Thread: Hitch advice
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Old 06-12-2019, 12:36 PM   #10
k5ate
Junior Member
 
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 3
Quote:
Originally Posted by 4x4Fun View Post
GVWR=11500. Rear GAWR=7000. Brochure says max fifth wheel trailer weight is 15900.
The NADA specs show that to be closer to a 16,500 gvwr with a 2,870 pin weight. That pin weight will be dry, so loaded you might be significantly higher. Toy Haulers often are pin heavy when dry so that, when you load your toys in the garage the pin weight comes "up to normal". So it is theoretically possible that you may be anywhere from 2,500 to 3,500 pin weight. However, fivers often get up to about 25% of weight on the pin so you could see just over four thousand pounds on the pin. You won't know till you load it up and CAT scale it. You can move weight between the garage and front storage to a degree of course, but you've only got so much to play with. It depends on how the unit is designed if it will allow much room there.

As has been noted, with a SRW truck you're probably going to be over capacity. Figure a thousand pounds of fuel and fuel tank, plus gear. You're probably at maybe 1,500 pounds left for pin weight, but you'll have to CAT scale it to be sure. That's not including your toolbox of course. You can easily get eight hundred pounds in a toolbox and tools. I'd take it to a CAT scale to see where you are now.

Opinions abound on the advisability of upgrading your truck to haul over spec. The tires are the most obvious weak point. At a 7,000 pound rear GAWR your factory tires are probably in the neighborhood of 3,750 max. With that fiver you're going to be well over on the chassis as well as way over on the tires.

There are options, all of which are sub-optimal, but they are options:
--You could go to 19.5" wheels and tires. You can get 8 hole 19.5" rims and 19.5" tires will allow you to get significantly more capacity, but your choice in tires is limited.
--You could convert it to duals. Again, your choice of tires is limited due to spacing but lots of guys are fine with the tires hanging out in the breeze. I've seen guys put different sizes on the front and rear. As long as the diameter is the same (for 4x4 work) you might be ok.
--You could forego filling your aux tank and gain about eight hundred pounds of payload back.

Regarding hitch and towing level... If you aren't towing level you're overloading your rear axle and tires. The primary limiting factor is clearance between the bed rails and underside of the fiver. You need at least five or six inches of clearance or you're going to put fiberglass to metal and neither will come out well. One option would be to go to a flatbed. You get rid of the clearance problem and can set your hitch and kingpin to lower down and flatten out your fiver. However, most flatbeds are heavier than the bed than replace.

The bottom line is, as was said, you don't have enough truck or you've got too much fiver. You do see guys out on the road pulling with a lifted and/or SRW truck all squatted down with the nose of the fiver pointed up high. Often they pass me like I'm going in reverse.

You make your choices you take your chances.

Be safe!

Kate
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