Can 2021 GMC 2500 Diesel towing Solitude 378MBS?

[ethanwx]

Hi all, I am new to GD forum. We are searching for 5W for a while and love Solitude 378MBS. 378MBS GVWR is 16800 lbs. We have a 2021 GMC 2500 Diesel. Base on the sticker, MAX FIFTH WHEEL HITCH is 18,500 LBS. MAX PAYLOAD is 3,563 LBS. Do you think it will be OK to tow 378MBS? By the way, we love to go to the mountains. Could you guys help with this? Thank you so much!

[Redapple63]

Unfortunately I think this rig will exceed your payload with just the pin weight at GVWR of the 5er. With the GVWR of 16800lbs of that rig you are solidly in dually territory.

Good Luck.


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[WhittleBurner]

Hi and Welcome, figuring towing capacities can be tricky. The thread below has plenty of info on how to figure the correct capacities for your truck.
https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...ing-Capability

If it were me I wouldn't tow a trailer that size without DWR, some will say yes..it really is a personal safety choice you have to make once you are educated on tow capacities and real world pin weights

[fez111]

If it were me I wouldn't tow a trailer that size without DWR, some will say yes..it really is a personal safety choice you have to make once you are educated on tow capacities and real world pin weights[/QUOTE]

We concur with the statement above. We pull a Solitude 379FL with an '06 F250 Super Duty 6.0 Diesel, long bed, two-wheel drive. Our Solitude very closely matches the weights and dimensions of the one you are looking at. I spent many nights agonizing over the towing capacity chart that Ford offered for the 2006 model year while we were getting more serious about buying our Solitude. Although all of the dimensions were very close to max, this particular truck just made it within a few hundred pounds in every respect...

However, just because you "can" do something does not mean it is ultimately a good idea. The night we pulled our Solitude to our Florida campsite, a three hour's drive from the couple that made us the deal of a lifetime, the front landing jacks were only four inches off the pavement. The very first thing I did was to install the best airbags I could find. Now, everything levels up nicely with 45 Psi in the bags. But, after pulling for a year or so I started realizing that I needed something more. There was a minor sway issue with our single rear wheeled truck that was controllable, but too squirrely for my liking, especially in narrow construction lanes! But the biggest concern for us was going through the mountains of Tennessee and Kentucky twice a year. Doing the math, our rear truck tires were right at max loading. I became paranoid that I would blow a tire and go off a cliff! Its not like we haven't actually blown three tires on two RV's before, or have we???

We considered upping our F250 to an F350, but, at least in 2006, they were the same truck except for two extra leaf springs, and according to people who know, a small suspension tuning difference. They had the same engine, trans, turbo system, suspension, etc. The single rear wheel F350 even had the exact same axle as the F250! I started looking for options and realized that dually's would solve all of my concerns. Did I mention our truck had been paid for years prior?

I found a company in Royal Oak, Michigan near Detroit that manufactures Dually kits for Ford trucks. They do not increase capacity in any way but they definitely do the two things I was worried about the most. The sway is completely gone, and now I have four tires carrying the same load that was being carried with only two tires. Peace of mind is a wonderful thing...!!!

www.arrowcraft.com

Moral of the story. Having been-there-done-that, whatever you do, do it with dually's. You will sleep better at night!

Caveat: My brother has a 2018 Sierra 2500 Duramax Diesel short-bed. That same year they bought a 42 foot Cedar Creek Hathaway that weighs only a few hundred pounds less than our Solitude. He pulls it all over Michigan and Ohio and has no handling problems or sway. But, he hasn't done any mountains yet either. His rear tires are maxed out like mine were. Food for thought.

[Second Chance]

Moderator note: duplicate thread deleted and this one moved to Tow Vehicle sub-forum.

