Knowledge of Holiday trailers, requested...

[Zembonez]

Duramax 2500 should be able to pull a large trailer... but he has the full 6 foot bed. Stump has a half ton with the shorty bed.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Duramax 2500 should be able to pull a large trailer... but he has the full 6 foot bed. Stump has a half ton with the shorty bed.

Is the new short bed 5 feet, or 5.5 feet? I know instead of a 6ft and a 8ft bed, they now have 3 beds on the GM trucks, they call one short bed, a standard bed, and a long bed.

 

[Bigredmariner]

Short bed is 69.3 inches according to GM.

 

[Zembonez]

The problem with the super short GM bed (other than the fact that it's on a half ton truck) is that there isn't enough room for the fifth wheel hitch to fit over the axle without the cab interfering with the front of the trailer when turning. It's not far enough forward to clear.

Plus half ton trucks are not meant to carry the kind of weight this type of trailer normally has.

 

[OPGMC]

i don`t thin you can go wrong with these hardwall types.

Nope. Is there a reason you would rather have a pull behind rather than a 5th wheel?

If you aren't wanting to keep the bed clear for other stuff, I would get a 5th wheel. More weight over the rear wheels and IMO easier to pull around.

Easier to back up and maneuver too.

Shorty bed pickups don't do fifth wheels. Most here won't even do an in bed hitch unless you have an 8 foot bed. I've seen it done, but they don't recommend it.

Please do NOT buy a 5er for your 1500 short bed, like Jim said it can be done but it is not a great combo.

We have a 24 ft Frontier (made by KZ, recently a discontinued brand) it has front bunks and a smaller side slide where the couch is then a rear slide that has the queen bed so you have 4 or 5 extra feet where a regular unit would have a bed.

I don't have any good pictures but next time we go out I will snap some.
It is a 2005 KZ Frontier 2405, we like it a lot and have quite a few nights in it from 100 degrees to below freezing. There are absolutely better and worse brands out there but it comes down to personal preference, you've got to shop around and do some research. Jayco is a great product, Ill find some links for you for others in a minute here.

 

[Kennyray]

They don't make them as heavy as they used to, I have seen plenty of half tons pulling 25 foot fifth wheels with no problems

 

[Zembonez]

They don't make them as heavy as they used to, I have seen plenty of half tons pulling 25 foot fifth wheels with no problems

The lightest Jayco fifth wheel is listed at 7700 pounds UNLOADED - plus it has a 1450 pound tongue weight. That's way more than a half ton truck should be hauling already. It just can't be done safely. Pulling 8500 pounds behind a half ton truck is asking for a disaster. Operating at or beyond the extreme limit is not something I would do or recommend to anybody. Half ton trucks simply are not made for fifth wheels towing. That's what they make 2500 and 3500 models for..

 

[OPGMC]

They don't make them as heavy as they used to, I have seen plenty of half tons pulling 25 foot fifth wheels with no problems

True they make some light 5ers but I would not pull one with a 1/2 ton when you can get a TT with as much space, that's my take on it and everyone's is different.

 

[Z71 Kris]

I thought the crews had the 5.5' bed, which would be about the 70", so thats only 6'

 

[Stumpuller6.5]

my bed is a 5`8", so nogo on a 5th wheel, and i`m not looking for the extra weight anyways, this is not for long distance trips, just for little trips on the weekends to get away from home.

most of the trailers i see in the 27ft and shorter have a dry weight as high oas 7500#`s (+/-) that allows for up to 1050o max GCWR. my half ton is rated to tow 10600#`s, not that i intend to ever tow that much, i`d be happy staying well below 8k when leaded to the max of the trailer, so 5-6500k range unloaded whould be nice to stay under.