Lowsuv
Oregon
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Joined: 12/06/2011
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With the 5.3 engine and a 3.42 axle I would take a serious look at one of the new V Nose conventional hitch travel trailers.
The horsepower requirement is a function of the square of the increase in speed. The 5.3 with a 3.42 axle will have a lot of transmission "HUNT" because of the wind resistance. And the 5.3 will be running at 4000 rpm a lot.
You can help yourself a lot by lowering the wind resistance, assuming you are attached to your current 4 door 1 /2 ton pickup.
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jerem0621
Sequatchie, TN
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Joined: 05/17/2009
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Just be careful, you don't have to have a hd truck to pull all fivers. Just be careful about your weights and you will be fine.
I have a step side bed and I can't even find rails that will fit my bed "officially".
I would seriously consider the Andersen fifth wheel hitch for your application. It's unconventional in its construction but it saves a lot of your payload.
HD trucks are nice but they are not always needed OR wanted. One size does not fit all.
Good luck in your search.
TT: 1995 Layton 2910
Tow Vehicle: 1999 F-350, v10, 2wd, Crew Cab, Dually
Hitch: Draw-Tite Trunnion WD Hitch
Sway Control: Valley dual friction sway control
Brake Control: Tekonsha Voyager
"It's Kind of Fun To Do The Impossible"
~Walt Disney~
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Carl_722
Choctaw, OK
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Joined: 02/01/2005
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The 5.3L and 6.0L like the 4,000 RPM range for hard pulls. That is their peak torque. When I am climbing a steep grade I just try to keep it there. Anyhow I think you are gong to be overloading your rear axle quickly. Your tires are probably a standard load tire also. I would not be comfortable with that setup. If you are buying from an RV dealer who tells you there will be no problem with your setup I wouldn't buy from them because they are more interested in a sell that would result in a dangerous setup for the customer rather than point them in the right direction either more truck or less camper for the safety of their customer and everyone on the road around them. I wouldn't want to do business with a dealer that would do that to people.
2004 Chevy 2500 LT Crew Cab 6.0L, 4.10 gears 8,600 GVWR 16,000 lbs GCWR 10,700 lbs tow rating.
2006 Crossroads Cruiser CF32BL 34'11" 3 slides.
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Carl_722
Choctaw, OK
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jerem0621 wrote:Just be careful, you don't have to have a hd truck to pull all fivers. Just be careful about your weights and you will be fine...
Correct. You don't have to have an HD truck if your within the weight ability of your truck. There are many 5ers that are half ton towable but the pin weight should stay around 1/2 ton (1,000) +/- 200 should be fine with the newer trucks. My 97 Silverado Z-71 had something like a 1,400 lbs payload. It had a pretty decent set of leafs under it and it was really stable pulling my TT but I wouldn't attempt to put a 5er over 24 ft. They tow much better but that is because they put the weight right on the axle where the TT is on the hitch which puts it further behind the center of gravity of the truck. That is why the TT gets more sway because it has more leverage on the front of the truck. So if you definitely want a 5er I would consider shorter and lighter to reduce the pin weight. The pin weight is usually 20% to 25% depending where the CG and how you load the camper. You should do your numbers on the GVWR of the camper for worse case scenario. Like others said figure the weight of the hitch and passengers which also comes off your payload.
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Ofc950
Northeast
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Joined: 11/06/2011
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At the last RV show in Hersey pa I was told you can pull a cougar lite dry (6900) lbs with a Reese 16 k sidewinder without a slider. And I did working on about 6000 miles on it with my 2011 ford f150 Eco boost with a 373 rear. Working great so far
Russ p
keystone Cougar
26SAB
2011 Ford F-150 SuperCrew 5.5 bed Eco-Boost
Reese16K-
Sidewinder
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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2thesea wrote:What are your thought of installing air bags?
Bags or springs will help.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675 watts solar
Send a PM if I missed something
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B.O. Plenty
Minnesota
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Joined: 02/04/2010
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Towing a fifth wheel with the RIGHT equipment isn't always as easy as it sounds. Why put yourself and your family at risk by using something that isn't recommended by the manufacturers to do the job? I tried this once years ago when towing a travel trailer. No matter how many "band aids" I threw at it, I still had a white knuckle towing experience. Salesmen will tell you that it will pull a 40 footer. What do they care once they get that commission check they're on to the next unsuspecting. Trade the truck off and get one that will work for sure.
B.O.
2011 Big Country 3250TS...2010 Ram CC Laramie 4wd Cummins
15k Super Glide, Firestone Ride Rite, TrailAir Tri-Glide
Michelin XPS Ribs. Just say no to Chinese tires.
Twin Cities Mn.
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sirdrakejr
Las Vegas, Nevada
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Joined: 11/18/2001
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Moved from 5th wheels to tow vehicles.
Frank
2011 Palomino Maverick 1000SLLB on a 2004 Dodge Quadcab CTD Ram3500 SRW long bed equipped with Timbren springs, Stable Load bump stops, Rickson 19.5" wheels/"G" range tires and a Helwig "Big Wig" rear anti sway bar.
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Duke-44
Wyoming Rockies
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Joined: 08/23/2007
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I had a new Chev 2006 6.0L 1500HD gasser that I bought to pull my 32" 8300# empty Sundance. It did fine as long as I was going downhill or on the flat with the wind at my back. It would pull up hill at about 25mph and 4000 rpms. I was not happy with the performance pulling, but loved the truck whe not pulling.
I gave up on it and traded for a 2007 Chev 2500HD Duramax and a new Sundance at 10,400# empty. The Duramax hardly knows that the 5er is there. I can now pull up the same hills/mountains at 65 mph with petal to spare. While towing, I also can pass slower moving vehicles at my option. Rather than them all backed up behind me or pulling over to let dozons of cars go by.
I will say that you can get by with your rig, if you don't mind pulling the inclines at 25 mph and driving against a headwind at 45-50 mph with the gas petal nailed to the floor or being the Grandmaster of a parade leading a bunch of cars and trucks down the road, but you won't be happy.
I don't think you will be very happy with a Lite-trailer either.
I have been there.
If you can't part with the truck, do as a previous poster said. "Don't pull anything longer than a 24 footer.
* This post was
edited 02/09/12 12:12pm by Duke-44 *
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fastpete
Somewhere in West Texas
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Joined: 09/16/2011
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Too much trailer, not enough truck, in my opinion.
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