First 5th Wheel - Rookie tow questions

[bswanney]

I have a 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with a 6.4l engine. I like the truck, and it tows my current TT very nice. Currently a 2018 Wildwood Model 27RLSS, 31'3"and 7,950 loaded with an Equalizer 10,000lbs hitch. I can pull the Wildwood to the moon and back if I had a road. MPG pulling 7.5 to 11.5 depending wind direction. And averaging 14.6 as daily driver with 5,300 miles on it. Have had 19.8 mpg on Interstate doing 70mph.

In May 2017 the wife and both had goals to jump to a 5th wheel as soon as we had some experience with a lighter unit. Spent 30 nights last summer in our Wildwood and love it.

Attended a Winter RV Show and now considering the upgrade to the 5th wheel. The question, will the 2500 we own pull the 5th wheel?

Truck - 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with 6'4" bed, 4x4 and a 6.4l engine. GVWR - 10,000lbs. Max payload - 3,122lbs, Max Tow - 12,450lbs. 3.73 rear end.

5th Wheel of Choice - 2018 Rockwood 8299BS. Hitch weight 1,581lbs. GVW - 11,581lbs. The actual sticker on the Rockwood of choice says factory dry weight as built is 9,965lbs. Dual air, dual maxair, 4.0 auto leveling system - the works.

Hitch - after discussion with Dealer he would install a removable Gooseneck ball in the truck bed and then use the NEW Anderson Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection 2 in the bed so I can easily remove when not towing.

I see people doing the exact truck/5th wheel set-up, less maybe the hitch. Is this model to much for the truck? What should I expect as far as bucking and ride performance. Any first hand experience is far better than reading a book or specs. Any comments would be helpful.

[BuzzWolfAR]

I believe your hitch weight will be closer to 2,200 pounds (figure 20-25% with a fifth wheel), but you should be ok if you don't overload the truck.

[keizer_or]

Originally Posted by bswanney

I have a 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with a 6.4l engine. I like the truck, and it tows my current TT very nice. Currently a 2018 Wildwood Model 27RLSS, 31'3"and 7,950 loaded with an Equalizer 10,000lbs hitch. I can pull the Wildwood to the moon and back if I had a road. MPG pulling 7.5 to 11.5 depending wind direction. And averaging 14.6 as daily driver with 5,300 miles on it. Have had 19.8 mpg on Interstate doing 70mph.

In May 2017 the wife and both had goals to jump to a 5th wheel as soon as we had some experience with a lighter unit. Spent 30 nights last summer in our Wildwood and love it.

Attended a Winter RV Show and now considering the upgrade to the 5th wheel. The question, will the 2500 we own pull the 5th wheel?

Truck - 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with 6'4" bed, 4x4 and a 6.4l engine. GVWR - 10,000lbs. Max payload - 3,122lbs, Max Tow - 12,450lbs. 3.73 rear end.

5th Wheel of Choice - 2018 Rockwood 8299BS. Hitch weight 1,581lbs. GVW - 11,581lbs. The actual sticker on the Rockwood of choice says factory dry weight as built is 9,965lbs. Dual air, dual maxair, 4.0 auto leveling system - the works.

Hitch - after discussion with Dealer he would install a removable Gooseneck ball in the truck bed and then use the NEW Anderson Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection 2 in the bed so I can easily remove when not towing.

I see people doing the exact truck/5th wheel set-up, less maybe the hitch. Is this model to much for the truck? What should I expect as far as bucking and ride performance. Any first hand experience is far better than reading a book or specs. Any comments would be helpful.

I have a Wildcat and it has almost the exact weights but when loaded the hitch weight is right at 2000 pounds confirmed by Cat scales.

[5picker]

We have a Flagstaff 8529IKBS which is a sister model to the Rockwood 8299BS.

We have a 2017 F-250 with pretty much identical specs to yours except I'm using a Reese slider (that I've had in several trucks and never slid in 20 years) with the factory puck system.

We don't have the level-up but otherwise our 5th wheel is similarly equipped with all the bells & whistles. My pin weight is right at +-1950 # depending on load. The fresh water tank on this model is in the very rear so adding a full tank of fresh water actually reduces the pin weight. Just remember, published hitch/pin weights are without battery(ies) propane, water, storage contents, etc.

