I have a 2003 Ram 2500 quad cab 4x4 shortbed with the 5.7 hemi. Is this truck capable of pulling a 29-31 ft 5th wheel camper to and from the lake 20 miles one way? Any mods you recommend before hand? Thanks for the help!

 

Most likely but it depends on the weight of the camper. Doesnt matter how far you tow it. You are either within specs or you arent. There are several ultra light 5th wheels on the market right now so weight is not always dictated by the length. With a 5th wheel you need to make sure you are good on the hitch weight as well as the overall weight and dont try to push the envelope. For a shortbed, you will want a slider hitch. They cost more but not as much as replacing a rear window.

 

I've never had a problem with a gooseneck hitch on a shortbox, I suppose it depends on the trailer.
That's a pretty short haul, I wouldn't worry too much about mods and just make sure the truck is in good shape (check brakes, tuneup, etc. )
Depending on tongue weight you might want to look into using air-bags. Personally I'd pull the trailer and you'll know what you need for mods soon. A 2500 should be up to the task

 

I also wouldn't worry about any mods for the first short trip like that. If for some reason it's a model with a real high pin weight (over 2500# loaded), then some suspension upgrade might be nice but you won't know how much she sags until you hook up. There aren't too many 5'ers that size a 2500 hemi won't move but you're quite likely to be over some of your weight limits, and the speed at which you move will depends on terrain, gears etc etc.

 

I have a 08 2500 hemi long box 4dr 3.73s with superchip an few other little things and i pull a 28' 5th wheel 6890# empty guessin 7500-8000 loaded. hemi pulls it just fine. expect to run some higher rpms up hills and suck some gas. i avg 8mpg pullin camper. I usually keep pullin to with in an hr a home due to impatient young kids so i would never make up the $6000+ itd cost to buy another diesel.

 

It's not a gooseneck, it's a 5th wheel. Yes conversion kits can be bought to make a 5'er fit a gooseneck hitch, but be careful that the RV can handle it or it'll get messy quick.

Jesskidoo, I looked into what it would take for my 1500 to pull even a light 5th wheel. I quickly found the issues were not with the total trailer weight but, rather, were with the hitch or pin weight. A 2500 should deal with many 5'ers just fine but a 1500 is not spec'd to handle most of them - even though, as you can see by some sig pics around here, a lot of people do it anyway and think that airbags can make up the difference. Man, would DMV enforcement love to see them going down the highways around here.

 

No air bags here ... I know the numbers, I've scaled the rig multiple times. Back to Op's thread