Size Truck

[WeBeFulltime]

Yada...Yada...Yada!

[JABURKHOLDER]

It is much easier to buy a trailer to match your truck than the other way around. When researching a new truck, you can get the GVWR from the sticker and the payload capacity from the brochure but you don't know the real world payload capacity until you load up the truck with fuel, passengers, hitch, cargo, etc, then go weigh it. Can't really do that until you purchase the truck. Something you can do to get close is during your test drive, drive to a scale and have it weighed. During the test drive it will probably be you, your spouse and the salesperson. That will take care of passenger weight. Now it's time to do the math. Add to your scale weight the weight of a full tank of diesel fuel. Diesel weighs 7-8lbs/gal depending on temp and altitude. I would use 8lbs. 40 gallon tank = 320lbs. Now add the weight of a hitch. If you already have a hitch in mind, just use it's weight, if not, figure about 100lbs. With all those weights added together, subtract that from your GVWR on the sticker. The difference will be pretty close to your real world remaining cargo capacity. Time to figure your pin weight. Ideally you would load up your trailer and tow it to a scale to get that weight, but you need a truck to tow it. Let's figure it out with a safety cushion built in. Take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 25%. That will be your MAX pin weight. Normal pin weight is around 22% but we are building in a cushion. If that calculated pin weight is less than your remaining cargo capacity then you are good to go. If not, start over with a more capable truck. Make sense ?

My set up with my numbers to help make sense.
Truck GVWR 14,000lbs
Truck loaded weight is 9,300lbs

14,000
-9,300
--------
4,700lbs real world remaining payload

RV GVWR 16,960lbs
25% = 4,240lbs MAX pin weight

4,700
-4,240
--------
460lbs built in cushion at MAX GVWR for the truck and RV

I know this all sounds tedious but it's worth the extra time to get it right and not short yourself on the wrong combo.



I know this subject comes up a LOT, mostly by newbies, but the OP should get an answer. Yada...Yada...Yada! is not an answer.
Just saying.

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by JABURKHOLDER

It is much easier to buy a trailer to match your truck than the other way around. When researching a new truck, you can get the GVWR from the sticker and the payload capacity from the brochure but you don't know the real world payload capacity until you load up the truck with fuel, passengers, hitch, cargo, etc, then go weigh it. Can't really do that until you purchase the truck. Something you can do to get close is during your test drive, drive to a scale and have it weighed. During the test drive it will probably be you, your spouse and the salesperson. That will take care of passenger weight. Now it's time to do the math. Add to your scale weight the weight of a full tank of diesel fuel. Diesel weighs 7-8lbs/gal depending on temp and altitude. I would use 8lbs. 40 gallon tank = 320lbs. Now add the weight of a hitch. If you already have a hitch in mind, just use it's weight, if not, figure about 100lbs. With all those weights added together, subtract that from your GVWR on the sticker. The difference will be pretty close to your real world remaining cargo capacity. Time to figure your pin weight. Ideally you would load up your trailer and tow it to a scale to get that weight, but you need a truck to tow it. Let's figure it out with a safety cushion built in. Take the GVWR of the trailer and multiply it by 25%. That will be your MAX pin weight. Normal pin weight is around 22% but we are building in a cushion. If that calculated pin weight is less than your remaining cargo capacity then you are good to go. If not, start over with a more capable truck. Make sense ?

My set up with my numbers to help make sense.
Truck GVWR 14,000lbs
Truck loaded weight is 9,300lbs

14,000
-9,300
--------
4,700lbs real world remaining payload

RV GVWR 16,960lbs
25% = 4,240lbs MAX pin weight

4,700
-4,240
--------
460lbs built in cushion at MAX GVWR for the truck and RV

I know this all sounds tedious but it's worth the extra time to get it right and not short yourself on the wrong combo.



I know this subject comes up a LOT, mostly by newbies, but the OP should get an answer. Yada...Yada...Yada! is not an answer.
Just saying.

Thanks Jerry, great summary of how to work through your numbers.

And agree that it may seem old and beaten to death to some, but vitally important to those who don't know.
How many times does someone buy a new 16k 5th wheel because the salesman said their 2500 will tow it just fine? Then they come to a forum like here and are told they bought the wrong truck?

Your information will help ones like that to avoid such a costly mistake.

Thanks again,

Brad

[dfb]

We had a 17 Ram 3500 Megacab Short bed ... GVWR 12200... With the Montana 3610rl we were over the weight on the rawr... Tow rating 16600..... Traded Truck for the Dually Longbed... GVWR 14000 and tow rating of 31000... 4:10 made a big difference...

[dfb]

Originally Posted by webefulltime

yada...yada...yada!

yaba daba do.....

[dfb]

[ATTACH]8452[/ATTACH Enough Truck?

[Montana Man]

Originally Posted by dfb

We had a 17 Ram 3500 Megacab Short bed ... GVWR 12200... With the Montana 3610rl we were over the weight on the rawr... Tow rating 16600..... Traded Truck for the Dually Longbed... GVWR 14000 and tow rating of 31000... 4:10 made a big difference...

The pin weight should have been around 3000 lbs. well within the gvwr on that shortbed.

[dfb]

Originally Posted by Montana Man

The pin weight should have been around 3000 lbs. well within the gvwr on that shortbed.

The Truck's RAWR was over by about 200lbs... It was withing the truck's GVWR...

[Slow Hand]

Same Same people beating same

[dfb]

Oviously some still have questions>>.

[432bartman]

These threads are entertaining.

