Forest River Salem 32BHDS

[Trooper4]

Well let's put it this way... it will only happen to you once and you will never do it again. And that's if you live through it.
It is painfully obvious that you haven't given thought to what would happen if you have a rear tire fail if your towing a 5th wheel with a regular single tire rear axle. I have seen it myself, it was a literal disaster that left a completely totalled truck and trailer all over the freeway after both rolled at least 5 times. But hey more power to you, just stay the hell away from me.

Your so funny. But, to each his own......

 

[Firebird]

Is your family going to be in the truck with you? Me personally, I wouldn’t tow that big with a half ton, and certainly not with my family. Is the 5.7 and 8 speed capable? Certainly, but the chassis, brakes, suspension and payload are not.

 

[Drewster]

Is your family going to be in the truck with you? Me personally, I wouldn’t tow that big with a half ton, and certainly not with my family. Is the 5.7 and 8 speed capable? Certainly, but the chassis, brakes, suspension and payload are not.

The rating of the trucks takes all of that into account, so it's not like those components aren't capable - it's just a matter of whether the trailer is ideal for the truck's intended use. It's not like they rate the engine and glue everything around it; the cooling system, suspension system, brakes, and added options all factor into the towing and payload ratings. After all, "half ton truck" used to mean a truck that's designed to carry 1,000lb of payload - a new F150 has 1.5x the payload of yesteryear's one-ton truck.

That being said, I think what we're all getting at is that there's obviously a difference between towing a 36 foot long, 11 foot tall sail versus a 16 foot cargo trailer with a few yards of rock, even if they weigh the same. I agree with the earlier comment that 30ft and 8k lbs are good limits for what you want to even consider for a half ton. Even then, it'll do the job... but if you're planning on driving across the country or something, do you really want to be puckered that whole time? If you're planning to haul this thing all the time, just sell now while the market is good and save up for a diesel - towing big stuff every day is what the whole modern 3/4 ton truck was designed for. If you're only going to go to a local campground once or twice a year, that sort of occasional use is what your truck is made for.

 

[Willwork4truck]

The rating of the trucks takes all of that into account, so it's not like those components aren't capable - it's just a matter of whether the trailer is ideal for the truck's intended use. It's not like they rate the engine and glue everything around it; the cooling system, suspension system, brakes, and added options all factor into the towing and payload ratings. After all, "half ton truck" used to mean a truck that's designed to carry 1,000lb of payload - a new F150 has 1.5x the payload of yesteryear's one-ton truck.

That being said, I think what we're all getting at is that there's obviously a difference between towing a 36 foot long, 11 foot tall sail versus a 16 foot cargo trailer with a few yards of rock, even if they weigh the same. I agree with the earlier comment that 30ft and 8k lbs are good limits for what you want to even consider for a half ton. Even then, it'll do the job... but if you're planning on driving across the country or something, do you really want to be puckered that whole time? If you're planning to haul this thing all the time, just sell now while the market is good and save up for a diesel - towing big stuff every day is what the whole modern 3/4 ton truck was designed for. If you're only going to go to a local campground once or twice a year, that sort of occasional use is what your truck is made for.

It’s really good to remind peeps that an 8K (or more) trailer with a boat or racecar on it sure is easier to tow than an 8K TT or 5th wheel with a frontal wind area of 80-90 sq feet...
Like you said, one type will tow a lot easier/safer than the other.
This won’t stop people from trying to save the $ and get the nicer ride of the 1500 for the few times they tow big but could give someone pause to consider. How much is too much? Depends on each person.

 

[venomonmytongue]

Finally made a decision and brought home our new Heritage Glen HL 26BHHL yesterday the 25 mile drive home wasn’t to bad, I didn’t put it in tow mode at all, I honestly was so excited and nervous that I forgot all about it.

 

[cj7]

Congrats! Really nice TT! Enjoy it. As for tow mode, meh, for me the only real benefit is downhill descent engine braking.

Just be careful with loading, as something that size can easily exceed your payload cap. And that long, make sure your anti-sway WDH is dialed in.

But it does look like fun!

 

[NOLA Rick]

Tow-guy virtue signaling is sweet.