I agree, there are a LOT of folks towing overloaded going down the road; and sometimes they are passing you.....fat, dumb, and happy. Some of them simply are ignorant of what they are doing, others know, but don't care because it has "worked" for them so far. I've pretty much always been the kind of person that if I know better, than I will take action(s) to do it the correct/accepted way. I had a very short period of time that my F250 was used as my tow vehicle on my 34 1/2' tow behind T.H......and it was right at the ragged edge of GVWR and payload capacity for that truck. I knew that I needed to add more weight to the front of the T.H. (the bikes and equipment in the garage had severely reduced my tongue weight) to eliminate the swaying issue. The problem was that if I kept adding more weight to the front to get my tongue weight where is should be to eliminate swaying, I was going over GVWR of the truck and Payload of the truck. I ended up (within a month and a half) getting rid of the F250 and bought a F350 CC Dually to tow with. It's overkill for that trailer, but the difference is night and day towing....and I was able to safely add more tongue weight to the front of the trailer without even coming close to any of the truck's GVWR or Payload capacities. At some point in time, I may change my T.H. tow behind to a bigger one that would of course be a 5ver. At least if that time comes, I've got plenty of truck to do pretty much anything I want to do. The Dually has a 5270 lb Payload capacity...so I'm good....really good.

 

If you knew you were going to move to a 5th wheel, why on earth didn't you get a 350? 11,500 GVWR. Same exact configuration as you have now, but 1500lb. more payload.

 

Because by his own admission he didn’t fully understand the way weight capacities work. That's why he's asking here before unloading his bank account on a serious toy hauler. We would all be wise with the benefit of hindsight, I do think that a 350 dually is probably the best choice though for future use.

 

We bought a 18,500# GVW 5th wheel a few months ago. Not having a 5th wheel capable tow vehicle and other trailers to pull, we set out looking for a new truck.

Our search started with 3/4 ton in mind...VERY quickly changing our focus to a 1 ton SRW based on cargo carrying capacity (i.e. "pin weight"). Then we started thinking maybe a dually. Then the new found "need" for a tighter turning radius.. So...we ordered a F450!

Pushing/exceeding the limits of a tow vehicle is no fun...and can be downright dangerous. Take the time to fully understand trailer/truck ratings. And buy a little more truck than just barely enough. Keep in mind modifying too small a truck results in exactly that...a modified too small of a truck!

 

We towed the Fuzion 371 close to 2 yrs using son in laws F-250 SWB...before we broke something or blew a rear tire I bought this F-350 DRW and for towing our trailer it was the best move ever. Overkill on the tow vehicle is good!!!!

 

I agree Paw's......having too much truck is never a bad thing, as evidenced by my Crew Cab 4x4 Dually, pulling a GVWR 13K tow behind T.H. Room to grow is also a great thing!

 

Funny thing is I almost bought a dually but I didn't like the terms and payments. All my dealer had to choose from was a KR and a lariat. I did learn a lot thanks for all the feedback, all in all I did get a better truck to pull my 26RR and now I may be able to get away from the WDH that I hated hooking up but was very much needed on the old 16 250 CCSB.

 

It isn't the short bed that limits payload as a CCSB can have more payload than a CC long bed. I even saw a guy post that he got a long bed so he could carry more and found he didn't have the payload for the fiver he wants. A dually will not only have the extra tires and heavier axle, but will also have the gear ratio to pull more weight. I knew when I got my SRW that I would be limited to under a five under 16K and my target is to not exceed 15K and associated pin weight.

 

there are plenty of 5th wheel toyhaulers out there that would fit you better with your setup...im looking at the eclipse attitude widelite 3016ss

 

In regard to campers, in my opinion, they all have issues. If someone says they never had an issue, they just haven't found it. Had popups to hybrids to travel trailers to 5ers, all had issues, not major but I caulk it up to campers are always work in progress. Find the floor plan you want that is within the capabilities of your truck and enjoy!

 

Not sure if you have found a camper yet, but we are in the same boat as you.....We have a 26RR as well and will be upgrading in the next month or so.

We full time in our camper, so we have researched this exhaustively, and the only brands that we would even consider are: Highland Ridge, Grand Design, and Jayco (Jayco less so than the others). The reason is construction and insulation. Most RV's have R7- R14 insulation in the walls and roofs....this leads to the Heater and AC working overtime to keep you comfortable. HR and GD have R38 at least in the roof and walls. They also have really good customer service.....as previously stated, all campers have issues, but the company and dealer you buy from can make a difference in negating that.

Are you looking specifically for a toy hauler? If so, then I would recommend the Highland Ridge 31RGR. It is a bumper pull TH that can sleep 8 or something like that, has a built in generator, 2 AC's and 2 opposing slides. If you camp anywhere that it is hot, I would strongly recommend 2 AC's on a bumper pull, and 3 on a TH 5ver. Our 26RR has the one 15K AC, and it struggles at any temp above 90.

If not, I would look at a bunkhouse. The HR OT310 and OT328 are bumper pull bunkhouses that can sleep a small army. Both have 2 AC's and outside kitchens. The 328 also has a bath and a half.

If you are dead set on a 5ver, I can tell you most TH's will put you way past your limits....think 18K GVWR and 3K of pin weight. My rig is similar to yours, and I wouldn't have an issue pulling a 5ver that grosses around 16K with a pin weight of 2500, so that really limits your choices. For us, we really like the Open Range 3x 427BHS. It is a 5ver bunkhouse that I would be comfortable towing safely. IT also has an outside kitchen.

Good Luck with your search....

 

H4Racing, did you look at NorthWood Mfg? If you crossed them off your list I'm curious to know why. When I was looking at new trailers a couple years ago they were in the top five of my list. Highland Ridge (a subsidiary of Jayco) was also in the top 5.

 

I have seen them before, but the reason they aren't on the short list for us is:

No local dealer. This will be our 5th camper, so we know what we want and like. They look well built and good in the pics, but I would want to thump on the walls and doors and see the materials to find out how well they are built. I can do a lot of repairs, but having a good dealer is really important to us just in case.

Also, not enough slides and the lengths are on the short side. Since we full time, slides are a big deal to the wife. The Highland Ridge RV's are really good at placing opposing slides in the living and/or kitchen areas....makes it much bigger. A good example is the OT310BHS....it has 385 square feet in a 35' trailer....that is more than a lot of your 39-40' 5vers. Also, the wife likes the interiors of the GD and HR......she says something about lighter colors, feeling more roomy....stuff like that.

 

Yeah, lack of a dealer is significant limiting factor. Given that it seems almost every trailer has some problem it would not be fun to have to travel 100+ miles just for simple warranty work.

 

Northwood is VERY forgiving about us east coaster having warranty work done by the facility of your choice. All they want is a phone call. They will either tell you where to take it locally or you can ask to take where you wish.