How many of us towing 5W with 1/2 Ton?

[PhoneDude 8289]

Just started pulling our new 8289ws with our 08 Tundra. Only pulled it about 30 miles so far but seems like a good match. Prior to the Rockwood we pulled an 08 Cougar 291 RLS 5th wheel gvw 10.3k. Most of the time the Cougar was loaded to about 9.5k. In two years with it we logged 21k miles some of that in the Rockies and the mountains of the north west. 2 sets of trailer tires, 1 set of truck tires and 1 set of trailer brakes. We are looking forward to many miles with the 8289WS diamond pkg. A good brake controller, e rated tires, air bags and a good hitch is a must. The 5.7 Tundra is a towing beast.

[1surveyor]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

It just gets a little tiring that every time a 1/2 t hooks to a 5er the wt police start throwing around "unsafe, dangerous, illegal, etc." terms like they are the "experts". I like my 1/2T because it pulls my 8528RKWS just fine and mainly because IT IS PAID FOR!

Yes i'm not trading trucks Keep on Camping

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

DSRACE, I have LR E tires and airbags, good brakes and instead of a band aid type air hitch, I put shocks on the 5er and don't have chucking.

oc that's great... just out of curiosity , what do you haul in yours? I am glad you have no chucking because that gets old in a hurry and that's great you can tow with your truck in your comfort zone and that is all that it really comes down to for most. some of us haul larger objects in our toy haulers and need more than average to stay in our comfort zone. I agree that SHOCKS on a camper are a must for many reasons. that is why I have added them to my current and prev. the current also received the dexter ez flex with wet bolt system, coupled with the shocks that was even more impressive on my long drives across three state lines!

I haul a 1200 lbs sand rail in my toyhauler and for those that don't know what that is, picture a high performance dune buggy, a car basically on 4 wheels. distributing the weight or shifting weight, isn't possible for some of us. now when you get all these variations of what is considered safe and unsafe, they are basing those statements on personal experience and hauling 2 quads or two Harley's is different than hauling a rail and 600lbs of tools and gear. the majority of the rails weight is behind the axle and I can't do anything about that. I added the air fifth hitch not only to smooth out the ride a bit more also needed to reduce chucking on the bad roads, but primarily because of the known upper deck failures in the lippert frames especially in toy haulers and like I said, i'm not hauling a couple quads or a couple bikes.


I see chucking as the #1 cause of upper deck failure imo based on the the design of the structure and where they have made a few changes they weren't substantial enough imo!!!! I see nothing wrong towing with an 1/2 ton as long as your under the limits, w/o having to weigh you cans of soda and wife's earings to make sure your under lol . bottom line is if you with in spec and can make it there and back with out clinching your cheeks and white knuckling it there and back while still feeling your in complete control for the whole drive then your GOOD!! enjoy it and it's cheaper for ya too. I know a guy that used to tow his fifth with ( I think ) 1996 s10 pick up had a 4.3 v6 vortec , from Lincoln ne to lake perry in Kansas and back once a year. shut the od off and kept it under 60 mostly and was happy with the drive. I wouldn't do this myself but that's me.
now could my rig be towed with a half ton srw.....probably .....but I wouldn't after what I have experienced with my 1 ton drw, I would tear up a 1/2 ton quickly.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by dsrace

oc... just out of curiosity , what do you haul in yours?...

I normally haul 10 Camco yellow leveling blocks and the center section of the Undercover tonneau cover, fire extinguisher, 1 qt of Mobil 1 oil and a small tool set.

[dsrace]

Originally Posted by OldCoot

I normally haul 10 Camco yellow leveling blocks and the center section of the Undercover tonneau cover, fire extinguisher, 1 qt of Mobil 1 oil and a small tool set.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by boubou

Airbags work better than timbrens? Can we get airbag that inflate from inside truck pushing a button? (go ahead, laugh lol)?
What about the Gawr? I don't know what it's really going to be at until I weigh in but what if it's 200 lbs or so over?

Mine do with an on board compressor, just press a button to inflate on the go or another button to deflate them on the go. Works great.

