending on model. They say it is 90 degree turn radius with a 5'5" bed. I have a lot of friends that own a light who tow with a 1/2 ton Ecoboost some pull it with a 3/4 and they love them.

I looked at the link to these trailers and if I read the specifications for the fifth wheel models correctly, the GAWR(Gross Axle Weight Ratings) not the GVWR are 8800 or 10400#. I did not see the GVWRs listed. Adding the Unloaded Vehicle Weight (UVW) and the carrying capacity indicates that the GVWR for all of them is around or above 10,000#.

 

The OP stated that they already had a truck and asked what it could tow so I am not sure how beneficial all the discussion about other makes/models, diesel versus gas; etc. really is. It may all be a mute point as they have not logged in since the day of the post.

Has anyone had experience towing a light-weight fifth-wheel with a half-ton truck? We have a 2014 GMC 5.3 liter V-8 with tow package. What brand fifth-wheels are recommended? Thank you!

 

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RBH - always worry about those slender wires going to the brakes. We had them cut through once by tires rubbing and burned out all the brakes on our van (we were pulling a lightweight trailer with a van). We always check those brake wires before starting every day.

 

As JohnnyB noted, 1/2 ton trucks are adequate for flat land travel but are probably not sufficient for traveling in the West. The Allison transmission seems to work fairly well as a braking system when you put into "manual". The highway between Puebla and Orizaba (Mexico Highway 150D) drops 4500' in 12 miles and we did not have to hit the brakes more than a few times on that drop.

 

Reed and Elaine

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I have TWO one ton trucks AND a semi tractor that I tow with........after 25 years towing with both diesel and gas pickups we have had fairly good trips in very tough mountains of the Western U S.

 

Presently we are installing a New 5.7 Vortec Crate engine in our one-ton GMC with over 180k miles and almost all of those miles are at-capacity-tow miles so the original engine was worked very hard and gave a good service.

 

I have a company one-ton duramax that has 240k with one set of injectors replaced under fact warrantee at 90k had it not been under warrantee the cost would have been the same as replacing the 5.7 vortex gas that we are doing right now.

 

Which is a better tow rig the duramax or the vortec.........both........duramax has more low end power and TWO more tranny gears but the vortex has been a very good two rig at far lower cost to purchase and maintain.

 

As far as towing anything over 6,000lbs forget the pickups...........a semi-tractor makes life soooo much better you could never imagine

Our Freightliner Century tractor has a M11 Cummins dialed DOWN to only 370 HP / 1,350 lbs of tq at 1300 RPM and returns about 13.5 mpg with ANY RV trailer in tow at 60 mph!! The ole Freightshaker idles past super-pickups on any steep grade and descents down 9% long grades only use the Jake brake never use the service brakes except at stop lights or parking.

 

Cost?.......The Freightshaker cost less than the Cheapest diesel high-mile pickup and it has about 1,000,000 miles to the next engine overhaul.......upkeep is less than the pickups and the tractor drives very well once you get used to it....as far as towing.....once you tow with a heavy truck you really feel sorry for pickup tow rigs......

 

HDT (Heavy DutyTrucks) are not for everyone but as the RV trailer weight get heavy a HDT truck is really worth a serious consideration........pickup tow ratings are far more marketing hipe than anything to do with Real-World tow operations.

 

Many folks joke when they ask me if my Freightliner is big enough........I smile and say well.....sometimes it may seem too big but trust me that feeling is gone when towing AND you have to STOP FAST. Nothing like that sick feeling you get when your pickup is TOO small to stop you in time..........then these folks stop smiling.......IF they have many pickup tow miles, most have had times they wish they had better brakes.........

 

Try a HDT .........you might it like it......

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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As far as towing anything over 6,000lbs forget the pickups.......a semi-tractor makes life soooo much better you could never imagine

 

 

I recall a thread from last year where someone was going to buy a 26' TT and asked about a tow vehicle. At least one person suggested that the minimum acceptable truck would be a one-ton, DRW, diesel pickup. It looks like the bar has been raised...

Mark & Teri

2021 Grand Designs Imagine 2500RL, 2019 Ford F-350

Mark & Teri's Travels

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As far as towing anything over 6,000lbs forget the pickups...........a semi-tractor makes life soooo much better you could never imagine

 

While I will not argue with the, sometimes lighthearted, sentiment that you can never have too much truck, the above statement is a bit over the top. Look at ALL the numbers (limitations) and stay under 80% of that and you'll be OK. Most 1/2 ton trucks these days will pull 5-6000 pounds legally and comfortably. 7-13 is 3/4 ton territory, and above that to about 18K is one ton material. Over that, yes you're looking at an MDT or HDT. These are rough numbers. Look at the numbers for your specific vehicle and, again, stay 20 or so % below that.

Previously a 2017 Forest River, Berkshire 38A, "The Dragonship". https://dragonship.blog/

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Buy a too-small truck for your fiver, try upgrading power and suspension first, then trade it (taking a bath on the trade and your upgrades) for a bigger truck and all will be just peachy. I took this path and can recommend it to anyone that has a spare $25,000 that they won't miss. :-(

First rule of computer consulting:

Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day.

Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime.

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There are just not a lot of 5th Wheel Trailers out there that I would recommend to tow with less than a 1 Ton Dually Pickup. The Dually mainly for the safety of the duals and better handling with the load of the trailer.

I agree that a lot of the big 5th Wheel Trailers should be pulled with a HD Truck but would not go so far as to recommend it for a 6,000 lb. trailer.

I have a Motorhome now so I use a Dually.

Southwind 35P

ARS KB0OU

EX Submarine driver

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Getting back to the original topic: Fifth wheels towable with a half ton truck.

 

Grand Design has some lightweight fifth wheel trailers that were designed to be pulled with properly equipped 1/2 ton trucks. They're Reflection light weight models. Try: GrandDesignRV.com

 

The other Reflection models are designed to be towed with 3/4 ton trucks. Their Solitude and Momentum models require 1 ton trucks--preferably with dual rear wheels.

 

The new Ford F150 with the maximum camper tow package (about $1,795 extra) is what would be needed. (Most 1/2 ton trucks have suspensions sprung like an old Crown Victoria.) That's the 1/2 ton that approaches the 3/4 ton truck in capabilities. No other brands of 1/2 tons have the tow and pin weight capabilties of the F150.

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One more thought on this...my 1/2 ton has P rated tires on it....yes ....passenger car weak sidewalled wimpy tires. If you are going to tow an RV...please upgrade the tires.

<p>....JIM and LINDA......2001 American Eagle 40 '.towing a GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 with RZR in the rear. 1999 JEEP Cherokee that we tow as well.

IT IS A CONTENTED MAN WHO CAN APPRECIATE THE SCENERY ALONG A DETOUR.

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Well maybe I am a bit spoiled or "over the top" but pickups are.......pickups at the end of the day.......

 

Granted I tow up and down a LOT of steep and curvy roads in the western U S so my towing routes are likely not considered in the "Pickup Ratings" but that is exactly the point.......you need to consider the MOST ADVERSE tows........NOT the flat remote freeways stretches.

 

Once you have towed with a HDT you really feel sorry for the pickup towing folks.......Stanley was right on about costs......Pickup "Upgrades" are a real never-ending money-pit........ HDT just idles a long at 1/3 load up and down the steepest curvy roads......

 

Happy towing...

97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S

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