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  1. #1
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    5th wheei or bumper pull

    Which would tow better with a 1/2 ton truck (Yes i know both will be over payload ) 30ft 5th wheel 8500lbs max ready to camp. Or 30ft bumper pull 7500lbs max ready to camp. Truck payload is 1800lbs has overload spring and air bags. E rated tires. Bigger Truck soon... Weight Police Please be nice LOL

  2. #2
    Setting Up Camp
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    You don’t provide much information about your truck but many 1/2 tons have tow ratings of 10K or over so the conventional trailer could be well within the rating of your truck. The FW will probably put you over on truck weight but again you did not provide a pin weight for the trailer.

    As far as which one will “tow better” which you don’t define, it is a very subjective question. They both have their advantages and short comings. It is not that simple of an answer.

    Provide more information about your truck and what you mean by towing better and I’m sure you will get the help you are looking for.
    2021 Solitude 310GK

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    Site Team Redapple63's Avatar
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    Hi Rob,

    Certainly no weight police here, but the fiver will exceed your payload. The fiver is inherently more stable, but comes with a higher pin weight so it will use all your payload, ( 8500 x .25 = 2125 lbs) while the TT is the opposite, lower tongue weight, (7500 x .15 = 1125) but not as stable as it is several feet behind the axle. From a weight perspective the TT is a better bet for you as it does not use all your payload and within the capability of a basic half ton.

    It may help if you have year a make of the tow vehicle and the different trailers to provide better assistance.

    From my perspective, and the info here, the TT is your better option.

    Good Luck!
    2019 GMC 3500 SRW Sierra Denali Duramax
    2020 Reflection 315RLTS

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    Site Sponsor NB Canada's Avatar
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    5th wheei or bumper pull

    So if both are going to overload the truck neither will tow well
    But the TT will tow better than the 5er because both will likely lift your front tires off the ground and only the TT has a system to push it back down


    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew
    Last edited by NB Canada; 08-07-2021 at 11:16 AM.
    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 Crew 1840lb payload

  5. #5
    Site Sponsor SolarPoweredRV's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by robmcqueen View Post
    Which would tow better with a 1/2 ton truck (Yes i know both will be over payload ) 30ft 5th wheel 8500lbs max ready to camp. Or 30ft bumper pull 7500lbs max ready to camp. Truck payload is 1800lbs has overload spring and air bags. E rated tires. Bigger Truck soon... Weight Police Please be nice LOL
    Since you are going to upgrade your truck anyway, I would suggest you choose the camper style you want to live with for the long run. Having towed both, I have to say I prefer the 5th Wheel style camper over the bumper pull. I think having the pivot point for the camper over the rear wheels versus 2 to 3 feet behind the rear wheels makes for a much more stable towing experience.

    With my current F-350 Dually and the Reese GooseBox on my GD 310-GK,, I sometimes don't feel as if there is a camper behind me at all. That is how stable the F-350 Dually is as a Tow Vehicle (and the GooseBox helps out a lot as well).

    If you haven't purchased the camper yet, wait until you have a better truck and buy the camper you want, otherwise you are not only going to be replacing your truck, you will be replacing the camper as well.

    PS: Make sure the truck you buy can pull the camper you want. When I was shopping for a truck, I added 5,000 lbs to my trailer weight to ensure I got plenty of truck to handle my 310-GK (i.e.: I shopped for a truck capable of towing 20k when the 310-GK only weighs in at ~ 15k).
    David and Peggy
    2019 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.7L Diesel, Dually, Long Bed
    Running with 20k Reese Goosebox (Love It) and Ford Factory "Puck" system.
    Stopping with 8,000 lb Disc Brakes and Titan Hydraulic over Electric Brakes system.
    Powering all this fun with 1200 Watts of Solar, two Tesla, Model S, battery modules, 24 volt Victron Inverter.
    2018 Solitude 310 GK

  6. #6
    Site Team traveldawg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Redapple63 View Post
    Hi Rob,

    Certainly no weight police here, but the fiver will exceed your payload. The fiver is inherently more stable, but comes with a higher pin weight so it will use all your payload, ( 8500 x .25 = 2125 lbs) while the TT is the opposite, lower tongue weight, (7500 x .15 = 1125) but not as stable as it is several feet behind the axle. From a weight perspective the TT is a better bet for you as it does not use all your payload and within the capability of a basic half ton.

