Questions about my tow rig.

[Dunerboy89]

Ok to start I have a 2004.5 dodge ram 2500 diesel with transmission upgraded and various motor work. It's a true host when pulling loads. Now I currently own a 2015 tt and it's not quite big enough so I'm thinking of upgrading to a 2015 bighorn 3750fl. My problem lies in my height the truck is lifted 6in and has tires so the standard bed will not work but I have enough funds to convert it to flatbed with recessed gooseneck or a low profile fifth wheel hitch, I was wondering if there is anyone that could give me a accurate pin height or has a lifted truck with flatbed that can tell me some problems I might hit. I have seen a Reese gooseneck pinbox that replaces the fifthwheel completely which is another option. Any help or insight would be awesome as I'm on the verge of making the big change from tt to 5er if it's possible and if not guess I'll wait for a later time to upgrade.

 

[jimtoo]

Hi Dunerboy89,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and 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'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon with some opinions for you. I must say you will enjoy the smooth towing and more room you will have in the 5er.

Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club when you become a Heartlander. 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 and your new to you unit when you get it.

Jim M

 

[IronJ]

What is your current bed rail height from the ground?..my f250 fx4 was absurdly tall to begin with and the I lifted it another 6" ..most of the older trucks were much lower to begin with. .and a 2wd even more so...

Honestly you may NOT need a flatbed?.but put some numbers up and more people can help.??

J

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

 

[JanAndBill]

As the previous poster stated take measurements from the ground to your bed. Our BH is tall anyhow so you'll be limited. Going with a flatbed would eliminate the issue of hitting the bed sides when turning if you installed the lower hitch. Removing the big tires and lift would be the easiest solution, not to mention improving you handling while towing.

 

['Lil Guy']

Am I missing something here? A 3/4 T truck with the added weight of a flat bed? How much payload is there left on that rig? No concern with the trans or engine, but it sure seems like the added weight of a flatbed would negate all payload on a 3/4 T truck.

 

[Dunerboy89]

Removing lift and tires on my baby isn't something I could do I've had it so long like it is I couldn't change it. For the measurements the bed height is 40in while top of bed rail it 61in. I figured bed height with flatbed would be anywhere from 44 to 46 depending on make and so forth and frame height is 39in or so measured that while I was at it. The truck tows my 38ft tt amazingly with a 800lb tool box for work and another toolbox permently mounted in the bed. I'm sure the airbags in the rear help a tremendous amount to keep me stable when towing.

 

[Bob&Patty]

All the things you have done probably helps with towing. BUT, what is the GCVW rating of your TV? What is the GVW of the rear axle? All the up grades you make will never make any TV legal over what is rated for. I believe that a 3750FL has a GVW of 16500# and front living coaches are PIN HEAVY. I bet loaded for travel it will be way over 3K.

IMHO, I would never tow that BH without it being a DRW 1tn.

 

[Dunerboy89]

Bighorn specs are:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 16,000 lbs Dry Weight 13,700 lbs Hitch Weight 2,605 lbs

From what I gather I can tow with my truck 13050. I'm more along the line asking if anyone has pulled a trailer like this with a lifted truck and if the flatbed route will sAve me from having to lift the trailed and compromising the stability on he 5er . I know it might be overweight for what dodge says but it's more about how comfortable the driver is with the load.

 

[avvidclif]

Bighorn specs are:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) 16,000 lbs Dry Weight 13,700 lbs Hitch Weight 2,605 lbs

From what I gather I can tow with my truck 13050. I'm more along the line asking if anyone has pulled a trailer like this with a lifted truck and if the flatbed route will sAve me from having to lift the trailed and compromising the stability on he 5er . I know it might be overweight for what dodge says but it's more about how comfortable the driver is with the load.

It's not so much what you can tow but what you can put on the rear axle and suspension. Go to home depot or lowes and have them set a pallet of cement on your truck and see what happens to the suspension. That will be abt 3300 lbs. Nowhere close to being safe.

 

[cookie]

It looks like you have everything working against you if you want to tow a 3750fl.
My trailer tows about two inches nose high, not bad. I have the hitch in its lowest position. My truck bed is 35" from the ground.
Your looking at a flatbed that, by your estimation, will be 44-46".
Your travel trailer had a hitch weight of about 1,000 pounds. The 3750fl will be in the neighborhood of 3,500 pounds of pin weight.
Then, you have your tool box at 800 pounds.
Many people tow over their weight, but you will be way over.
Then if your looking to lift the trailer remember that these things are pretty tall to begin with. Adding 6" will put that at 13' 9", a bit too tall in my opinion.
And what is the GVWR of your truck?

Peace
Dave

 

[SilverRhino]

Just my opinion........ Your lifted truck being overloaded trying to tow a trailer that has also been "lifted" you will be going down the road just waiting for something bad to happen. You may feel safe with this set up, but handling in cross winds and emergency stops will put everyone around you on the road in danger.

