Moving up to 5th wheel

[cdougmark]

New member here hoping to get some good advice based on real experiences. Moving up to a Cougar 5th wheel from a Keystone Passport Ultra light 245RB TT. It will be my first experience with a 5th wheel. Seems the more research I do and using online weight calculators the more confused I have become. Like the X-lite models OK but would really like the 313RLI but think even if its not over weight it may realistically be a bit much for my TV.

TV: 2011 Chev 2500 4x4 crew cab short bed 6.0 gas 4:10 gear. GVWR 9500, GAWR Frt 4800, GAWR RR 6200, max trailer weight 13900, GCWR 20500, king pin weight15-25% of trailer weight with 3000 max. GVW of 7377 however based on added accessories, fuel, cargo, hitch, spray in bed liner I estimate GVW to be 8200.

33RLI: Shipping weight 9540, carrying capacity 2725, hitch weight 1865. I estimate weight to be 11500 when loaded.

Of course salesmen says it will be no problem from my TV. I don't want to buy it and find out too late that I need anther TV. I already use twice the fuel and run twice the RPM towing half the weight of my camping friends who tow much heavier 5th wheels than my TT with 3/4 and 1 ton diesels. I will be almost doubling weight with the 33RLI.

The 33RLI only weighs 1715 more and has 455 more pin weight than the than the heaviest X-lite I am considering.

Also is a slider hitch necessary?

My apologies for getting little wordy. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Javi]

Weight wise the 313 will end up with about 2000-2200 lbs on the pin depending on how you load it and it could be a little more. Can your truck handle it.. yeah if you got tires that can handle the load.. be sure and check that. Will it handle it well, not as well as a dually but it'll get you down the road.

Fuel wise... that's the nature of the beast when you choose a gasoline powered tow vehicle and the 313 won't change the mileage and neither will any other trailer... 7-10 is all you gonna get...

[bsmith0404]

Have you put your truck on a scale? IMO your estimated weight of the truck is a bit high. My 2011 Duramax was only 7200 curb weight, the 6.0 is about 800 lbs less, (6377 not 7377 according to Truck Trend). I'm not sure what you bring with you, but I have trouble believing you will have almost 2,000 lbs in the truck especially with the limited space for gear due to the 5th wheel hitch in a standard 6' bed.

As for the weights of the 5er you're looking at, they are very similar to the 2008 Jayco 291 RLTS I had, the Jayco was a bit heavier on the nose. The 2500 handled it well. You would probably just wish you had more power than the 6.0 when you hit the hills, plenty of those in your area.

[Kristi]

We upgraded last year from a 2650BH passport to the 313rli cougar. First off the 1865 hitch weight is completely empty. Our loaded hitch weight with 1/3 full tanks and all our gear is close to 2300. We pull with a diesel I so can't really comment on what your the towing experience would be like. Would I still do it if it meant buying a different truck? You bet! (as long as it was financially feasible) I absolutely love our 313rli cougar.

[therink]

Two trucks ago, I had a 2008 silverado 3/4 ton ext cab 6.0 gasser. My fiver at the time weighed 11,500 loaded (9500 dry). Loaded the pin was around 2200 lbs. I was exceeding payload on the 3/4 truck by about 500 lbs once family and gear were loaded into the truck. I was at the gcwr of 18,000 (I weighed at a scale).
With this said, I moved to a 1 ton SRW and can safely say iI am towing well within all capacities of the truck. I feel good about it with the family in tow.

[larry337]

In 2012 a friend of mine went from a 6500lb TT to a Cougar 293 SAB. Dry weight is 9156 and pin weight is 1530. His TV is an 09 gasser 2500 crew cab with a 3.73 and he has no problems. He packs everything but the kitchen sink including firewood, generators, kids and 2 labs. You'd be even better off with a 4.10. His fuel economy didn't change and even maybe .5 better in some conditions. Fivers are more aerodynamic than TT's. Yes a diesel would pull stronger and yes a 3500 would be better but you'll be alright. I might mention he does have air bags to help level things out. It's 3 years and he's still doing it. His truck is paid for and if he wanted a diesel he can afford it. Hehas considered it when he thinks about going out west but so far all trips are east of the Mississippi and he just doesn't see the need to spend the money.

[larry337]

And as for a slider? Lots of opinions. Automatic sliders are expensive and heavy. They can be a pain sometimes because they slide by design when its not desired. You could go with a manual slider. I have friends who get by with a short bed and fixed hitch so I did the same. No problem so far. I got a Turnoverball Patriot. $400 on amazon plus a Reese rail kit under $200. Installed it myself. Relatively easy to remove because it's 2 pieces, the hitch weighs 45lbs and the base 95lbs. I can take it all out in about 5 minutes, except the rails of course.

http://www.turnoverball.com/products...th-wheel-hitch

[bsmith0404]

Originally Posted by therink

Two trucks ago, I had a 2008 silverado 3/4 ton ext cab 6.0 gasser. My fiver at the time weighed 11,500 loaded (9500 dry). Loaded the pin was around 2200 lbs. I was exceeding payload on the 3/4 truck by about 500 lbs once family and gear were loaded into the truck. I was at the gcwr of 18,000 (I weighed at a scale).
With this said, I moved to a 1 ton SRW and can safely say iI am towing well within all capacities of the truck. I feel good about it with the family in tow.

