We are considering upgrading the trailer to something bigger. we have been going back and forth between TTs and 5ers. We are leaning toward 5ers B/C ease of setup, towing and how long the combo will be. our current set up is as long or longer than a 31' 5er combo, but our trailer is only 25'. Not normally much of an issue but travel by ferry would not be possible with a 30' TT.
Anyhow, we have a 2500 Gasser. After all is said and done we can tow between 11000 and 11500#. The book saz 12,000# but I took 500~1000 off b/c of options and my large size.
It has GVWR of 13,600. But actually lighter (dry weight,8100#) than any of the other Sundancers. with the dry weight i could add 3000# and still be OK. The GVWR is high but my thought is that is for heavy 'toys' at MOST we would have a 500# ATV in there which still lets us 2500# for other gear. we NEVER travel with water and in our TT we only carry 900# of gear, even that is packed for a 3month trip.
* This post was
edited 03/04/08 11:36am by an administrator/moderator *
Watch the pin weight. You will probably run out of payload first, although you will be pushing GCWR for most gassers.
And as another poster says, a 6.0 will be more than likely be too stressed with that much weight.
Keith J, Retired from GM Engineering
2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLE 2WD/CC/SB/DA.
1999 Sunnybrook 27RKFS Fiver
Bilsteins, Line-X, Westin steps, Prodigy, Retrax, 16K Superglide, 5th-Airborne pin-box, Multi-vex mirrors.
8100 dry will likey be 9500-10000 ready to roll. I hope you have a big block or a V-10! I`m sure the chasiss can handle it, but that will be alot of weight for a 5.4,5.9 or even the 6.0!
Good luck!
Wife kim
Son brandon 7yrs
Daughter marissa 6yrs
Dog shadow
07 Cherokee 32B
02 Excursion 4X4 V-10 4.30 gear
Reese HP dualcam,Prodigy brake controller,
Air lift air bags.
Better to have a bad day of
camping than a good day at work!
Sounds to me as though you've got the formula down about right. Adjust the manufacturers tow ratings for anything beyond curb weight and you should be good to go. Whether you're happy with the performance is a personal issue not safety or warranty. Good luck / Skip
Yes, it is the 6.0 cheby, 4.10 gears. I know it maybe a load for the engine. But my 6000# TT i can tow up any mountain I have came across in PA, NY or WV as fast as i care to go (60+++). If I had to pull it over a mtn pass in @ 7000 feet elevation i may feel that it wouldn't be enough ponies. But I don't plan on making that trip for 5years, by which time the truck will be gone.
Honestly, as long as i can keep up with the loaded big rigs that is fast enough IMHO.
If i do decied its not enough motor its NOT a huge deal, the truck is paid for and COULD be traded for a D/A in the next few years. I'd like to get the NEW RV paid for(3~4 years) before I trade the truck so i only have one payment.
Youngguy wrote: Anyhow, we have a 2500 Gasser.........We are looking at Heartland 3300RC. its HERE
It has GVWR of 13,600.
So this is a 2500HD truck? That's a little better since you'll have a 9,200# GVWR. I know my 2004 CrewCab 2WD gasser weighs in at 6,300# with a full tank and two adults. I figure if I had a 5er hitch, the DW and I and the 3 boys we'd probably be in the 6,800# range leaving 2,400# for 5er pin weight.
I see this Sundance 5er has 173 gallons of water capacity (fresh, black, & gray combined). So that GVWR is assuming if the tanks were full (at 8.3#/gallon) you'd have 1,400# of additional weight.
I suppose if you packed moderately you could keep this ring under 11,000#. That would obviously exceed the GM published GCWR, but if stay under GVWR with the pin weight you may be okay. You'll the 6.0L work for every last pony it has, but it would get by. You will be wanting for more eventually.
Not sure...assuming they were figuring tanks full (who carries 1400# of water?) If thats ture that means they are only letting 1000#+or- for gear in the other models. I am guessing pin weight won't be a problem. Any load in the toybox would acutally reduce pin weight, which is 1650 to begin with. I doubt that even fully loaded it increases the pin weight to anywhere near 2400#.
As I said, the dry weight is only 8100#, we never carry water waste or fresh(we haven't yet). Even if i want to keep it under 10K, I think that would be doable. even with 10K as a goal That gives us 1900# of packing room, much more than given by most trailers. Another way of looking at it is with our 500# ATV in the toybox it gives us about the same CCC as the other Sundance models. While still giveing about 1000# to play with (or haul water)to get to 11K.
that being said...before our trip west we would be upgrading the TV to either an D/A or maybe an older 7.3 PSD.
Now, does anyone know anything about heartland RV? Good stuff?
I would have no prob. Don't you have more payload than the same truck with a duramax? The diesel is only going to give you more pulling power, not truck capacity. Add airbags if you don't already have them and go. You won't be fast, but you shouldn't be anyway with that load.
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