Safe towing weight limit

[gary_lucas]

That makes sense, it was related to something else I had thought about.

Whether it was possible to put bigger brakes on my truck or not, after doing some research awhile back I came up with the same thing you said.

IE it's hard to improve over the OEM configuration.

G

There are many threads here on the page that support the sage advice to leave wheel/tire diameter of diesel tow vehicles alone - or increase by no more than 5% over stock.

The ECM, TCM, gear ratio, brake hardware, etc. all work together to create a fantastic towing machine under a variety of altitudes, temperatures, loads, etc. In short, the truck that rolls out of the factory is nearly IDEAL. Changing tire size drastically requires rethinking all of the above, which is unlikely or $$$ impractical to do.

...especially if you intend to tow heavy.

[gary_lucas]

That is absolutely correct, and I can guarantee our first stop will be at a scale after leaving the dealership... I wonder if they have one actually.

To be honest after doing a pile of research and hearing from other people on this forum, I'm towing light compared to most. I'm just going to get the numbers and add airbags if I seem to need them.

G

I'm pretty sure that the published hitch weight of the 5th wheel is with an empty trailer. So the only way to know how much weight is in the bed of the truck is to road load it and then hit the scales. Am I right? If your weight on the hitch increases then your payload decreases in the truck. Keep in mind the max weight that the rear axle is rated at, you may have to lighten up the pin weight and leave some pots and pans home.
Denny

[DmaxMaverick]

That's all sounds good, the tires on the trailer are 15's,

So, not sure if I can get the 16's on the trailer, the 16's I've got are 265's, I'm assuming they'll be too big. But I'll check it out

Is it even possible to get bigger brakes on bigger wheels?

Gary

15's? Is this a 3 axle coach, like a toy hauler? If so, do whatever you have to do to get away from the 15's. There are NO good 15" tires for heavy trailers. NONE. Also, if it's a toy hauler, keep in mind you can't base your weight if it isn't loaded. All/most of the "toy" weight will be behind the trailer axles, which will unload the pin weight. Storage tank placement will also have a great affect. They're usually with fuel storage in the rear, with fresh/waste forward. 800# of fresh water going, and that much waste water returning, will have as much affect on pin weight as anything.

If it's a 2 axle coach with 15's, do whatever is necessary to change that. Change the hubs if you have to (most Dexter axles will interchange). 16" tires offers a large selection of 10-14 ply tires, much less expensive and much more durable LT tires (the preferred option, IMO). NOTHING from China, no matter what brand they are! (Goodyear Marathon, Carlisle, come to mind)

BTW......
My 2005 Mountaineer came new from the factory (dealer) with 235/85/16E tires (14K+, 3-slide, 36', aluminum upper frame). They are LT's, "Made in USA". After decades of replacing travel-trailer and 5th wheel tires every 1-3 years, for various reasons, these are still on, and still in very good condition. We're getting close to trading up, but this is the best coach we've had. Previously, we've never had one for more than about 5 years. We're 8 years into this one, and will be sad to let it go, but it will go, with the original tires! I can't say that about any previous coach we've had, or heard of.

[gary_lucas]

That's good info, didn't realize that 15's sucked so badly, I'll keep an eye out for a decent deal on LT tires.

I may even buy new truck tires for the truck and put the old ones on the trailer like the other guy suggested. Or maby not, those tires are hercules, but getting old. Not sure how long they were on the truck for... They came from the previous owner.

It's a shorter 31" (fox mountain 275bhs) 5th wheel, not a toy hauler so we won't be putting anything particularly heavy in it.

G

15's? Is this a 3 axle coach, like a toy hauler? If so, do whatever you have to do to get away from the 15's. There are NO good 15" tires for heavy trailers. NONE. Also, if it's a toy hauler, keep in mind you can't base your weight if it isn't loaded. All/most of the "toy" weight will be behind the trailer axles, which will unload the pin weight. Storage tank placement will also have a great affect. They're usually with fuel storage in the rear, with fresh/waste forward. 800# of fresh water going, and that much waste water returning, will have as much affect on pin weight as anything.

If it's a 2 axle coach with 15's, do whatever is necessary to change that. Change the hubs if you have to (most Dexter axles will interchange). 16" tires offers a large selection of 10-14 ply tires, much less expensive and much more durable LT tires (the preferred option, IMO). NOTHING from China, no matter what brand they are! (Goodyear Marathon, Carlisle, come to mind)

BTW......
My 2005 Mountaineer came new from the factory (dealer) with 235/85/16E tires (14K+, 3-slide, 36', aluminum upper frame). They are LT's, "Made in USA". After decades of replacing travel-trailer and 5th wheel tires every 1-3 years, for various reasons, these are still on, and still in very good condition. We're getting close to trading up, but this is the best coach we've had. Previously, we've never had one for more than about 5 years. We're 8 years into this one, and will be sad to let it go, but it will go, with the original tires! I can't say that about any previous coach we've had, or heard of.

[Yukon6.2]

Hi Gary
If the wheels are 6 hole you can get 16" wheels in 6 hole.
I just won a trailer in a bid,was going to flip it,but now i'm goig to keep it to tow behind the dump truck for my bobcat,anyhow it's on 6 hole 15",it's got fenders so i think i'm going to a 225 75 16,no room for any bigger tires,but if you have room go for the 235/75-16 in a LT.the 265's you have would probly be to wide for the trailer.
Thomas

[Grayfox]

FYI

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-tow-vehicle-sizing.shtml

Please do the math. This can be a very enlightening exercise.