[bshgto]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Any RV Weight numbers are just a guess until you take delivery and can find the "Weight as it left the Factory Sticker". Our unit has a brochure weight of 14K, it left the Factory at just a few pounds under 16K and that's before propane, batteries, or anything else.
Our 2010 2955RL weighted at the Goshen Rally was almost 1000 Lbs heavier than the published pin weight.

When I started with this 5er thing from a TT a couple of campers ago I noticed one thing, every year the camper weighed more. Me? the wife? all my stupid projects I just had to change in the camper like the 3rd A/C?, the big water softener? Extra large tv`s or all tools that I think I`ll need this year? maybe the dual 4500 watt generators in the back of the truck I had to have to run all the A/C` at once
Nah I think it`s the wife`s fault, those darn pots and pans of hers.
I guess my point is the number runners that justify the SWR over the DRW are fooling yourselves or spending to much time worrying about running to heavy and restricting what you`ll eventually want to take along, you know like those new heavy e-bikes you bought because you just can`t cut it pedaling any more.
Life will change how you do things and you should be prepared for it. Just look at all the toys in the camper catalog this year.
Duallys reign with the big ones, now and in the future, others not so much.

[dfb]

A 1/2 ton will pull it, 3/4 ton and 1 ton will pull it. I have been there and done that.. The rule is not to exceed any ratings.. a 1 ton srw IS NOT ENUFF TRUCK.. Dually, period!. The reason is not to exceed the rear axle weight rating. The rear weight is exceeded because of the tire ratings. You need two tires on each side to avoid the overload..

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by dfb

A 1/2 ton will pull it, 3/4 ton and 1 ton will pull it. I have been there and done that.. The rule is not to exceed any ratings.. a 1 ton srw IS NOT ENUFF TRUCK.. Dually, period!. The reason is not to exceed the rear axle weight rating. The rear weight is exceeded because of the tire ratings. You need two tires on each side to avoid the overload..

Not sure where you get that; typical RAWR for a 1 ton SRW is 7000lbs and the typical tires are rated at anywhere from 3640-4080lbs each, or 7280-8160lbs for the axle. The tires selected by manufacturers have, by design, a safety margin of weight above the axle weight ratings.

Brad

[dfb]

Originally Posted by kowbra

Not sure where you get that; typical RAWR for a 1 ton SRW is 7000lbs and the typical tires are rated at anywhere from 3640-4080lbs each, or 7280-8160lbs for the axle. The tires selected by manufacturers have, by design, a safety margin of weight above the axle weight ratings.

Brad

Brad, "I got that from "Real World Experience"... We had a 2017 Ram sb srw mega cab.. We were towing a 2015 Montana 3610 rl legacy.. We were over the RAWR by 200lbs... This was Full Tank, both wife and I, one dog small, on kitty cat, one Anderson Hitch.. A pet stroller...I have the Cat Weights somewhere and have posted them a few years back.... This is 'where I got this"...We have been doing this since 1992...The SRW truck Pulled Great..No issues... However we bought the Long Bed Dually...Tow Rating of 31000 lbs.. Nearly twice that of the SRW... 4:10s vs 3:42s..

[dfb]

Originally Posted by Montana Man

The pin weight should have been around 3000 lbs. well within the gvwr on that shortbed.

Not on the SRW short bed... Numbers don't lie... We cat scaled the truck and the rv.. we were over... 3000 lbs minus two people.. say 400/// then Dog and car, 50 lbs, fuel at 8 lbs per gallon at 33 gallons... hitch of 100 lbs.. Now its at 2100 lbs left... Spayed in Bedliner say 200 lbs... now 1900 lbs... We Were Over... just real numbers... Accoding to the RAWR by god... Those who made it...I have been there... I had to take losses before... by trading in the tow vehicles... So we went with the baddest tow vehicle Ram had at the time....

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by dfb

Brad, "I got that from "Real World Experience"... We had a 2017 Ram sb srw mega cab.. We were towing a 2015 Montana 3610 rl legacy.. We were over the RAWR by 200lbs... This was Full Tank, both wife and I, one dog small, on kitty cat, one Anderson Hitch.. A pet stroller...I have the Cat Weights somewhere and have posted them a few years back.... This is 'where I got this"...We have been doing this since 1992...The SRW truck Pulled Great..No issues... However we bought the Long Bed Dually...Tow Rating of 31000 lbs.. Nearly twice that of the SRW... 4:10s vs 3:42s..

You missed my point - it's not the tires that are limiting first, it's the RAWR. Exactly as you said it this time... but not the first time that I was quoting, where you said it was the tires.

Brad

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by dfb

Not on the SRW short bed... Numbers don't lie... We cat scaled the truck and the rv.. we were over... 3000 lbs minus two people.. say 400/// then Dog and car, 50 lbs, fuel at 8 lbs per gallon at 33 gallons... hitch of 100 lbs.. Now its at 2100 lbs left... Spayed in Bedliner say 200 lbs... now 1900 lbs... We Were Over... just real numbers... Accoding to the RAWR by god... Those who made it...I have been there... I had to take losses before... by trading in the tow vehicles... So we went with the baddest tow vehicle Ram had at the time....

All that proves is that YOUR SRW didn't meet the numbers YOU needed for YOUR 5th wheel at the time.
I'm not disagreeing that the duallie is a good choice and that for many it is the correct choice.
But, let's not be so dismissive and say that your specific experience means that no one else can have an SRW and make it work in their situation. In many cases it does work and does meet the numbers.

Brad

[dfb]

Brad, we just didnt want to think about it again..4tires carry more than two..not fun buying six tires,..

[kowbra]

Originally Posted by dfb

Brad, we just didnt want to think about it again..4tires carry more than two..not fun buying six tires,..

Yup, I totally get it.

But, others have different needs, and all I'm saying is let others decide what works for them.

Brad