You will have no issues pulling this rig.
We even did it with our F-150 for a full year until we moved up to the 250 in anticipation of more full timing or a different 5th wheel.

[itat]

Originally Posted by bswanney

I have a 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with a 6.4l engine. I like the truck, and it tows my current TT very nice. Currently a 2018 Wildwood Model 27RLSS, 31'3"and 7,950 loaded with an Equalizer 10,000lbs hitch. I can pull the Wildwood to the moon and back if I had a road. MPG pulling 7.5 to 11.5 depending wind direction. And averaging 14.6 as daily driver with 5,300 miles on it. Have had 19.8 mpg on Interstate doing 70mph.

In May 2017 the wife and both had goals to jump to a 5th wheel as soon as we had some experience with a lighter unit. Spent 30 nights last summer in our Wildwood and love it.

Attended a Winter RV Show and now considering the upgrade to the 5th wheel. The question, will the 2500 we own pull the 5th wheel?

Truck - 2017 2500 Ram Crew Cab with 6'4" bed, 4x4 and a 6.4l engine. GVWR - 10,000lbs. Max payload - 3,122lbs, Max Tow - 12,450lbs. 3.73 rear end.

5th Wheel of Choice - 2018 Rockwood 8299BS. Hitch weight 1,581lbs. GVW - 11,581lbs. The actual sticker on the Rockwood of choice says factory dry weight as built is 9,965lbs. Dual air, dual maxair, 4.0 auto leveling system - the works.

Hitch - after discussion with Dealer he would install a removable Gooseneck ball in the truck bed and then use the NEW Anderson Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection 2 in the bed so I can easily remove when not towing.

I see people doing the exact truck/5th wheel set-up, less maybe the hitch. Is this model to much for the truck? What should I expect as far as bucking and ride performance. Any first hand experience is far better than reading a book or specs. Any comments would be helpful.

You have a 3/4 ton pickup with a payload capacity of 3122#?! Wow. Very nice.

You'll have no problems pulling the 8299BS. If I were moving up to a 5th wheel I'd also be looking at the 8299BS and Andersen Ultimate hitch. One thing to note though. If you intend to use the Reese Revolution to move the pivot point back, you'll need to install the Andersen Ultimate made for bed rails. If you mount it on a gooseneck ball you have to leave the lock out bolts in the Reese Revolution pinbox.

EDIT: I've read a few posts lately claiming the coupler on their Andersen Ultimate didn't fit the pin on their 5th wheel. Maybe someone who is using this setup - Reese Revolution pinbox and Andersen Ultimate hitch - can confirm there is no problem with the fit.

[amblt]

We've had a 5th wheel for years - a small one we towed and then larger ones on a seasonal site. The difference in lateral stability is quite improved compared to a standard ball hitch, and hookup/unhook are easier. I'm not going to get into the weight and payload question.

We do find, however, as age and arthritis take their toll, that the climb to the bed and the gymnastics required to get in and out are a problem. Look for one with minimum steps from bath level to bed, and a walkaround bed.

We're changing to a ball hitch model, and I am going to miss that "basement" in the 5th wheel design.

Cheers

[5picker]

Originally Posted by itat

You have a 3/4 ton pickup with a payload capacity of 3122#?! Wow. Very nice.

You'll have no problems pulling the 8299BS. If I were moving up to a 5th wheel I'd also be looking at the 8299BS and Andersen Ultimate hitch. One thing to note though. If you intend to use the Reese Revolution to move the pivot point back, you'll need to install the Andersen Ultimate made for bed rails. If you mount it on a gooseneck ball you have to leave the lock out bolts in the Reese Revolution pinbox.

EDIT: I've read a few posts lately claiming the coupler on their Andersen Ultimate didn't fit the pin on their 5th wheel. Maybe someone who is using this setup - Reese Revolution pinbox and Andersen Ultimate hitch - can confirm there is no problem with the fit.

Are you sure about this statement?
I didn't think you could use the Revolution feature with any Anderson Ultimate type hitch??

How would you lock the trailer ball to the pin adapter to keep it from turning?

