Do I have enough truck?

I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything specific to my concern. I have a 2015 Ram 3500 diesel SRW. With 3:42 gears, the chart says I have a bit over 17k of towing capacity. We are purchasing a Bighorn 3875FB with stated gross of 16k. I've seen a lot of single rear wheels towing large 5'ers and think I'm okay, but noticed many of you have DWR's. I also noticed at least one post where an owner said his DRY weight was in excess of the stated gross weight. Do you think I have enough truck to pull my new rig? Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

Hi Marine4ever and welcome to this great forum. Lots of helpful people here along with a lot of helpful information.
The RAM 3500 is an awesome truck with a payload of about
The 3875FB has a GVWR of 16,000 pounds and a dry weight of 13,355, but depending on how you option it the dry weight will go up.
The dry pin weight is 3,010 pounds and that will go up as well with options and things that you load in the RV. Estimate the pin weight to be in the neighborhood of about 3,500 pounds. Then you need to know what you have in your truck that will add weight.
So if your RAM has a max tow capacity of 17,000 pounds it should be fine in that department.
You also need to think about the max payload of your RAM. Depending on what cab and transmission you have your payload rating will be around 4,000-6,000 pounds.
So with an estimated pin weight of 3,500 pounds and a payload of about 4,000-6,000 pounds, I think you will be fine.

Peace
Dave

Thank you very much! There is a built-in generator on the fifth wheel and I do have an auxiliary 40 gal fuel tank in the truck bed, so I will have a little more weight. Do many people tow this size of rig with SRWs? I noticed most posters like yourself own DRWs. Thanks again!

I'm surprised the chart says your tow capacity is 17,000 lbs. That could be for trailer towing. Fifth wheel towing is usually higher. Your truck has a sticker on the driver door post with maximum payload for your truck. If you're number is lower than your actual pin weight after loading, plus the hitch weight and extra gear in the truck, then you're OK. If you are overloaded, you will have to decide. As far as what you see on the road, SRW towing big fifth wheels, most are overloaded; it is human nature I suppose .

We ended up with a DRW because the pin weight of our 5th wheel exceeded the rear axle capacity of a SRW.

Hi MTPockets and thank you for your reply! You guys are great to take the time to respond to questions like mine that must seem pretty dumb. I looked at my driver door post for a maximum payload, but the only specs were front GAWR of 6,000 and rear GAWR of 7,000. It's interesting that my truck (which is a crew cab and has the Aisin tranny) can pull over 30k with 4:10 gears, but only 17k with my 3:42 ratio.

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Thank you bkdance. I guess that's what I'm trying to determine. I want to be safe, but was hoping to stick with a SRW just becuase we also use our truck for a daily driver. The slim hips fit much better in our tight little garage. I bought the truck BEFORE we found the fifth wheel. I know, not the brightest thing to do, but that's just how it worked out and we fell in love with the floor plan, gently used price, etc. Now I just hope we're not going down the road with the tail wagging the dog. If I get many words of caution here, I might have to start looking for another truck. That would hurt, but I'm willing to do it if that's what will keep us right side up and able to avoid the runaway truck ramps. Thanks again.

By law that door post sticker is required to be placed by the mfg. it's a separate sticker that may be tucked further away from the other. If it's not there, I would have the dealer get one based on your truck S/N. The general catalog spec for payload will not be correct for yo truck.

according to Ram's website SRW with 8 foot bed payload is around 4300 lbs. Next you will need to weight your vehicle with all of your stuff and then your camper and see what your actual payload is. You may be very close to the max with a fuel tank in the bed. Look at the edge of your door for your payload ratings.

Your best bet would be to fill both fuel tanks. Load the DW, dogs, cats and anything you will carry in the truck and find a CAT scale and weight both axles. Then add a least 200# to that for the drive axle for the hitch. A Ram is a heavy truck un-loaded...I bet close to 7500# +. Then hook up the 5'er loaded for travel and go and weigh it again. Then you will know for sure where you stand. You should be OK...but never hurts to know for sure.

The reason most of us with bigger/heavier trailers have DRW's is they tend to have better stability in cross winds. I never liked that feeling of the truck leaning with the Horn when hit by cross winds. I don't have that now with our DRW. JMHO

Stability of the DRW is a big plus. My Landmark's max is 16,700 and I decided to go with a Ram 3500 CC/long-bed/DRW/3.73. Haven't hit a situation yet where I felt like the truck or trailer was getting out of shape or that I had to fight to keep it in my lane. The other major benefit is the upgraded components on the DRW. Check your brakes on the current truck and then go to the dealership and take a peek at a DRW setup. The brake calipers are enormous, to support the increased towing capacity up to 24,000lb. Good luck.

Here's a good unbiased site for helping determine what your truck can tow, developed by a Heartland Owner! Www.fifthwheelst.com


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TravelTiger said:

Here's a good unbiased site for helping determine what your truck can tow, developed by a Heartland Owner! Www.fifthwheelst.com


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The only thing I don't like about that site is they only list diesel trucks . . . not gas trucks (except for the half-tons)!

At least I've never been able to find them listed there, anywayz . . .

