I just bought a new Open Road 5th Wheel.
34' (total 37' long), <12k, <2400# tongue weight.

Anyone have a problem with me pulling that with an 05' GMC 2500HD, FWD, SB,SWB, Duramax/Alison??

Uh, isn't it too late? ):h Your truck will pull it, but ol' JJ would feel much better knowing the weight of the unit once loaded, all axles. We'll be in a much better position to advise you then. Do you have quite a bit of towing experience? JJ :)

Congrats bikeme!! Pictures, we need pictures!! I just got a new fiver a couple of weeks ago with about the same pin weight. It put's me about a grand over GVWR, and just under axel ratings. I'm gonna do the airbag trick till I upgrade to a 6 speed auto dually in 2006. Did I mention we need pictures?

Mike T.

It would pull much easier if the trailer had a cargo area that would hold a couple of Ducati's complete with tools, canopy's and racing gear. Those fifth wheels don't pull so well without the race gear...you'll see.

JJ: Not to late yet, that's why I asked and Yes, I've pulled a 32' travel trailer for years, first 5er though.

The dealer made it quite simplistic.

Truck rated to tow 12,000 (max tongue weight 3,000).
Trailer 11700 less tongue of 2400 (payload) = 9,300 no problem, do it all the time I'm told.
Simple huh. I know there is more to it.

Ooooooooohhhhhhhh, so you haven't bought the truck yet!!! My bad! :o: First, your going to hear from a few of the boyz about towing with a dually versus a SRW. This unit sounds like the SRW will work fine. ;)

First things first: Repeat after JJ: NEVER, EVER, EVER, EVER, TRUST THE RV SALESMAN! :rant: Many, hell most of them would let you tow a trailer with a Yugo just to make the sale. Their job is to get your money, that's it, nothing else. Yes there is that raaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeee exception to this statement, rare! :mad:

IIRC 12k lbs tow rating for the 2500 is for a travel trailer, not a 5ver. You might want to check those figures since I haven't looked at them in a while. I'm thinking more around 15k for towing a 5ver. :confused:

If you have been towing a 32' hitch mount you will absolutely love how a 5ver tows. Little if any sway when trucks pass you, turning on a freaken' dime, hooking up is a snap, etc. :ro)

Biggest factor IMHO for a SRW is that pin weight in your case. 9900# GVWR is what you are shooting for. These trucks weigh in around 7k+ stock, by the time you install the hitch (200-250lbs), put a tool box back there, throw the wife and kiddies in the truck and add your options you will likely be at or above GVWR. Try and get a best guess on how much you will have in the truck and add that to the weight of your truck. Tire load ratings should also be reviewed. You should be within the axle ratings. :exactly:

You may find a dually is worth consideration. Like you I was going to buy a SRW, but I decided to find the 5ver first and see what kind of weight I was dealing with then buy the tow vehicle. My 5ver was rated dry by Sunnybrook RV at 13426lbs, actually weight is around 14500 dry, 17-18k loaded with all our stuff. Definitely a dually job. :cool:

Don't let driving a dually scare you or your wife. Mama JJ drives our truck and rarely uses the Ford Ranger, she feels safer and likes the feel of the Dumax.

You are going to love the Allison tranny, smartest piece of machinery I have ever owned. Always use tow/haul mode when towing, it will grade brake for you, hold shifts, etc. The Duramax has had its quirks, like all do, but all-in-all the majority of LLY owners like the engine. Me too! :D JJ's out! Hope this helps! Later! :)

The dealer is blowing smoke somewhere. Subtract the pin weight from the 5er's total weight and then you only have to worry about 9300 pounds? :wtf: :cookoo:

Yes, your truck will do it, probably quite well and you most likely will never have any problems. However, you will almost certainly exceed your GVWR by several hundred pounds.

http://dieselplace.com/forum/images/smilies/welcome2.gif First off, welcome to the place. I second JJ; check the weights. I would never recommend towing beyond the limits for safety's sake, although the truck will surely handle it. Check the literature from the dealer; every combination has a different tow capacity. I too just bought a truck and 5th wheel, and have only towed it a couple of hundred miles to date. Since you haven't bought yet, my advice would be to consider a long box. Around here it seems like many members tow 5th wheels with the short box, but care must be taken for clearance; I've heard of people damaging the rear of the cab as well as the front of the trailer. Sure. a sliding hitch is an option, but I'd opt for the 8ft bed and more than enough clearance. Besides, there are times that the longer box will come in handy, just like the 4WD. You can spend as much as you want for a hitch, and that's another thread, but buy more than you need, and get a double pivot; you're not always trying to hook in a perfectly flat place. Again, welcome. You'll find more information than you can absorb here; read and ask. The guys here are the best.