Stay on the safe side and revisit your choices...... Good luck!

Travel Safe!

 

[Dunerboy89]

I'm not going to lift the trailer because I know that messes with the stability of the trailer. I'm instead trying to figure out if my flatbed installed would give me all the clearance I would need to tow with my setup. Does anyone here happen to know the pin height on the 3750fl big horn?

 

[JanAndBill]

I'm not going to lift the trailer because I know that messes with the stability of the trailer. I'm instead trying to figure out if my flatbed installed would give me all the clearance I would need to tow with my setup. Does anyone here happen to know the pin height on the 3750fl big horn?

I'm assuming if it's lifted it's a 4x4, but since you haven't specified the cab or axle, I can only assume other things. Not being smart here, but with the trailer/tow vehicle combination you're talking about you're unstable and unsafe from the start. The 3750FL has a pin weight of 2605# add another 150# for the hitch and you're at 2755. Depending on the model truck you have, your max cargo weight is 2100-2300# from which you have to subtract the weight of fuel, people and luggage. So, you're already grossly overloaded on pin weight. The 3750FL has a DRY WEIGHT (nothing on board) of 13700# and a GVW of 16,000# so you're substantially over on the CGVWR for the truck. Adding the lift into the equation, just adds to the potential for problems. Please for your safety and that of others I strongly suggest that you go with a 1 ton truck and save the Ram for work/play if this is the trailer you want.

That said, the distance from ground to the bottom of the pin on my 3260EL is 43.5". The distance to the plate that rides on the 5th wheel hitch is 47" which I'm assuming is the same as the 3750FL because they both have an overall height of 13'-3". My 5th wheel hitch is in the next to last "lowest" hole on vertical height adjustment which puts it 17" above the bed. I haven't measured the overall height of my rig when hooked up, but from a distance it looks to be close to level.

I can tell you that even with this setup, I'm EXTREMELY cautious about city streets and secondary roads. Road crews have a bad habit of installing layers of asphalt without changing the clearance height measurement. This spring a neighbor was telling me about the massive damage done by a big live oak limb to his rig. He knocked both A/C's off and did substantial damage to his roof going down the same city street he had gone down many times with his old rig.

 

[greatwhitenorth]

If you have funds available as you say, do yourself & everyone that shares the road with you & buy the proper tow vehicle to haul a trailer that heavy on the pin, or down size to a trailer that that truck can haul safely. Somehow though, I think that is something you don't want to hear.

 

[Dunerboy89]

Well taking some advice and I'm looking into a second truck. I found a 2006 Ram 3500 drw with 6 speed manual transmission and 4:10 gears and from what I can find online this truck should be able to pull pretty much anything I can throw at it trailer wise. One more question, with the drw flatbed is their any issues with the flatbed being to wide and possibly damaging the front of the trailer when making sharp turns?

 

[Bohemian]

//heartlandowners.org/showthread.ph...-Towing-Specifications?highlight=towing+specs

 

[Dunerboy89]

It doesn't bring up any thing except new vehicles on my mobile device

 

[Bohemian]

http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/vehic...iesel+Engine%5E4-Speed+Automatic+Transmission










2004 dodge ram heavy duty pickup 2500 LARAMIE, QUAD CAB, 4WD, 6.25 FT Bed, 4-Speed Automatic Transmission, 5.9L 24V Cummins Turbo Diesel Engine:



With 3.73 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio You Can Tow 10000 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) = 9000 lbs
Payload = 2140 lbs
Curb Weight = 6860 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 4161 lbs/4161 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear = 5200 lbs/6000 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) = 17000 lbs





With 4.10 Axle Ratio Axle Ratio You Can Tow 12000 lbs
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) = 9000 lbs
Payload = 2140 lbs
Curb Weight = 6860 lbs
Curb Weight Front/Rear = 4161 lbs/4161 lbs
GAWR Front/Rear = 5200 lbs/6000 lbs
Gross Combination Weight Rating (GCWR) = 19000 lbs

 

[Dunerboy89]

Oh I'm not using my 2004 anymore. I found a 2006 ram 3500 dually diesel 6 speed manual 2wd quad cab truck with 4:10 gears

 

[SilverRhino]

Well taking some advice and I'm looking into a second truck. I found a 2006 Ram 3500 drw with 6 speed manual transmission and 4:10 gears and from what I can find online this truck should be able to pull pretty much anything I can throw at it trailer wise. One more question, with the drw flatbed is their any issues with the flatbed being to wide and possibly damaging the front of the trailer when making sharp turns?

I had a "flatbed" on my '01 Dodge and did not have any issues with making sharp turns..........totally able to get the truck 90 degrees with trailer.