Fith wheel hitch and Dodge Dakotas.

[Buckcreek]

has anyone here ever seen one. I use my dads trailer often but when i do i have to use his truck too. I thought about trying to find a hictch for my Dakota. The trailer is a 16' car hauling type trailer I dont know it may be to heavy for my little truck /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

I pull a 16' car hauling trailer with my '95 Dakota Sport, V6, 5 speed stick, but it's a tag axle trailer, not a 5th wheel. I don't think I've ever seen a 5th wheel hitch on a Dakota, but I don't think it's the weight of your trailer that would prevent it, but possibly the potential weight that someone might try to pull if the hitch was there.

Our trailer weighs about 1500#, and we haul cars and gear that weigh about 2500#. We also haul my NH TC18 which weighs about 2500# with attachment and loaded tires. We're right at the ragged edge for capacity with a V6 stick Dakota, which I believe is 4,000# with a Class III hitch (which I have), maybe 5,000#, I forget. I think the V8 automatic with tow package can go a fair amount more.

As I understand it, the towing capacity with a 5th wheel is 20% to 25% higher, at least on full size trucks with a tow package. I was looking at big 1 ton Fords and Dodges; one was rated around 15,000# with a tag axle and 19,200# with a fifth wheel.

Best thing you could do is talk to a hitch installer. They won't take any chances due to liability, so if they say, "yeah", you're pretty safe.

 

[Buckcreek]

Thanks for the reply im up late cant sleep. I did a google search and found some hitches for Dakotas. I may call around localy and see what they say. The trailer is a 16 foot fith wheel trailer its pretty nice , needs a paint job my dad bought it new befor he retired at 62 years of age, now he is 76. i would only be towing my little bx with it . i think i can get a hitch and a brake control cheaper than buying another trailer. I think i seen a sticker on the inside of the door of my dakota that said 6400lbs towing capacity, but i could be wrong. On on of the hitch sites it said 5700lbs towing for my truck . i will have to look at the owners manual.

 

[Bird]

Is it really a fifth-wheel hitch or is it a gooseneck?

 

[Buckcreek]

Bird it is a fifth-wheel hitch. Dad ordered it that way so he wouldnt have to change hitches from the one he uses on his 35' fifth-wheel camper. Mom and Dad loved to camp, but after mom passed away about 4 years ago he hasnt moved his camper. They were married 51 years, and hes lost with out her I quess the whole familly really is. She spoiled use all

 

[Dozernut]

Look at the sticker on the door frame. It will tell you the GVWR and the GCWR. The GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) tells you the weight the truck will haul, think of pushing straight down on your truck. This rating is for you, passengers, fuel, tool boxes or anything else you might haul while towing. Don't forget to add the weight of the hitch mounted in the bed of the truck. Scale your truck and find what the weight is (the way you will tow). I don't know what your GVWR is, but will use as an example that it is 5,500lbs. You scale your truck with you, everything in it and a full tank of fuel and come up with 4,500lbs (another guess). This leaves you with 1,000lbs. if the weight of the hitch on the trailer is less than 1,ooolbs than you are within the GVWR.
The GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) is the the combined weight of the truck and the trailer with load. Just for example lets say the GCWR on your truck is 11,000lbs. Lets say the empty weight of the trailer is 2,500lbs. You are going to haul a tractor with implements that weighs 5,000lbs. Now lets do some math, trailer 2500, load 5000, truck 4500 for a total of 12,000lbs. This is 1,000lbs heavier than the GCWR of 11,000lbs.
The truck would move this load but it will make it grunt. Another thing to consider is, do you have a brake controller in your truck? If not you could have a receipe for disaster. Sorry for the lengthy post, I hope this helps.

 

[RobertN]

We used to have some friends that towed one of the short lightweght 5th wheels with an '87 Dakota(v8/auto/2wd). I think it was like a 21'. They towed it around the California coast.

That's all I can tell you though. I never saw it. I only saw thier later truck and 5th wheel; a 3/4 Dodge with V10 and a 30' 5th wheel.

 

[Buckcreek]

Dozernut. The GVWR is 6010lbs, the maximum trailer weight with 150lbs allowance for driver is 4,800lbs. I dont know what my BX weighs , but i know its not 5000lbs /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I dont have a brake controller but what i was gettin at about using this trailer i could probably get a hitch and a controller cheaper than i could buy a lesser eguipt trailer /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif My Dad frowns against me pulling it with my Dakota. He has been around trucks as a driver and mechanic all his life . but i think it might do it. I will question him on what the trailer weighs . OH yeah the payload is 1450lbs. He said i could take the trailer and have the fifth-wheel cut off and have a regular tonque weld on it but i dont want to mess with it i could buy one cheaper. If he was able and still had his welders and torches he could do it. but he is gettin so he doesnt get around to well. ive seen him cut big truck in half and shorting them or lengthen them and build his own service trucks. Man i wish i had inherited his talents. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Dozernut]

Here is site that has Prodigy brake controllers for $99 + shipping. This is a good controller and a good price. Controller
All the weights I gave were just examples and it sounds like you have a back ground with trailers and a very experienced and talented father. Good luck!

 

[Buckcreek]

Dozernut, i knew you were giveing examples, and i appreciate the information /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif You know i never really thought about passengers and cargo besides the trailer /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif My dad is always trying to tell my sisters about overloading suvs , and one time one of them went to myrtle beach with a s-10 blazer over loaded was flying down hills like she was running empty and lost her brakes. She got stoped alright and called dad and said her brakes were out. she didnt have the money on here to have it checked out . so dad loaded up this trailer and drove all night to get to her saying all the way that the brakes were ok she just got them hot. got there they worked fine but he still loaded up the blazer and hauled it back home, with out sleep. I think he was on the road about 18 hrs or more. this was only 6years ago, he was 70 at the time. I wish he would buy a new truck and just give me his old f350, it just has 219K on it /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Then i wouldnt worry about a trailer.