Godzilla or HEMI? Your 5th Wheel's PIN Weight Decides
The Retirement Rig TV
16,532 views
Ford's own 15% rule puts about 1,800 pounds of a 12,000-pound fifth wheel on the truck bed, and that number decides Godzilla or HEMI.
The 12,000 pounds is an example weight taken from viewer comments. Ford's towing guide sets the king pin load for a fifth wheel at 15% of the loaded trailer weight. That load comes out of the truck's payload along with the hitch, the passengers and everything else you carry.
Here is the math on a 2024 Ram 2500 HEMI crew cab 4x4 with the 6-foot-4-inch bed, which Ram lists at 3,270 pounds of payload. Take away 1,800 pounds of pin weight, 250 pounds that Ram's footnote allows for fifth wheel equipment, and 300 pounds for two passengers, and 920 pounds remain. That means about 72% of the payload is gone before the first bag is packed. If the pin weight lands at 20% instead, 320 pounds remain, and a truck scale tells you which number applies to your own rig.
That same HEMI is listed at 3,090 to 3,900 pounds of payload depending on cab, bed and drive. Ford's camper cargo chart shows a 302-pound gap between a 7.3-liter F-250 and a 7.3-liter F-350 single rear wheel, both crew cab 4x4, at 2,566 pounds against 2,868 pounds. The two charts use different tests, so the video does not compare them head to head.
The Godzilla is rated at 430 horsepower and 485 pound-feet, the HEMI at 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet, and the video reads owner comments from both sides as single reports.
Have you weighed your own pin weight? Write it in the comments with your trailer's loaded weight and your truck's cab, bed and drive, and we can see how close 15% came to the real thing.
The method fits on one line: the payload on your door sticker, minus the pin weight, minus the hitch, minus the people.
Chapters:
0:00 The 1,800-Pound Pin Weight: Godzilla or HEMI
0:55 Walt and Carol and a 12,000-Pound Fifth Wheel
2:52 Ford's 15% King Pin Rule Explained
4:28 Payload Math on a 2024 Ram 2500 HEMI
5:44 When Pin Weight Runs 20%, Not 15%
7:27 Why Ram 2500 Payload Swings With the Body
9:09 Ford F-250 vs F-350 Cargo Ratings
10:37 Godzilla vs HEMI Specs and Owner Reports
14:18 What a Tow Rating Assumes
16:10 Three Ram Trucks Against Three Trailer Weights
18:02 3.73 vs 4.10 Gears and Tow Ratings
19:29 The Door Sticker Method
New to the channel? The Retirement Rig TV breaks down one big-ticket retirement purchase at a time, with real numbers and no hype.
#FifthWheelTowing #TruckBuying #RetireeAdvice
9 Comments
Godzilla or HEMI? Your 5th Wheel's PIN Weight Decides
The Retirement Rig TV
16,532 views
Ford's own 15% rule puts about 1,800 pounds of a 12,000-pound fifth wheel on the truck bed, and that number decides Godzilla or HEMI.
The 12,000 pounds is an example weight taken from viewer comments. Ford's towing guide sets the king pin load for a fifth wheel at 15% of the loaded trailer weight. That load comes out of the truck's payload along with the hitch, the passengers and everything else you carry.
Here is the math on a 2024 Ram 2500 HEMI crew cab 4x4 with the 6-foot-4-inch bed, which Ram lists at 3,270 pounds of payload. Take away 1,800 pounds of pin weight, 250 pounds that Ram's footnote allows for fifth wheel equipment, and 300 pounds for two passengers, and 920 pounds remain. That means about 72% of the payload is gone before the first bag is packed. If the pin weight lands at 20% instead, 320 pounds remain, and a truck scale tells you which number applies to your own rig.
That same HEMI is listed at 3,090 to 3,900 pounds of payload depending on cab, bed and drive. Ford's camper cargo chart shows a 302-pound gap between a 7.3-liter F-250 and a 7.3-liter F-350 single rear wheel, both crew cab 4x4, at 2,566 pounds against 2,868 pounds. The two charts use different tests, so the video does not compare them head to head.
The Godzilla is rated at 430 horsepower and 485 pound-feet, the HEMI at 410 horsepower and 429 pound-feet, and the video reads owner comments from both sides as single reports.
Have you weighed your own pin weight? Write it in the comments with your trailer's loaded weight and your truck's cab, bed and drive, and we can see how close 15% came to the real thing.
The method fits on one line: the payload on your door sticker, minus the pin weight, minus the hitch, minus the people.
Chapters:
0:00 The 1,800-Pound Pin Weight: Godzilla or HEMI
0:55 Walt and Carol and a 12,000-Pound Fifth Wheel
2:52 Ford's 15% King Pin Rule Explained
4:28 Payload Math on a 2024 Ram 2500 HEMI
5:44 When Pin Weight Runs 20%, Not 15%
7:27 Why Ram 2500 Payload Swings With the Body
9:09 Ford F-250 vs F-350 Cargo Ratings
10:37 Godzilla vs HEMI Specs and Owner Reports
14:18 What a Tow Rating Assumes
16:10 Three Ram Trucks Against Three Trailer Weights
18:02 3.73 vs 4.10 Gears and Tow Ratings
19:29 The Door Sticker Method
New to the channel? The Retirement Rig TV breaks down one big-ticket retirement purchase at a time, with real numbers and no hype.
#FifthWheelTowing #TruckBuying #RetireeAdvice
It doesn't take much gear and add ons to eat up weight. The 2004 Dodge Ram 3500 I towed it with between tools, replacement front bumper, gooseneck hitch, and bed liner it took rated payload from 4600lbs to 3500 lbs.