[Mtelkman]

I looked at a new Ecoboost to tow our Flagstaff 8528rkws but am just not ready to throw down all that cash yet. I am sticking to my outdated '01 7.3l F250 Superduty until it dies. Those new Ecoboosts (and maybe the new Dodge 1/2 ton diesel) are super nice and I know I would be under the ratings but the sticker shock is just too much for me....., so far. In the interest of full disclosure, I am actually over my GVWR weight rating by a few hundred pounds when fully loaded now, but only because I have a 41 gallon fuel tank truck box. With SuperSprings my bed barely drops fully loaded when I hook up. I know I would have to give up the fuel tank/truck box if I went with the half ton, but it might be worth it as they seem so nice compared to my loud old oil burner.

[deerslayer]

I have been pulling my 2012 Chaparral Open Trail 26RLS with my 07 1500 ram for for two seasons now. My truck is a qcsb equipped with the 5.7 hemi and 392 rear. I added a programmer, banks exhaust and an intake with I had my sunline TT. The 5th wheel has a pin weight of 1098lbs and a gross weight of 9800lbs. By specs I know I am over once loaded ect. Truck pulls the 5vr great, I added air bags simply due to the occasional chucking I would get when going over certain overpasses. I have been very happy with this set up, only thing I steer away from is mountains...Not saying this is the ideal set up but it has worked well for us......with that being said, I am currently awaiting my new truck to arrive at the dealer. I am upgrading to a 2500 diesel ram with a long bed. Looking to take some longer trips this year and this new truck wont even know the rig is hooked up to it. We may also be looking at upgrading campers again within the next few years and I know I will have to upgrade trucks before a new camper is purchased.

[dustman_stx]

Speaking of weights and half ton trucks… I was camping last week and started speaking with a gentleman a few sites over. He worked in K9 search and rescue. He was pulling an Open Range TT with a published tongue weight of 1285 pounds with a 2011 Chevy 1/2 ton with a 6.0L. He had Ranch Hand replacement bumpers(heavy) front and rear, an aux fuel tank (30 gallons, I think), quite a bit of heavy gear, and also said he often has 60 gallons of water loaded into the bed. When fully loaded I think he would probably be close to 1K over GVWR. We started discussing weights and I find out he is retired LEO, having worked in California and Texas. He worked several years as an accident investigator in Texas. His response when I mentioned getting in trouble with being overweight if involved in an accident was "who's gonna weigh it?" He said that if you were commercial hauling, you'd have to deal with DOT. He pointed out that even if your insurance company or a lawyer wanted to weigh your rig, it would be almost impossible. No way of knowing how things were situated. Truck and trailer would likely be in different locations. Lots of debris would be trashed. He stated that in his years of investigating, the cause of accidents was always operator error, as in following too close, driving too fast for conditions, etc. Never once attributed a wreck to being overloaded. Obviously he wasn't referring to towing a 36' TT with a Honda Civic. His point was that being over a manufacturers GVWR sticker was NOT an enforceable offense. Even if the insurance company could prove you were overloaded, they can't deny coverage. Pretty much every wreck occurs because someone did something negligent- that's the point of insurance- to cover your butt if you screw up. The gist of what he said was to focus more on your driving habits and be alert and cautious instead of fretting over a few hundred pounds on a rig that weighs 15K+.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by dustman_stx

Speaking of weights and half ton trucks… I was camping last week and started speaking with a gentleman a few sites over. He worked in K9 search and rescue. He was pulling an Open Range TT with a published tongue weight of 1285 pounds with a 2011 Chevy 1/2 ton with a 6.0L. He had Ranch Hand replacement bumpers(heavy) front and rear, an aux fuel tank (30 gallons, I think), quite a bit of heavy gear, and also said he often has 60 gallons of water loaded into the bed. When fully loaded I think he would probably be close to 1K over GVWR. We started discussing weights and I find out he is retired LEO, having worked in California and Texas. He worked several years as an accident investigator in Texas. His response when I mentioned getting in trouble with being overweight if involved in an accident was "who's gonna weigh it?" He said that if you were commercial hauling, you'd have to deal with DOT. He pointed out that even if your insurance company or a lawyer wanted to weigh your rig, it would be almost impossible. No way of knowing how things were situated. Truck and trailer would likely be in different locations. Lots of debris would be trashed. He stated that in his years of investigating, the cause of accidents was always operator error, as in following too close, driving too fast for conditions, etc. Never once attributed a wreck to being overloaded. Obviously he wasn't referring to towing a 36' TT with a Honda Civic. His point was that being over a manufacturers GVWR sticker was NOT an enforceable offense. Even if the insurance company could prove you were overloaded, they can't deny coverage. Pretty much every wreck occurs because someone did something negligent- that's the point of insurance- to cover your butt if you screw up. The gist of what he said was to focus more on your driving habits and be alert and cautious instead of fretting over a few hundred pounds on a rig that weighs 15K+.

