Once again, videos like this should be mandatory for RV sales personnel BEFORE they speak to a potential customer. Yea, I know, it’s a perfect world scenario. 🤣
You should also state that towing also has to do alot with the driver as well. For example if you have someone who thinks they have to do 80-90 mph down the road you are going to want a one ton dually to tow even your small trailers. But if you have someone who isn't aggressive like that it makes a big difference
I know someone who does that...80-90 mph on the freeway pulling his 5th wheel and thinks nothing of it! Wait 'til he has a blow-out at those speeds, maybe then he'll learn to slow down!
I drive that exact truck minus the Carhart package. I love everything about my truck. I use that tailgate feature all the time. It’s been a good investment. I haul a 40 foot toy hauler with a weight of around 11k pounds. This truck pulls it with no regard what so ever. It’s a beast.
Excellent video! It puzzles me why anyone would dislike videos like this. The information you are providing here is factually based, which probably flies in the face of what guys think they can do, rather than what they should be doing! These are probably the guys that are disliking your information.
Great video JD. I love that you speak to safety and what people should expect. I went a little overboard with my truck but I would do it again anytime to have more truck than trailer. It makes a HUGE difference to the ride and handling and safety! My 5th wheel is listed as a “half-ton towable” (I don’t like it when RV companies do this...) with a pin weight of about 1500 lbs (empty) and GVWR of 10000 lbs. I oversized my truck going with a F350 SRW with a payload of 3800 lbs. It’s nice to feel comfortable and safe while moving the RV around.
I have the exact truck in this video. I tow bumper pulls and gooseneck trailers 6 hours a day 5 days a week. Trailer range from 6k pounds to 14k pounds. Do you need to know your numbers? Yes. Can you tow a 5th wheel with a 3/4 ton? Absolutely. When planning your 5th wheel, take your GVWR of that trailer and multiply by .2. There is the ball park of your pin weight. Almost no-one goes camping at maximum weight in trailer. I wish someone would show 5th wheels that do fit into the 3/4 ton territory. They are out there.
Thanks J.D. for sharing this for those who didn’t know or who thought they could get away with less truck. Keep the roads safe. Thanks as well for other videos which helped me realize I needed a 3/4 ton one year ago and glad I did (Toy Hauler tongue weight of 1100 lbs; spooky). I even changed the rear shackles to Sulastic on new truck as you also have reviewed - Wow, great investment for a softer all around ride; loving my 2020 Chevy 2500HD Double Cab Z71 Gas engine unit so much more now. Take care, from Alberta.
I've seen a few of those... MAJOR liability issue if/when it gets into a crash.. Nope.. Not me. I've always gone by the motto " you can never have too much truck"... As to the truck in the video, I hope it comes with extra driving light bulbs - since GM is notorious for vehicles on the road with one burned out. We call 'em Cyclops around here.. LOL.
Once you said arctic fox is one of the best made trailers, i hit subscribe. Love our 2020 af 25r. I tow it with a dodge ram 2500. With the equalizer hitch she pulls like a dream. Salesman said i didnt need the equalizer as it was overkill, but now i have the best trailer made, towed by the best truck, hitched with best load leveling hitch.
While that is a true statement. Are you going to take a gently used tractor to Home Depot for lumber? To Walmart for groceries? With the family for a vacation? Prob not.
A guy I used to know did that. Bought a tractor instead of a pickup to haul his camper. He hated it. Spent as much as a new truck and was useless for anything else but hauling his camper. Can't go on a date night with his wife in it. Home depot trips were out. Kids were embarrassed to be seen in it.
I mean… not at all. “Gently used” is north of $100k on the tractor trailer side. This is such a silly argument. The idea that the only trucks at $90k trucks. If you want something rugged and basic like a Class 8 truck, you could also get the work truck trims for much much less. The F-250 starts at $35k. And unlike the 7mpg Class 8 truck that requires an air brake endorsement, the 18-20mpg diesel 3/4 or 1 ton will be much cheaper to maintain.
@@RomansFiveDotEight I was joking about how expensive these trucks have become. At a car show with a friend a couple of years ago, there were no zero trucks on display for under $50K. Demand for pickups has pushed up prices. People like the roominess and utility. They used to be mainly for getting work done. Now they're considered luxurious.
I believe one truck missed, and many people don’t understand is the Single Wheel One Ton. I don’t think many folks realize if they getting a diesel 3/4 ton, they can get the 3500 single wheel with the same fuel mileage and more capacity. Would be cool to show folks what RV can the towed with the SW1ton. Appreciate your wisdom and passion
My father had that issue. He ordered a Chevy 3500 diesel and with covid it was taking to long. He found a 2500 diesel and got it but for his 38’ fifth wheel he put air bags in the bag snd added a leaf to make it essentially a 3500
Love the auto open tailgate. I work construction and find the auto open tailgates wonderful. Just helps when carrying items in both hands. Very similar to our lift gate in thr suv. Really beneficial. That being said, I much professional the multi function tailgate. I’m older and the step feature is awesome and so is the extension option.
