Truck Advice for Novice

[noezoom]

Hi all. Hopefully you're not tired of the endless questions about which truck people need to haul their rigs. I have been trying to understand how to calculate it and I just end up confused and unsure of my results. If you have some patience, I would appreciate your experience and insight.

We are looking at buying this fifth wheel.

The info says the hitch weight is 1935 lbs, but the UVW is 10338 lbs. From what I've read, the hitch weight should be 20% to 25% of the total weight. So by that method, the hitch weight should be a minimum 2067 lbs, right? Assuming I'm going to add 1500 lbs of my own stuff over the next year and assuming a 25% hitch weight, I get 2960 lbs.

Did I screw any of that up?

Now I need to decide how much truck I need.

I have decided it will be a Ford. I was hoping it could be a 250, but I'm starting to suspect that may be too little. Will a 350 be safe? I'd prefer not having a dually. I've also heard you need a commercial license in some states to operate a 350. I would like to avoid weird restrictions like that.

Thanks for your help!

[Notanlines]

These are are the numbers we're talking about.
Dry Weight10,338 lbs.
Payload Capacity3,597 lbs.
GVWR13,935 lbs.
Hitch Weight1,935 lbs.
The actual pin weight (hitch) of this unit will be approximately 20-25% of the GVWR of 13,935 or about 3,500 pounds. To this number you will need to add the weight of your fifth wheel hitch (200#), you and your SO and any pets (400#) plus any miscellaneous items you carry or have added on to the truck. You will need a one ton truck (F350, Ram 3500 GM3500) with a cargo capacity in excess of 4,100#.
These are real numbers, I've been doing this a long time. There are literally dozens and dozens of members on this site that are sharper than me and they will all come up with the same numbers, give or take.
I might also add that there are dozens and dozens of members on this forum towing 17K RV's with their 3/4 ton 'beasts.' The salesman and their friends told them 'That beast will haul anything.' Salesmen and friends always are the go-to source of good info....uh huh.
Also, you do NOT need a commercial license to drive an F350/450, or any of the 3500's of Dodge or GM in ANY state. Towing maybe another question if the weights exceed 26K.

[noezoom]

Thanks! I've also put my questions out to the keystone RV forum thanks to one of your other posts. They said much the same thing. I did some of my own math on it and got 4133 lbs worst case without any guest passengers. That made me start thinking a dually may be in my future based on the cargo weight ratings of the various truck configurations, but that may take me some time to come to grips with. That's a big ol' truck.

[Dave A]

In Kansas if your gross combined vehicle weight hits 26,000 lbs you need to have a Class A license but it doesn't need to be a CDL (commercial drivers license). A written test and took a DL examiner for a ride in the rig is all I had to do. Don't run over any curbs or scrape any other vehicles during the test drive, shouldn't be any problems.

Originally Posted by Notanlines

These are are the numbers we're talking about.
Dry Weight10,338 lbs.
Payload Capacity3,597 lbs.
GVWR13,935 lbs.
Hitch Weight1,935 lbs.
The actual pin weight (hitch) of this unit will be approximately 20-25% of the GVWR of 13,935 or about 3,500 pounds. To this number you will need to add the weight of your fifth wheel hitch (200#), you and your SO and any pets (400#) plus any miscellaneous items you carry or have added on to the truck. You will need a one ton truck (F350, Ram 3500 GM3500) with a cargo capacity in excess of 4,100#.
These are real numbers, I've been doing this a long time. There are literally dozens and dozens of members on this site that are sharper than me and they will all come up with the same numbers, give or take.
I might also add that there are dozens and dozens of members on this forum towing 17K RV's with their 3/4 ton 'beasts.' The salesman and their friends told them 'That beast will haul anything.' Salesmen and friends always are the go-to source of good info....uh huh.
Also, you do NOT need a commercial license to drive an F350/450, or any of the 3500's of Dodge or GM in ANY state. Towing maybe another question if the weights exceed 26K.

[MTK46]

Same thing in California if over 26k gcvw. I'm over that but they seem to only pick on toyhaulers heading to Glamis.

[Dave A]

That was good timing. I got the class A a few years ago but just bought a toy hauler and heading for Glamis in December. Got a new toy!

Originally Posted by MTK46

Same thing in California if over 26k gcvw. I'm over that but they seem to only pick on toyhaulers heading to Glamis.