Dexy
Cape Cod Canal
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Joined: 01/23/2004
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How do I find out how heavy of a 5th wheel trailer my truck will pull? I'm told it's figured differant than the weight of a travel trailer.
Happy Camping!
Robin and Danny
Merlin the Beagle
Forever remembering Dexter & Dusty
2003 Jayco Kiwi 23B
2004 Chevy Silverado Extended Cab
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donn0128
Pronounced Ore-gun
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Joined: 04/21/2005
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Basic rule of thumb.
Take your truck to the scales loaded like you would normally go camping and get an accurate weight.
Look on the drivers door post and get the manufacturers GVWR number. add 200 pounds for a regular hitch and 300 for a slider hitch to your trucks scaled weight. Subtract this as scaled weight from the GVWR. That will be the net cargo carrying capacity that YOUR truck will be able to handle without exceeding the manufactures GVWR.
If for example you have a net cargo capacity of 1500 pounds, that is the maximum pin weight for a fiver.
Again as a general rule of thumb a fiver will have a pin weight of 20% of the trailers GVWR. So in my example if you can have a 1500 pound pin, that translates into a fiver with a 7500 pound GVWR.
Donn
Finally able to camp again after a two year hiatus.
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bldrbuck
Boulder, Colorado
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Ask a Chevy dealer to get the information for you. If you are lucky someone here will have the same truck and answer. You should include engine, transmission and axle ratio.
93 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel, DRW, Crew Cab. PullRite Hitch. 90 Nomad 28' 5er, 375 Watts Solar, 2800 Watt Yamaha Generator, 1750 Watt Inverter, 4 Trogan T105 Batteries, Spare tire and wheel and folding ladder. Me, wife and 2 spoiled Maltise furkids.
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Sinterior
BC Canada
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Hi, to give you an example, my 2006 Chev 2500HD ext/cab 4X4 Dmax/Allison, with a spray on liner, slider 5th wheel hitch, full of fuel, toolbox in bed with 150lbs "stuff" me and DW (we are average size) weighed 7600lbs, minus that from the GVWR of 9200lbs, leaves 1600lbs for pin weight if you want to stay within factory specs.
I was overweight on GVWR with my old 10,000lb 5th wheel, but within axle and tire specs.
The drivers doorpost said the load capacity for my individual truck was 2507lbs, but that's with fuel and a 150lb driver and nothing else.
It's mostly the weight of a diesel engine and heavy transmissions that really hurt most 3/4 ton diesel truck capacities.
I hope this helps.
Peter
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JIMNLIN
Big Cabin, OK
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Joined: 09/14/2003
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a 5th wheel trailer puts most if not all of its hitch weight on the trucks rear axle/tires. When the truck is weighed you need the front and rear unladin weight as the trucks RAWR/tires carry weight. Simply subtract the scaled unladin weight from the truck RAWR and that will give you your trucks max payload.
The trailer will have a GVWR. Use 20 percent of the trailers GVWR for approx pin weight.
A '04 chevy extended cab Silverado comes in 1500/2500/3500 sizes. What size truck do you have and we can give a ball park number ??
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" Will Rogers
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cruiserjs
Aurora, CO, USA/ Mesa AZ/ openroad
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Good advice above but as jimlin says - what soze Sivrado do you have? Then ask your dealer for the tow rating ( or check chevy website and go from there. Hope thatis NOT a 1500! An '04 1500 was not built to tow a fiver!
Colorado Cruiser
Cruiser CF29CK 5th wheel; 2009 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2wd, short bed
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NEVERSWEAT7
Bakersfield, Ca. USA
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I like Donns answer.. simple and most easily understood. I am against asking a dealer.. as so many of them are full of ...well they do not know. Everything you will carry in the truck and bed then minus it from GVWR and that is it. You can rear load the coach a little more if your close.
2010 F-450 King Ranch Loaded. AeroTank 65 gallon auxillary tank/toolbox with timer,
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