Will this truck work?

[texaspike]

I am look at buying a Keystone Cougar fifth wheel thats GVWR is 11,500 lbs. My truck is a 2002 Chevy 2500HD Diesel. My manual shows the max towing weight is 12,000 lbs. Will this truck do the job or will I have to add some modifications? The RV Dealer sail I should add some different suspension. Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated.

[GBHRPS]

I have the GMC Factory Towing Guide for 2002 in my hand. It lists the lowest 5th wheel towing weight as 15100 lbs for the CrewCabLongBox4X4, and the highest towing weight as 15800 lbs for the ExtendedCabShortBox2WD. All the other combinations of box lengths, 2 or 4 wheel drive, Regular, Extended or CrewCab, are all weights in between the two stated above for 2002. You are good to go.

Its highly recommended that you tow no more than 80% of your maximum GVWR for a safety margin. I would certainly think that you are well within that standard. From my signature you'll see what my TV is and my trailer weighs 9850 lbs. I tow it like its not even behind me. My neighbour has my identical truck and a HitchHiker II, weighing in at 11 500 lbs, and he has no problems either. He's towed from Texas to Alaska, and from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Prince Edward Island with his rig, with never a concern for not having enough truck for the job.

By the way, I can't imagine why the dealer would even suggest that you needed more suspension than the truck already has? Unless your pin weight will prove to be a whole lot more than 1500 lbs and the rear of your truck has a definite squat when hitched to the trailer, it shouldn't need a thing. The pin weight of that HitchHiker II that I mentioned above was only 1511 lbs, 9 more than my trailer, and both trucks tow dead level.

Gene

[Jim W]

What model of Cougar are you looking at?

Also I do not agree with Cougar advertised pin weight in their brochure.

I have a 318 SAB, Cougar 5er and the advertise pin weight is 1500 LBS. If you take the trailer weight of 9132 LBS and take either 15 or 20% for pin weight, this is not 1500 LBS.
Then if you add in the cargo weight allow which is 2528 LBS then add this to the trailer weight of 9132, you get 11,660 LBS. If you use the agreed upon pin weight factor of 15% then it is 1749 LBS or you use 20% then the pin weight is 2332 LBS. Again this is not 1500LBS.

My advise is to have the camper and truck weight an then you will know exactly what you are pulling and how the weight is distrubuted, from front axle to rear axle and trailer axle.

I am pulling my 5er with a 2500HD Dodge Mega Cab 6spd Auto with 3:73 gears with no issue.
Jim

[texaspike]

The fifth wheel RV is a 293 SAB. Not sure what the pin weight is for that RV. Thanks for the posts.

[Jim W]

Per the brochure for 2009, Keystone Cougar the 293SAB pin weight is 1410 LBS.
The trailer weight is 8786 LBS with a max cargo weight of 2710 LBS, so the GCVW is 11,496 LBS. If you use a 15% estimate for the pin weight this would be 1724 LBS. If you were conservative and used 20% then this would be 2299 LBS.
On your Truck door pillar there should be a weight chart that will list such things as front axle gross weight, rear axle gross weight, Truck max weight and Gross Combind Vehicle Weight, this should be for the truck and trailer togther.
For my Dodge these numbers are FA 5200LBS, RA 6020LBS, Truck 9000LBS and Gross Combind 20,000LBS. When I weight my truck and trailer on a Certified Scale, my numbers are FA 4940 LBS, RA, 5160 LBS, Trailer Axle,8140 LBS and Gross Combind Weight of 18240 LBS.
Hope this helps you.
Jim