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Can this truck pull a 5th wheel camper?

496truck

496truck

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Carver MA
72 K20 454 700r4 205 D44 front D60 ff rear with unknown gear ratio at this time and 35s. Let's assume 3.73s (aka, not enough gear).
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I could regear the axles for him. But I think he'd be overworking that D60 rear.

I could swap in a D60/14ff with 4.56s. Will the square body D60 bolt into this chassis? And I can weld rear spring perches cause I'm sure they'll need to be moved.

I could swap in a rear 14ff with 4.56 and regear the front to match.

I already told him the 700r4 is a weak point and we talked about getting a Bowtie Overdrive trans built for what he plans on doing. I also discussed smaller tires for towing.

But, solid frame, suspension, body, bed, etc... Can this truck tow a 5th wheel camper if built accordingly? I need all your collective thoughts on this. Any advice. Any recommendations.

The owner is retired military. Biker. Mason. And has a little money put away for this but not a lot coming in every month. Just wants a simple life in his camper and to be able to pull his home wherever he feels like staying (like warmer states in the winter).
 
How big a 5th wheel we talking about?
I would advise adding some air bag helpers as well. Just to keep things stable.
 
I don't really know, what's a 5th wheel weigh? 10-12k?

1200 lb tongue weight?

Air bags noted. :waytogo:
 
Has he bought the camper yet? They do make lite weight campers now that are around 7k-8k unloaded.
 
Already owns the camper, had it towed to the campground he's staying at for the summer. I haven't seen it myself and he thinks it's a 12k so, let's assume it's a bigger one. Plan for the worst I guess.
 
No it wont.........You better just give to me so you don't embarrass yourself. :D
 
a 14 bolt or Dana 80 rear end (with discs preferably) and a tranny cooler along with the bags, and that would be a nice tow rig. it already has Hydraboost brakes...
 
You need to find out what this RV is EXACTLY. If he's trying to live in it, chances are it's a bigger one. The triple axle RV's can get pretty heavy. Tandem axle trailers with 7K 8 lug axles can get as heavy as 14K or so once they get filled with goods and especially water. Thats still not very heavy IMHO, but if it's a 3 axle, that is a bit much for that truck .

I don't see the D60 in the back being an issue, it's a FF and a 454 doesn't have the balls to really do much damage to it.

Honestly, I'd sell that truck and get something nicer. Seriously, if he wants to drive around the country pulling an RV, I'd rather do in it in something quieter, good A/C, more power than a carbed 454, a more reliable trans, something that rides better, and most importantly something that gets better fuel mileage than that old 454. If he can't afford something pretty new, look into an older Dodge Cummins or OBS 7.3 PSD. Mid 90's Dodges can be had for around $10K for something decent, and a good buy is an OBS 7.3 if he's really strapped for cash. I just picked up another OBS 7.3 F350 4x4 for $4500. Dump another $2K into it to make it cross country road worthy and he'd have twice the truck than the old GMC.
 
Very "iffy" if it's a 5th wheel trailer.

Why is there a need/desire for 4WD? Most campgrounds don't require 4wd to get into to. The 4wd takes away towing capacity.
 
rjfguitar said:
Honestly, I'd sell that truck and get something nicer. Seriously, if he wants to drive around the country pulling an RV, I'd rather do in it in something quieter, good A/C, more power than a carbed 454, a more reliable trans, something that rides better, and most importantly something that gets better fuel mileage than that old 454. If he can't afford something pretty new, look into an older Dodge Cummins or OBS 7.3 PSD. Mid 90's Dodges can be had for around $10K for something decent, and a good buy is an OBS 7.3 if he's really strapped for cash. I just picked up another OBS 7.3 F350 4x4 for $4500. Dump another $2K into it to make it cross country road worthy and he'd have twice the truck than the old GMC.
Click to expand...

This is on the right track.... Once you buy the diesel and complete the drivetrain swap your done.:D

Those body lines will never be the same as a mid 90s anything....
 
Perhaps the best thing to do would be:

1) The present trailer stays put until funds for a suitable truck come in. i'm thinkng 2002-2008 dually with diesel.

2) Or sell the 5th wheel trailer, get a tag-a-long trailer (non 5th-wheel) and the present truck should be able to tow one of those no problem if it's not too long.
 
Also need to find out of the truck is too tall for the trailer before you worry about pulling it.

That's truck doesn't look too tall. But you never know.
 
It'd probably pull a 24-26' bumper pull trailer just fine...
 
The rear is plenty strong for into the 10-12k range. With 35s a fifth wheel is up there pretty high. Gearing would be fine if he went back to stockish size tires and springs. Then the fifth wheel will sit at a better height as well. It's a nice gmc. I wouldn't want to part with it either. But for long distance driving it's not really the best choice. But as long as everything is gone through and checks out I wouldn't worry too much about driving it. Just one guys opinion.
 
All good input so far. :waytogo:

Now, lets answer some more questions....

The truck was an impulse buy. He wanted something old, specifically. He has reasoned this to me using the "end of the world" scenario (I don't argue with this dude, just smile n nod :D). "An EMP will wipe out a newer car, I can get this trick back up n running by just replacing a coil n battery" I didn't want to mention Mythbusters blowing that theory out of the water, as an EMP will just confuse a modern car for a minute, then it's fine. So, this is what I have to work with :rolleyes:.

I haven't asked but I'm pretty sure the camper was an impulse buy too. He hates his apartment, wanted a place to stay in that was seperate from anyone else and could be moved if needed. The "traveling to warmer states" was an after thought just brought up this week after I got the truck running an all 8 cylinders instead of 6.5-7. In case you're wondering, 1 plug completely fouled out and one way over gapped to the point I'm sure it was missing under load. New cap, rotor, wires, plugs had it sorted out.

I tried to tell him about getting another truck. That comes with other expenses. First, selling this one and trying to get back most of what he paid for it (yes, he over paid). He doesn't have money in the budget for a monthly payment. Plus, newer trucks come with newer (read higher) repair costs.

This whole thing is more of a "can it be done" than "what he should've done". And the camper weight is a huge factor anyways, I'll look into that further. Thanks peeps!
 
He'd have better luck with a 5th wheel than bumper pull cuz it puts the weight over the axle and closer to the center of the truck instead of just an anchor out back. All other things being equal
 
I called a friend of a friend who hauls a huge 5th wheel with his 69 pickup. He put airbags under it. Huge front and rear anti roll bars ( not stock big ones) and some sort of high dollar special 5th wheel hitch. After that he claims it tows like a newer truck. Other than the 5 mpg he gets. It sounds like he estimates all his costs on 4mpg. But as far as being safe and feeling comfortable it seems he does
 
I wouldn't try and pull 12k with that glass transmission.
 
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