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Thread: Camper Manufacturers

  1. Top Of Page | #31
    Schoolbus's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    I have a SRW CCLB 2016 Ram 3500 w/factory air and my wife and I have been diligently searching for a retirement RV. You have to understand your truck's numbers to understand where your limits are as far as a trailer. Your truck is capable of pulling much more than it is rated for but it dosent mean you should. I have a SRW truck so that definitely limits the size of the 5th I can drag around, but my particular truck has some good numbers on it for towing the size of trailers we are looking at:

    -Max tow: 17,010 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -GCWR: 25,300 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Base truck weight: 7,825 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Cargo Carrying: 4,110 lbs (Max cargo from door sticker)
    -GVWR: 12,300 lbs (Gross vehicle weight rating from door sticker)
    -GAWR (Rear): 7,000 lbs (Gross axle weight rating from door sticker)

    Another factor to consider is how Ram gets to their numbers. They note the following from my tow guide:
    7. Trailer Weight Rating and Tow Vehicle Trailering Weight are calculated as specified in SAE J2807.
    Passenger Weight = 300 lb
    Options Weight = 100 lb
    Trailering Equipment Weight: 75 lb for Conventional Hitch, 70 lb for Gooseneck and 250 lb for 5th Wheel.

    All of that means I cannot exceed four numbers: (Max tow, GCWR, Cargo, and GAWR). I will weigh my truck so I know exactly what my base weight is so I can accurately determine safe towing limits. With all of those things in mind I established a few things (with self-imposed limits). I need to stay under 3,200 pounds of pin weight going down the road, I dont want to pull more than 16,000 pounds of GVWR on a trailer (to make me sleep better), and I want to stay under 40 feet because I am SRW. My wife loves space and makes me think we should have bought a dually, but frankly I dont want the hassle of driving one around. I have done it before and I dont like it.

    I am still a year or two from purchase and as long as the Marine Corps keeps me around, a few more past that until I hit 30 years. So far I have done a lot of digging on trailers and scoured the internet (The above linked website, manufacturer specific forums, etc) and we have subscribed to several YouTube full timers to gain more information. We have also walked through about five or six different manufactures and narrowed our desires down to one for sure brand and a few potentials.

    While we really liked a floor plan for the Montana 3780/3781RL, but their owners forum paints a bleak picture of after-the-sale assistance and long-term maintenance. We also liked a floor plan of the Cardinal Luxury 345RLX but it was too long. Both of those are possibilities. If we had to buy today, it would be a Grand Design 344GK-R which is near the limits of where I want to be but still has a floor plan and quality/customer service that is great. The only problem with them is price. You pay about a 5-6 thousand dollar premium to move into their floor plans for less space (compared to the other two manufacturers). They are heavier which signals better construction and the insulation rating is among the best in the industry.

    I recommend you look at manufacture floor plans on the internet, get an idea of features you want, find some walk-thru videos on YouTube, and then go walk the lots and touch everything in one.

    Once you have a few in mind, go to the manufacturer specific forums and read and ask questions.

    Hopefully that helped someone out.

    My Truck: 2016 Ram 3500 Laramie, granite crystal metallic/tan interior, CCLB SRW 4x4, 68RFE, 6.7 Cummins, rear air, 5th wheel pkg. MODS: MM3 w/tunes, EGR delete, ITC grid heater delete, GDP airhorn, GDP heater, ARP 625 head studs, FloPro 5", REVMAX billet VB, Synergy steering, Thuren .5" lift/sway, Fox remote res shocks, Morimoto HIDs and LED fogs.
    My 5th Wheel: 2022 Grand Design 390 RK, 3 ACs, Gen Prep, too much storage ~16,000 rolling.

  2. Top Of Page | #32
    Rambling Rump Ranger! SyN's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    your time you took to share all that info - is very much appreciated by myself & I'm sure a lot of others!

    2017 Bighorn (Delmonico Red & Chrome) CC-HD2500-4WD-6.7L-3:42w/Anti-Spin
    Oil: -SHELL- Rotella T6 5W-40 & T5 15W-40 combo w/LF16035
    68RFE/BW44-46/Power Steering: -Red Line- C+ ATF
    Frontend & Rearend: -Red Line- SAE GL-5 75W-90NS
    Many Small Mods: Interior & Exterior
    Mileage: 28,541

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  4. Top Of Page | #33
    DieselDingus's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    Quote Originally Posted by Schoolbus View Post
    I have a SRW CCLB 2016 Ram 3500 w/factory air and my wife and I have been diligently searching for a retirement RV. You have to understand your truck's numbers to understand where your limits are as far as a trailer. Your truck is capable of pulling much more than it is rated for but it dosent mean you should. I have a SRW truck so that definitely limits the size of the 5th I can drag around, but my particular truck has some good numbers on it for towing the size of trailers we are looking at:

    -Max tow: 17,010 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -GCWR: 25,300 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Base truck weight: 7,825 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Cargo Carrying: 4,110 lbs (Max cargo from door sticker)
    -GVWR: 12,300 lbs (Gross vehicle weight rating from door sticker)
    -GAWR (Rear): 7,000 lbs (Gross axle weight rating from door sticker)

    Another factor to consider is how Ram gets to their numbers. They note the following from my tow guide:
    7. Trailer Weight Rating and Tow Vehicle Trailering Weight are calculated as specified in SAE J2807.
    Passenger Weight = 300 lb
    Options Weight = 100 lb
    Trailering Equipment Weight: 75 lb for Conventional Hitch, 70 lb for Gooseneck and 250 lb for 5th Wheel.

