I like plenty of room

[dr.olds]

:cool: whats the biggest 5th wheel camper any body would recomend pulling with a 02 2500 Dmax, 4x4 short bed? I like a lot of space, mabe even a place to haul my toys in the back!:cool: Eddie.

[olimaxx]

im pulling a 40ty with my 05 long bed. no problems. depends what state.

[christophersond]

Typically, Toy Haulers do not have a huge amount of living space, and they are usually extremely heavy. I don't believe you'll have problems with the length, but you may with the combined weight of the truck, and loaded toy hauler/5th wheel. You'll need to pay attention to the pin weight as well. There will be some who will tell you that a slider type hitch is required with a short bed truck, but that is not necessarily so. I have towed 5th wheels with short bed trucks using both a slider, and a non-slider type hitch. If you pay attention to what you are doing, and where you are going, a non-slider will work just fine. If you really put your mind to it, you can tear something up with either type hitch.:D

P.S. A 5th wheel tailgate is recommended.

Chris

[DmaxMaverick]

im pulling a 40ty with my 05 long bed. no problems. depends what state.

Trailer length does not translate to weight, or weight distribution. I don't know of any 40' toy haulers that are legal behind ANY 3/4 or 1 ton truck, although most RV dealers will let you haul anything off the lot, with any tow vehicle. Any toy hauler over about 30' should be questionable, and should be weighed, loaded and ready to go (don't rely on the declaration tag, as they are rarely close to accurate). If it has more than 2 axles (six lug, 16" wheels), there is probably a reason for it. If it has 3 axles, it probably belongs behind a medium duty truck. RV's declare distributed weight differently than others, and the inclusion of pin weight may be a factor, and the axle capacity doesn't usually include the pin weight loading. But, it's only illegal if you get caught. More correct, it does not depend on what state, but how that state enforces the law. Gross weight capacities are declared on the vehicles, and it is not legal in any state to exceed these without an exception (some states allow equipment upgrades and re-certification/registration), which changes the declared capacities.

I, too (actually, my wife), like lots of room. My 32' Montana (not a toy hauler) with 3 slides (2 large, one small) will exceed my GCWR if loaded to capacity, and exceeds my truck GVWR if the pin is at the declared weight. Other factors come into play, before and after camping (mostly dry camping in the desert). Fresh water supply is behind the axles, and waste water is before the axles. As we use the fresh water, that weight is transfered from the rear forward, adding a lot to the pin weight. I do a lot of figuring and load manipulation to keep it close to legal, and most often end up on the other side of what's strictly legal (although I try to keep it close). YMMV

[socaltoolguy]

The question is not what can you pull but what can you stop. If you are going to pull what you say you will be drastically over weight and will have trouble stopping in an emergency. Should you have any kind of an accident, whether you are at fault or not, the insurance company will have an easy out. You can pull anything but it isn't safe. My wife and I are full time RVers and we see all kinds of things out here on the highway that shouldn't be out here. Please don't endanger everybody with an unsafe rig.

Ray

[MacDR50]

Check your ratings. The numbers will tell the story. I tow a 14,000 # 5th with a 2500. I was over weight on stock tires and springs. I upgraded both to the equivalent of a 1 ton SRW which meets the rating requirements for GCWR and pin weight. This doesn't change the vehicle capacity plate. IMHO I am not unsafe. I stop just as fast and I tow dead level. Neither axle is overloaded and my stability is good. (weights done at a government weight scale). My trailer braking is excellent and I maintain a safe speed).

My experience and decisions are strictly my own. I make no recommendations beyond doing some homework on the ratings of both your truck and your trailer.

[Robyn]

As has been mentioned the weight loading is the Key issue.

The toy haulers can get real weird as far as weight distribution goes.

My experience in the heavy trucking business has taught me a lot about what happens with different trailer weights and how they handle.

Its a whole different ball game when you have a rig that weighs 56000 pounds towing a 4 axle trailer that weighs 50000 pounds. (front axle on a dolly connected to the draw bar and 3 fixed axles 20 feet back of that)


The biggy is having the proper loading on the rear axle of the tow rig.