I did that too, and then traded my 2020 half ton hemi for a diesel 3 quarter ton. At least now I know all tires of the truck are firmly in contact with the road, whereas before i wasn’t sure about the front tires! Good luck to you.
I'll have to say excellent advice. I do not understand why someone who knows they are in the market for a fifth wheel trailer or any trailer for that matter wouldn't just pay the little more for a one ton. I have had both and it does make a difference.
I have an Imagine 2800 BH that I tow with a 2020 Trail Boss. After watching your videos I went to the scale and realized how overloaded the rear axel was. I'm now within my weights after adjustments to the hitch and cargo. Made a 4500 mile trip over the summer no issues. Just sucks to have all that room in the bed of the truck and not able to use it.
I tow a 29 foot Passport by Keystone. Fully loaded the scales say 6438 LBS. I tow with a Chevy 2500 Express Van, and I never tow over 60 MPH. Only thing I wish is that it had a V8 diesel. I live full time and stay in a RV Park about half of the year. The other half I visit family and friends, so I only pull it about 4 to 5 thousand miles a year, over about a 6 month time. A Van just suits my needs better than a pickup. Take care everyone and be safe.
I am already subscribed, I definitely gave you a thumbs up and I would like to thank you for doing this. Lots of excellent information. I went looking at one tons today in Chevy/GMC as I have a tundra that’s coming off lease. If I had bought the trailer I wanted to buy which was only about 5000 pounds I still would’ve probably been over my weight limit. Thank you for the info!
Have you ever considered starting a podcast? I think you have a lot to offer and there would be a pretty decent audience for what you have to share. You could share your knowledge and experience as well as interview people in the industry. I feel it would be an excellent podcast and would do very well.
I've owned everything from a F600 light 2 ton truck, several 1 and 3/4 tons to my present Nissan Frontier. For both a Landscape business I used to own to my currant retirement. For regular towing of trailers over 8000lbs plus payloads of over 1000lbs the 3/4 ton will always do better than a 1/2 ton even with the heavier tow capabilities of currant trucks. And once you get to 10000 lbs trailers and payloads a 1 ton is best even a single rear wheel is better. Now I rarely tow trailers but my Nissan is rated for 6500 trailer but that leaves almost no payload. Bottom line for regular towing go with the next heavier truck. More suspension and better brakes are a definite plus.
All the bells and whistles are great! Yes my king ranch srw f250 6.7 Powerstroke has a terrible payload capacity (2100lbs) but for me I love it because I am not going to 5th wheel it. Because it can't handle most 5th wheels because of the payload capacity. If you pay attention to the sticker.
That's Outstanding information!!! I'm in the process of getting a Travel Trailer to live in. I just sold my house and picked up a 22 Chevy Silverado 2500HD. It's the gas 6.6.
Your math on the Jayco was off. 11000 GVWR would give a pin weight of 2200 lbs loaded according to the 20% rule, well within the 2775 spec. We have a 2020 2500hd and are looking at a fifth wheel with GVWR of 11995lbs. Of course, in our case, it's just the two of us in the truck so we won't have a ton of gear or supplies in the truck
I sure wish we'd have seen your videos regarding what can be towed with 3/4 ton trucks vs. 1 ton before we purchased our Ford F-250 diesel truck last year. Because we've never owned this size of truck and some RV and truck dealerships focused on the max towing weight of 19,100 fifth wheel prepped & 20,000 travel trailer weights, they told us sure you can tow a 5th wheel toy hauler RV etc. Thank you for educating us, we won't make the same mistake with our next truck, we'll be properly equipped to tow a 5th wheel RV.
Great video and love all the useful information. I was wondering why you said that 20% of the 11000 was 2500? Isnt it 2200? Did I miss something? Thanks again for ALL the great videos. So very informative.
I'm late to this party and video. But this is great information and REASONABLE information. I've seen so much stuff about how you need a 1 ton for hauling an RV. Which is just overkill. Not that a margin of error isn't warranted but to claim every travel trailer needs a 1 ton is just crazy. 90% of camping people don't own even a 3/4 ton making most of the 1 ton videos seem like outer space to me. Yet tons go camping in RVs all the time in their half tons.