The payload of the 2500 increased in 2011 with the new frame design. His trailer should weigh about the same as yours did and about the same as my old Jayco. I think he would be in a similar situation with an older model, but with the 2011 he would be good to go.

[cdougmark]

Thanks to all that responded. We elected to g with the 28SGS Xlite model for several reasons, budget being one of them. I have read the numerous posts on this forum concerning the need for sliding hitches on short bed trucks. The majority seems to be that sliders are never used and there for peace of mind. I would appreciate responses from people that are pulling with a similar truck and newer X lite camper. My TV: 6.5 bed Chevy Crew Cab 4x4. Need to make a decision on the hitch this week. Would prefer to go with Reese puck system and B&W OEM Companion. However if slider is necessary would go with B&W turnover and Companion.

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by cdougmark

Thanks to all that responded. We elected to g with the 28SGS Xlite model for several reasons, budget being one of them. I have read the numerous posts on this forum concerning the need for sliding hitches on short bed trucks. The majority seems to be that sliders are never used and there for peace of mind. I would appreciate responses from people that are pulling with a similar truck and newer X lite camper. My TV: 6.5 bed Chevy Crew Cab 4x4. Need to make a decision on the hitch this week. Would prefer to go with Reese puck system and B&W OEM Companion. However if slider is necessary would go with B&W turnover and Companion.

Take a look at www.andersenhitches.com to see how they solve the SB problem. Also compare the weight of their hitches to the typical, flat-plate 5er hitches.

[Quad]

If your wanting to keep your bed clear I would look at the Anderson Ultimate Hitch or the Reese Goosebox. If those items aren't a concern then I would go the b&w turnover and companion hitch. If the nose of your new camper has max angle corners then I wouldn't get a slider. My last TV was a 2005 2500HD CCSB and I never needed the slider. Most will say the same. However if you feel like you want the insurance of it. Get it, for sure.


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[bsmith0404]

If you have read most of the posts, I doubt you will get any different answers. I have towed 3 different 5ers, my dad is on about his 10th different 5er, and my brother in-law is on his 2nd, all with 6.5' beds (I now have an 8', but unrelated). None of us use a slider and have never seen a reason for one. You can still cut around pretty tight, even without an extended pin box or max angle corners. Actually, if you look at the amount of torque placed on the axles in tight turns, you probably won't want to turn that hard anyway. One member actually bent his spring hangers cutting a tight corner. I guess it's good to have in a pinch, but I try to plan ahead and avoid cutting too hard.

[GmaPaTime]

As I have a 6.5 foot bed TV with the Anderson Ultimate FW hitch and a
similar 5ver, I'll offer my experiences.

With the shortbed and that trailer, you would need to be making some very tight turns before getting in any trouble hitting the TV cab. Sliders are good for those who want piece of mind and not have to worry if they get into tight spots.

The Anderson hitch has worked very well for me and you can't beat the reduced weight when having to remove it. Also, I beleave the ride is much better than a standard FW hitch and you don't need to worry about dropping the 5ver into the TV bed. Another bonus... Half the cost

[gearhead]

You shouldn't need a slider. I had a SGS and a regular hitch on a GMC short bed and never had an issue.
Watch those 2 swivel chairs in the back of the trailer. Mine pulled the curtain hardware off the wall during travel. I got some strapping material with snap buckles at WalMart camping dept and wrapped the chairs with it to keep them from rubbing the walls.

[ncbound123]

We have a FZ395 hooked up to a 09' dodge short bed. Have the Curt 20K with sliders as our hitch. I do use my slider quite a bit when backing into sites and some of the tighter campgrounds with tight turns and not a lot of clearance. When we pulled our rig home the first time I didn't need to use the slider to make the U turn at the end of our road. On the first camping trip with all our gear loaded into the unit and making the same U turn upon returining home I had the camper just kiss the back of the cab and put a small crease in the pillar post. Nothing major, but enough to make me look far enough ahead to see if I need to go almost 90 degrees. When that comes up I take the time to slide the hitch back and then there is no issues. The thing to remember is that as long as your level with your rig you should be OK. Another thing I did was install air bags to keep the truck and camper level which helps a lot as well. Just enjoy and keep an eye out when making tighter turns.

[danimal]

I know there have been alot of responses but I will try to keep it short. I had a 2008 Chevy 2500 CC 4x4 6.5' bed 3.73 6.0 gas. I towed the trailer listed below with it. Yes it towed it ok and the weight (8,000 loaded) was not a concern. The problem is that the wind resistance of a 5er is immense and even on Florida flat roads I was averaging under 8 MPG. The thing that bothered me the most was the truck constantly trying to find the right gear, shifting up and down, even in Tow/Haul mode. With the diesel, there is no gear searching even on overpasses. I have/had a slider hitch on both trucks and the only time I use it is getting the trailer in the backyard.

[cdougmark]

Decided to install the Reese puck system and OEM Companion. Picked up 5er last week and so far so good. Did several very sharp turns forward and backward and did not come close to hitting truck cab. Should be no problem getting in to any spot where we camp. May have to remove bed rails though as trailer came very close on off camber turns.

Thanks to all that responded, very helpful

[Kickin It]

Look into the reese goose box. It sits the camper back and I have plenty of room on my cab and dont have to get out and let it side. Its also on air and duel shocks.