Towing in the extreme: My 2014 1500 & 33’ 5th Wheel RV

Hockeylover86 · October 21, 2015

lol its back. Was wondering if the guy ever weighed his set up as he uses it.

It would be interesting to see, I hope he will come back and post it if he did.

He estimates a little over 1600lbs on the pin of his 33 foot 5th wheel, sounds quite light to me.

I have a 28 foot 5er that weighs 7800 dry, and loaded up puts close to 1800 on the pin.

I woudl guess that 33 footer puts 2000lbs plus on the pin loaded up.

nards444 · October 21, 2015

It would be interesting to see, I hope he will come back and post it if he did.

He estimates a little over 1600lbs on the pin of his 33 foot 5th wheel, sounds quite light to me.

I have a 28 foot 5er that weighs 7800 dry, and loaded up puts close to 1800 on the pin.

I woudl guess that 33 footer puts 2000lbs plus on the pin loaded up.

Yeah I don't know I don't want speculate until he post tickets. I know under a fifth wheel you can tow more. I still hold the OP was underestimating what he planned on loading the trailer with

JamGear · December 11, 2015

I had it weighed:

Front Axle = 3,440 lbs.
Drive Axle = 4,530 lbs.
Trailer Axles = 9,210 lbs.
Total rig = 17,180 (passengers, full gear in truck and trailer)

According to the specs, I am at or under for the tow (pull) and about 500 pounds over on payload (carry) over the drive axle. I have a set of Timbrens in the rear. I am going to move about 250lbs from over the drive axle to the far rear of the trailer. That should reduce the payload over the drive axle.

The truck drives fantastically when towing. Frankly, I think this is a perfectly balanced rig. I drive 55 to 65 on the highway with no sway. The 5.3 engine is incredible! As a matter of fact, it often drops to 4 cylinder mode even when towing. I can see how a bit more torque would be nice. But it is by no means necessary in my opinion.

The trailer brakes can practically stop the entire rig. “Tow-mode” works like a charm. I have had this rig up and down the mountains of Vermont, PA and the flats of route 95 all the way down to Myrtle Beach.

I’ve driven 25,000 miles so far on this truck. 9k has been with the trailer. Let's put it this way. My truck is not sweating when towing and, most importantly, rides safe and sure. But like others have said, a lot has to do with the driver.

OK, bring on the comments and questions… J

SouthpawHD · December 12, 2015

I gotta admit, when I first read this thread, you appeared to be way over. So I guess the results show something slightly different than I thought.

And it's good to hear that the 5.3 is performing so well towing that kind of weight.

calgator73 · December 21, 2015

What kind of tires are you running?

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

bagged123 · December 22, 2015

no way in this world would I tow a 5'er with a 1500 truck. I have the 6.2 with max tow package and i'm towing a 32' TT that grosses out at 9540, but as a 33' 5'er no way. Your pushing that truck to the max. I wouldn't recommend it at all.

JamGear · December 22, 2015

My tires are Goodyear Wrangler SR-A P265/65R18. They have a load reference of 2,469lbs per tire.

calgator73 · December 26, 2015

My tires are Goodyear Wrangler SR-A P265/65R18. They have a load reference of 2,469lbs per tire.

Remember to derate by 9% ( 2469*.91=2247). http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=70

Sent from my LGLS990 using Tapatalk

Badass69 · December 26, 2015

The only thing I will say is this........ a lot of these guys have an old fashioned freak out about everything because the truck is marked as a 1500...... so lets say they see a "fiver" as they call it attached to a 2004 GM truck truck badged as a 2500.... It's all good right because it's a 3/4 ton...... no...... not really. The 2500's came as HD or LD and the light duty trucks beyond the rear leaf springs are actually a lot lighter built truck than the current 1500's..... down to the frame. Even the almighty "2500HD" isn't all that stellar from back then either beyond a larger rear diff with full floating hubs( which is something big in itself) but then an 8" C channel frame. Those trucks were rated at the absolute max to tow 12000 lbs..... whooptee do....... But you will see them loaded to the nuts on the highway and they are "safe"...... which no they aren't. The LD 2500 expecially is about the exact same truck as the current half tons, not only in design but in capability.... and that's why a "Max tow" 1/2 ton from today has about the same capacities as one of them. The only thing those trucks have that is heavier is springs..... that's it..... if you scale one of those trucks a new 1/2 ton is about the same weight empty as they are.

My point is.... few here are making valid pot shots beyond the fact the truck has a 1500 badge so it must be wrong. Lol.

JamGear · December 28, 2015

1994Vmax, you are spot on!

I consider my rig to be very well balanced both in weight and frequency of use. Believe me; I have my eyes on a next gen 2500 HD. But I tow my "5-er" only 6 or 7 times a year for a total of about 3k to 4k miles.

If I were slammin on the "5-er" a few times a month and going upwards of 10k miles or more a year, my souped up 1500 might need a lot more TLC than even suggested in this thread. However, even so, the Gen 3 1500 is indeed a new animal, especially the 5.3L NHT. It really is a lean and mean towing machine for the weekend warrior like myself.

Safety is most certainly issue #1 for us drivers. But I think lawsuits from the government and individuals is the major driving force behind the ratings dogma. Toss in the variable of PDS (People Driving Stupid) and we have ultra conservative ratings.

By the way, I agree with the ratings in that we MUST engineer for the lowest common denominator. The 9 people that drive reasonably and conscientiously at any weight level are the minority against the 1 knucklehead that has little to no respect for heavy vehicle driving.

Anyway, thanks for taking the higher ground on this. We really are in a different era for pick-up trucks especially American designed models. I LOVE my 1500 5.3L 4x4, Double Cab with Max Trailering. As soon as GM fesses up to the defective outer truck bed quarter panels, my baby will be perfect. http://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/163922-mysterious-dents-crinkles-along-bed-fender/