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[Suny]

Hello,

we are looking to switch from Travel Trailer to a 5th Wheel.
Model wise we are switching between the BC 3270RS and the BC 3750FL :angel:

The Idea was to go with a Ram 3500 Diesel Dualy.
Could you please help me to understand if that is the right dimension of truck or what you could recomend as Towing Vehicle.

Thanks!
Mike

 

[TravelTiger]

Welcome to the Heartland Forum!

Start by learning about unbiased, safe towing info from a website created by one of our members. www.fifthwheelst.com. Next, don't believe any salesman when they say, "oh yeah, that'll tow it, no problem."

 

[Bones]

I am assuming you mean the 3750 FL. The website states the GVW as 16k and an estimated pin weight of 2605lbs. In reality you may be closer to the 3k mark when you put your stuff in it. If you are definitely going with a dually I don't think you will not have an issue with any new vehicle being able to pull that trailer.

 

[danemayer]

Hello,

we are looking to switch from Travel Trailer to a 5th Wheel.
Model wise we are switching between the BH 3270RS and the BC 3750FL :angel:

The Idea was to go with a Ram 3500 Diesel Dualy.
Could you please help me to understand if that is the right dimension of truck or what you could recomend as Towing Vehicle.

Thanks!
Mike

Hi Suny,

If you're looking at a new RAM 3500 Diesel Dually, you'll probably have more than enough towing capacity and payload capacity. But you should check the actual towing and payload specs on the specific vehicle you're considering. The actual specs vary quite a bit depending on how the trucks are equipped.

I agree you should visit FifthWheelSafeTowing.com. The GVWR of the trailer you're considering should fit within the towing capability of the truck. Both models you mention are around 16,000 lbs GVWR.

On the payload side, you may want to use a pin weight approximation. The published numbers for trailers are for empty rigs with no options. Actual pin weight can be 500-1000 lbs higher. If you assume 20% of GVWR, that'll put you in the ballpark. If you assume 3,200 pin weight you'll be close.

The payload spec on the truck you buy should be able to handle that 3,200 plus the weight of passengers, pets, firewood, bed liner, bed cover, hitch, and anything else in the truck.

 

[NWILSON]

Hi and Welcome!
Since you are looking at a new truck I would suggest that you use the Ram Towing Guide to determine how your truck should be equipped for the weights you plan to tow. As TravelTiger said, DON'T believe the salesman when you find a truck. Look up the truck yourself. On the right side of the page from the link above it says "Look Up My Vehicle". If you enter the VIN of the truck you're looking at it will tell you the exact load and towing limits for that truck.
You can't go wrong if you equip for at least the next level above what the numbers say you need. If, in a few years, you decide that you want a bigger heavier rig you're not faced with buying another truck.

 

[Suny]

I am assuming you mean the 3750 FL. The website states the GVW as 16k and an estimated pin weight of 2605lbs. In reality you may be closer to the 3k mark when you put your stuff in it. If you are definitely going with a dually I don't think you will not have an issue with any new vehicle being able to pull that trailer.

Yes I mean the 3750 FL.
We think that the way you need to calculate the weights is far to complicated and still confusing to us.

Our favorit would be the Larami Model in 4x4.
The numbers from the RAM website of a SRW would still show 4,223lbs Max Payload and 16,750lbs Max Towing.

3750 FL 2,605lbs Hitch and 13,700 Dry/16,000 GVWR
3270 RS 2,520lbs Hitch and 11,965 Dry/15,500 GVWR

I´m respectful to those weights and wonder on the real driving experiences with SRW vs a Dually.
We have seen and talked also on Campgrounds to owners and mostly they state that they are doing OK with SRW with bigger rigs.
We have plenty of time on this so I want to do a better research for the next step as we did for our actual TT setup.
Whz you cannot have a Testride on Dealer sites hooked up to a Trailer?

Thanks for sharing your opinions

 

[Suny]

Hi and Welcome!
Since you are looking at a new truck I would suggest that you use the Ram Towing Guide to determine how your truck should be equipped for the weights you plan to tow. As TravelTiger said, DON'T believe the salesman when you find a truck. Look up the truck yourself. On the right side of the page from the link above it says "Look Up My Vehicle". If you enter the VIN of the truck you're looking at it will tell you the exact load and towing limits for that truck.
You can't go wrong if you equip for at least the next level above what the numbers say you need. If, in a few years, you decide that you want a bigger heavier rig you're not faced with buying another truck.

Thanks, I have never seen the VIN specific lookup option! Awesome

 

[Ted_Dee]

Hi Suny, we have a Big Country 3800 FL which is very similar to the 3750 FL. We have a 2015 Ram 3500 Longhorn Mega cab, 6'4" box, DRW, 4X4 with AISIN speed auto trans and 3.73 axel ratio. Max payload is 5,373 and Max towing is 23,200. It has not been a problem so far.

 

[macjj]

Just ran some calls on my rig. What set me into overload was the GCWR or Gross Combined Weight Rating. Factoring that in dropped my max 5th wheel tow rating to 14,000 down from 15,100 in the rating guide. Good luck in finding the information. By law it is supposed to be available.


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[Bohemian]

https://heartlandowners.org/showthr...ers-Towing-Specifications?highlight=Tow+specs

 

[AAdams]

We had a '14 RAM 3500 Laramie DRW CC 8' Box and a '16 BH 3750FL. We had the 6.7 CTD, Aisin, 4.10.... you can go with the 3.73 and still pull that trailer fine. Our scaled PW was 2880 loaded, with a GCVW of 26140. We do not have the generator, gen prep or a WD in the BH. If you get these options your pin weight will be higher.

The RAM website says for a '16 Laramie CTD, 4x4, with the regular automatic transmission ( NOT the Aisin ) your payload with any rear end choice is 5713 lbs, so you are covered there.
Your MAX towing with a
3.42 rear end is 16,500 lbs
3.73 rear end is 18,550 lbs
4.10 rear end is 21,550 lbs

IMO if you are buying a RAM, I would not select the 3.42. Running at the limit of the towing capacity of any TV is not the best option. ( My Opinion ).