Please post your Tire and Loading sticker

[devildodge]

@bazbob there will be no issues going from 22 to 20 inch wheels. Get a similar size tire and all will be fine.

The issue is with 18 inch wheels. Only very few 18 inch wheels will fit the brake calipers...just for info.

 

[bazbob]

Thanks @devildodge . So as long as the 275/55R20XL tire & wheel combination is the same diameter (~31") that I have on the 22" setup it should play out fine?

 

[Zeronet]

Most of the dry hitch weights of the trailers I'm considering ( Lance 24 series) are between 550 and 665 lbs.

You probably already know this if you’ve been reading this thread but the dry tongue weights listed by the trailer manufacturer can be very optimistic. Many come off the line heavier than the advertised weight and most manufacturers don’t include filled propane tanks and batteries, not sure about Lance. Then you’ll need to add ~80 pounds for a good weight distribution hitch and figure 10-15% of the weight of all the gear you put into the trailer.

My camper, for example, had a dry tongue weight of 658 (see camper specs in my signature). Ready for camping it’s around 840 (sometimes more). Then add 80 for my weight distribution hitch and I’m at 920. That’s after relocating batteries and a concerted effort to keep the tongue weight down.

Then we usually carry a generator and other misc gear in the truck, probably another 200. Add in my wife and I and the truck crosses the scales at 7020 when hooked to the trailer with weight distribution engaged. Payload sticker on the truck is 1479. The weight adds up quick. Truck handles the weight well considering it’s close to max.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just sharing my experience. Your results may be different. My guess is that it will be tough to stay within GVWR given your payload and the trailers you’re considering.

 

[devildodge]

Thanks @devildodge . So as long as the 275/55R20XL tire & wheel combination is the same diameter (~31") that I have on the 22" setup it should play out fine?

Correct. There are tire calculators that will give you the exact same tire size.

You would be safe going up to one tire size larger also...but I do not think that is your plan or need.

And like @Zeronet said, you will be higher on the trailer weights and lower on the truck ratings than any of the configurator or specs will say.

That said, you seem to realize this, and seem to be preparing for that properly.

Keep us posted. We haven't been helping much with this lately. I find it fun and interesting getting a setup dialed in.

Then that time spent, making the trip so much more enjoyable.

 

[bazbob]

Thanks for the help. I love this truck and it's options but it's a tease that payload is hampered by the same amenities I desired. I test drove a 3500 Limited and did not want to buy a vehicle that can't ride comfortably or had even half of the features that a 1500 had. I wanted both worlds, comfort, tech and usability, but it seems ya can't get that. I'm already looking at smaller trailers now with dry weights in the 4k range to get started.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

 

[devildodge]

That is where I get lucky, I like the Tradesman trim and enjoy owning a HeavyDuty. Not much compromise there.

But, the new RAM 1500 has sparked my interest, and actually would fit my towing needs as we like a short camper to fit in all our favorite spots... but I haul more than I tow and haul while I tow.

Sounds like you know what you want and accept what you need.

Good luck.

 

[Pino F]

Last Saturday picked this baby up and drove it home 650 miles on one tank of gas. So far love it..,,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Pino F]

Last Saturday picked this baby up and drove it home 650 miles on one tank of gas. So far love it..,,


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Should have said Diesel....Lol have to get used to saying that.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bazbob]

Keep us posted. We haven't been helping much with this lately. I find it fun and interesting getting a setup dialed in.

Weighed the spare tire today and it was only 50 lbs dead on. Took one of the 285/45R22XL tires off and weighed it and it was 82 lbs. Both weighed less than I'd thought they'd be. At best I could get set of new tires and wheels @ 62 lbs from TireRack and that's a pricey way ($2k+) to only gain 80 lbs back so I'm not going to do that. Moving the truck spare into the trailer and not taking the tonneau and rambox divider gives me back 100 lbs easy. So I'm going to be sitting at 1161 when towing. I wish there was something else I could think of that would give me back a little bit more. It's a damn shame that Ram is setting the GVWR @ 7100 when those eco diesels get an extra 100 lbs magically (note that the GAWR's didn't change) at 7200.

In the meantime, I'm going to be looking for campers on the smaller end of the hitch weight range which means going to a 20ft floor plan. If we really like camping again with a small rig I'll probably sell this 1500 for a 3/4 ton in a couple of years for a bigger rig.

 

[devildodge]

A huge Thank You goes out to @Dawn

Thanks to HER effort, we now have a very accurate payload and towing calculator.

It is such a shame RAM screwed so many with their unreliable, inaccurate calculator, but was able to fix it that quick.

Through some research, not only has it been fixed for new trucks, but also for older trucks as well.

So, hopefully now we can get some more useful information from the configurator and some more pleasant experiences.

 

[Ramster]

I wanted a more usable truck but still comfy so I searched for a quad cab and found my perfect truck. Looking to buy a trailer with a hitch weight of 900#.

 

[Ramster]

....and I guess you can have two different setups but have the exact payload numbers such as mine and Daniel in post #545.

 

[Daniel]

Hi all. I'm a new member and this is my first post.

New truck owner here and I've discovered this forum and thread recently. I picked up a 2020 Limited 1500 with the "Black Appearance" package which includes the 22" gloss black wheels and 285/45R22XL Goodyear Eagle Touring . My options include: Bed Utility, Limited Level 1 pkg, Pano sun roof, 3.92, anit-spin, 5.7 hemi + eTorque, Rambox w/ cargo divider, brake controller, factory Tri–Fold Tonneau Cover (came with appearance pkg) and that beefed up multi-function tailgate and I'm at a depressing 1061 lbs on the yellow loading sticker.

