Towing small 5th wheel with new AT4

Remington92 · September 24, 2019

I know it’s their job to sell me a pickup but I stopped at my local dealer they didn’t seem to worried bout a half Ton 5th wheel combo. Even have a used 15 with 5.3 and bw turnover they are letting me borrow to see how a half ton handles my camper.

bass mechanic · September 24, 2019

Remington, take it from someone who has had 3 1500's with the 6.2 while it is a great truck i recently bought a grand designs "half ton tow-able" 5th wheel. while the weight falls within the trucks max tow of 9200 lbs i am currently upgrading to a 3/4 2500 duramax. the reason is that in MY opinion anything over about 7k lbs is just too much for a 1500 if you don't tow a lot and not real far you can get away with it. but i plan to tandem tow my boat which weighs 3000 lbs. even if i got the max tow package at my elevation the 6.2 doesn't have quite enough nut to give me the ability to tow over passes they wan i need it to without risking overheating.

so as much as i prefer the ride, and the price of the 1500 i think i am going to have to upgrade.

fact is a 3/4 ton will tow it like its not even there. a half ton is just to the point of running out of steam with that load.

Remington92 · September 24, 2019

Another option I have considered is selling the dmax and buying something cheaper 3/4 ton that can afford to just sit. (Specifically a cherry 6.0 power stroke king ranch) and there is a company F-150 that’s pretty wore out but they pay for it.

aseibel · September 24, 2019

On 9/23/2019 at 1:13 AM, Remington92 said:

So with that said I’m debating on trading it in on a gmc at4 with the 6.5ft bed and 6.2. My question is do you think my 5th wheel will be too much for this half ton? I’ll be using a bw turnover ball and companion setup. The camper probably weighs in the neighborhood of 7k pounds loaded.

Everyone seems to agree that the 1/2 ton won't handle the weight of a full load of people + gear + camper. But you never described what kind of camping you intend to do.

Do you pull it to the lake in the next county 2 weekends a year? Or do you load up for a month long trip across country? How many people go along? You don't have a lot of space in that trailer for large groups.

Depending on your answer, you may be able to live with a 1500 loaded to the max. You could always send the wife and kids in her car with the coolers, while you pull the trailer and enjoy alone time in the truck with the dog, haha.

If you are set on a half-ton, there are other bumper pull campers you could buy that would balance the load better.

steveved · September 24, 2019

I didn't notice anyone else here mention this, but you cannot get the max trailering package on the AT4. Only on the GMC SLT or the Chevrolet LTZ.

And while I do believe that an SLT GMC or LTZ Silverado with the 6.2L and Max Trailering could probably handle what you are planning to tow... The suspension for the AT4 was designing with off-roading in mind, not load carrying.

Unlike some of the others here, I am not going to suggest a 2500 (unless you must have an AT4, because they are offering an AT4 2500 for 2020) is your only choice. But, I don't know that I would pull a 5th wheel with an AT4. I would lean towards an SLT with Max trailering and the 6.2L. Or a Silverado LTZ with 6.2L and max trailering.

Good luck.

TXGREEK · September 24, 2019

Hey all I was wanting to pick your brains. Right now I’ve got a 2017 Chevy 3500 Duramax that’s been a go to town/ pull my small 22ft 5th wheel and 16 ft cargo trailer. My previous job had a company work truck so mine sits 90% of the time. My new job provides a stipend for my vehicle instead. I do a lot of gravel road and field driving working in Ag and the 1 ton ride and ruts get old in a hurry. Plus thinking bout jelled fuel this winter in Montana.

So with that said I’m debating on trading it in on a gmc at4 with the 6.5ft bed and 6.2. My question is do you think my 5th wheel will be too much for this half ton? I’ll be using a bw turnover ball and companion setup. The camper probably weighs in the neighborhood of 7k pounds loaded.

Though it’ll tow, it’s definitely going to slap you around while towing making it very uncomfortable for you, being you like the AT4, get yourself an AT4 3/4 ton Duramax and call it a day.

BB&Chiveon · September 25, 2019

if hauling 1-2hrs away i would use 1\2 ton but longer than that they suck . i have 20ft enclosed and dealer let me use 1\2 ton at for 800 mile round trip till my new 2020 hd came in and it sucked trailering for that long

Remington92 · September 25, 2019

I’ve basically narrows it down to 3 options

1) keep my dmax and drive for work, tows great but rough ride and higher maintenance costs plus winter challenges

2) trade for half ton, won’t tow as well but drives nicer, lower maintenance and same monthly cost basically as dmax

3) sell my truck take cash and buy in full or most of older truck HD truck that gets parked and I drive a work provided vehicle. Basically same price as 1 and 2 after stipend is subtracted off them but lower maintenance because of ultra low miles accumulated

bshort · September 25, 2019

25 minutes ago, Remington92 said:

I’ve basically narrows it down to 3 options

1) keep my dmax and drive for work, tows great but rough ride and higher maintenance costs plus winter challenges

2) trade for half ton, won’t tow as well but drives nicer, lower maintenance and same monthly cost basically as dmax

3) sell my truck take cash and buy in full or most of older truck HD truck that gets parked and I drive a work provided vehicle. Basically same price as 1 and 2 after stipend is subtracted off them but lower maintenance because of ultra low miles accumulated

Ok, this will attract the weight police, but whatever.

Buy the AT4, add load E tires and a set of air bags. All will be perfectly fine. It will pull fine, track fine, and ride better than a 2500. Also pull better than a 2500 gasser.

FiatDale · September 25, 2019

May be a stupid question, but with a 5.5’ bed vs 6.5’ bed on a 2500, will the trailer be too close to the cab? Isn’t that something that may be an issue if hauling over uneven terrain?

Remington92 · September 25, 2019

5.5 I know is too tight for anything but a demo but I hope 6.5 is still good

NeverCold · September 25, 2019

3 hours ago, FiatDale said:

May be a stupid question, but with a 5.5’ bed vs 6.5’ bed on a 2500, will the trailer be too close to the cab? Isn’t that something that may be an issue if hauling over uneven terrain?

Great point, didn't even get into the bed length issues just the weight issues. A 3500 will have an 8' bed and be great for a 5th wheel/gooseneck setup. A 5.5' bed will likely result in less maneuverability at best and broken rear windows at worst.

FiatDale · September 25, 2019

6.5 is fine, it can be right but plenty tow 5th wheel and gooseneck with 6.5. 8 is always the best as it gives you the longest wheelbase for a more stable load. 3500 single axle are available in 6.5’. Have been for a long time

Remington92 · September 26, 2019

Well I was going to tell y’all how impressed I was with how the half ton pulled that camper then I seen this when I got home. Sitting loaded there’s a heavy quarter inch clearance. To be fair the camper has probably 400lb of stuff loaded in the nose from moving and still pretty full inside. Not sure on weight though