Hi from Canada! Looking for advice.

[ShutterbugSue]

Hello from British Columbia, Canada!

We haven't bought an RV yet but are actively looking. We are looking at the Rockwood 2720WS, towing with a 2017 Dodge RAM 1500 with the heavy duty trailer towing package (crew cab with short box), 5.7L V8 HEMI, 3.92 axle ratio. We know the payload is 1510 lbs, max trailer weight is 10,140 lbs.

We were just wondering if anybody else has bought this fifth wheel and has successfully towed it with a 1/2 ton truck. The brochure says they are half ton towable . . .

Thanks for any advice you could give us!

[B and B]

Hello From Ontario.

I towed a 8289WS with a Ford F 150 with 1700 payload. I was over on pin weight and close to rear axle maximum. Lets say the rear diff had a distinct Oder everytime I towed.

Your truck payload will include the pin weight, people, extra cooler of Grasshopper some firewood and oh yes a generator you might buy.

Mountains, payload and ability to stop are not on your side. The BC rules are much stricter than Ontario.

Best of luck in your choice on what to do. The brochure is a downright WRONG.

Brian

FTR I have a Heartland Bighorn now at 16,000 GVWR and a F 350 Super Duty I would tackle the mountains now.

[Hutch333id]

Hi and welcome to the forum from the eastern slopes of the Rockies. I've just briefly looked at the specs for the RV you mention and it shows a dry hitch weight of 1176 lbs. That will increase when you add equipment (Propane, water, food, personal items, etc,) to the trailer. Adding 1000lbs of stuff to the trailer will add about 250lbs to the hitch weight which then take you pretty close to the max cargo weight for the truck without any fuel in the truck, pets, other occupants and anything else you load in there. Not to forget the 5th wheel hitch itself that will weigh over 100lbs.

There a literally hundreds of threads and discussions on here about this subject. Your truck may pull that weight but the cargo capacity of the truck is the important number.

[WFD]

Your first mistake is listening to a brochure or a salesperson saying..."1/2 ton towable"...that is a loaded statement. Not saying what you are looking at isn't but you have to do all the number crunching yourself, don't listen to salespeople or brochures. Many on here tow 5th's with 1/2 tons...many of us have and have moved on to 3/4 ton trucks. The first thing you will exceed with a 1/2 ton is payload, so you need to know the pin weight of the trailer you are looking at as well as payload of your truck, which it appears you know. Just remember that your payload of 1510 includes all cargo including your 5th wheel hitch will likely weigh 125-150 lbs. Subtract from the 1510 the weight of your passengers, and I highly doubt you have enough payload left for any 5th wheel. Not to mention you are in BC so flat land towing is out of the question.

[Parrott_head]

When we were starting our search for a travel trailer I figured out the tow limit of my truck and rented a trailer that pretty hit those numbers taking into account gear and other items. We then towed it from Texas, a relatively flat state, to Arkansas, a much more mountainous state. This gave us an idea of how well the truck would handle everything. What was an advantage to this was that the RV rental place included the WDH and showed me how to set it up and adjust it if needed. You may want to try the same approach that we did. Once you get a rental behind you and you hit the weigh scales you will know more about how the truck handles it and how it feels to you. Best wishes and enjoy the journey!!

[bikendan]

Too much tongue weight for a payload of only 1510lbs.

[ShutterbugSue]

Thanks everybody for your input. It's unfortunate as we really like the maneuverability of a fifth wheel over a travel trailer. Guess we'll have to start looking at the lighter travel trailers again.

[Parrott_head]

https://www.jayco.com/products/fifth...wheels/245rls/

This one is well under hour payload. Not sure what you are looking for in a trailer.

We only looked at couples coaches with NO bunk beds and we wanted two recliners in the back.

We finally upgraded our truck from a F150 to an F250 and that gave us what we wanted in towing capacity.

Cougar has a similar floorplan that is well under your payload. I would not give up on finding a fifth wheel. Towing in hilly areas a fifth wheel is a bit nicer to tow. So many brands out there. For the hitch I would go with the Andersen Ultimate in Aluminum. A bit pricey but keeps the weight down even considering the B&W turnball unit you have to install first.

Good luck....

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Parrott_head

https://www.jayco.com/products/fifth...wheels/245rls/

This one is well under hour payload.

With a fantasy "dry" pin weight of 1285lbs, no way even this one would work loaded.

Let's say that occupants/cargo, in the truck, weigh 350lbs and 5th wheel hitch weighs 150lbs.
Subtract that 500lbs from the 1510 number and that leaves only 1010lbs payload, for a 1285lbs "DRY" pin weight!
And that's with trailer empty!

Please do the math before recommending a 5th Wheel for a 1/2 ton.

[Restcure]

I think it's safe to say that while there are exceptions, most fifth wheels cannot or should not be towed by most half tons.

If one of the attractions of a fifth wheel for you is the elimination of sway and if you decide to consider a travel trailer, I suggest the ProPride 3P or Hensley Arrow hitch, both of which eliminate sway by projecting the pivot point forward. We've been happy ProPride users since 2009.

[Devilscreekw]

You could look at Rockwoods 2703 WS travel trailer. Great floor plan, and more counter space than anything else. We have the same trailer in the Flagstaff line, and I'm sure it can be half ton towed with a good WDH. We are using the Equalizer 4 way, and I could not be more pleased. This is our 4th season with it, and we have basically the same truck, same motor, but a 2500. I do only tow at 100kph, and can usually stay in 5th gear in tow/haul mode (OD locked out on my 2010) unless there's a brisk headwind. RPM about 1800.