Experienced trailer haulers please

[whitetailfan]

I know some of you have holiday trailers, we've had a few chats in the past.

I found a really nice 5th wheel that I am considering upgrading to, but it is considerably larger than my current fiver.  Here are the specs:

TV:
2002 Chev ext cab 4x4 Z71 series with 4:10's and the 5.3litre V8
Book shows towing capacity at 8800lbs

Current trailer:
22ft 5th wheel 4838# GWVR, 3360# dry.

Possible upgrade:
25ft rated (27.5ft tip to tip with tape measure)
GVWR 7799# with cargo capacity of 1256# therefore with reverse math, my curb weight should be 6543#, but it is not physically printed.

As far as I know, my tires are up to the challenge, and I think my axle weights are OK on the TV, but I will double check that.

What I am looking for are opinions on whether this looks feasible, or if I'm just too close to capacity to be safe and or not be terribly frustrated towing. Right now I can zip along at 110km in O/D on most terrain and pulls fine in the hills. I really don't want to be the guy that can't keep up with traffic, but I could get by for a year before upgrading the TV if needed.

Would you tow this combination?

[Wildcat]

It looks to me that if you had maximum cargo your TV could be slightly overloaded, depending on what percentage of weight will transfer to the TV from the trailer.  Keep the cargo down and it would probably be fine on the flats.  Will probably be slower on the grades.  The potential problems that I see are the brakes will have to work harder and if you have an automatic transmission, then you could get into some overheating (especially on the grades).  Before purchase I would recommend hooking up and getting everything weighed to make sure nothing is outside the limits. (Gross Vehicle Weight of the 5th, the TV, the Combined Weight of the 5th and TV, each axle)

[Mr Walleye]

WTF

I think a lot depends on how far you travel and what types of grades are involved. I know for myself I don't tow my trailer very far. Maybe 2 hours away max. so it wouldn't be an issue for me. Plus I live in Southern Saskatchewan... It's flat... You know... You can see your dog run away for 3 days!  :D

The other two things you may want to check into is:

Under you current class of drivers license what weight are you permitted to tow? Here in Saskatchewan a regular drivers license is a class 5 and you are allowed to tow a trailer or trailer combination up to 10,000 lbs. To go over this you must have a class 1.

The second thing to check is under your tow vehicle registration there will be a maximum GVW. GVW = the weight of the truck trailer and load. Here in Saskatchewan the base registraion is good uo to 11,000 lbs. (you would be pushing that limit) Again here in Saskatchewan you can increase the GVW... for a fee of course.

Just a couple of things to think about.

Mike

[gljjr]

When you look at the door sticker it will have the GVWR. I would bet that it is your stated 8800 lbs. That means that the combination of both Truck and Trailer (and everything in BOTH of them) weighs less than 8800 lbs. So you would be roughly 4K overweight figuring a 4K truck weight. I would bet that you would need at least a 3/4 ton and would be better off with a 1 ton truck for that trailer.

I tow a 6500lb boat with a '93 F250 Diesel 4x4. My GVWR is 10,500 lbs and I am just about at its limit. I actually wish I had gone with a 1 ton for my boat.

[Mr Walleye]

GVWR is the rating for the weight of the truck, passengers, fuel, load, etc. This does not include the trailer, although it does include the "tounge weight". Here's a link and it happens to be from Alberta.

http://www.rvda-alberta.org/rvtips/gvwr.htm

Mike

[Wildcat]

I agree with Mr. Walleye.  gljjr, I believe you are confusing GVWR with Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.  The combined rating primarily considers engine/trasmission HP/torque and axle ratio along with braking ability.  GVWR puts more emphasis on axle, tire, suspension, frame, and braking.

[iceman]

So from what you guys are telling me the reason my Pontiac Vibe makes all those awful noises when it's hooked up to my 32 foot SeaSport boat is because I exceeded something? :D ;D ;)
Don't laugh guys, I saw a guy towing a six place snow machine trailer with a Mazda B2200 pick up!!! I always wondered where he ended up stopping when he hit the brakes at the end of the highway :D :D :D.

[Tiny Tim]

I always pulled my race car (4300# of iron) on a flatbed tandem axle bumper hitch trailer behind a half ton Ford p/u without trailer brakes hooked up.....until after about 3 close calls.  One was a deer that decided to run across in front of me...pickup had all 4 locked up and I was slidin', but still missed the critter by about 2 feet.  Next one I was travelling with another crew, following them.  They had been having tranny problems all season in their 1 Ton dually, and we were approaching a big hill which I needed a run to get up.  I started picking up speed, they started slowing in front of me, so I pulled out to pass when they decided to turn into a driveway coming up on our left.  Another 4 wheel slide, ended up on the left shoulder at the driveway, about a foot away from the side of their trailer.  Don't remember if there was a third incident or not, but it wasn't long after this one that I had a working brake controller hooked up.

The best part about that second incident?  It happened on the way to the track, and that night was the first time I'd ever transferred from the "B" feature to the "A", and ran about 13th out of 20 starters in the "A", and the crew I was travelling with got a Second in the Modified "A".  Guess once we got there, the pressure was off and we could actually drive. lol

[whitetailfan]

Thanks guys,
gljjr, I was referring to the trailer towing capacity listed in the manual, not the GVWR of the truck.
I still have to check the sticker on that.

I found a brochure on the trailer and it is showing a 5500# dry wt, not the 6500 I was calculating.
I dont know why they did not have a curb or dry wt on the sticker.

Regardless, the price was too good, so I bought the rv.  I will hitch it up and weigh it, try a test pull etc.  If I can't safely haul it, I will dump as I know I can get my money back out of it.

I also would have just under 5 months until the May long weekend to find a new TV   ;D ;D ;D

[Wildcat]

I'd opt for a new TV.  If you do, get the biggest you can afford so that you will have some room to play with if another good deal happens along.

[whitetailfan]

I dont know how long the link will last, but here is the trailer.  It should be delivered from Calgary to Lethbridge by Friday we hope.

[Mr Walleye]

WTF

That's a nice lookin' unit for sure!  ;)

Mike

[Habanero Smoker]

That is a nice looking unit. I'm surprised at how much space there is inside.

[iceman]

Now that is a nice looking trailer. You're going to be traveling in style for sure.