    All of that means I cannot exceed four numbers: (Max tow, GCWR, Cargo, and GAWR). I will weigh my truck so I know exactly what my base weight is so I can accurately determine safe towing limits. With all of those things in mind I established a few things (with self-imposed limits). I need to stay under 3,200 pounds of pin weight going down the road, I dont want to pull more than 16,000 pounds of GVWR on a trailer (to make me sleep better), and I want to stay under 40 feet because I am SRW. My wife loves space and makes me think we should have bought a dually, but frankly I dont want the hassle of driving one around. I have done it before and I dont like it.

    I am still a year or two from purchase and as long as the Marine Corps keeps me around, a few more past that until I hit 30 years. So far I have done a lot of digging on trailers and scoured the internet (The above linked website, manufacturer specific forums, etc) and we have subscribed to several YouTube full timers to gain more information. We have also walked through about five or six different manufactures and narrowed our desires down to one for sure brand and a few potentials.

    While we really liked a floor plan for the Montana 3780/3781RL, but their owners forum paints a bleak picture of after-the-sale assistance and long-term maintenance. We also liked a floor plan of the Cardinal Luxury 345RLX but it was too long. Both of those are possibilities. If we had to buy today, it would be a Grand Design 344GK-R which is near the limits of where I want to be but still has a floor plan and quality/customer service that is great. The only problem with them is price. You pay about a 5-6 thousand dollar premium to move into their floor plans for less space (compared to the other two manufacturers). They are heavier which signals better construction and the insulation rating is among the best in the industry.

    I recommend you look at manufacture floor plans on the internet, get an idea of features you want, find some walk-thru videos on YouTube, and then go walk the lots and touch everything in one.

    Once you have a few in mind, go to the manufacturer specific forums and read and ask questions.

    Hopefully that helped someone out.
    Thank you for the in depth break down on this. No doubt that took a lot of time and it is much appreciated.

    What is really interesting to me is how close the numbers from my 17 2500 crew cab short bed 4x4 are to yours. Mine are as follows:

    -Max tow: 17,210 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -GCWR: 25,300 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Base truck weight: 7,617 lbs (per Ram towing guide https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
    -Cargo Carrying: 2,380 lbs (https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf) (2,000 lbs Max cargo from door sticker)
    -GVWR: 10,000 lbs (Gross vehicle weight rating from door sticker)
    -GAWR (Rear): 6,500 lbs (Gross axle weight rating from door sticker)

    Don't get me wrong, I have no plans of getting a camper that would grossly overload my truck. Not only for the safety aspect of it, but longevity as well. I am staying under 35 ft overall length and under 15,000 LBS GVWR, Those are parameters that I will not be budging one. But as far as the payload is concerned, I am going to stay close to it but if I go over a bit I am fine with that. The number seems to be how they keep the truck listed as a 3/4 ton (under 10,000 lbs). I have been looking at this for a while now and that is the only thing I can come up with on payload numbers vs overall axle capacity. I have noticed that the model numbers they list are a little misleading as to their length. For instance the mesa ridge 314RLS we like is not 31 FT, try closer to 36 FT!

    Thanks again for the info and for your service! Serving 30 years is something you and your family should be very proud of.


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  6. Top Of Page | #34
    Schoolbus's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    It is a pleasure to serve!

    Your biggest issue with a 2500 is the 2,000 pounds of cargo weight. I think you would find it to be quite capable of doing a bumper pull trailer. The problem with a 5th is many of them except the smaller ones have over 2,000 pounds of pin weight which is right over the axle.

    For you, you will not run into a situations where you will exceed the 6,500 pound weight rating of your rear axle if you stay withing all of the other parameters for your truck.

    My Truck: 2016 Ram 3500 Laramie, granite crystal metallic/tan interior, CCLB SRW 4x4, 68RFE, 6.7 Cummins, rear air, 5th wheel pkg. MODS: MM3 w/tunes, EGR delete, ITC grid heater delete, GDP airhorn, GDP heater, ARP 625 head studs, FloPro 5", REVMAX billet VB, Synergy steering, Thuren .5" lift/sway, Fox remote res shocks, Morimoto HIDs and LED fogs.
    My 5th Wheel: 2022 Grand Design 390 RK, 3 ACs, Gen Prep, too much storage ~16,000 rolling.