I bought this with the intention for towing a ~6,000 travel trailer that I'm still in the market for buying. Most of the dry hitch weights of the trailers I'm considering ( Lance 24 series) are between 550 and 665 lbs. With just my wife and me and nothing else we're pushing that top 7100 GVWR limit.

If I remove the tonneau and the rambox divider and put them in the back of the trailer I gain back nearly 50 lbs. Moving the truck spare tire to the trailer gives me back another 90 lbs. Now I'm considering at buying a set of lighter wheels/tires. I see on Tire Rack They have a 20"x9" Granite Alloy that's only 25lbs. Looking at most the the 275/55R20 all seasons that fit that tire they are also a at least 5 lbs lighter than the 22" Eagles I have now and have a higher load index to boot (2,892 lbs over the 2,601 lbs on the 22"'s). I haven't weighed the OEM 22x9 wheels yet, but I'm guessing there at least 45 lbs. I can see gaining back another 90 lbs of payload by switching over to the new set of 20"s

Would there be any issues with switching out the 22's for 20's? I'm looking to give me some headroom for keeping it legal and safe with a trailer that conforms.

 

[Dawn]

A huge Thank You goes out to @Dawn

Thanks to his effort, we now have a very accurate payload and towing calculator.

It is such a shame RAM screwed so many with their unreliable, inaccurate calculator, but was able to fix it that quick.

Through some research, not only has it been fixed for new trucks, but also for older trucks as well.

So, hopefully now we can get some more useful information from the configurator and some more pleasant experiences.

I am actually a female but that's okay. I'll still take it.

 

[devildodge]

I am actually a female but that's okay. I'll still take it.

So sorry. Your effort is greatly appreciated. Guess I need to pay closer attention.

You can not imagine how much this makes our conversations about the issue easier. We won't have to spend 4 posts explaining that 1840 and 11500 is not the payload and towing.

Thanks again.

 

[Dawn]

So sorry. Your effort is greatly appreciated. Guess I need to pay closer attention.

You can not imagine how much this makes our conversations about the issue easier. We won't have to spend 4 posts explaining that 1840 and 11500 is not the payload and towing.

Thanks again.

That's okay. Because of this experience, I now have a much better understanding about towing and payload. Why FCA and the dealership tried to tell me that my 2500 could handle a 16000 lb fifth wheel still blows my mind. Maybe it could. Who knows. But there's a big difference between capable and legal and I for one love my family, $80k truck and my low car insurance rates and would rather not play Russian roulette.

 

[bazbob]

For those that are convinced that GTW applies to only the truck's GVWR when using a WDH you should view this video

The parallels to some of the discussions on this thread bare true. The laws of physics hold true that a fraction of the GTW does indeed go back on the trailers axles when WD is applied. WD goes both ways. The bottom line is that not all that tongue weight goes on to the truck axles.

The one point of this video that I took away is to disable air leveling (jack mode) while getting the WD setup and engaged. This will be key to ensure that the WD is doing it's thing first (without interference from the 4 corner air bags) and then once set, enable air leveling again to let the truck do it's thing. At highway speeds the WD will even tighten (stiffen) a bit more n Areo mode since the truck drops .625" from normal mode.

As for me, I've found and purchased a travel trailer that fits my weight budget (427 lbs dry to ~580 lbs totally loaded) and sits naturally about 8% of the trailer's UVW all the way up to it's GVWR. I actually measured the GTW at the RV dealership with my weigh-safe hitch and it was in the manufactures specs. I also purchased an Andersen No Sway WDH which is only about 60 lbs total weight. I'm confident I'll be at or slightly under GVWR when we hit the road.

 

[bazbob]

You probably already know this if you’ve been reading this thread but the dry tongue weights listed by the trailer manufacturer can be very optimistic. Many come off the line heavier than the advertised weight and most manufacturers don’t include filled propane tanks and batteries, not sure about Lance. Then you’ll need to add ~80 pounds for a good weight distribution hitch and figure 10-15% of the weight of all the gear you put into the trailer.

My camper, for example, had a dry tongue weight of 658 (see camper specs in my signature). Ready for camping it’s around 840 (sometimes more). Then add 80 for my weight distribution hitch and I’m at 920. That’s after relocating batteries and a concerted effort to keep the tongue weight down.

Then we usually carry a generator and other misc gear in the truck, probably another 200. Add in my wife and I and the truck crosses the scales at 7020 when hooked to the trailer with weight distribution engaged. Payload sticker on the truck is 1479. The weight adds up quick. Truck handles the weight well considering it’s close to max.

Not trying to rain on your parade, just sharing my experience. Your results may be different. My guess is that it will be tough to stay within GVWR given your payload and the trailers you’re considering.

Thanks for the reality check Zeronet. Wife and I found one of the last of the Grand Design Imagine 2150RB's (phasing them out for 2020) and it not only fits our weight budget but we actually love the layout too. I'm sure with LP, battery and loaded up passthrough well be above the 427 lbs dry but given that it's an inherent 8% GTW to UVW, I can't really see it going above 600 lbs if we weight manage it right. Not to mention that with WD engaged, a little bit of that GTW is going back on the trailer.

 

[HomlessBound]

Any more Ecodiesel owners out there have payload stickers with builds to share? Pino's Limited build gives me hope

My dream build:
Laramie, 4x4, Crew Cab, Short Bed, Eco Diesel, 33gal tank, 3.21 anti slip, Air suspension, block heater, Level 2, advanced safety group, and trailer brake controller.

So from his build, adding the 33gal tank and air suspension, but losing the sunroof, 22" wheels, multi-function tailgate, and downgrading from Limited level 1 to Laramie Level 2....

 

[Mb34928]

2020 Laramie Quad Cab 5.7L eTorgue

MAX PAYLOAD 1643.73LBS
MAX TOWING 11543.73LBS