I agree with you depending on the one you pick you buy with the gas. My 2020 gas 2500 i have 3500 lbs of payload so id be close but ok. Also i noticed it depends on each model for how much pin weight you get some are closer to the 15% range. I know you know that. Mine only 14500 bumper pull and ive done it with a pintle hitch and i wouldnt want 18k behind me like this one is rated for. At these weights i think a dually is the way to go. It seems like its 2 easy to over load the rear of the truck. Im going to get the curt betterweigh to check my weights. I think im to high in tongue weight with the excavator. I load it in the same spot as when used to haul it with a 02 3500 gmc dmax cab n chassis.
If you had a lower equipment package on the 2500hd, you could tow that trailer and still have close to 1000k payload left. So you’d be able to tow and still haul the same amount of cargo as an empty raptor, Tacoma and/or most minivans and suvs.
Gvwr is not the weight of the trailer. It is the maximum weight of the trailer and cargo. Knowing the actual weight of the trailer will help you make better decisions if the two vehicle capacity is close to the line.
Curious question why is it that the 3500 srw has a higher payload cap than a 2500 yet the only main difference in certain trucks is suspension? You can buy better suspension such as air bags you can buy better rated tires. Why can’t you upgrade a 3/4 ton and be fine to tow these heavier 5th wheels mainly the 40’ 5th wheel toy haulers
I purchased a Imperials Outdoors X 195 this spring. People need to run their rigs (tow rig and RV) across scales fully loaded. It can be an eye opening experience if you want to have a safe trip. When I weighed my X 195 was 1,800# on the hitch, 6,800# on the axles. Not some thing I would tow with a half ton truck.
FYI. Doge Ram 2500 and 3500 Cummins 4x4 srw are the exact same truck with the exception of the transmission which are options picked by the buyer. Same rear end, same driveline, same front end. The only difference is one extra rear leaf spring on each side, the government sticker and the emblem.
I would like to point out there are cases (depending on how a truck is configured) that a 3/4 and 1 ton share the exact same configuration and the only difference is the sticker that they slap on the door. For example, I own a 2020 F250 Tremor. This particular package shares the exact same frame, axles, leaf springs, diffs, brakes, etc as the F350 counterpart. There are times the manufacturer underrates a truck for one reason or another... maybe to get around certain state restrictions? I'm not sure.
Big difference in MFG GCVWR for a pull trailer and a 5th wheel. My 2500HD Duramax 3.73 rear is rated at 13,000 lbs GCVWR for a pull and 24,500 lbs GCVWR for a fifth wheel / Goose neck. I've been told and also the only difference I can find between my 2500 HD and the 3500 is the leaf springs. other than that the drive trains are the same. I put my numbers in the fifth wheel weight calculator for my 15K 5th wheel. I am 12 to 17 percent under on my gross numbers. Thats well in safety margins. I enjoy the Videos and have learned much here. This one I just didn't get.
The only thing I disagree with is a 11000 pound 5th wheel at 20% pin weight is 2200 pounds not 2500 pounds. Which makes a difference. And you didn't talk about difference of gas vs diesel when it comes to payload. So some of those fifth wheels can easily be towed by a properly equipped 2500 class (3/4 ton) otherwise, great video. I have an F250 pulling a 33ft travel trailer. About 800 pounds of tongue weight, does awesome. When we first bought it, we had an f150 with 2K payload, and it did fine, but high winds made us dance a bit. I think more people before they hitch up need to understand what their truck can actually handle
Wish they would make sliding axles so you can adjust pin/tongue weight where you need it. With fixed axles you are at the mercy of the manufacturer how they balance the RV.
Tongue weight is the weight your hitch and your trailer place on your tongue. This number is independent of how many people and how much stuff you have in your truck unless they are standing on your hitch. It is the total weight that the trailer tongue exerts downwards on your trailer hitch.
ive had nothing but good luck/trust with 2500 Chevy/GMC trucks bc of stability and towing capacity... ive also seen a class8 semi truck fully loaded 45mph ==T-Bone drivers side hit into a 2500HD chevy 4dr and the driver of that walked out alive bc of how strong the frame is well built.. this is why I trust 2500 series of trucks.....my father had an older 2500GMC KingCab , early 90s series and that truck took 3 major hits and kept rollling untill the trans died...
So what I’m getting from this video. If you are going to tow a fifth wheel you really need a ton truck to be safe. Not necessarily a DRW but a ton truck.
Not in my book. I did it with a 2500 and all weights as he mentioned were within manufactures spec. for 12 years. The truck had a GVW of 9K and was a diesel.
@@azarmcshane797 I believe it was made in conjunction with ALLISON in order to be able to carry the name but in house. I believe at one time Gm owned all of or a portion of Allison before selling it.