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  8. Top Of Page | #35
    Rambling Rump Ranger! SyN's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    I hope over time other RVers - chime in & share their experiences & weight numbers as well...

    I do admit - I wish I had bought a 3500 now knowing how truthfully limited the 2500 actually is - but it is what it is & I'm not doing it again!
    I'm sure the Wife & I can find the perfect 5th wheel for our wants & needs... We have 3-4 close friends who own very nice comfortable 5th Wheels - who tow with 2500 with never any issues.

    Like I've stated in the past - I do have future plans of adding rear air bags & upgrading the brakes @ all four corners... Yes! I do know this does not increase my total weight rating - in any way shape or form...
    I'm only doing it to help stabilize & help control that weight more effectively... As well as run the Reese Goose Box (hitch) along with the B&W gooseneck hitch ball...

    A big to those whom have so far contributed & shared your valuable info - it is very much appreciated!

    2017 Bighorn (Delmonico Red & Chrome) CC-HD2500-4WD-6.7L-3:42w/Anti-Spin
    Oil: -SHELL- Rotella T6 5W-40 & T5 15W-40 combo w/LF16035
    68RFE/BW44-46/Power Steering: -Red Line- C+ ATF
    Frontend & Rearend: -Red Line- SAE GL-5 75W-90NS
    Many Small Mods: Interior & Exterior
    Mileage: 28,541

  9. Top Of Page | #36
    Smoke's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    Here’s a couple links to help calculate what you can safely tow.

    https://fifthwheelst.com/


    http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-...eight-fw.shtml


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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  11. Top Of Page | #37
    Rambling Rump Ranger! SyN's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    I'm going to limit my 5th Wheel search to around the 11K-11,500 lb dry weight range with hopefully pin weighs between 1900 & 2200lbs.

    Then go from there - Still alot of looking & research to do...

    2017 Bighorn (Delmonico Red & Chrome) CC-HD2500-4WD-6.7L-3:42w/Anti-Spin
    Oil: -SHELL- Rotella T6 5W-40 & T5 15W-40 combo w/LF16035
    68RFE/BW44-46/Power Steering: -Red Line- C+ ATF
    Frontend & Rearend: -Red Line- SAE GL-5 75W-90NS
    Many Small Mods: Interior & Exterior
    Mileage: 28,541

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  13. Top Of Page | #38
    CumminsRamFF's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    In shopping for campers and diving deep into construction methods, for and finish, plumbing, material and components used etc and a balance point with price/value. We also talked to many current 5th wheel owners from friends, family and people in campgrounds. We narrowed it down to Rockwood line by Forest river and Grand Design. Then covid hit and there went getting a camper for now. We have used lance and mainstream also through the years with friends and family, just can't go for that price point and want a 5th wheel.


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  15. Top Of Page | #39
    Rambling Rump Ranger! SyN's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    Thank you @CumminsRamFF The wife & I will take your post into very high regards & considerations.

    We both have read MANY painstaking hours - about Pros & Cons & the largest amount of Pros have mostly come from the Grand Design brand.

    I have already decided - if we have to drag this out for 2 years choosing a new RV - I'm good with it!

    The RV and Tri-Toon will be my very last 2 large investments - since my home has been payed off for the last 12yrs.

    With that said - The Wife & I do understand Every Brand will have their many design flaws & glitches...

    Her main focus is finding her ideal floor plan - This will be the deciding factor when it comes to Brand...
    My main focus is finding the ideal hitch - which I found with the Reese 20Klb Goose Box (I feel a great fit with the Ram Puck system) & then the RV axles & Horrid Tire Issues...

    2017 Bighorn (Delmonico Red & Chrome) CC-HD2500-4WD-6.7L-3:42w/Anti-Spin
    Oil: -SHELL- Rotella T6 5W-40 & T5 15W-40 combo w/LF16035
    68RFE/BW44-46/Power Steering: -Red Line- C+ ATF
    Frontend & Rearend: -Red Line- SAE GL-5 75W-90NS
    Many Small Mods: Interior & Exterior
    Mileage: 28,541

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  17. Top Of Page | #40
    CumminsRamFF's Avatar

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    Re: Camper Manufacturers

    I know that with her wanting the perfect floor plan!

    Mine is the same, I keep telling her we hopefully will be spending more time outside then hanging out in the camper!

    I can say from experience on other trailers like my snowmobile trailer the Dexter torsion axle is amazing, however there are very few companies that are using them.

    The only thing I am finding is that the longer it drags out the more it gets confusing to remember which was which, and starts to feel like all we are ever going to do is look and never buy.

    There is a couple that we watch on YouTube that has going to full time rving, and they said in their one video that the perfect camper is the one that gets you on the road camping today!

    We are hoping to only by 2 or 3 over our camping lifetime so we are being picky like you guys.

    They are great to watch for info and advise though.

    I don't know if I'm allowed to put info here for outside sites like that if I can I'll put their channel name on here.

    And def yes Grand design has the largest number of pros!


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