The only real way to see if you are in the "safe zone" is to be hooked up and take it to scale. 2 ways to lok at it, the truck will pull it, maybe some airbags to help. Now the other way, you are going to be over weight. All those #'s for the truck do not include all your stuff, fuel and people. Fill the truck with fuel, stuff and you and take it to be weighed, you will find you a bunch less available pin weight. I am going to guess and say 2000 or less. I pull campers all over the country for a living and I run w/ a bunch of guys in 2500's and they have no problem. JUST MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT OVERLOAD WHAT THE TIRES CAN HANDLE. Thats were the danger starts.

Yeah yeah, with all that techy stuff... I wanna know what you think of the Open Road? I have one that is two years old, bought it new (316rls) 32 footer, thinking of trading it and getting something more kid friendly... Rear living room was ok two kids ago!

What model Open Road? I looking at a 340Rbhs-5. I plan on towing it with my 03 2500HD Durmax C/C S/B.

Wow thanks for all the input.

For clarity, I bought the Open Road, but haven't taken delivery yet (could still back out). It's a 340RBHS for those that asked. For the $$$, one of the nicest units I looked at (hundreds). Hoping for good things.

I already own the truck, bought that last year to get the tax break, so gotta live with it. I have 265 Load E tires, and it will have a Super Slide hitch for the short bed.

I'm not a full timer, long haul guy, just a weekend warrior trying to keep the wife happy.

"I just bought a new Open Road 5th Wheel.
34' (total 37' long), <12k, <2400# tongue weight.

Anyone have a problem with me pulling that with an 05' GMC 2500HD, FWD, SB,SWB, Duramax/Alison??"

WTF? I'm so embarrassed! Where is my medicine, err Bud Light! :eek: I'm not saying another word! JJ ):h
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I am an overkill type person. In other words buy more, bigger and stronger than I need to get the job done. I went with the dually when I read a story in another group about a guy trying to miss a tire laying in his lane while doing 65 with 4 lanes of traffic pulling his 5^th wheel.He was in the second line with cars all around and nowhere to go. He road over the tire with the truck and did damage to the 5^th wheel axles but was able to recover from the hit and get to the side of the road. It must of been one heck of a ride.

In his opinion if it wasn’t for the dually he would have been wiped out with everyone around him.

I drive a lot of winding back roads around here and the dually runs the corners like a sports car.

The wife likes driven it when she gets a chance too.

Congratulation on your new 5^th wheel, we are still looking for ours.

Your giving us diffent info, first you said you haven't bought the truck now your saying you've had it for a year?


Either way a 2500HD with that trailer is going to be over loaded in GVWR by abought a THOUSAND pounds. That trailer will over load a 3500HD SRW by a few hundred pounds. You may even be over the GCVWR but we wont know that unless you wighed the whole rig ready to roll.

I have been trying to find the specs on a Open Road 34" trailer but can't find them, the manufature don't have them posted witch is kinda funky. My guess is that the Dry weight of the trailer is what the sales man was telling you, not the GVWR of the trailer, so your AT your tow limit for 5eth wheel trailering in your 2500HD before you even load the trailer.

While I'm not a badge carring member of the weight police I think your over loading your truck, signifigantly. Towing that rig with your truck is a :

:badidea:

Just my .02$, now to help you some here is what I would do if I was forced to tow that set up: Replace the Tires with E rated tires (you say you have done that but what is the load rating of the 265's you put on?, there your weak spot, something like Open Countries they have a 3400 lb rating. Then add air bags.

This is out of their 2005 Buyers Guide

OpenRoad 34ORBHS-5 (you didn’t have the -5 so I don’t know if it makes a different)

<o:p> </o:p>

Total dry weight (UVW) 11670

Dry Hitch Weight (lbs) 2360

GVWR 14360

Fresh water 60

Gray water 80

Black water 40

LP Capacity (gal) 60

Cargo carrying capacity 2690

Overall Length 37’3”

Height 12’9”

Width 8’1”

Tires 235/85 R16 (E)

<o:p> </o:p>

The one I am looking at is a kids bunk with a sports locker.

WFI, sure sounds like that 5ver would look nice behind your big ol' bubble butt dually bro'! :D Come on in, the waters fine! Just 120-180 small monthly payments and the 5ver of your dreams can be all yours! ):h Best investment I ever made. I'm convinced for every day I spend in the 5ver it adds 2 days onto my longevity. :ro) Er, that and the Bud Light! :p:

I know, I said I wasn't going to post anymore on this thread. :o: Bikeme, WTF did you end up doing? JJ :)

Bikeme, We just returned from our first long trip with a new 5er. I had the same questions/answers as you. If you are looking to be within all manufacturers safety specs, consider this...
GVWR of truck 9,200#
Actual wt of truck 6,700# empty, with fuel
Subtract passengers, cargo, hitch (180#) from CCC, and I am at max GVWR with a 1,900# pin wt.(20% of 9,500# loaded 5er)

I'm not trying to say that this truck CAN'T tow a 14K trailer with estimated 2,800# pin wt, but given the choice between a 9,200GVWR and a 11,400GVWR truck, for a little more$$$, you would be within safety ratings. Best of luck!

