Right size towable for truck

sjdumas · March 9, 2015

My husband and I relatively new to rving. We started last year with a 20 foot and spent 3 weeks traveling. We loved it. This Fall we bought a 30 foot towable with one slide. It has great space but we are not sure it is the right one for us because:

We are pulling with a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500, 5.7 Hemi. We put suspension air bags on the bag to help.

It feels really heavy and unwieldy.

It's a lot of work for my husband and I am not too excited to drive which puts all the driving in his lap.

Here are my the questions:

Should we look at 5th wheel and if so how big?

Is this trailer just too much for our truck?

What size trailer should we find for our truck?

Are RV's easier to drive than pulling a trailer?

NH2 · March 9, 2015

Welcome to the forum and the lifestyle :-)

You've already made an important observation:

20 foot and spent 3 weeks traveling. We loved it.

vs.
30' feels really heavy and unwieldy.

Nothing will suck the joy out of RVing quite as fast as having the wrong tow vehicle. Size, weight, capacity all play important roles and are usually proportional to the price. We were willing to sacrifice the cost for the comfort and peace-of-mind of the other factors; others might come to a different conclusion. We've come to learn that 'saving money' doesn't always save you money.

Do your homework. Looking forward to seeing you on the road,

Mark

rcharrette · March 9, 2015

Hello and welcome. It's tough to comment on the your tow combo as we need the weight of your trailer. As far as it being bigger I will say we went from a pop up camper to a 27' travel trailer. The day we picked it up we got on the road from Colorado to Idaho. By the end of the day I had to peel my hands off the steering wheel (we tow with a 2008 Land Rover LR3). I had a few more trips like that but as I got more time towing it I settled down and now I'm very comfortable with it back there. My point is, provided it is safe for your vehicle weight wise, etc just give it some time and miles and you'll get use to it.

jblscooper · March 9, 2015

Are RV's easier to drive than pulling a trailer?

FWIW, MH, trailers, popup's, truck campers are ALL RV's.

You have a 1/2 ton. very, very few 5th wheels are suitable for these units. You need to look at what your truck can CARRY not tow. Research is your friend.

Jim

griffinmike · March 9, 2015

Compare the truck towing specs to the weight of the trailer to determine if you have enough truck to control the trailer. Contact the truck manufacturer for the towing specs. By adding air bags to the truck you are not increasing the towing capability of the truck. Suspension is only one of the components that go into determining the towing capability of the truck. Dont accept personal opinions to determine if you have an adequate tow vehicle, get the facts, you are legally responsible for having an adequate tow vehicle.

whj469 · March 9, 2015

There are not many fivers that can be towed by a 1/2 ton pickup.

Yes a fiver will be to much for your pickup.

What weight should the trailer be not length.

A fiver is easier to pull then a trailer, no sway issues.

Good Luck

bigjim · March 9, 2015

Like everyone said, we need more info to give good information and YOU need more information also. One thing you have said is you have the 5.7 hemi which might do the job minamally but it depends on other things such as rear end gear ratio which is important in this case. I would say at minimum you need a 3:73 rear end but a 4:10 would be better.

I only assume you are using a weght distributing hitch and a anti-sway bar. I have pulled a 30ft TT with a Dodge 5.7 alot but mine was the 2500 with the 4:10 rear end without 2 much trouble on the fairly flatland and even in the mountains but not nearly as easy in the mountains. In truth I am guessing that you don't have enough truck to do the job right but I would not spend a ton trying to make the truck work. I just saw a good friend who is a stubborn and hard headed go through something like this with his one year old Chevy 1/2 THD when he bought a 5thW that was supposed to be 1/2T towable according to the salesman at the dealer. To make matters worse he lives near Albuquerque which is definitly in the mountains. I have best wishes for you. And welcome to the SKP's.

TXiceman · March 9, 2015

In my opinion and experience from pulling RVs since 1984, a 30' 5th wheel is way too much for a 1/2 ton truck. Air bags do nothing to increase the towing capacity of the truck.

AS noted above, there are very few 5th wheel RVs that are towable by 1/2 ton truck. Just because a manufacturer markets a 5er as 1/2 ton towable, it does not make it towable. Most of them stretch the ratings by using an dry trailer weight and a base model truck with only a 150 driver. I have yet to meet anyone that tows a trailer at the dry weight. You will add supplies and options which will have you 1000# or more over the dry weight.

So shop carefully and NEVER believe the RV salesman.

AS a starting point, a 30' trailer whether a bumper pull or a 5th wheel should be towed with a 3/4 ton truck.

Ken

TreyandSusan · March 9, 2015

This is a good place to begin your understanding of the issues and information needed to properly match a Truck and Trailer. It does not cover every detail. It gives the big picture and the major starting points to help get to a good decision from a safety standpoint.

It would be wonderful if it was simple and cut and dried. Besides mechanical and safety concerns, there are personal preferences that influence decision making with regard to RVing.

A large percentage of folks undersize tow vehicles because of lack of understanding of the concepts involved. Today we all want a simple answer sometimes we can get a simple answer and it may even be a good answer.

Understanding requires some study and research.

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