# Do I Have Enough Tv



## chevy heavyduty (Jan 26, 2005)

My wife and I are very close to purchasing a new 28F-RLS. I have a 2003 Chevy 2500HD, with the 6.0 liter gas and 4:10 gears. All the print says I have plenty of vehicle. This will be our first camper. I would appreciate any input on how I can expect the HD to perform. We live in Pa. and plan on taking this to many NASCAR tracks, i.e Michigan, Charlotte, Bristol, and Richmond so we will be pulling through flat lands and hills. Thanks in advance.


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## our2girls (Jan 26, 2005)

Welcome!

You have PLENTY of TV capability..... PLENTY!


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## 54telluride (Feb 1, 2005)

Chevy,

Your TV is rated at a 12,000 lb max trailer wt and your 5 is listed at 9700 lbs loaded to the gills. It looks like you will be fine.
















Bruce


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## jallen58 (Oct 27, 2003)

PLENTY,PLENTY,PLENTY























JIM


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

The 6.0 with the 4.10 gives you plenty of capacity.

Mike


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

I'm jealous! I would say you are probably ok. However, when you have a 5th wheel, there are more factors involved than just the GVWR and the tow rating. Check the inside frame of the driver door for the weight rating tag. You should have a rating for Front Gross Axle Weight, Rear Gross Axle Weight, Gross Vehicle Weight, and Gross Combined Weight Rating (this one might be in the manual).

The next thing you have to do is weigh the vehicle with full tanks, passengers, and extra stuff (like generator, pin stabilizer, hitch, toys, etc). You need both the front axle weight and rear axle weight. From this point, you just have to do the math. The pin weight of the 28F RL-S is 1560 pounds dry, but you can expect it to be considerably more when you add toys to the basement of the 5. Conversely, it might be less if you have a light basement and add a full tank of fresh water which would tend to lift the pin. The only sure way to know is to hook it up and go weigh the entire unit. As before, get the weight for each axle of the pickup, plus get the weight of the trailer axles (both at once is ok).

I have a small .xls file that I made for some of my calculations. I believe it is correct, but you might want to look at the formulas to make sure. Otherwise, just plug in the numbers from the weights you got (empty and hooked up). The spread sheet will do the rest and tell you if you are within capacity for your rig and calculate the percentage of pin weight you have. It's a very simple spreadsheet and easily duplicated or changed.

http://www.rv.wasem.com/weights.xls


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Get two!

You'll be just fine.

Wayne


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Welcome chevy heavyduty to the group
I would also agree with everyone else PLENTY!!!
By the way were about in Pa are you at.
Don action


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

54telluride said:


> Your TV is rated at a 12,000 lb max trailer wt and your 5 is listed at 9700 lbs loaded to the gills. It looks like you will be fine.


While I do agree with everyone else -- that you have more then enough TV -- I don't think his truck is rated for 12K. I have an 02 2500HD with the same motor and gears and it's rated for 10K. I doubt GM increased the towing capability 20% for that setup in a single year.


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## chevy heavyduty (Jan 26, 2005)

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. Since everyone is so helpful and this is our first unit and are other camping friends have motorhome can you all suggest we you would feel and necessary accessories. I have seen 5th wheels with something like a scissor jack between the tires I assume to help prevent the unit for moving, are these a good idea. We are also going to purchase a generator. I was leaning toward a 4000 watt over the 5000 mainly because of the weight,its about 200lbs difference. Will the 4000 be enough, the wife LOVES the hair dryer!!!
What leveling accessories or just build my own? For Hootbob, we are in Erie Pa.
Thanks again for the info.
Keith


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## chevy heavyduty (Jan 26, 2005)

Thanks everyone for the quick replies. Since everyone is so helpful and this is our first unit and are other camping friends have motorhome can you all suggest we you would feel and necessary accessories. I have seen 5th wheels with something like a scissor jack between the tires I assume to help prevent the unit for moving, are these a good idea. We are also going to purchase a generator. I was leaning toward a 4000 watt over the 5000 mainly because of the weight,its about 200lbs difference. Will the 4000 be enough, the wife LOVES the hair dryer!!!
What leveling accessories or just build my own? For Hootbob, we are in Erie Pa.
Thanks again for the info.
Keith


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Welcome to OUTBACKERS!

I'll leave your questions to the 5'ver experts. (V's da man!)


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

You could almost write a book with the amount of info given on the various forums about generators. But hereâ€™s most of it in a nutshell.

