So my wife and I are going to be getting a truck and a fifth wheel soon. We’re using it for full time so it’s going to be a bigger guy for sure. But in my months of research, article reading, and trolling YouTube, I cannot understand what capacity tow rating I need versus the weight I’ll be actually carrying in an RV/fifth wheel. I’m trying to understand these numbers and abbreviations. Things like GVWR, GCWR, dry weight, wet weight, and I’m honestly not understanding the actual figures. Every explanation I’ve found just seems to repeat the same words in a different order and it doesn’t help. Sooooo, explain it like I’m five: what is the tow rating I need and the actual capacity of what a fifth wheel should hold? I swear I’m not an idiot, I just don’t understand.
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Dry weight: Vehicle without fluids. Ignore this, you’ll never see the truck in this state.
Wet weight (or curb weight): Vehicle with all fluids and fuel ready for you to get in and drive. So, just like it was presented to you at the dealer.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR): The total weight you can have on your truck’s axles. This includes the truck curb weight, people, cargo (in truck and in bed), and the weight the trailer puts on the tongue (or fifth wheel). So count all your weights in the truck, add the fifth wheel weight, and get a truck that has a GVWR higher than that. The trailer manufacturer will list the fifth wheel weight with nothing in the trailer (this will go up if you put anything in the trailer in front of the axles).
Gross Combined [Vehicle] Weight Rating (GCWR or GCVWR): Combined is the key word here. Weight of truck, passengers, and cargo, and the total weight of the trailer including contents (don’t count the tongue weight twice, just truck, people, cargo, trailer). Same as above, add it up and get a truck that exceeds this number. The trailer manufacturer will list the total trailer weight with nothing in it, you add what you plan to put in the trailer.
Your truck must be good enough to handle both numbers, not just one or the other.
Public service announcement:
Towing can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing, especially with a heavy fifth wheel. Even things like how you distribute cargo in the trailer can be dangerous, such as putting too much extra weight in the back can cause instability that makes you get into a side to side swaying. Read the owner manuals of truck and trailer. The truck maker web site most likely has a comprehensive towing guide for your truck.
Talk to the guy selling the RV. Milk him for all the advice you can if they want a sale. Then do the same at the truck dealer. Remember to order the truck with the highest towing package. Another thing you’ll have to learn is how to adjust the brakes on the trailer. Too little trailer braking and your truck does too much work and stopping distances increase a lot (possibly dangerously, like you hit the brakes and the trailer pushes you through the intersection). Too much trailer braking and you may lock up your trailer brakes as it tries to drag your truck to a stop, which is bad. You can feel when the trailer is pushing you when you brake, so you adjust up a bit.
Or, find an RV club near you and ask, ask, ask.
Also, if you’re doing this a lot as you say you may want to consider a diesel truck, as they’re well-suited to a lot of heavy hauling. You can get away with a much smaller diesel too. For example with the Chevys the 3.0l six cylinder diesel can haul just about as much as the 6.2l gas V8 (both around 19,000 GCWR), and a lot more than the 5.3l gas V8.
Never be afraid to ask a towing question, as your life may depend on the missing knowledge. Ask away, about that or diesels.
Edit: I have no experience towing RVs, but a lot towing trailers.
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