Personally I would never tow a large trailer with a single rear wheel anything ever again.

Used to do it a lot and after getting a 1 ton dually the difference is night and day in handling ability and quality.

We hauled horses in a 4 place goose neck (same handling as a 5er with the hitch over the axle)

Horses are a challenge as they can move or shift their weight within their "stall" in the trailer and if this happens at the wrong time it can get Hinky.

We went through 4 different pickups trying to get a rig that would handle the horsie hauler and live (Engine and tranny issues) as well as handle the load safely.

Once the trailer size/weight gets to the point that the trailer weight exceeds the truck weight all bets are off no matter what.

If I could go back and do it over I would buy a business class Freightliner that is set up to handle the larger trailers.

Its all about safety, and a 2500 pickup of any brand is simply not big enough to do the job to the level of safety that it should.

I realize that there are a great many rigs out there towing HUGE trailers but that does not make it a safe proposition.

The least I would use would be a 1 ton Crewcab dually.
The longer wheelbase gives and extra measure of safety too.

The shorter trucks tend to get shoved around more.

A 2500 truck is a great rig as long as its used for what it was designed.

Sure, I put 2 tons of wood pellets in my DaHoooley from time to time but I drive 25-30 MPH for 5 miles home.

Anytime you are running on the edge of the envelope you are subject to conditions that you simply can't cope with, add to this the dynamic of other drivers etc and the stage is set for disaster

Now is the time to get it right, not after you have bought a new rig and are trying to MAKE DO.

Decide on the size by the weight of the trailer when loaded to its max

Hope this answers the question.


Missy

[DickWells]

I have to agree with Robyn. I would never try to tow any 5ther with a SRW 3/4 ton. My son did it with his Dodge Cummins for a long time, and hated it all the way. After he went to a DM/Al 3500 Dually, he's way happier. I met a guy towing a big 5th wheel behind a Ford 350 dual wheel truck, with a flat outer tire, and he was very glad that extra tire was there. Said he never could have held it, if he'd not had the duals. We've been full timing since 02, and have seen a lot of incidents. That doesn't make me an authority, by any means, but one thing I do know for sure. You can't go wrong if you ere on the side of caution. I don't have a 5th wheel; don't want one; but, that little incident over in LA, when the kid went to sleep and came over the line right at the center of our Sierra, poved that having the right hitch, and enough truck, saved his life and ours, too. Anything less, and I wouldn't have been able to duck him, and keep our rig in the right-of-way, without rolling. Just a long gouge down the side of the trailer, and a few bad cases of the shakes to show for something that could easily have been a triple fatality.

[cowboywildbill]

Those duals are life savers for sure, and peace of mind and less stressful when towing. It is and feels more stable.
My only beef with a lot of trailer manufacturer's is that they don't really put big enough brakes on their trailers. The axles may be rated for the wieght but the brakes don't seem to be.
I feel that if you hit the panic button, it should really stop you or even lock up the trailer brakes. A lot of them hardly even flinch when you put all of the juice to them unless your are only going only 5 or 10 mph. It's at highway speeds that count in my opinion.
I'll say one thing for our D/Maxes brakes, they sure have much much better brakes than our Dodges ever did 5 times the stopping power. And lasted longer also, about 20 times longer to be exact.

[DickWells]

Bill, that reminds me of another point about trailers in general. Tires, brakes, axles. They quite often, perhaps even usually are under-size for the trailer that they're on. So, if one is contemplating puting a large trailer behind any truck, especially if the truck is going to be marginal, then you should pay VERY close attention to what a trailer has on it for equipement, especially the tires. You'll see 12000 lb trailers with load range D tires. That is almost criminal! That same trailer may have two 5K axles. Ask about it, and the salesman will tell you that you need to subtract tongue weight. Well, he's right, but where's the safety margine?
And, if the trailer has marginal tires and axles, you can bet that the brakes could stand to be the next size larger. Ah, you got me started on shabby trailer parts again!:D
Have a good week end.
Dick:)