Travel Trailer vs 5th Wheel

[BigH]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

I believe you're reading your owners manual incorrectly. From my 2016 2500 HD owners manual, the table on page 344 says that if you're using a WDH, the MAXIMUM tongue weight you may have is 2000 lbs. It does NOT say you need a WDH if your tongue weight is greater than 2000 lbs.

In fact, it says it's a max of 2000 lbs whether you have a WDH or not.

Vehicle Series: 2500/3500 Long Box

Hitch Type: Weight-Carrying or Weight-Distributing

Maximum Tongue Weight: 907 kg (2,000 lb)

I do understand what my owners manual says but I didn't state it clearly. While it doesn't change my point in the context it was given, I should have stated "It is not required on my truck up to the maximum of 2000lbs on the ball".

So you're pulling a trailer with a GVWR of almost 10,000 lbs without a WDH. Rather you than me.

Why? Don't you like relaxed towing at the speed limit? I pulled that trailer over 5000 miles this year. Some pretty stiff cross winds across the plains... through the eastern mountains...all one handed and relaxed at the speed limit or better if the flow of traffic allowed.

In no way am I suggesting for anyone to not follow your owners manual but a WDH is not a magic device.

[Coolharts]

With a Pro-Pride hitch any travel trailer sway disappears. Sure, it takes longer to hitch up but I take my time anyway, can't be too cautious.

[LegacyFB38]

Quote:
So you're pulling a trailer with a GVWR of almost 10,000 lbs without a WDH. Rather you than me.

************************************************** *****************

I have towed over 10,000# dead weight for decades. It is very common with boat trailers.

Days gone bye, a "heavy duty" receiver was a class III rated maybe 500# dead weight/1000# WDH. Now, factory receivers on pick 'em up trucks are way more than that. The class III receivers is no longer the king-of-the-hill.

On the right truck, with the right receiver, over 10,000# dead weight is no longer a suicide mission.

[arter368rlbhk]

Originally Posted by LegacyFB38

Quote:
So you're pulling a trailer with a GVWR of almost 10,000 lbs without a WDH. Rather you than me.

************************************************** *****************

I have towed over 10,000# dead weight for decades. It is very common with boat trailers.

Days gone bye, a "heavy duty" receiver was a class III rated maybe 500# dead weight/1000# WDH. Now, factory receivers on pick 'em up trucks are way more than that. The class III receivers is no longer the king-of-the-hill.

On the right truck, with the right receiver, over 10,000# dead weight is no longer a suicide mission.

Correct, but no sway control can be a suicide mission. I’d much rather pull my 42 fifth wheel across the country than my 36 ft tt that I had previously across my state. Jmo but in no way does a tt tow anywhere near as nice as a fiver, I don’t care if you have it perfectly balanced , WDH and sway control. I find the people who claim tt tow better have never towed a fiver. Moo

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by BigH

I do understand what my owners manual says but I didn't state it clearly. While it doesn't change my point in the context it was given, I should have stated "It is not required on my truck up to the maximum of 2000lbs on the ball".




Why? Don't you like relaxed towing at the speed limit? I pulled that trailer over 5000 miles this year. Some pretty stiff cross winds across the plains... through the eastern mountains...all one handed and relaxed at the speed limit or better if the flow of traffic allowed.

In no way am I suggesting for anyone to not follow your owners manual but a WDH is not a magic device.

Originally Posted by Coolharts

With a Pro-Pride hitch any travel trailer sway disappears. Sure, it takes longer to hitch up but I take my time anyway, can't be too cautious.

Originally Posted by LegacyFB38

Quote:
So you're pulling a trailer with a GVWR of almost 10,000 lbs without a WDH. Rather you than me.

************************************************** *****************

I have towed over 10,000# dead weight for decades. It is very common with boat trailers.

Days gone bye, a "heavy duty" receiver was a class III rated maybe 500# dead weight/1000# WDH. Now, factory receivers on pick 'em up trucks are way more than that. The class III receivers is no longer the king-of-the-hill.

On the right truck, with the right receiver, over 10,000# dead weight is no longer a suicide mission.

The issue isn't the stoutness of the hitch. Go weigh your trucks front axle, then put your trailer on and weigh it again. You'll see how much your front axle gets unloaded. It will most likely be less for a long bed than for a short bed, but still....

[BigH]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

The issue isn't the stoutness of the hitch. Go weigh your trucks front axle, then put your trailer on and weigh it again. You'll see how much your front axle gets unloaded. It will most likely be less for a long bed than for a short bed, but still....

Not most likely, it is less for a longer wheel base...this is why the requirement for using a wdh is necessary with the shorter wheel base HD truck before the limit is reached on the hitch. (This is from my trucks manual, which is not necessarily the same as yours due to the changes made in GM HD trucks for model year 2017).

I weigh the load on the ball of my hitch at every pull. I've seen weights from about 950 to 1500lbs with the toyhauler in my sig depending on how the garage is loaded. If you want to know (like I did) what effect my tongue weight is having on the front axle, you can do some very simple measuring/math and know how much weight is being removed once you know the weight on the ball.

https://www.engineersedge.com/calcul...e_levers_1.htm

Then you can do a little more math with some measuring and figure out the weight of everything added to the truck forward of the rear axle adds weight back. Passengers combined with any other add ons like the spare (added) battery under the hood and loaded objects forward the rear axle in the truck bed.

[larryo]

Wow, lots of GREAT opinions. I have hauled rv's for the past 14 years pulling hundreds of tt's and 5ers. I have no issues hooking up or pulling either one. We have decided to wait until spring. Dedicated TV will be a 1 ton dually (I have 4). It will probably boil down to floor plan. Thanks everyone.

[ijon]

The main reason I got a tt is storage. I have a pole barn that it slips right in. Years ago we were in a horse club and had a Lance truck camper. I kept it in the barn the whole time I had it. When I sold it I got top price for the camper. Had people actually fighting over it. I have a one ton dually truck from the truck camper. It pulls the Fury 2910 toy hauler really good.