One Week with my 1500

[TimGee]

So I've had my Ram 1500 for a week now and I love it. It's a pleasure to drive and I look forward to pulling my 19' Shasta Airflyte. I am well within towing capacity for that TT which is great as it was pushing my old Subaru Ascent with it's 5,000 lbs towing capacity - especially with it tongue weight limitations.

Over the past week I've been digging into the minutia of what the Ram's actual towing capacity is and I can't say I'm overly pleased. This is why:



It's my own fault but when I was deciding to buy a 1500 and I was plugging Vin number's into the Ram website's load calculator I didn't know enough to realize that payload goes hand and hand with towing capacity. What I've learned over the past week (through the posts on this great forum) is that my truck's max towing capacity would put (at 10% tongue weight) 1,109 lbs on the ball, which wold leave me with 83 lbs of remaining payload capacity. I don't think this truck was meant to be driven by a 12 year old boy in his skivies was it? Also, don't class 4 hitches (as equipped) max out at 10,000 lbs? So from what I can understand, this truck and it's max carrying stats based on Ram's own capacity calculator are just BS. They're a lie and have no bearing on real world use. Am I missing something?

 

[djevox]

I don't think this truck was meant to be driven by a 12 year old boy in his skivies was it?

Yes, yes it was.

 

[brewdad]

I do not tow anything, but it is my understanding that tongue weight is about 10% of the trailer total weight, so if you are towing 5,000 pounds your tongue weight is 500 pounds which leaves you with 692 pounds of payload if your truck has a total payload of 1192 pounds.

 

[LaxDfns15]

Class 4 hitches are rated up to 14k pounds (with a WDH). There isn't a real world Ram 1500 capable of towing 11k pounds without being over payload.

Payload is the absolute deciding factor in how much you can tow with any truck, but it really kills the 1500's. If your truck has a payload of 1192 pounds your truck is heavy. It's on the Limited end of heavy. My very well equipped Rebel is at 1500 pounds payload.

 

[nc_beagle]

So I've had my Ram 1500 for a week now and I love it. It's a pleasure to drive and I look forward to pulling my 19' Shasta Airflyte. I am well within towing capacity for that TT which is great as it was pushing my old Subaru Ascent with it's 5,000 lbs towing capacity - especially with it tongue weight limitations.

Over the past week I've been digging into the minutia of what the Ram's actual towing capacity is and I can't say I'm overly pleased. This is why:

View attachment 129305

It's my own fault but when I was deciding to buy a 1500 and I was plugging Vin number's into the Ram website's load calculator I didn't know enough to realize that payload goes hand and hand with towing capacity. What I've learned over the past week (through the posts on this great forum) is that my truck's max towing capacity would put (at 10% tongue weight) 1,109 lbs on the ball, which wold leave me with 83 lbs of remaining payload capacity. I don't think this truck was meant to be driven by a 12 year old boy in his skivies was it? Also, don't class 4 hitches (as equipped) max out at 10,000 lbs? So from what I can understand, this truck and it's max carrying stats based on Ram's own capacity calculator are just BS. They're a lie and have no bearing on real world use. Am I missing something?

I don't see the multi-function tailgate, sunroof, or ram boxes (some of the heavier options) in your signature. Why is your payload so low? Does the 6'4" bed affect it that much?

 

[J-Cooz]

So I've had my Ram 1500 for a week now and I love it. It's a pleasure to drive and I look forward to pulling my 19' Shasta Airflyte. I am well within towing capacity for that TT which is great as it was pushing my old Subaru Ascent with it's 5,000 lbs towing capacity - especially with it tongue weight limitations.

Over the past week I've been digging into the minutia of what the Ram's actual towing capacity is and I can't say I'm overly pleased. This is why:

View attachment 129305

It's my own fault but when I was deciding to buy a 1500 and I was plugging Vin number's into the Ram website's load calculator I didn't know enough to realize that payload goes hand and hand with towing capacity. What I've learned over the past week (through the posts on this great forum) is that my truck's max towing capacity would put (at 10% tongue weight) 1,109 lbs on the ball, which wold leave me with 83 lbs of remaining payload capacity. I don't think this truck was meant to be driven by a 12 year old boy in his skivies was it? Also, don't class 4 hitches (as equipped) max out at 10,000 lbs? So from what I can understand, this truck and it's max carrying stats based on Ram's own capacity calculator are just BS. They're a lie and have no bearing on real world use. Am I missing something?

What does your door sticker say. Does it match that number?
Also what is the weight of your trailer?

I don't know much about travel trailer but I assume a 19 footer is around 5,000lbs. With 10% you'd be at 500lbs tongue weight leaving you 600ish for people and gear.
Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

 

[jives]

My Rebel GT for comparison:

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

I'm OK with mine. My trailers max out at 7k:


Honestly, I was hoping for more with a 1/2 ton Diesel, but I know my 3.21 pushed down my towing capacity in favor of the fuel economy I want.

It might sound a little ignorant, but I do take capacities with a grain of salt. Proper loading, weight distribution, and responsible driving are a much bigger factor in how much you can carry. I purposely kept the sunroof, ramboxes, multi-gate, and air suspension out of the equation because I knew they would be heavy and hurt my payload.

I've seen them as low as 1050lbs, which is basically 5 adults and a cooler full of beer. I can promise you that even with all the bells and whistles, your 1500 can handle more than that. The main reason for the low numbers is in order to conform to the DOT's GVWR. The figures are incredibly conservative because your average moron is going to be going 85 down the highway with 10k strapped to his tail and absolutely no concept about trailer brakes or load distribution.