[clicker1944]

You absolutely can use the AUH with a Revolution. You must install the lock bolts and take off the wedge. This now makes the Revolution a standard 5th wheel hitch. Yes, I am speaking from experience. You can verify by calling Reese.

[duby325]

My wife and I have a similar set up: A '06 RAM 2500 Big Horn Edition, with a 5.9L Diesel and single axle. It has a cargo capacity of 2490 LBS and a towing capacity of 12,900. We purchased the Rockwood 8280WS which comes in slightly under 10,000 when fully maxed per the manufacturer. And the pin weight is around 1,400 LBS.

We had no problems taking it on a 3 week trip from Florida through the Ozarks and back.

We averaged 10 MPG and at times above 13.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by clicker1944

You absolutely can use the AUH with a Revolution. You must install the lock bolts and take off the wedge. This now makes the Revolution a standard 5th wheel hitch. Yes, I am speaking from experience. You can verify by calling Reese.

I was referring to itat's comment of using the Revolution feature AND using the AUH. Of course locking the Revolution with the bolts makes it perform like a regular hitch... that wasn't what was proposed.

I'll post his comment once more in case you missed it...

One thing to note though. If you intend to use the Reese Revolution to move the pivot point back, you'll need to install the Andersen Ultimate made for bed rails.

[Gm Mike]

The 8299BS is an excellent choice. I wish that model was available when we bought ours. You will tow that no problem. I use a Curt hitch with the factory puck system. Works really well and is totally quite.

[duby325]

I did fail to mention in my previous post that our 5th wheel came with the Reese Revolution and we had the Reese 16k Pro mounted in our 6 1/2 foot bed. It works great. No issues turning nor hitting the bed rails.

[clicker1944]

Ah I see. Missed that.

[clicker1944]

Ah I see. Missed that about using it without the lockout bolts, that would be a disaster.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by clicker1944

Ah I see. Missed that about using it without the lockout bolts, that would be a disaster.

Kind of what I thought.

[mikeysotp]

I think your truck will pull it just fine. Wait until you see how much more enjoyable it is to tow vs. the TT. You'll love it!

[ksmith954]

Originally Posted by duby325

My wife and I have a similar set up: A '06 RAM 2500 Big Horn Edition, with a 5.9L Diesel and single axle. It has a cargo capacity of 2490 LBS and a towing capacity of 12,900. We purchased the Rockwood 8280WS which comes in slightly under 10,000 when fully maxed per the manufacturer. And the pin weight is around 1,400 LBS.

We had no problems taking it on a 3 week trip from Florida through the Ozarks and back.

We averaged 10 MPG and at times above 13.

You have a 1400 lbs. pin weight on a 10K 5er ? Our 9K fifth wheel has 1800 lbs. 20% scaled

[NMWildcat]

Every fiver pinweight is different. 20% is good first estimate, but not set in stone. We are on our fifth fiver and actual pinweights have varied from 14% to 17%.

[whiteyh1]

I have the 2013 ram diesel shortbox. Last year I switched from a very heavy slider hitch to the Andersen ultimate hitchwith rails.No more clunking. Installed easily. My 5th wheel is a2014 crusader model295rst .factory specs are 31’11” in length, 1278 hitch weight, with dry weight at8,777 lbs. I’m happy with this setup. On the few occasions I drive after dark I’ve had some people flash me . Even though the truck and 5th wheel seem to set level I am going to install timberen suspension helper springs to offset any rear end sag. The exhaust brake and tow haul feature are great. I think you’ll be happy with a new 5th wheel. Never once used the sliding feature
With the old hitch.

[Lvn2tvl]

Originally Posted by itat

EDIT: I've read a few posts lately claiming the coupler on their Andersen Ultimate didn't fit the pin on their 5th wheel. Maybe someone who is using this setup - Reese Revolution pinbox and Andersen Ultimate hitch - can confirm there is no problem with the fit.

I'm curious about the comment in this post. I was always under the impression that all 5th wheel pins regardless of the make/model are exactly same and actually are identical to what the semi-trailers use.

I do recall that my adapter was a really tight fit and wouldn't initially go all the way on at first but when I felt the pin on the trailer it had some rust on the sides of it. I scraped the rust off and lightly sanded the pin and the adapter slid right on the pin box pin.