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Brutal_HO said:
Coil sprung trucks' axle also moves laterally where a leaf spring doesn't (or isn't supposed to and therefore significantly less by design). The coil spring perch is also inboard as compared to the leaf.
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they both move the axle the same as the control arms for the coil sprung push the axle back as the springs compress the same as a leaf spring does.

Inboard coils only really change the stability

Not saying leafs are not better but coils are way underestimated considering the factory coils going by the spring rate numbers on my truck are rated at 6700lbs which is more than the axle cap put in place by ram engineers
 
Darmichar said:
Couldn't agree more. I've been looking at toy haulers lately and have come to the conclusion that it is either going to be a bumper pull or a gooseneck 'horse trailer' garage/living quarters type trailer.
For me and the way I would use it, 5th wheel trailers are:
1. Way too high profile. They're just too tall for my liking. I'd like to maximize fuel economy as much a possible. I learned the hard way buying a pontoon boat as my first boat that we trailered from lake to lake, the lower the better.
2. Require me to have a several hundred pound device in the bed that I have to deal with if I want to use my truck as a truck and haul something in the bed.

I like the convenience of bumper pulls/goosenecks for being able to hook up to them and go without too much work or extra weight involved.
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Same here, my dream is a Gooseneck 8.5ft wide with living quarter and 18 ft garage for the racecar or RZR. I would all self build the interior, insulate and build it lightweight with aluminum components.
Not a big fan of these high profile 5th wheels, they look like 6 MPG. Somewhat embarrassing that such uneconomical things are still being build. Time for the young generation to demand and design a more resource friendly solution. I heard modern Semi trucks pushing 8MPG nowadays.
A tag camper trailer is probably a reasonable solution, especially when you think air stream for quality, economy and luxury.
 
fuchsroehre said:
Same here, my dream is a Gooseneck 8.5ft wide with living quarter and 18 ft garage for the racecar or RZR. I would all self build the interior, insulate and build it lightweight with aluminum components.
Not a big fan of these high profile 5th wheels, they look like 6 MPG. Somewhat embarrassing that such uneconomical things are still being build. Time for the young generation to demand and design a more resource friendly solution. I heard modern Semi trucks pushing 8MPG nowadays.
A tag camper trailer is probably a reasonable solution, especially when you think air stream for quality, economy and luxury.
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That's the other issue I'm dealing with. I have a quad cab Northstar Ranger that comes in right at 12' long. The only thing I've found so far that will accomodate that rather easily without parking it in the kitchen of the camper is the gooseneck living quarter trailers.
 
H3LZSN1P3R said:
they both move the axle the same as the control arms for the coil sprung push the axle back as the springs compress the same as a leaf spring does.

Inboard coils only really change the stability

Not saying leafs are not better but coils are way underestimated considering the factory coils going by the spring rate numbers on my truck are rated at 6700lbs which is more than the axle cap put in place by ram engineers
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My comment was not in reference to rearward motion, but the side to side motion introduced by the panhard bar that's used, hence my choice of the word "laterally," which literally means side to side.

The RAM 2500 coil setup isn't a triangulated or 4-link setup so it stands to reason the axle moves side to side (aka laterally), as well as having more inboard springs, therefore, it's less stable by design. Lateral motion combined with fore and aft motion is a recipe for disaster. It may be minimal, but if it's enough to introduce instability, then it's not an optimal tow pig. I'm not a physics major, but that there is physics.

I can't count on both hands and feet (and I have all my digits) the number of posts on various forums I've seen 2500 owners trying to solve swaying issues that are just not present in the leaf sprung 3500. Maybe the owners are incapable of getting them dialed in like you're able, but it seems it's inherently more difficult than it should be for the majority of owners.
 
Darmichar said:
That's the other issue I'm dealing with. I have a quad cab Northstar Ranger that comes in right at 12' long. The only thing I've found so far that will accomodate that rather easily without parking it in the kitchen of the camper is the gooseneck living quarter trailers.
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i have a 22 ranger crew on order right now the best option for me is towing it behind my 36ft park model otherwise a GN setup like you want your going to be at 3500-4k pin weight
 
Brutal_HO said:
My comment was not in reference to rearward motion, but the side to side motion introduced by the panhard bar that's used, hence my choice of the word "laterally," which literally means side to side.

The RAM 2500 coil setup isn't a triangulated or 4-link setup so it stands to reason the axle moves side to side (aka laterally), as well as having more inboard springs, therefore, it's less stable by design. Lateral motion combined with fore and aft motion is a recipe for disaster. It may be minimal, but if it's enough to introduce instability, then it's not an optimal tow pig. I'm not a physics major, but that there is physics.

