New Member

[Blacklabmom]

Hi. I’m new. My husband and I bought a Cougar half ton slightly used fifth wheel. After one year of enjoying camping we are starting to look for something a little bit larger. What a great place for information!

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum

The best way for us to help you in your search is to tell us what your going to use as a tow vehicle, that way we can help match a trailer to your tow vehicles capabilities.

[Blacklabmom]

We have a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel short bed. We would stay with lighter fifth wheels. We live in mountains with limited flat ground and a very steep drive. Looking at the 29 MBS.

[Sarge2]

Welcome to the Forum from Southeast Michigan... Enjoy...
I think Chuckster was hinting at adding to your signature/profile so it shows up in every post... like the one I have below...

[jasin1]

Originally Posted by Blacklabmom

We have a Dodge Ram 2500 diesel short bed. We would stay with lighter fifth wheels. We live in mountains with limited flat ground and a very steep drive. Looking at the 29 MBS.

Welcome !
That 29mbs will have a pin weight of about 23% of the combined weight of the fifth wheel 8898 lbs plus the payload cargo capacity of the fifth wheel 2102..this combined weight is the gvwr ..11000 lbs .that is the number that’s important ..do not go by the dry weight of the trailer as it is a number that is just used for advertising …23% of 11000 is 2530lbs.
2530lbs will be sitting directly in the back of the pickup truck….then you have to add the weight of the people, the hitch, anything extra carried in the truck and anything that was added to the truck after it left the factory ( tonneau cover? Side steps? Air bag system? Bigger wheels and tires or lift kits? All these weights get subtracted from the available payload that is on a yellow sticker on the drivers door jam…look at the door itself and the jam for the sticker…it will say. Cargo and passengers should not exceed X lbs….that is your magic number that will never change(increase)…air bags do not change that number for the better.
Your likely going to be pushing 3000+ pounds when all is said and done…likely over your listed payload of almost any 3/4 ton diesel truck…gas trucks have more payload as the weight of the heavier Diesel engine comes off the available payload…a completely stripped down truck with no options and 2 wheel drive will be more payload but they are few and far between.
Should look at 1 ton trucks if you want to be safe on the road for you and for everyone around you….good luck

[wiredgeorge]

Blacklabmom, That is an 11K gross weight trailer you are considering. Your ability to pull it isn't in question but it will have a 2530 lb pin weight. Add your black labs, whoever else is in the truck (their weight), weight of the hitch and anything else in the truck and you will likely have a payload of 3000-3300 lbs. Now go to your truck and open the door and there will be a yellow/white placard in the door frame it will say "Combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed xxx lbs". What does your payload placard say? Keystone tosses around marketing like "half ton towable" and this is more or less misleading as most 1/2 ton and also many 3/4 ton tow vehicles have insufficient payload. The pin weight they advertise for this and all lines of fifth wheels is also VERY misleading as these are pin weights as the fifth wheel leaves the assembly line and will NEVER be realized in the real world. That 29MBS floorplan looks great for a family with kiddo(s)! Good luck and I hope safety aka payload consideration doesn't force you elsewhere.

[travelin texans]

DO NOT use any published rv dry weights or any advertised max tow for any truck. Those 2 numbers are TOTALLY meaningless in the real rv world, but sound real convincing when salespeople start rattling them off & have NO clue what they're talking about.
Use the posted numbers on YOUR truck & the posted GVWR on your chosen specific rv.

Forgot to mention, ALL the hitch/pin weights published will all be calculated from the dry weights & are also meaningless to everyone but the salespeople. Use 13% of the rv GVWR of a TT & 23% for a 5th wheel to calculate accurate numbers.

[spicercars]

Welcome from Northern MN.

[dutchmensport]

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on a successful camping year. You have a year under your belt. You know a great more about RVing than you may give yourself credit for. But you do! You know how well your current camper performed, towed, handled, as well as what you did not like about it. Take all this experience now and you'll do fine with your next purchase .... just fine!

But .... remember .... it's the 3rd RV that is usually the one, that should have been first.

For us, it was the 4th, but we had to grow into it, and so did the tow vehicle!

[CedarCreekWoody]

Mom our trucks are similar. I tow 10,000 lbs and that pretty much maxes out my capacity. Choose your camper carefully.