Any issues with short bed and 5th wheel combo?

[KyDan]

I have a Silverado 1500 ext cab short bed.
Am considering a light weight 5th wheel.
I'll be right at 1000 LBS under my max tow weight.

I may try that combo but wonder if a short bed is a problem for
a 30' total length 5th wheel?

[cyclepuck]

Shouldn't be a problem as long as you use a slider hitch.

[Dave_Monica]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I have a Silverado 1500 ext cab short bed.
Am considering a light weight 5th wheel.
I'll be right at 1000 LBS under my max tow weight.

I may try that combo but wonder if a short bed is a problem for
a 30' total length 5th wheel?

Is your short bed 5.5 or 6.5 feet?

The limiting factor won't be the max tow weight...it'll be the payload capacity of the truck.

Dave

[cyclepuck]

Yeah I forgot they are putting the 5.5 bed on the ext cab. If thats the case then no.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by KyDan

I have a Silverado 1500 ext cab short bed.
Am considering a light weight 5th wheel.
I'll be right at 1000 LBS under my max tow weight.

I may try that combo but wonder if a short bed is a problem for
a 30' total length 5th wheel?

I have an ext cab with the 6.5' bed and pull a 12 Flagstaff 8528RKWS and a regular Reese 16K non slider hitch. The trailer came with the Reese Revolution Sidewinder and works great. Can turn over 90° and the cab clears just fine. I really like the Sidewinder as it allows me to use a modified full cover hard tonneau cover while towing.

[KyDan]

Pretty sure my bed's a 6'6" will measure in the morning.
Also the trailer I'm looking at is a
KZ sportsman KZ Recreational Vehicles: Sportsmen® S265RK
S265RK 30' end to end.
12'3" tall
Dry total wt 7230 I figure no more than 8000 loaded- maybe a little less?
hitch wt 1310 so I've got plenty of cargo wt to spare.
My towing capacity is 8800 or 8900 I have to go refresh my memory
by reading the manual.

We're looking to up our away time dramatically in a year.
My truck has only 44000 mi on it.
Garage kept looks brand new.
Trade in is only about $10,000
New Chevy 2500 with big gas V8 looks like around $34,000 the way I'd
want it.
I know diesels pull harder and get a little better MPG but they cost so
much more. The Chevy 2500 v8 gas can tow up to 13,000 with the 4.10 rear end.

I'm tempted to try it with my truck first. This is a nice little 2 person
5er with a fairly big slide in the living area so it's doable for the 2 of us
a couple months at a time I think.

Just dreaming at the moment but I'm gonna try to find one of the KZs to
walk thru. You can only tell so much from pictures!

[cyclepuck]

You'll be borderline on the cargo capacity. Dry pin weight is 1310lbs. Loaded pin weight you'll be close to 1500lbs not counting what you have in truck and weight capacity it's only 1700lbs & some change on the 1500.

[camper_Lucy]

That 4:10 in the V8 will kill your gas mileage, I had one and pulling a 33 Puma TT I could only get 8.5 out of it. Just something to keep in mind, some times it is pay now or pay later and a lot of travel at only 8.5 per will add up fast. But it does pull great.

[Dave_Monica]

Dan, a good place to start is to weigh your truck, full of gas, passengers, ready to camp. Add 175 lbs for a hitch. That way you'll see how much payload you have left by GVWR or by RAWR. You may be surprised by how little payload capacity you have.

With a 6.5' box (now that I think of it, I don't believe that the extended cabs came with a 5.5') you should be okay with a sliding hitch or a Reese Sidewinder pinbox.

I'm surprised that you're not looking at a Rockwood 8280WS or Flagstaff 8528RKWS. Nicer with 2 recliners, but I'm a little biased. Ours weighed 1240 lb pin and 8300 lbs total loaded when we towed it with a Ram 1500.

Dave

[KyDan]

Dave, as far as weight goes--
My current numbers at a CAT scale recently. We were loaded with
half tank water, full LP, full food, gear headed for the camp ground.
Steer axle 3100
Drive axle 3000
Trailer axles 3840
Gross/total 9940 US pounds
This is with my WD hitch hooked up.
I lowered the front tongue jack just enough to get off the ball
and the Steer axle went down to 2800 but total didn't change of course!
This include wife and me on the scales!

MY next thread was going to be asking about "lightweight" 5ers so I'd
not be starting totally cold looking at models.

FYI we looked at a KZ trailer at an RV show and then later at the dealer
lot early this year. I was impressed with the fit/finish and workmanship
on the KZ. It is a family owned company. Not many of those around
anymore. I'd read here where some folks pulled the slide seal rubber back
on their Forest River slides and found bare wood. Any water that leaked
past the slide would go right into the wall.
The KZ slide cut out was totally sealed.
I hope others made by various Forest River brands are sealed also!!

I'm going to look into the Flagstaff 8528RKWS right now.

I'll probably start a new thread asking for suggestions for light 5th wheels.
Wife has demanded a larger bathroom on the next one.
I have to admit the one we have now is very small.