I can't count on both hands and feet (and I have all my digits) the number of posts on various forums I've seen 2500 owners trying to solve swaying issues that are just not present in the leaf sprung 3500. Maybe the owners are incapable of getting them dialed in like you're able, but it seems it's inherently more difficult than it should be for the majority of owners.
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Fair point the Trac bar does allow for some lateral movement but the leaf sprung system does also allow for some minimal lateral shifting in the bushings

Im still not saying the 2500 is a replacement for the 3500 as i am always looking for a new 3500 dually for better towing but with a new low optioned tradesman costing 100,000 its not worth it when my 2500 is extremely capable especially when i get a set of air bags
 
Greenhills said:
Unpopular Opinion: People who tow need to stop buying 2500's.
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He’s not wrong. If you’re towing anything more than a single car trailer or 10k equipment trailer you run out of truck pretty quick.

It happens too often people buy a 2500 cummins and think they can pull anything and start shopping big boy trailers only to find out the payload isnt there
 
Richard.Swinger said:
Darmichar thank you for that perspective, I didn't really consider just how much higher that 5th wheel was; significantly higher that the TT we were comparing it to! And yeah... 300lbs of steel in the bed of my truck not only takes up a lot of space, but is also extremely cumbersome to take in and out being as I live in a fairly suburban area with only a standard garage. Great points man!

Sent from my Pixel 3a XL using Tapatalk
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Three words - Andersen Ultimate Hitch. 35 pounds and is weight rated higher than any 5er your truck can pull. Been using mine for three years and over 15k miles. No problems whatsoever.
 
maxx442 said:
Three words - Andersen Ultimate Hitch. 35 pounds and is weight rated higher than any 5er your truck can pull. Been using mine for three years and over 15k miles. No problems whatsoever.
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I'm glad it's working well for you. I did look into those and there are reports of those failing spectacularly.
Granted, I take stuff like that with a grain of salt because you never know what they've been subjected to, but I don't think I could ever personally trust that hitch.
 
I have a 2500 and I agree that Mopar markets the truck as being able to haul much heavier loads than the payload indicates. Just look at any of their literature, websites, or towing charts. No where, anywhere will you find payload info for a diesel with upgraded trim. And sure they will gladly sell you a decked out limited with the 5th wheel prep. What that tells me is that the GAWR will handle it. It’s in all their photos. They just aren’t going to say that to keep the truck listed as a class II rig.
 
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Darmichar said:
I'm glad it's working well for you. I did look into those and there are reports of those failing spectacularly.
Granted, I take stuff like that with a grain of salt because you never know what they've been subjected to, but I don't think I could ever personally trust that hitch.
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Two verified failures. In actuality, they were not even failures. #1. Overloaded 5'er with no brakes, tow vehicle rear-ended semi. #2. Truck/5'er combo hit from rear by larger truck when stopped at traffic light. Don't believe everything you read on the innerwebs and RV sites. But you know...opinions...yada, yada, yada. Most people condemning them have never seen one in person let alone have any experience. Back to our originally scheduled program.
 
maxx442 said:
Two verified failures. In actuality, they were not even failures. #1. Overloaded 5'er with no brakes, tow vehicle rear-ended semi. #2. Truck/5'er combo hit from rear by larger truck when stopped at traffic light. Don't believe everything you read on the innerwebs and RV sites. But you know...opinions...yada, yada, yada. Most people condemning them have never seen one in person let alone have any experience. Back to our originally scheduled program.
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I agree. I have friends that travel the west with very large and heavy heartland 5ers and love their Anderson hitches. My local hitch guy says that’s the hitch to buy, he sold me my last Curt 5er hitch. Also, have a buddy in sales at Camping World and he says every other 5er goes out with the Anderson hitch. FWIW
 
maxx442 said:
Two verified failures. In actuality, they were not even failures. #1. Overloaded 5'er with no brakes, tow vehicle rear-ended semi. #2. Truck/5'er combo hit from rear by larger truck when stopped at traffic light. Don't believe everything you read on the innerwebs and RV sites. But you know...opinions...yada, yada, yada. Most people condemning them have never seen one in person let alone have any experience. Back to our originally scheduled program.
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I have data that shows otherwise like the panic stop (deer avoidance) failure. There are many others. I have personally spoken to or conversed with several (prior) AUH owners regarding their failures. Andersen buries all the bad press about the AUH.

Believe what you want, but any debate regarding AUH is limited to exactly one post per member. It derails every hitch thread if left unchecked,
 
If you are considering a 5th wheel you better just go 3500 SRW/DRW and quit screwing around.

The 5th wheel prep is all a gooseneck prep which most 2500s Are good with.
 
MEGA HO 3500 said:
Problem solved. :D

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What could go wrong????!!!
 
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