    It may help if you have year a make of the tow vehicle and the different trailers to provide better assistance.

    From my perspective, and the info here, the TT is your better option.

    Good Luck!
    I think redapple63 summed it up pretty well..... 5th wheel = inherently more stable

    A TT gives you your truck bed for cargo. I always liked that.

    I think if I was only going weekend or short term camping and not on long, extended trips I’d be back in a TT again but is really a matter of personal preference. You just need to “right size” the truck/RV combination.
    Larry KE4DMG
    2022 F-350 KRU SRW LB - Airlift 5000+, ForScan, 37 RDS Aux Tank,
    2019 310GK-R - Sailuns; MorRyde IS; Disc Brakes; 20K Reese Goosebox
    Search kalakamods for my mods


  7. #7
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    At under 30ft with a high quality hitch, good tires and suspension, and reasonable weight balancing in trailer with a properly spec'd half ton... 7500lbs isn't going to be an issue.

    The only area(s) you might see strain is transmission braking steep downhill winding mountain passes....and high wind/rain in some flat rural states.

    The first isn't resolved by a 5th wheel, the second you just need monitor weather and be careful in navigation. 5th wheel would be better for wind..but longer wheelbase half ton also helps


    Sent from my SM-N986U1 using Tapatalk

  8. #8
    Seasoned Camper chemist308's Avatar
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    Okay, I'll take a stab at this, since I towed a bumper pull that was well over for my former half ton, and a fifth wheel that was at the hairy edge of max tow for a 3/4 ton. First, you have a math problem:

    * Min Fifth Wheel Pin Weight = (8500 * 0.2) + 200 (hitch) = 1900 lbs
    * Likely Fifth Wheel Pin Weight = (8500 * 0.25) + 200 (hitch) = 2325 lbs

    * Min TT Pin Weight = 7500 * 0.1 = 750 lbs
    * Likely TT Pin Weight = 7500 * 0.15 = 1125 lbs

    The math alone takes the 5th wheel off the table. Please note that I added the weight of the hitch as a minimum of 200--they weigh about that much. Even the Andersen, which weighs only 30 lbs must bolt to a gooseball--the addition of which will add 150 - 200 lbs to your truck just as it did my 3/4 ton, much to surprise.

    I'm thinking you could legally tow a travel trailer as described. That said, there is a difference in the handling. The fifth wheel is a more stable tow when being passed by a semi.

    So, if your truck is properly equipped to handle the weight (ie: airbags, increased load rated tires, etc), the low weight 5'er might work. But you'd be riding the hairy edge of your axle weight ratings, and that's a really bad place to be. I'd go with the travel trailer if it was a half ton truck...

    PS: If you buy a another truck, my advice is go one higher than you're thinking. So instead of a 2500, try a 3500 SRW. The payload will save you replacing it down the road...
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 337RLS
    2020 Ram 3500 SRW
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  9. #9
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    There are a lot of comments about sway and bumper pulls. I experienced sway until I purchased the ProPride hitch. Yes, it's pricey but it practically eliminated sway. I'm sure there are other hitches out there that do/claim to eliminate sway. The bumper pull is your only option with your current truck.

  10. #10
    Site Sponsor NB Canada's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zymurgist View Post
    There are a lot of comments about sway and bumper pulls. I experienced sway until I purchased the ProPride hitch. Yes, it's pricey but it practically eliminated sway. I'm sure there are other hitches out there that do/claim to eliminate sway. The bumper pull is your only option with your current truck.
    Proper loading is the only thing to eliminate sway
    Some hitches just are better at masking it
    The problem is some trailers(rear kitchen and rear living models) are very difficult to load manage
    I would never own one


    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 crew
    2021 Imagine 2400 BH
    2018 GMC Sierra 4x4 Crew 1840lb payload

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