Thanks everyone for the comments and new ideas!
Guess we're still looking!

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by camper_Lucy

That 4:10 in the V8 will kill your gas mileage, I had one and pulling a 33 Puma TT I could only get 8.5 out of it. Just something to keep in mind, some times it is pay now or pay later and a lot of travel at only 8.5 per will add up fast. But it does pull great.

I'm only getting 9 to 9.5 MPG now with current V8.
I run in 3rd and it's turning 3000 RPM at 65 MPH.
Rarely have totally flat road and can run in OD but mileage does
not seem to improve much. Running in OD it downshifts all the time.
In 3rd it pulls most hills with no shifting.
On steep mtn roads can get down to 2nd. I can do 45 MPH in 2nd also at
3000 RPM and I can do that for hours. Temp gauge never moves above
the same normal spot it runs when I'm not towing. Truck has a good
cooling system with the towing package.
Keep in mind I have the 5.3 L V8.
It's sort of the old 327 in a new skin. It's a short stroke high rev engine.
It has re-enforced mains and can run 3000-3500 RPMs for a very long time.
I've passed diesel Fords pulling 5th wheels up the passes in Colorado several
times

But it's looking more and more like there is a F250, or a Chevy 2500 in
my future.

I'm really gonna miss this truck.

[Blueridge40]

With my f250 that has 3.73 rear gears I get 10-14 mpg pulling my 40 ft 5 th wheel that weighs a little over 13000 lbs

[Md Jeff]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

I have an ext cab with the 6.5' bed and pull a 12 Flagstaff 8528RKWS and a regular Reese 16K non slider hitch. The trailer came with the Reese Revolution Sidewinder and works great. Can turn over 90° and the cab clears just fine. I really like the Sidewinder as it allows me to use a modified full cover hard tonneau cover while towing.

DUNNNC, Did your '12 come with the Sidewinder or did you order it that way?

The 5th wheel I picked up on 7/3 is a Flagstaff 8528RLWS and it came with a Sidewinder on it, I had went a bought the Husky 16k w/slider and then found this camper, dealer said someone ordered it and then couldn't get financing for it. Kinda odd your Flagstaff came set up the same way.

[Beausdog]

I am towing a 42' with a crew cab short bed and installed a slider hitch. To be honest, I havent used the slider yet, as the new rounded caps on the front end are designed to clear the cab on short beds (6 1/2 ft beds) without having to engage the slider mode. Good to have but if I knew it, I would have just got a standard hitch for my truck

[Md Jeff]

Originally Posted by Beausdog

I am towing a 42' with a crew cab short bed and installed a slider hitch. To be honest, I havent used the slider yet, as the new rounded caps on the front end are designed to clear the cab on short beds (6 1/2 ft beds) without having to engage the slider mode. Good to have but if I knew it, I would have just got a standard hitch for my truck

I've got a nice crease in the rear passenger side top corner of my cab for being too nonchalant about towing and never using my slider, that was in '07 with a Dodge 6'3" bed ....I but can chuckle about it now.

[OldCoot]

Originally Posted by Md Jeff

DUNNNC, Did your '12 come with the Sidewinder or did you order it that way?

The 5th wheel I picked up on 7/3 is a Flagstaff 8528RLWS and it came with a Sidewinder on it, I had went a bought the Husky 16k w/slider and then found this camper, dealer said someone ordered it and then couldn't get financing for it. Kinda odd your Flagstaff came set up the same way.

Mine came with the Sidewinder. It was sitting on the lot. I think they all come with the Sidewinders now.

[TURBS]

I have a 6 foot box and a 2011 sabre 32 bhok. Although I have a slider hitch I've yet to use it.
I can almost get 90° to the trailer before it hits the cab window.
But a lot of that has to do with the front cap design and taper at the corners.








I'm sure there will come a time for me to have to slide it but after 15 trips I've yet to.

[Dave_Monica]

Originally Posted by dunnnc

Mine came with the Sidewinder. It was sitting on the lot. I think they all come with the Sidewinders now.

I believe that FR started putting the Reese Sidewinder pinboxes on their Rockwood/Flagstaff 5th wheels sometime for 2011 model year. As with all their changes, they don't necessarily coincide with the start of the model year.

Dave

[TURBS]

My friends 2011 flagstaff also came with a sidewinder.
I think it has to do with its half ton towable and the majority of half ton crews are short beds.

[Beausdog]

Originally Posted by Md Jeff

I've got a nice crease in the rear passenger side top corner of my cab for being too nonchalant about towing and never using my slider, that was in '07 with a Dodge 6'3" bed ....I but can chuckle about it now.

Its all good, what kind of trailer were you towing? what year? did it have the "new" rounded aerodynamic fronts that were designed for shortbeds? I thought I was close a few times to rubbing the cab but when I looked I was still 3 inches off. I know I cant go 90 degrees but I have made some pretty tight corners and backing into campground spots with no issues. Not saying ever wont or anyone else will or wont, just my .02