At the 2019 SEMA show the people in the Allison booth were really going out of their way to let people know the only thing Allison on the new GM 10 speed was the tag on the trans that said Allison. Something to do with some deal GM had with Allison. This vid goes back to last year but if you’re interested in this type truck check with a good reputable trans shop about this trans. I deliberately went with a used truck to get the 6 speed Allison trans that GM had been using since the mid 2000’s.
I live in Maine which is a pretty heavy RV state especially since we only have one interstate I95 going through the state its heavily traveled with those RVs. See huge truck campers with slide outs on 3/4 tons every day as well as 3/4 tins pulling huge toy hauler 5th wheels! Shake my head every time.
The towing capacity of these new trucks blows my mind. My 2014 Chevy 2500HD has a towing capacity of 9400lbs. I feel like this video doesn't apply to older 2500s/250s.
Hey JD I know you know but people need to understand when you have that extra cushion of a higher tow rating it's a all around win situation you get better stopping and braking distance also less strain on tow vehicle better Towing experience no White Knuckle Towing LOL. So If you're close to your tow rating on your 3/4 ton buy the 1-ton you will be happier and safer. As usual JD awesome video looking forward to the next one
I hope pairing my tow vehicle to my t.t. pays off. I went with a 5 ltr. Cummins Turbo Diesel (2017) and a '21 2375 Lance. 12K towing 7.8K. I'm expecting longevity and a reduction in overall fuel expense.
When we were shopping for a new truck, the dealer tried to tell us a 1/2 ton with a medium gas v8 would tow our 3 horse, steel trailer up a steep hill. If that was so, our then current truck would have worked. We bought a 2500 HD Duramax w/ 4wd. Love that truck, but there are quality issues. I would consider a Toyota truck, BUT Toyota doesn't (a) make a truck with adequate weight support and (b) adequate power.
Nice. But all of the new trucks are too tall for the older 5th wheel trailers. I would love a new truck but the rail height on all of them are about the same height as the overhang on my 2005 Cardinal 5th wheel.
Dumb question, why don't RV manufacturers add another axel in the front of the RV, so that it absorbs most of the pin weight? this way the truck would be mostly towing and minimal weight on the bed
I hate to say it but the main reason newbies get in trouble with tongue/pin box weights is because they don't do their homework before hand and they listen to the fast-talking trailer salesman. He/she are there to sell trailers, and the more expensive the trailer the higher their commission. They'll tell you anything they think you want to hear to get you into that trailer and really don't care if you blow your transmission or break an axle on your first big trip. And I can't believe @BTBR that you're driving the Carhartt edition, and not the Texas edition!
He can't according to them they don't make a trailer that can be pulled by anything less than a dually... He's going to tell you to buy a tent throw at the back of your three-quarter ton truck...lol
According to this guy if you tow anything bigger than a garden tractor trailer you are over your towing capabilities in a half ton truck. I have watched him towing a trailer and I would need a 5 point harness and multiple airbags for him to drive me across a parking lot. He has no clue what he is talking about. Those stickers do not have anything to do with the driver and their knowledge. I drive tractor trailers everyday and I can put a 30 foot trailer behind a half ton and roll all day long. He is here to get more people to buy 1 ton trucks when you never need it, and he is here for car dealers not the people that buy trailers or pick-ups.
My half ton is rated for 11500 conventional towing, 11400 for a 5th wheel, and 2050 payload. I think my truck will conventionally tow any of those just slightly worst than your loaner truck.
Why are so many 5th wheel manufacturers so withholding about the pin weight as it comes from the factory? Some do but many do not. We already have a TT and bought a 2500hd Silverado with plans in next 2-3 years of upgrading to a 5th wheel around 30 - 32 foot. It is very difficult to research the numbers when the spec under pin weight says TBD. Many of them are like this. Can't tell me the manufacturer doesn't know the pin weight of the trailer they are making.So far we have looked at some light weight 5er's from Forest River we like but even they don't give many numbers for pin weight. If you research TT hitch weights nearly all of them are listed.
I don't get paying for third party logos on vehicles. If Carhartt or Harley want to sponsor my truck, I'll happily plaster their logo all over it, but I ain't payin' for the privilege of being a rolling billboard for them!
Sounds like getting F350/450 will justify just about every 5th Wheel out there as I can't see anything less really being of use to not just haul this but anything. I've been holding off as I knew I needed to get both of these things to keep going on the journey to travel and live in my RV for a couple of years to get that out of my system.
in 2020 GM really upped the payloads of their entire range. my 18 Silverado 2500 had a 1900 pound payload. 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 had a payload of 3200, my new 2021 GMC 3500 SRW has a nearly 3800 pound payload. Rides a bit stiffer but not terrible and still way smoother than HD trucks from even 10 years ago.
