S Sullivan
California
Senior Member
Joined: 09/19/2002
View Profile
|
Mandalay Parr wrote:I wouldn't. Not enough truck for stability reasons. One ton dually much better.
I respect your right to an opinion - but it is NOT necessary to have a dually for EVERY 5ver!
Excuse me for a moment while I express my opinion....
Sorry for the rant - but I get so tired of some people's flat statments that seem to indicate that unless you have a one ton dually you are less of a RVer and are a little lower than the bug crossing the street and shouldn't even have the audacity to contemplate a 5ver. 
(Stepping off the soapbox and slowly backing off.....) 
* This post was
edited 08/15/08 06:18am by S Sullivan *
|
Umaxman
Nova Scotia Canada
New Member
Joined: 06/17/2008
View Profile
 Offline
|
S Sullivan wrote:Mandalay Parr wrote:I wouldn't. Not enough truck for stability reasons. One ton dually much better.
I respect your right to an opinion - but it is NOT necessary to have a dually for EVERY 5ver!
Excuse me for a moment while I express my opinion....
Sorry for the rant - but I get so tired of some people's flat statments that seem to indicate that unless you have a one ton dually you are less of a RVer and are a little lower than the bug crossing the street and shouldn't even have the audacity to contemplate a 5ver.
(Stepping off the soapbox and slowly backing off.....)
Well said.
My truck pulls my fiver just fine
There are as many(probably way more)Fivers being towed with 1/2 tons as there is with duallys, and the stopping part we won't even go there as these trailers have brakes and if they don't help you stop then get them looked at ....
|
portablevcb
Tijeras, NM
Senior Member
Joined: 05/04/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Rvndave,
Thanks. That was a well put statement.
I agree. If I were towing a lot then I too would get a truck with a capacity well above my load.
But, as I said before (and like the two above and others before), when towing a relatively small amount of time I am happy staying within the mfg's guidelines of my small truck and small fiver.
charlie
2006 Toyota Tundra Crew Cab
2003 Skyline Nomad 24ft Fiver
Me and Wife
Maggie the Old English Sheepdog
|
curt12914
Northern NY State
Senior Member
Joined: 03/15/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
Rvndave wrote:If you max out any rig your performance and reliability will suffer. I recommend using the 20-25% of the 5ers GVWR if for nothing else a margin of safety. All the truck manufactures know weight ratings help to sell there trucks, I believe they will list the maximum weights they can safely carry. I towed overloaded for years telling myself it handles fine. Once getting a TV over rated for the load the difference was amazing, fuel mileage also improved. Braking was unbelievably better, the driving experience much more pleasurable, and without a doubt safer. Max your truck out for all it has if you like, never again for me.
You advocate 20 -25% as a margin of safety? So you're pretty much agreeing with the guy that says anyone towing a fifth wheel should have a one ton dually!
A lot of you guys put a lot more faith in the manufacturers GVW than I do. I see different GVWs listed for a truck with the same frame, springs, brakes, etc., but different engines, transmissions and gear ratios. That might make a lot of difference to a guy that is driving through the Rockies, but for a flatlander, it doesn't mean a lot.
I've seen comments about air bags, helper springs, exhaust brakes, power enhancements, auxiliary transmissions, etc. don't change the GVW of the truck. You're right that it doesn't change the door sticker, but most enhancements do make the truck able to carry or tow more weight.
What do you thnik about the over the road drivers that are hauling oversize loads? Some things just don't come apart enough to bring them down to normal sizes. We just had some transformers go through our area that weigh over 40 tons. Where would a guy buy a tractor that has a GVW to tow that.
As someone that has driven large trucks all his adult life, I can tell you the weakest part of any truck is the nut behind the steering wheel. If you have any idea of what you're operating, you can take precautions to operate it safely. Some people aren't safe with an empty one ton dually.
Go ahead, flame on!!!!!!!!
05 Ford F-350 Lariat CC 4X4 PSD DRW Line X Retrax
02 Montana Big Sky 3295 RK (2) Honda EU2000is
When my grown kids were inspecting our new fifth wheel, one asked why we bought a trailer that sleeps 4. My reply was that we couldn't find one that sleeps 2!
|
portablevcb
Tijeras, NM
Senior Member
Joined: 05/04/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
curt12914 wrote:
...the weakest part of any truck is the nut behind the steering wheel... Some people aren't safe with an empty one ton dually.
Well said! I think that should be plastered on every truck visor made, if not tattooed on foreheads.
charlie
|
|
|
tomh1229
Chattanooga
New Member
Joined: 06/16/2008
View Profile
Offline
|
I recently bought a 2004 Crossroas Cruiser 29'. It weighs 6824 lbs dry. I pull it with a 2004 1500 Crew Cab Chevy. I added super springs and travel very light. I am going to have to buy another TV as the max towing capacity is 6800 lbs and it is a strain for my truck to pull the 5er up hills. It does great on the inertstate getting 16 mpg. It will eventually wear the tranny and raer end of the truck out. You need to check out Crossroads and see if your truck will tow one. The 5.7 will be strong enough. The test will be the tranny and rear end. If you have the right gear you might be ok with air bags or super springs.
|
curt12914
Northern NY State
Senior Member
Joined: 03/15/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
This is pretty much off the subject, but when I see these weight threads, I always think of a neighbor who had the first gooseneck trailer I ever saw. He had a early 70's Ford F-250 (390 motor, I think) 4 wheel drive. He towed a trailer that carried his Case backhoe that weighed somewhere in the 7 ton range, so he was probably towing close to 9 tons total. He used the same truck for over 20 years, until he retired and sold everything. I never heard of him having an accident with it and never heard of him having a lot of problems and he towed almost EVERY DAY with it.
I guess someone forgot to tell him he was overloaded!
|
portablevcb
Tijeras, NM
Senior Member
Joined: 05/04/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Same as my Father-in-law. He had one of those Rampage pickups. You know, the ones that were front wheel drive cars with the back chopped off. 2.2L with a 5sp manual tranny. He did a lot of research on weights and aerodynamic loads. Figured out the frontal area he could get away with, torque curves of the motor and speeds he could reasonably expect. Determined max loads for his tires, wheels and axle (kinda simple cause it was basically a straight beam).
Had the dealer weld in a custom mount for a fiver. Coachman Lite. One of the first Lite's that I heard of. 19ft. Don't remember what it weighed, but, at least 3000lb (which was about 2000lb more than the little TV was rated for. He installed air shocks to level the load.
He towed with that rig all over the Southwest. Put about 10,000mi on it over a 5 year period before the trailer 'gave up' (too many window leaks and rotted door sill).
He used to like to 'out drag' larger fiver rigs, especially the 1T trucks.
FWIW, he also used to drive HDT's when he was younger. He was also a mechanical engineer.
charlie
PS I do not recommend this approach. For most people it is a recipe for disaster. Keep within the mfg's ratings.
|
curt12914
Northern NY State
Senior Member
Joined: 03/15/2003
View Profile
Offline
|
portablevcb wrote:PS I do not recommend this approach. For most people it is a recipe for disaster. Keep within the mfg's ratings.
I agree 100%.
|
Rough2000
Arkansas
Senior Member
Joined: 06/10/2006
View Profile
Offline
|
Anyway as I attempted to get into my Honda yesterday...where a duelly had pulled in along side and I could not get my door open. I thought...
"GET A SMALLER TRUCK, OR FIND A LARGER PARKING SPACE"
So much for my rant about those silly duelly people.
2006 Dodge Ram Mega Cab w/Cummin's
2009 Jayco Designer 34 RLQS
|
|
|