Now... as others have said, at 16,800 lbs. GVWR, the 378MBS will put about 3,800 lbs. on the pin when loaded (advertised pin weights are dry/empty). As others have said, this is in dual rear wheel territory and not appropriate for a 3/4-ton truck. With fifth wheels, it's not about towing capacity, it's about payload. You may find this calculator useful:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-fw.shtml

Rob

[Cowboychincs]

Moderator note: duplicate thread deleted and this one moved to Tow Vehicle sub-forum.

Now... as others have said, at 16,800 lbs. GVWR, the 378MBS will put about 3,800 lbs. on the pin when loaded (advertised pin weights are dry/empty). As others have said, this is in dual rear wheel territory and not appropriate for a 3/4-ton truck. With fifth wheels, it's not about towing capacity, it's about payload. You may find this calculator useful:

http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-fw.shtml

Rob

Rob... I like the calculator, I think.... if I could make heads or tails out of it... I have no idea where to get the info on my particular truck... as well as the RV I am thinking of getting... I can find UVW, GVWR, Hitch Weight on my stats on the RV... is the Hitch Weight the Pin Weight? As far as the truck, it is a 2016 F-250 Diesel 6.7, crew cab with a 6.5 ft bed... in looking at the Ford Specs, all I can find GCWR and recommended Max Loaded Trailer Weight, which is 15,100 lbs So I cannot use the calculator because I cannot find the other values necessary... any guidance would be helpful...

Thx

[Second Chance]

Rob... I like the calculator, I think.... if I could make heads or tails out of it... I have no idea where to get the info on my particular truck... as well as the RV I am thinking of getting... I can find UVW, GVWR, Hitch Weight on my stats on the RV... is the Hitch Weight the Pin Weight? As far as the truck, it is a 2016 F-250 Diesel 6.7, crew cab with a 6.5 ft bed... in looking at the Ford Specs, all I can find GCWR and recommended Max Loaded Trailer Weight, which is 15,100 lbs So I cannot use the calculator because I cannot find the other values necessary... any guidance would be helpful...

Thx

If your truck's specs aren't on the weight sticker on the driver's door frame or in your manual (usually a separate booklet for Ford diesels), get your truck's VIN and plug it in here: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php. There will be a "Tech Specs" tab with everything on it.

For the king pin weight of the trailer, use 23% of the trailer's GVWR for an estimated loaded pin weight (never go by the advertised empty pin weights).

Let me know if this doesn't do it for you.

Rob

[CWSWine]

Rob... I like the calculator, I think.... if I could make heads or tails out of it... I have no idea where to get the info on my particular truck... as well as the RV I am thinking of getting... I can find UVW, GVWR, Hitch Weight on my stats on the RV... is the Hitch Weight the Pin Weight? As far as the truck, it is a 2016 F-250 Diesel 6.7, crew cab with a 6.5 ft bed... in looking at the Ford Specs, all I can find GCWR and recommended Max Loaded Trailer Weight, which is 15,100 lbs So I cannot use the calculator because I cannot find the other values necessary... any guidance would be helpful...

Thx

Try this one - it is a lot easier to use.

http://towingplanner.com/

[MBT^02]

I have a 377MBS, prior model and my pin is 3400 loaded, no generator or W/D. I consider this trailer 3500 SRW, minimum DRW preferred.


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[Stealth13777]

That rig is likely going to put 4K+ lbs pin weight on your tow vehicle. You have a very capable 2500 (technically based on your payload that GVW is in 3500 tax territory), but IMO as others said, you are into duality territory with that trailer. The numbers back that up.

Since GM is giving real numbers on the 2500 now, and not just stopping at 10k GVWR (for taxes) like they did for years, you would be smart to stay within the ratings. The old ‘it can handle more than it says’ really doesn’t apply in this case.

Are you new to camping or looking to upgrade? A lot of people buy the wrong first trailer - the going saying is that ppl buy one way too big, way too small (in either order), then the 3rd one is just right. Maybe pick out the smallest trailer you could live with, the largest (this one), and then one in between? If you aren’t new, disregard all of this haha

In any case, congrats on the new truck! It may not pull this trailer, but it will still pull a heck of a camper.