looking at a 2011 3185rl to purchase,enough truck

[grumpypapa]

We are seriously looking at 2011 3185rl,do you know of any areas I should be checking out on the unit, that have been a concern with other RV`s like this.

I have a chevy 3/4 ton with the diesel and Allison tranny,is it enough truck to pull the bighorn 3185rl without problems.Pin weight being one of the issues .

tks

 

[danemayer]

Hi grumpypapa,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum. There's lots of useful information here along with a great bunch of friendly and helpful people.

I'm sure you'll get a lot of opinions on this shortly.

The trailer has a label on the front, off-door-side that shows the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating. For planning purposes, you should assume that 20% of that weight will sit on the hitch. Add to that the weight of the hitch itself, bed liner, bed cover, tools, firewood, pets, passengers and anything else you put in the truck. Then compare that total weight to the payload spec of your truck. You can typically find the payload spec on the label inside the driver's door frame of the truck.

So let's say the GVWR of the BH3185 is 14,000 lbs. You should assume pin weight of 2,800. Add to that maybe 200 lbs for the hitch, and a few hundred for passengers, pets, etc. You'd probably end up around 3500-3800 lbs.

If the payload spec on the truck is close to that, great. But if the payload is 2,500-2,800, you'd be significantly overweight.

So now you need to look at the label on the truck to find the payload, and call the seller to find out the GVWR of the trailer. Then you can do the math.

You may also find it helpful to visit Fifth Wheel Safe Towing.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi grumpypapa,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and hopefully to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

I suggest you start at the front and check everything front to back, make sure everything works. I don't know of any one item that has been giving a problem.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club if you purchase the Bighorn. Then join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.

Enjoy the forum.

Jim M

 

[grumpypapa]

thanks,i guess the unit is out ,the gvwr is 14,000 ,but,my truck does show pin weight of 3300lbs.,still would be overweight,the formula you use really helps,a lot a people must be way over weight ,because you see
so many 3/4 tons pulling even bigger 5th wheels than this one.

Brian

 

[Redrider007]

I beat myself to death over this concern. We purchased a 2015 Bighorn with sticker weight of 12,287 and I'm guessing loaded with generator and everything 14,000. I have a 2004 F350 and bulletproofed everything-installed airbags-slotted cryogenic treated front rotors and heavy duty pads throughout. The bulletproofing just made the ford more reliable since I have the 6.0 diesel;which was chalk full of problems. I have had the rv for 1.5 years and just traveled from California to Tennessee with not a problem. By the way my truck is rated for 12,500lbs. Needless to say while you are motoring down the highway and not pulling steep grades there is no problem; you're concern should be pulling the steep stuff. Check out a chevy forum and post questions there.

 

[JohnD]

Needless to say while you are motoring down the highway and not pulling steep grades there is no problem; you're concern should be pulling the steep stuff.

The even bigger concern should be can you stop it easily . . . ?

We bought our 2500HD when we had a bumper pull trailer, so when we decided to go 5th-wheeling, we picked a trailer that was within the tow rating of the truck . . . not the other way around.

 

[Jim.Allison]

Remove all items not wanted or needed for towing, clean the truck out real good, check all the tires for proper specifications for the truck, wash it and put it in towing configuration, Get the rig you want to buy, and go weigh it properly, if it checks out and the truck is healthy, then you should be good to go. But estimates rob you of of important data. 20% pin weight v. 17% can make quite a difference, as can 23% v. 20%. The wrong tires can add 100 lbs to the truck, a missing spare tire can mislead you. There is no replacement for the actual math. It can add up quickly and it can come off quickly.