Thank you bkdance. As soon as we pick up our 5th wheel next week, I will go about following all the good suggestions posted here to see if we are in that category. If so, I guess we'll be selling a near new truck and shopping for a bigger one. I think I may have gotten the cart before the horse on these two acquisitions! Thanks again.

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Thanks. I will contact the dealer and try to get that sticker. Very enlightening. Thanks again!

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Thanks Bones. I'm on a 7-day fast now.

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Thanks Bob&Patty. I appreciate the information. We will be towing the 5th wheel back home for a little over 1,000 miles. I guess that will give me a good idea of how much those cross winds will affect us. If it gets hairy, the SRW will be for sale when I get home. Thanks again!

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Thanks EPaulikonis. Your rig sounds EXACTLY like what I should have purchased. Your Landmark is just a skosh heavier that our rig, so yours is a good comparison. As many posts comment on, stopping can be more important that pulling and the brake consideration is something I should have factored in more carefully. Thanks again!

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Thanks TravelTiger. I visited the site and it looks like I'm close to the upper end of tolerances, but I haven't actually used the actual scales yet. Once I get the rig, I will perform that task and hope I'm okay to at least get the 5th wheel back to Arizona from the mid-west. Thank you again.

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Hi JohnD. I guess it will be fine for our use, as we are pulling with a diesel, but you make a good point about the no-gas specs. You sure have a nice looking rig!

marine4ever said:

Hi JohnD. I guess it will be fine for our use, as we are pulling with a diesel, but you make a good point about the no-gas specs. You sure have a nice looking rig!

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Thanks!

We had a bumper pull Heartland Trail Runner before the Prowler and when we bought the new truck last year it was way more truck than we really needed for that trailer and had no plans about switching to a 5th-wheeler.

But a few months later . . . guess what?

Our new Prowler is much smaller and lighter than the BigHorns . . . one of the few 5'vers out there that we could find that was within the tow range of our new truck.

We've pulled it twice over the continental divide and the 2500HD handled it without issue.

Enjoy your new Bighorn and think about joining the Arizona Heartland Owner's Club . . . free for the first year!

The rallies are a blast!

The next one is in January in Tucson and we'll be there . . . here is a link to the info: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...hapter-Rally-AZ-Tucson-2-23-2016-to-2-28-2016

There is also an Arizona HOC Chapter Meet & Greet coming up in December . . . here is a link to that: //heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...Greet-AZ-Casa-Grande-12-12-2015-to-12-12-2015

We are in the Colorado HOC, but the Arizona Chapter has accepted me as their bastard step child! :angel:

The Arizona Club is a wild bunch to be sure . . .

Thanks for the info JohnD. Can you direct me to the AZ owners site where I can join?

marine4ever said:

Thanks for the info JohnD. Can you direct me to the AZ owners site where I can join?

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Yup!

Here is a link: //heartlandowners.org/content.php/128-heartland-owners-club-portal

The Heartland Owners Club and all of the fun and friends we've made at the rallies we've been to the was a major factor in staying with the Heartland brand when we were shopping for our 5th-wheeler.

We've been to five HOC events so far and have several more on our calender!

We are not full-timers yet (10-15 years before that happens), so we try to get two or three HOC campouts each year along with our other travels around the western US!

Garry, the Arizona Chapter Leader, is also the Mountain Regional Director and is a great guy (don't tell him I told you that ) and can get you rolling with the club!

marine4ever said:

I apologize if this has been covered elsewhere, but I couldn't find anything specific to my concern. I have a 2015 Ram 3500 diesel SRW. With 3:42 gears, the chart says I have a bit over 17k of towing capacity. We are purchasing a Bighorn 3875FB with stated gross of 16k. I've seen a lot of single rear wheels towing large 5'ers and think I'm okay, but noticed many of you have DWR's. I also noticed at least one post where an owner said his DRY weight was in excess of the stated gross weight. Do you think I have enough truck to pull my new rig? Any opinions/advice would be appreciated.

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My wife and used to tow our 3210 Cyclone with a 2007 Dodge 2500 SRW diesel. As time went by, my concern was stability around turns and whether the truck had the suspension and brakes to handle the Cyclone. So we sold the 2007 and bought a 2003 Dodge 3500 dually diesel. Pulling the trailer is not much different but the suspension, brakes and stability of the dually is much better. It is a matter of opinion, but I do feel towing larger fifth wheelers, at least a one ton or larger dually is in order.
Howard

When I bought my truck last year we had a Heartland Trail Runner bumper-pull camper and this truck was way more than enough for that camper.

A diesel was overkill for that trailer.

Little did we know that a few months later we would get a 5th-wheel trailer.

We did buy our Prowler because it was well within the tow limits of the new truck . . . although the exhaust brake would be nice.

This truck and trailer setup will serve us for the next few years, then perhaps the next round will be a diesel dually when we decide to retire and hit the road for good with a bigger trailer!

Till then . . .

That's interesting that you were only 28000 lbs loaded. I towed my road warrior 415 to Bristol last year with water, fuel, luggage and all in it for 5 people and I stopped and weighed and was right at 33,000 lbs. cant believe I was 5000 lbs heavier than you. I have a 2015 gmc Denali DRW.


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