Bikeme, You will not have any problems towing with your rig at all. I have essentially the same truck you have and tow a 39 foot, 14K lbs fifth wheel. I have not had any braking problems, but am installing a Banks exhaust brake and a BrakeSmart brake controller in preparation for a lot of Colorado travel.
I think the hype for a drw truck is just that. The extra mass for the duels more than eats up any advantage, and they are ugly!.

"I think the hype for a drw truck is just that. The extra mass for the duels more than eats up any advantage, and they are ugly!"

NO HE DIDN'T SAY THAT DUALLY'S ARE UGLY? :eek: The extra mass of the duels (aka duals) more than eats up the advantage?

So uninformed, yet so little time! ):h Even Mama JJ loves her big ol' bubble butt dually! Yea Baby, yea! :ro)

CS, IIRC the 6700lb base weight is not for a Duramax/ally combo but a 6.0 or 8.1. Most figure somewhere around 7200-7400lbs. 2500 GVWR of 9200 lbs: 5ver hitch weighs 150-200lbs; full tank of fuel 200lbs; family (600-800lbs) for a total somewhere around 8200-8400lbs leaves you around 800-1000lbs pin weight without exceeding GVWR. :o: No toolbox, no luggage, nothing else added to truck. :rolleyes:

Bikeme, there's lots of good intel on the DP site about towing with different trucks. Each of us brings our own level of skill/experience to the table when it comes to towing. There are guys out there towing well above GCWR. Will your truck pull that 5ver? Yep! Will it control the 5ver under emergent conditions? Not sure? Each of us gives our advice with absolutely no knowledge of the posters level of towing skill. That is why I tend to err on the side of safety over how large a mass these trucks can actually pull. :)

Your smart to gather as much intel as possible and make your decision. Just JJ's .02 cents worth. Let us know what you end up with. JJ :)

I have a 33-5V Arctic Fox fiver. The pin weight is 1800 lbs and i weighted the trailer just after I got it.(almost empty) It weighted 11,500 lbs. I also have a Transflow fuel tank comb. , 30 gal. I have towed over 10,000 in the last year and half with no problems. I just finished installing Bilsteins today. I have not drove the truck yet.

Lets kick this horse some more...I don't think its dead yet!

There are way too many "experts" that will tell you of their experiences pulling great amounts of weights over the factory numbers everywhere you go and they've all had no problems.......The next sentence is generally "...and I've just put put on new ...."

Why put on new brakes, clutches, air bags, add-a-leaf, shocks, bearings, larger exhausts, exhaust brakes, etc. etc.etc. if there is "no problems"???? You guessed it.

You wil also notice that they are doing this no problem towing thing with trucks that are 1/2 paid off....for a reason. I tow roughly 70,000 mil. a year, averaging 22-26K for both business and pleasure. Since I returned to the States in '90 I've wore out 3 GM, 2 Fords, and 1 Dodge trucks (1-ton Duallies or less) and am here to tell you that on the day you send that final check to the Bank, I was in the new truck dealer looking for a trade, cause they were wore out! Broke a lot of leaf springs, bought and installed several Firestone air bags, lots of brake pads and disks, rear wheel bearings, differential seals, universal joints, front end alignments, add on oil coolers, trans. coolers, supplemental radiator coolers, towing mirrors, ball hitches, batteries, etc. etc. the list goes on!

The storal of the morie....towing with a light duty truck may look good in the TV commercial, after all, the farthest they have to tow is in and out of camera shot, but for the long haul, its is not a natural act. Weather, terrain, rough or "unimproved" (like that one) roads, flotsam and jetsom in the roadway, mother nature's creatures, 16-year old pierced, tattooed and branded drivers with 12,000 watt BOOM-BOOM-BOOM subaru's, unmarked curves, fautly brake lights, 23 mph. merging grannies......You guessed it, they all give you a butt-full of leather and foam to chew on when that 15K lbs. decides that YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TRUCK!

But JJ and I must be alarmists. We must have some sort of deal going with every truck dealer in the USA that will provide us with some sort of kick-back for advising you to stay within the posted weight limits of your Tow Vehicle, and are just trying to RIP-U-OFF somehow.

We can only advise..you're always free to do what you want. Welcome to the "tow-league", good luck with your purchase. -- RF out!

if youer pin on youer on youer 5ver is ahead of youer bulk head you wont need a slider with a short box i bought a used hitch thinking if it does not work my son inlaw said he never used his on his shortbox we away for a month traveled every day with out a problem so it just dependes on the trailer if the pin comes staight down from the bulkhead you better get a slider allso put airbags or some thing extra under it i have them another thing im thinking about is putting spacers in the back wheels to widen them out a bit to stop the sway maybe some of you guys that have this might chime in and let use know if it helps

RF3, I haven't received my royalty check from GM this month! Did you get yours? :lol: OOPS, NOW EVERYBODY KNOWS! :eek: JJ :)