Quote:
Originally Posted by Hawksclaw
Looking to buy a Rockwood 8289ws 5th wheel shortly. Tow vehicle is a 2008 Tundra 2wd with SR 5 package and factory trailer tow installed with Transmission cooler and temp gage. I know the pin weight is almost at the Tundra bed capacity but was planning on putting Firestone Airbags on Tundra. Do any of you experienced 5th wheel guys or gals see any problem with this set up. The Rockwood pin weight is 1500 plus and my tundra is 1600 bed capacity. I know that is pushing it but may look to the 8282ws with a pin weight of 1100. Open to constructive criticism etc. Thanks Wayne, Watson, Louisiana
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So, here's the rub- you're looking at the dry weight of the camper. That is before any options are selected by the customer/dealer ordering the camper and it is before you add the first thing to the camper. My guess is that you're going to be adding a good 1,000 pounds to the dry weights of the camper and that will definitely increase the pin weight that pushes into the bed of the truck.
To do the math-
8289WS
- Advertised dry hitch weight (1,524) / Advertised dry weight (7,793) = 20%
- Realistic loaded weight (9,000) x 20% = 1,800 pounds of realistic hitch weight
8282WS
- Advertised dry hitch weight (1,184) / Advertised dry weight (7,505) = 16%
- Realistic loaded weight (8,500) x 16% = 1,360 pounds of realistic hitch weight
To make matters worse, I've found that for my camper- the pin weight percentage actually increased by a point or two (from 15% to 17%). So, you can possibly have an even higher pin weight that I predicted above.
The other thing is you want to find out what the cargo carrying capacity of your exact truck is. That is usually on a tire loading sticker on the doorjamb and looks something like this:
This is for your exact truck and can be used as a decent guideline. But remember, almost everything that you put in/on the truck deducts from that- fancy rolltop bed cover, 125 pounds comes off. Cute & skinny wife, 125 pounds come off. Laptop, GPS and iPad for navigating, 25 pounds come off. Cooler of drinks & snacks, 25 pounds come off.
The fifth wheel hitch itself 150-250 pounds come off.
I have found, with my wife and I both being overweight, our fancy rolltop cover, 2 kids, gooseneck & fifth wheel hitch (B&W turnoverball + companion), and all of the carp that we carry with us- we use up a good 1,200 pounds of our payload right out of the gate. I think we're an extreme example- but worthy of noting.
SO- all of that points to, you'll almost definitely be over on your truck's payload capacity. What now? Well, I think it depends on how much you're over, your experience driving trailers (especially heavy ones) and the terrain that you expect to be driving. You have to make an educated choice to decide what is right for you (and what level of elevated liability it entails). Going over my limits isn't an option for me- that's why I have a dually for my 42' camper. But each of us needs to make educated decisions.