Really want to tow this trailer with a 2019 Ram 1500

[Johnvan]

Here's a cut and paste from the airstream forums with the cat scale ticket. He's almost 1000lbs overweight and doing well.

We love our 2019 Ram 1500 Limited, and we tow our 27FB with it. We have put on over 18,000 miles towing on this combination so far, as we started full timing in September 2018. The eTorque Hemi provides loads of power, and we can go as fast as wish up grades - but normally we keep it at 55-60mph. On grades down - even 8% ones - we just set cruise on the truck to our desired speed, and the 8 speed transmission downshifts as necessary to keep us at that speed. We never touch the brakes, which is a big relief.

Our door listed payload is 1267#, and I do wish it was more, maybe just to make me feel better. CAT scales show I am over a little on weight. Attached are scans of our CAT scale slips and a worksheet I use to try to figure out where I am at. We weighed the Ram alone, with the 27FB attached and no weight distribution, and with weight distribution engaged on the 10th link. The worksheet is my attempt to sort things out.

FYI, we have 700W of solar on the roof, and replaced the original batteries with 400Ah lithium under the bed. We also have installed an aluminum rolling bed cover that is strong enough to support 500lbs.

For a hitch, we are using a BlueOx, but with 1500# bars. I initially thought I would need only 1000# bars, but the dealer recommended the 1500#. I am glad I have them, as I need to transfer a lot of weight via wd. The truck drives great with everything dialed in (10th link), so I am pretty satisfied with the setup.

In summary, we think the new Ram 1500 makes a great TV for up to a 27FB from our experience. The truck seems very capable to tow this size trailer, and we never had any "white knuckle moments." Plus, when not attached, it drives like a luxury SUV, but we still have the bed (5'7") for storage.

I completely understand the reasons to upgrade to a 2500. We may do so ourselves someday. However, I am posting this to let you and others know that the new Ram 1500 can do the job well, and seems to be quite safe and sturdy. Good luck!

 

[Gondul]

1000# overweight?
Seems safe?

How did he determine 'safe'? His butt safety meter? That's simply reckless.
Hopefully he only takes himself out when he crashes....

 

[Creep0321]

1000# overweight?
Seems safe?

How did he determine 'safe'? His butt safety meter? That's simply reckless.
Hopefully he only takes himself out when he crashes....

I’m new to trailers (don’t even have one yet) but 18,000 miles with no incidents seems good to me?

 

[Johnvan]

I'm not too worried about sharing the road with a setup like that. He's in a modern truck with a trailer that's reputed to tow well. He's made efforts to balance it well and maintains a safe speed.
What concerns me is the yahoo's driving around in poorly maintained vehicles towing old trailers with non functional brakes and 10 year old tires that don't even know what a WDH is.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Johnvan, I concur with the comment above. The Airstream post you commented on shows a modern (new) truck with the appropriate hitch and new technologies. The driver has tens of thousands of miles of towing experience. Now contrast that with the # of guys who don’t have a real clue about their truck’s condition, brakes, tires, suspension, load weight etc. There’s more of them on the road than the first person. Now all this being said, towing heavy is probably (next to gas vs diesel) the biggest arguing back and forth that most brand specific forums have. I’ve been a TT puller for 35 years (no more now) and have used very (stock) underpowered, drum brake pickups from the 70’s and 80’s with basic WD hitches and never had an issue. There’s no doubt that modern V8’s will pull darn near anything, it’s the suspensions and braking that are the issue for most.

For the very minimal amount of towing this person is describing, I think he will be fine. I thought the recommendation of renting a 2500 for the one long tow seemed to be a good idea. It doesn’t sound like the OP is broke, so paying the $110 a day for his family’s safety and a nice towing experience is reasonable.

I came from the F150 world and over there, you’d think that a 150 is a 350 in disguise. There’s countless posts and threads about their trucks towing bumper pulls and even 5th wheels that are totally 2500 territory. Now we havent been able to fast forward 5 years to see what happens to frames etc from regularly being overweight but so far, no reports of trucks breaking in half (except for the 1980’s when GM drilled too many holes in their frames, LOL).

Top of the line, well maintained equipment (tires, brakes, cooling, and reasonable speeds) will take care of him. Now if he wanted to do this on a regular basis? No. That’s what a 2500 6.4 is for. You have to be careful of all the diesels as the extra weight of the engine robs payload...