This site should give you Trailer Life Tow capacities and the Cat Scale locator

[gary_lucas]

Yah, I've run all those numbers.

Thanks for the link though, I'm bookmarking it.

Sadly the link to the 2500hd GMC page towing values is broken

Not that I need it, I have the original owners manual and etc. I'll be stopping at a scale shortly after I pick up the trailer this Friday to get final numbers.

Thanks allot

FYI

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-tow-vehicle-sizing.shtml

Please do the math. This can be a very enlightening exercise.

This site should give you Trailer Life Tow capacities and the Cat Scale locator

[gary_lucas]

So, got the 5th wheel.

It squats just a little in the back, I don't even know if people would notice, the rear wheel well is probably even or just slightly lower than the rear wheel well.

My mechanic strongly suggested having the spring packs reworked to get back up a little, considering that. He said he has a connection with a place that specializes in building / modifying spring packs.

Otherwise it's air bags or super springs, probably going to wait for a bit on those as I don't think we'll be doing much highway traveling this year, mostly just local stuff while I wrap my mind around driving with it.

I put it on the scales and the axles are:
FA: 4510
RA: 5412
Total: 9922

Truck GVWR is unfortunately 9200 if I remember correctly, I'll check the sticker on the door tomorrow to confirm. it's running the 265's so I'm under all the axle ratings.

[Waynec1957]

So, got the 5th wheel.

It squats just a little in the back, I don't even know if people would notice, the rear wheel well is probably even or just slightly lower than the rear wheel well.

My mechanic strongly suggested having the spring packs reworked to get back up a little, considering that. He said he has a connection with a place that specializes in building / modifying spring packs.

Otherwise it's air bags or super springs, probably going to wait for a bit on those as I don't think we'll be doing much highway traveling this year, mostly just local stuff while I wrap my mind around driving with it.

I put it on the scales and the axles are:
FA: 4510
RA: 5412
Total: 9922

Truck GVWR is unfortunately 9200 if I remember correctly, I'll check the sticker on the door tomorrow to confirm. it's running the 265's so I'm under all the axle ratings.

I'm a little late to the discussion but I was wondering how this worked out. We're in the process of looking for a new TT now. We've more or less ruled out 5th wheels because on everything we like the kingpin weight plus the hitch and all the other "stuff" in the truck puts us at or over the rated payload (just over 3,000 lbs). Add up me, the other half, a couple grandkids, 36 gal. of diesel, 200 lb. hitch, and 2,000 lb. kingpin and it doesn't take long to eat that payload up.

For what it's worth, and I'm no expert on anything, I always try to pay attention to the upper limits of any piece of equipment I use. Under normal use, I try to leave myself a little cushion knowing there may be times I have to ask a little more of the equipment. If I'm always operating maxed out, I may not have what I need when that need arises.

One of the reasons I went to the 2500hd Duramax was because pulling the TT we have (much less a bigger one) with the old 1/2 ton gasser taxed me and the truck more than I was comfortable with.

[gimpyhauler]

Yesterday I drove about 500 miles round trip to get my tractor. South central Oregon is mostly flat. Driving to the dealer, I got 18+mpg @ 60mph on cruise with only very short stretches being 3% grade. Hooked up to a 22K 20ft gooseneck with my new/used John Deere 210SL tractor with a full 25gal tank. Just under 9500# on the tractor alone. Tool box, 34gals in the tank and 20gals in my transfer tank. Wife and I with twice the necessary chains and binders. Got 8mpg loaded. Never before needed my turbo for just a 2% grade. Got 13mpg after unloading the tractor and returning the trailer to the dealer. Thankfully no problems but I was impressed and happy to be done for the day.

[gary_lucas]

I'm a little late to the discussion but I was wondering how this worked out. We're in the process of looking for a new TT now. We've more or less ruled out 5th wheels because on everything we like the kingpin weight plus the hitch and all the other "stuff" in the truck puts us at or over the rated payload (just over 3,000 lbs). Add up me, the other half, a couple grandkids, 36 gal. of diesel, 200 lb. hitch, and 2,000 lb. kingpin and it doesn't take long to eat that payload up.

For what it's worth, and I'm no expert on anything, I always try to pay attention to the upper limits of any piece of equipment I use. Under normal use, I try to leave myself a little cushion knowing there may be times I have to ask a little more of the equipment. If I'm always operating maxed out, I may not have what I need when that need arises.

One of the reasons I went to the 2500hd Duramax was because pulling the TT we have (much less a bigger one) with the old 1/2 ton gasser taxed me and the truck more than I was comfortable with.

To be honest I never followed up. After driving it all for awhile I found it was pretty comfortable... Can't be bothered to spend money on stuff I don't need...

I think the truck squats down about 1-1.5" so really nothing to worry about.

[trucker582]

Im wondering if the truck is built to deliver the towing capicity and gut to haul my late model 38' 5th wheel. 2axle. Weight is ok, speed isnt an issue since 65 mph will be my max. 4:10 gears, 4180 auto. Pmd relocated, airbox stock but opened, modded. 4"exhaust ordered. Im not used to the "smaller" diesel, as I tow aaa with a duromax/allison, and otr semi. Dont want to go overboard "modifing" something that wont go the distance.

[sctrailrider]

Not going to be anywhere close to any dmax, cummins, newer type ....

These are fuel mizzer motors, not direct injected, they will never work like the newer diesels but will do the job if you know their limits...