Pretty good point, Thanks.

[garbonz]

Originally Posted by boubou

Timbren Kits, Timbren Suspension Kits, Timbren Load Booster, Timbren Overload Springs, Timbrens - TruckSpring.com

Very smooth ride, not like hitting bump stop and haven't come into contact with them unloaded either

Look at these, adjustable, and perfect for leveling your ride when loaded and imperceptible when unloaded. easy installation.

I have had them for 5 years and they are great.

http://www.activesuspension.com/

[Mtelkman]

dustman_stx-
I have a good friend in the Oregon DOT who says the same thing as you wrote in your post.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by garbonz

Look at these, adjustable, and perfect for leveling your ride when loaded and imperceptible when unloaded. easy installation.

I have had them for 5 years and they are great.

Roadmaster Active Suspension Kits | Helper Springs | Overload Springs

Looks like they would work just fine, but I like the ease of adjusting my AirLift airbags with the onboard compressor and pressing buttons. Getting too old and lazy to crawl under the truck and using wrenches.

[1surveyor]

i love the airbags , when first installed had an exterior inflation valve , but did not stay that way long installed my compressor behind the back seat and put the air gauge and switch in my console now it's up and down\n with the touch of a button

[PhoneDude 8289]

Originally Posted by presley01

Just started pulling our new 8289ws with our 08 Tundra. Only pulled it about 30 miles so far but seems like a good match. Prior to the Rockwood we pulled an 08 Cougar 291 RLS 5th wheel gvw 10.3k. Most of the time the Cougar was loaded to about 9.5k. In two years with it we logged 21k miles some of that in the Rockies and the mountains of the north west. 2 sets of trailer tires, 1 set of truck tires and 1 set of trailer brakes. We are looking forward to many miles with the 8289WS diamond pkg. A good brake controller, e rated tires, air bags and a good hitch is a must. The 5.7 Tundra is a towing beast.

Towing update: Just got back to Texas with our 8289WS towing with the 08 Tundra. 1650 miles of towing from so Fl to Tx, avg 60 - 65 mph hwy 12.8 mpg. Had a great trip, would have enjoyed Florida more is there had been allot less rain. One more thing, I-10 through Louisiana is the highway from hell. More broken pavement, holes and uneven pavement than the law should allow. The highway was littered with vehicles with flat tires, broken axels and damaged front ends. 45mph through LA.

[dcheatwood]

Presley01. Yes. And our roads keep me from encouraging rvers to visit the many sites in our state. It is shameful.

[bayoubuggie]

I take I-10 to work and for day to day travel, believe it or not it's alot better than it used to be. But it is still terrible and an embarrassment for our state.

[1surveyor]

Originally Posted by presley01

Towing update: Just got back to Texas with our 8289WS towing with the 08 Tundra. 1650 miles of towing from so Fl to Tx, avg 60 - 65 mph hwy 12.8 mpg. Had a great trip, would have enjoyed Florida more is there had been allot less rain. One more thing, I-10 through Louisiana is the highway from hell. More broken pavement, holes and uneven pavement than the law should allow. The highway was littered with vehicles with flat tires, broken axels and damaged front ends. 45mph through LA.

Thats a nice looking 5er

keep on camping

Oak

[dcheatwood]

Originally Posted by Mike St-Pierre

STAY AWAY from air bags!!! Timbrens are the way to go. 45 min. to install, lifetime warranty.Need I say more.

Airlift bags have a lifetime warranty too, but take a little longer to install. But its worth the effort to control the level of support you want at any time. Glad the timbrens work for you.

[acadianbob]

Originally Posted by bayoubuggie

I take I-10 to work and for day to day travel, believe it or not it's alot better than it used to be. But it is still terrible and an embarrassment for our state.

We have traveled I-10 the last two Aprils and have personally witnessed a fatal accident each year; with body bags. All of this in bright sunshine and dry roads. And met some folks at an RV site that had the same experience. I-10 seems surprisingly dangerous for a flat, straight freeway.