There's what you CAN tow according to the specs, and what you CAN tow according to real world situations. A load like that on a 1/2 ton light duty truck is going to be a miserable drive. As said, that 7500# is likely the dry weight, without water in the tanks and all your gear inside. Any trailer like that will also require trailer brakes and a control unit mounted in the truck. You would not be able to tow without them as the truck's brakes are not sufficient for a load that is that much more than itself. Do it right, you need a heftier truck to pull a load like that safely. I wouldn't consider ANY 1/2 ton truck for use in pulling a 5th wheel.

 

the 4:10 gears will help quite a bit, if you actually have them installed, along with some helper springs, or airbags, and keep the tranny outta overdrive, and install a cooler, and trans gauge, and possibly a deep pan

lord knows i use my truck for towing usually more than its rated for, please don't flame me again...you know who you are , with the 3:55s, it aint fun, with much over 6000 behind it

 

Maroon, let's be honest here. You do most of your towing on the farm, not out on the highway in traffic with other drivers. Apples and oranges, my friend.

 

you gotta good valid point there, but i have towed up at highway speed, with both gooseneck (similar to 5th wheel) and standard bumper pull
the gooseneck was with my moms F150, which kinda sucks as a tow rig (its got the bed thats like 5 foot long, and i busted out the back window turning around once

now's when i wish i already had that gooseneck hitch on my truck, so i could give some real world experience with towing a larger trailer with my truck

im done talking for now

 

One of the reasons I bought a truck was to tow my motorcycle trailer.I was using a jeep gc that I think it is rated for 5000lbs but up hills with half that weight I was going 45mph.

 

i wouldn't tow with a cherokee, or a grand for that matter due to them being unibody vehicles
i can actually feel and hear my jeep's unibody flexing pretty wickedly when im offroading

 

My Grand Cherokee towed fine, but the heaviest I ever towed with it was a 10X6 flatbed trailer with 3 ATVs and camping gear. I recently towed a 7500# load to the dump with my truck. 4500# on a flatbed trailer and 3000 pounds of rock in the bed plus the weight of the trailer. It pulled OK, but by the time I got to the dump (about 12 miles) the rims were toasty due to heat transfer from the brakes. I can't imagine driving any real distance with a load like that and no trailer brakes.

 

That cannot be true. My 24' Jayco travel trailer weighs 6900 dry. Loaded up it prolly weighs around 7200. There is no way that a 30' 5th wheel weighs that little. It has to be atleast 8000. Does it have any slide outs? Those add a lot of weight.

My Jayco has the sticker that tells what the trailer weighed and what it can weigh in the cabinet door above the kitchen sink. I forget who made Wilderness, it was either Thor or Forest River. But look in all the cabinets and the storage compartments (Outside and in) for that sticker. It is illegal to remove.

But if I were to tow a 5th wheel I would get a standard cab longbed 2WD Cummins or 7.3 Powerstroke. My uncle says that he would not ever attemt to tow a 5th wheel/Gooseneck camper with a 1/2 ton truck. I wouldnt attempt it either. Axles and frames are just not made to withstand that weight. Plus its illegal.

But anyway post pics.

 

don't do it.. I towed a 10,000# mini excavator once with a pintle style hitch.. max speed 45mph

 

I think the verdict has been reached. Get a Cummins or a v10. Next case.