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A towing combo... a little out of the box.

3K views 23 replies 10 participants last post by  wynot 
#1 ·
First off, just bought an '08 GMC Dura and love the truck. This thing is a riot...im sure this is nothing new to the rest of you vets on here.

The main reason I went from my 6.2 Sierra Denali to the 6.6 Dura was for the option to tow a larger camper. As you know campers are at some of the best prices EVER right now and I just cashed in and bought a Forest River Wild Cat 31 TS - Dry hitch weight at #1700 and a GVWR #12000.

Abviously the most logical choice would be the B&W hitch - my grandfather runs one and loves it, but im thinking different. I may run a Shocker Hitch (www.shockerhitch.com), with bags on the truck, and maybe bags on the camper. Im doing this because I pull a gooseneck with around #13000 - 15000 periodically (loaded with fruit).

Any opinions? I could go either way at this moment... but am 90% sure on the bags on the truck.
 
#2 ·
Go with the B&W. If you want to, later you just take the B&W ball out and put the Shocker in the B&W mount.
 
#3 ·
Not to be a pain in the ass, but make sure you use the correct nomenclature. A fifth wheel is referred to as Pin Weight while a travel trailer is called hitch weight.
 
#4 ·
#5 ·
Yea, technically we call them 5th wheel hitch and gooseneck hitch. In the 26 years of working on RV's, I always refer to it as "hitch" weight, regardless of 5er or bumper mount. Every one knows what your talking about.
 
#14 ·
Really looked a long time to find this floor plan. We fell in love with it. Looked at Toy Haulers, and countless 5th wheels and made the choice on the 31 TS. Do we need the fireplace? No. But the size of the rear, and the layout just did it for us. I also like the look of the front...but am not crazy of the 4 foot kitty on the side of the camper. haha.
 
#7 ·
Why are campers at the best prices ever now? I'm looking at a 5th wheel. Should i buy now? or wait until the spring time?
 
#16 ·
Right now used prices are on the rise! It is slowly starting to pick up due to the slow down in new MFG. We do auctions and generally you can gauge the sales of used from the motorized at the auctions. This week is going nutz! NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY!! If you are thinking about an RV of any style don't hesitate....git-r-dun now! TRUST me...it will take a little while to filter out to the smaller towns so act now!
 
#8 ·
Been looking at Sunny Brook Big Dogs, found one locally we like with 72k msrp on "sale" for 68k, saw a brand new one on the internet that's almost identical for 43k and they deliver for an additional charge
 
#9 ·
you should be able to easily get 25-30% off of list without having to work too hard...
 
#10 ·
After looking at the hitch from shocker it sure looks like you'll need the B and W hitch anyways...
It looks like it slides right in the turn over ball hole and uses the B and W rails in your bed and then the hitch slides in that... Follow me?
 
#13 ·
I do follow you. Here is what I'm worried about.

We go to a number of country concerts here in Wisconsin. The campsites are basically hay achrage that a farmer rents to the concert venue - the site is never level. With my old 22' bumper hitch Prowler, I've had to jack the camper atleast 2 feet on one side to get close to sleeping. Im worried about not getting level enough to be able to un-hook and hook the 5th wheel up.

Am I way out in left with this concern? Help me out...
 
#23 ·
Thank you all for the information. Im going away from the GN conversion...its not worth the headache of the chances of the unit crashing into me due to a shear off.

The plan is for a B&W hitch with bags on the rear of the truck. Thank you all for your help.
You are going to like that setup. It will make your experiance much more enjoyable.
 
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