 

[TimGee]

I don't see the multi-function tailgate, sunroof, or ram boxes (some of the heavier options) in your signature. Why is your payload so low? Does the 6'4" bed affect it that much?

I do have the multi-function tailgate. I reduced that to "MTG" in my signature. (I'll revise that now). No sun roof. No ram boxes. I'm not sweating it for the trailer I'm pulling. I have plenty of capacity as my tongue weight on my single axle, 19' trailer is at most 550lbs. It's just the theoretical that has me scratching my head.

 

[TimGee]

I do not tow anything, but it is my understanding that tongue weight is about 10% of the trailer total weight, so if you are towing 5,000 pounds your tongue weight is 500 pounds which leaves you with 692 pounds of payload if your truck has a total payload of 1192 pounds.

Yeah. You're exactly right. It just seems a bit low. It's all the add-ons on my Laramie but I thought moving up to a 1/2 ton truck from my old Ascent would give me more breathing room when it came to hauling stuff while pulling a trailer. I have my wife and three kids so I'll need to pay attention to payload capacity even with the truck. Not a serious problem just a mild annoyance.

 

[TimGee]

My Rebel GT for comparison: View attachment 129347

Yeah, see? At max towing capacity you're at 1121 lbs on the ball. That leaves you 229 lbs of payload. So a larger adult male and a water bottle. This is all theoretical of course. If you're pulling a 11,000 lbs trailer you should be in a 2500 but . . . . . it's a bit deceptive. Lesson learned.

 

[Dr. Cheeseburger]

I know it isn't an apples to apples comparison but it definitely made me laugh that my wife's 2021 Audi Q7 has a higher payload rating than my Ram 1500:

 

[TimGee]

What does your door sticker say. Does it match that number?
Also what is the weight of your trailer?

I don't know much about travel trailer but I assume a 19 footer is around 5,000lbs. With 10% you'd be at 500lbs tongue weight leaving you 600ish for people and gear.
Sent from my SM-G781W using Tapatalk

Door sticker says GVWR of 7,100 lbs. The trailer weighs about 4,000lbs but puts about 520 lbs on the ball (level) since it's a single axle and it's tank placements.

 

[TimGee]

I went to a CAT scale a couple of days ago and I put together this cheat sheet. Tires carry more weight than the axles:

 

[mikeru82]

Yeah, see? At max towing capacity you're at 1121 lbs on the ball. That leaves you 229 lbs of payload. So a larger adult male and a water bottle. This is all theoretical of course. If you're pulling a 11,000 lbs trailer you should be in a 2500 but . . . . . it's a bit deceptive. Lesson learned.

Why would you opt for a large adult male? For that same 229 lbs of payload you could have two swimsuit models and a camera.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

I went to a CAT scale a couple of days ago and I put together this cheat sheet. Tires carry more weight than the axles: View attachment 129368

Tire capacity always exceeds axle capacity, axle capacity always exceeds GVWR, and they all have a Factor of Safety built in.

As far as towing capacity, I find it funny that our truck's towing capacity can swing so drastically across the lineup when we're talking about the same frame, body, tires, brakes, sway control, transmission, suspension, and hitch. The main variables are the engine and axle ratios, which translates to acceleration, and potentially up-hill power.

I find it funny my EcoDiesel is rated below most Hemi Engines when I have the Torque and Engine braking advantages. Granted, I opted for the 3.21, which brought me down 1000lbs, but effectively, the 3.21 only has a disadvantage from 0-24mph.

As I said before, these figures keep you with the law and the law is incredibly conservative to weed out the idiots. If you tow smart and load smart, there won't be a problem. My Frontier has pulled over 10K, granted I took all the side roads at 4am, I have 4 wheel electric trailer braking, plus a load distribution hitch.

Why would you opt for a large adult male? For that same 229 lbs of payload you could have two swimsuit models and a camera.

I'd have to go on a diet. I couldn't imagine towing at my max and not having enough payload left over to actually DRIVE it.

 

[TimGee]

Why would you opt for a large adult male? For that same 229 lbs of payload you could have two swimsuit models and a camera.

Thanks Mike. My wife just asked me, "What's so interesting on your computer? What are you doing?" Me, "Uhhh, nothing. Just researching the truck."

 

[mikeru82]

Thanks Mike. My wife just asked me, "What's so interesting on your computer? What are you doing?" Me, "Uhhh, nothing. Just researching the truck."

You're very welcome Tim When the wife asks me I just tell her I'm doing car porn.

 

[SnowBlaZR2]

If you're pulling a 11,000 lbs trailer you should be in a 2500 but . . . . . it's a bit deceptive. Lesson learned.

Sure, if you're doing it frequently. But, no reason to get a 2500 (payload isn't that great on some of those, either) to tow heavy once or twice a year.

 

[Ninety-9 SE-L]

Sure, if you're doing it frequently. But, no reason to get a 2500 (payload isn't that great on some of those, either) to tow heavy once or twice a year.

Agreed. For a while I considered jumping straight from the Frontier to a 2500, but I realized that a 2500 would be complete overkill and too much cost for the luxury I want. The 1500 is perfect for most 'prosumer' usage. The EcoDiesel actually made my transition a lot better, because I still wanted the torque and range of a Diesel.