Look for one that is quiet. The National Park Service requirement is less than 60 db at 50â€™ from the source. Many of the Hondaâ€™s, Onanâ€™s, and Yamahaâ€™s meet the criteria. Other brands also meet the requirement, but be sure and read the label carefully before plopping down the dough. Some Hondaâ€™s are not "really" Hondaâ€™s, but just have a Honda engine. They may or may not meet the noise requirement.

The next thing you want to look at is physical size. Some people have purchased one large 3k or 4k generator, but it is moderately heavy at about 150+ pounds. Others, myself included, have opted for two of the Honda eu2000iâ€™s which only weigh 46 pounds each. They tie together to give you 4k watts. (Actually, I haven't bought the second yet, but it's in the plan.) However, the larger single unit jobs have nice things like remote control starting. So, it kind of depends on what you want to heft around. Cost for two Honda 2000's is slightly less than a single 4k Yamaha as I recall.

But your real question -- will 4k be enough? Barely. It depends on what all is running when you throw the switch on for the hair dryer. If the a/c, tv, microwave, and several lights are all on, then the a 4k gen may shutdown when you add the hair dryer to the load. You will be able to run everything, but not always all at once. You have to be aware of how much each item draws at startup and while running, then do the mental math to determine if you should turn something on. And, of course, you have a few "hidden" items that you donâ€™t think of such as the converter charging your battery and the fridge if it is on electric or auto. 4k will do the job, but you have to watch it. You wouldnâ€™t have to concern yourself so much if you had a 5k. So, you need to balance that with the other factors of noise, weight, features, and bucks.

http://www.wisesales.com
http://www.mayberrys.com/

Both of the above normally have some of the best prices.


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## chevy heavyduty (Jan 26, 2005)

HootBob said:


> Welcome chevy heavyduty to the group
> I would also agree with everyone else PLENTY!!!
> By the way were about in Pa are you at.
> Don action
> [snapback]24856[/snapback]​


Thanks for the reply, we are in Erie. Should be placing the order within a week.


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

You have plenty!









But go buy a diesel anyway, just for fun!!!









Jason


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

That truck will push most other trucks faster than they can go!

Must be a trick question...

You got alot of truck there. I wouldn't worry.


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## RLW7302 (Feb 27, 2005)

chevy heavyduty said:


> My wife and I are very close to purchasing a new 28F-RLS. I have a 2003 Chevy 2500HD, with the 6.0 liter gas and 4:10 gears. All the print says I have plenty of vehicle. This will be our first camper. I would appreciate any input on how I can expect the HD to perform. We live in Pa. and plan on taking this to many NASCAR tracks, i.e Michigan, Charlotte, Bristol, and Richmond so we will be pulling through flat lands and hills. Thanks in advance.
> [snapback]24835[/snapback]​











Sounds like the same set up that I've got, though you don't say what cab type or bed length you have, or whether its 4x2 or 4x4. I have the Crew Cab, short bed and 4x4, which is probably the most limiting combo (6100 lb curb weight). It's still enough, although I come closer than I thought I would on the GVWR of the TV. Remember - all that pin weight (1560lbs dry, + ~20% of whatever you put in it) goes into the bed of the truck, and counts against the GVWR of the truck (9,200 lbs for the 2500HD). By the time I put the family, the dogs, the firewood, etc., in the truck, I'm very close to 9100 lbs. I've been through the hills of KY and IN without any problems ... not winning any speed races, but no problems.

Enjoy!


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

RLW is right, you'd be surprised how fast you can eat up weight. My F-250 isn't hacking it with an 8,800 GVWR. Going shopping tomorrow. Looking for something with a GVWR of 11k+ and GCWR of 21k+. That setup would be capapble of pulling the Montana 3500RL, which we get some day. But if it's too expensive, then I may have to settle for something with a GVWR of only 9700. An '02 F-350 falls into that category. It all depends on how many bucks I got to fork out.


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

chevy heavyduty said:


> I was leaning toward a 4000 watt over the 5000 mainly because of the weight,its about 200lbs difference. Will the 4000 be enough, the wife LOVES the hair dryer!!!


A 4KW generator should be just fine. You have enough wattage their to run the A/C and the microwave simultaneously, which are two of the 3 biggest draws in an RV (the refrigerator is another, but only if you run it off A/C and not propane). AAMOF, a lot of class C's come with 4KW, which seems to run the appliances in those rigs without problems.


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