Looking for help!

[Little John]

Good Day to all!
First post hear...
We have just sold our TT and looking at moving up to a FW as we are planning to "Pull the Plug" with work in a couple of years and do some full time Rving for a while...
We have been looking at the Silverback 29RL & 29RE and was just wondering if there is anyone out there pulling one with a 6L gasser?
Thanks!
LJ

[fonzie]

Please post make, model, axle ratio, tow package etc etc of your truck so people can give feedback....

[Little John]

Sorry!
Heres some info on our truck (at the time we were not thinking of doing Rving full time and were only pulling a Arctic Fox TT, which these did with ease...)
2012 GMC 2500HD 6L. Gas 4:10 rear end
GVWR 9500 lbs.
GVWR ft. 4800 lbs.
GAWR rr. 6200 lbs.
Total: 20,500 Lbs.
Book states its rated for 13,900lbs...but... (based on the truck being 6,600 lbs. but ours is around 7,300 Lbs.)
There is only 2 of us and dont think we would ever max the trailer out...
(We are looking at a 2014 29RE or a 2011 29RL)

LJ

[fonzie]

Thanks, someone with fifth wheel experience will tune in.....

[BamaBob]

Originally Posted by Little John

Sorry!
Heres some info on our truck (at the time we were not thinking of doing Rving full time and were only pulling a Arctic Fox TT, which these did with ease...)
2012 GMC 2500HD 6L. Gas 4:10 rear end
GVWR 9500 lbs.
LJ

Welcome Little John!
We have doe EXACTLY what you did (traded a TT for a 5'er). Also, we will be retiring in 2 years as well - just the 2 of us by then (and a couple of critters

We shopped LONG and HARD for a ultra lightweight 5'er that would meet our needs (anticipating 1/2 time, love our space <G> and wanted some nice touches - it's retirement after all LOL!

Our TT was a Forest River - as was the Pop-up before it so we are really sold on Forest River design, construction and ergonomics. We settled on a Rockwood 8289WS/Diamond Package. It is 31' of absolute retirement luxury, pulls like a dream behind our Ford F150 King Ranch 3.5L EcoBoost/HD Towing package.

Pict Attached - take a look at the Rockwood Web Site there are other (smaller) Models - we are rated at 11,800 and the 8289 maxes out at 9,500 - right at your GVWR so you may want one of the smaller Rockwood's:
Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite Fifth Wheels by Forest River

(I do not work for Forest River, just like the product

[Little John]

Thanks!
Will check them out!

[ependydad]

The biggest thing you have to watch our for is the pin weight and available payload on the truck (the difference between its GVWR and actual truck weight). In your case, that sounds like it is around 2,200 pounds.

I looked at the 29RE specs and it looks like it has a dry pin weight of 1,615 pounds and a dry ship weight of 9,790. This means that it has a designed pin weight of approximate 16.5%. That'll likely creep up a little as you add stuff to the front storage compartment, but it gives you a good number to work from.

The 29RE GVWR is 13,615; so if you completely fill the camper and assume a 17% pin weight, you're looking at a pin weight right around 2,380 pounds. That's only marginally over your truck's GVWR and realistically you're unlikely to add 3,800 pounds of stuff to the camper (being full time, I would guess you're on the higher end of "average", but I can't help but think that you would run out of space before hitting that much stuff unless you traveled with a full water tank, water heater and a fair amount of gray and black water).

In perspective, in my 42' camper, my family of 4 plus my mother in law for 3 weeks at the beach and with 20-25 gallons of fresh water, minimal gray and black water came to right about 3,000 pounds. But, we're admitted - heavy packers!