I posted this in the trans/driveline section and didn't get many answers. The 5th wheel max with 3.73 gears is about 9,600lbs but jumps to 14k lbs if you have ...

I posted this in the trans/driveline section and didn't get many answers. The 5th wheel max with 3.73 gears is about 9,600lbs but jumps to 14k lbs if you have the 4.10 gears.
Are you guys sticking to that? I know better than to exceed the recommended weights just wanted to know what the norm is. What 5th wheel weights are you towing with 3.73 gears?
I have a 2011 6.0 2500, 8' bed 4wd.
Thanks in advance.

From the specs that i have read you can tow 9,600lbs with 3.73 gears and 13,500lbs with 4.10 gears standard hitch towing, so if you are to get a gooseneck those ratings will increase. How much i honestly dont know, thats a question that i'd like answered too

A 9,600 pound fifth wheel is going to have a tongue weight of about 1,200 pounds. Before you start to shop look at the manufacturers GVWR posted on the yellow and white sticker inside your driver's door jam. This way you will be informed when the RV salesman says "Oh yea-you can tow that!"

I would not expect good results if you are pushing the recommended tow rating. That is the max. It doesn't mean your truck will enjoy pulling that much although, it will pull it, just not real fast or real snappy.

^^^+1 I didn't mention in my previous post-but I would recommend NO MORE THAN 70% of the maximum tow rating.

i appreciate you guys chiming in. I guess I'm more baffled that gears make that much of a difference in towing capacity.

Some will tell you to switch the gears...but from a legal standpoint you can tow only within your GVWR as stated by the manufacturer.

I can tell you as I previously stated there ARE PLENTY of Ultra Lights (Filon/Aluminum) that you can tow that are nice trailers. They are just not "condos on wheels".

CKNSLS wrote:Some will tell you to switch the gears...but from a legal standpoint you can tow only within your GVWR as stated by the manufacturer.

I can tell you as I previously stated there ARE PLENTY of Ultra Lights (Filon/Aluminum) that you can tow that are nice trailers. They are just not "condos on wheels".

Yeah changing gears seems a little extreme to me anyway. I know guys have done it, just my opinion. And you are correct there are some nice 5th wheels in my weight range and they seem to get lighter every year.

Are you guys saying that even with a 5th wheel you cant go past the tow rating? I thought that rating was for standard trailers and with a 5th wheel the tow rating increased? And if so does anyone know what that is?

gandrews wrote:Are you guys saying that even with a 5th wheel you cant go past the tow rating? I thought that rating was for standard trailers and with a 5th wheel the tow rating increased? And if so does anyone know what that is?

Just stay with the lightest unit you can get.Do not go past you tow limits. Remember your unit has a weight, but also your cargo. If your pin weight is (empty)1500. Don't put any fuel, food, cloths, people, pets in the truck or camper. THAT is your capacity.
You can probably pull>>>> 20000 pounds, but carrying it is another thing, pull power is one thing carry capacity is another.

We travel about 12,000 a year with our trailer, it is a light unit. And we have seen many pickups almost dragging because of over loading and have seen the bent frames on 5th wheels after hitting rough roads with a heavy loaded unit.
Just take care . And Good luck