Here's how we made the decision. Only you can decide if this is the path you want to follow. The tow vehicle for the
5th wheel was just as difficult a decision as the RV itself. There was so much to consider:
Could my wife drive it?
How will it be registered?
Is it treated the same in all 50 states?
Did it meet my safety threshold?
Where will I get it fixed?
Of all of these, Is it safe enough? was the hardest to answer. Only because there is so much bad information from people
with, how do I say this, more opinion and less fact at their disposal. For whatever reason, people completely ignore the laws
of physics when discussing tow vehicles, and many take great pride in telling of tow feats of great daring-do, completely
ignoring the fact that they place your life in danger everytime they go out on the road, most are illegal, and finally, blame
everything under the sun for their accident rather than admit they were overloaded.
I don't understand this at all. I can not comprehend it and it defies all logic and reason. The only explanation I can
come up with is the inability to recognize that they made a bad choice and will continue to defend their position into silliness
rather than admit that they were wrong. I think this is the vice of pride taken to a sometimes fatal conclusion.
Is it safe? Only if all of the tow weights and ratings are within spec. The operative word here is ALL, not most, not
some, ALL.
So a quick primer on towing:
There are tow/load limits for the tow vehicle.
There are tow/load limits for the trailer.
There are tow/load limits for the hitch.
All of the vehicle manufacturers print huge spreadsheets for the various weight ratings for their own vehicles. The transmission,
springs, engine, wheels (dual vs. single), and cab style all affect these numbers. Two identical trucks with the only difference
being engine can have as much as 1500lbs difference in GVWR. All of this assumes no modifications to the truck once you get
it. It doesn't take into account the weight of hitches, toolboxes, that you add to the truck after you take delivery.
The tow vehicle manufacturer provides a maximum weight rating for the truck itself, a maximum weight rating for the prospective
trailer, and a maximum weight rating for the both combined. There are also maximum loads for each axle of the tow vehicle,
and finally the tires. There is another load limit, the combined weight of the tow vehicle and trailer. It is often
less than the sum of the max truck and the max trailer.
The trailer manufacturer provides a max weight rating for the trailer and a max rating for the trailer axles. In the
case of a big 5th wheel, the axles may be rated for 18,000 lbs (6000lbs each), the trailer rated for 19,990 lbs. This is possible
because the pin wieght will be close to 4000 lbs.
There is also the curb weight of the trailer, also expressed as UVW, unloaded vehicle weight. The difference between
the UVW and GVWR or the trailer determines how much stuff you can carry. Don't forget to inculde the weight of water (fresh,
grey, black), propane, and options when figuring out how much stuff you can carry.
To connect this to the truck, the pin weight is added to the truck weight. This can't exceed the maximum truck wieght.
The total wieght of both can not exceed the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) for the tow vehicle.
Once set up, take your unit to a certified truck scale and get accurate measurements for you fully loaded rig. In case
of an accident, this will be invaluable to prove that you were operating safely.
Only you are responsible for operating your truck/trailer combination safely. Don't rely on a salesman, a forum expert,
or a weight weenie to determine if your are safe. Make sure you have the tow limits for your equipement and then make sure
you are safe.
It doesn't take a math wiz to figure out that a 10,500 lb. loaded truck with a GCWR of 26,000 lb. can not safey
tow a 27,000 lb. loaded 5th wheel.
We will use a Volvo 770 converted HDT to tow our 5th wheel.