 

[Trooper1629]

Picked this up last weekend. It’s an upgrade from our 24ft Jayco hybrid. This is a Coachmen 323bhds Liberty Edition. It is 36’9”hitch to bumper the dry weight is 7850lbs and it’s tongue weight is 1095lbs. I use a Husky Centerline 14k hitch and have airbags to help with the ride. I’m in the middle of getting some load e 10ply tires as these Bridgestone passenger rated tires had way to much side wall flex.

 

[Gondul]

Picked this up last weekend. It’s an upgrade from our 24ft Jayco hybrid. This is a Coachmen 323bhds Liberty Edition. It is 36’9”hitch to bumper the dry weight is 7850lbs and it’s tongue weight is 1095lbs. I use a Husky Centerline 14k hitch and have airbags to help with the ride. I’m in the middle of getting some load e 10ply tires as these Bridgestone passenger rated tires had way to much side wall flex.

You are at almost 1100# dry weight?
Have you weighed the rig loaded for camping along with everything you are taking in the truck?

 

[Trooper1629]

You are at almost 1100# dry weight?
Have you weighed the rig loaded for camping along with everything you are taking in the truck?

I haven’t weighed it yet. There is a really good video on you tube that explains weight distribution and airbags. When you use a good set of WD bars and use them properly it does reduce the tongue weight by putting some of it back on the trailer. I plan on leaving the truck empty besides me and my wife. That being said I’m sure I’m maxed out.

 

[Cmerkert]

Picked this up last weekend. It’s an upgrade from our 24ft Jayco hybrid. This is a Coachmen 323bhds Liberty Edition. It is 36’9”hitch to bumper the dry weight is 7850lbs and it’s tongue weight is 1095lbs. I use a Husky Centerline 14k hitch and have airbags to help with the ride. I’m in the middle of getting some load e 10ply tires as these Bridgestone passenger rated tires had way to much side wall flex. View attachment 25755View attachment 25756

Similar to our 31SQB trailer. Does the hitch weight set off the payload error. When setting ours up I had the air suspension cannot be changed due to payload. Just wondering if there is no air suspension changes allowed when trailering, or if it actually went over the 1250 payload rating.

 

[Trooper1629]

I have after

Similar to our 31SQB trailer. Does the hitch weight set off the payload error. When setting ours up I had the air suspension cannot be changed due to payload. Just wondering if there is no air suspension changes allowed when trailering, or if it actually went over the 1250 payload rating.

I have aftermarket airbags so don’t have that issue

 

[Ram41313]

I have after

I have aftermarket airbags so don’t have that issue

Looks good

 

[Willwork4truck]

Big trailer, I’d not regularly pull that with a 1500 due to the low payload however with air bags to level, a good WD hitch and reasonable speeds, you should be ok. Just don’t load the trailer up with lots of items, watch all the water in the holding tanks and get those trailer brakes set up with your tbc for the loaded weight.

The weight police will “tsk tsk” at using that tow vehicle but not many people can afford a 1 ton and the daily ride and fuel costs can be prohibitive. Remember the frontal area is big (at least its curved) and side winds will want to push you around a lot. 10 ply tires close to max pressure will help. Oh and don’t under-license in states like NC where the truck is registered for a certain weight and exceeding that opens you up to fines if weighed.

 

[slimchance]

@Johnvan .. looks to me from the CAT scale slip that trk is 400#s overweight on the drive axel ... that in itself is enough to stop me from using that trk to tow that trailer ... those that say it is ok are the very ones who will later complain about equipment failure ... this is NOT an example of " it's just a little overweight and we only tow it a few times a year for short trips" ... i think that guy is an accident waiting to happen

 

[Willwork4truck]

Playing with the WD hitch chains and moving weight on the trailer back some could lighten up that truck rear axle easily. Higher capacity bars on the WD hitch will throw more weight to the truck ft axle and finding out where the tanks are located on the trailer and/or reducing the amount of batteries and propane on the tongue are things I used to do.

Course my old 1 ton didnt much care what I did. It had the opposite problem, too much spring and not enough motor. It was listed as: 175 HP @ 3600 RPMs. { Torque } 290 FT. LBS @ 2800 RPMs. Woo-Hoo

 

[Coolhand5599]

Not a problem. As long as your not going to mountains. Get sway bars and weight distribution. Stay at 65 your all good

 

[MQQSE]

Hi to all;

Currently driving a 2017 Ram 2500, 6.4L Laramie with every option except Diesel, which I had previously and simply don't need. It's my 3rd Ram, has been a good truck, but really want to step down into a 1500 because it suits my daily needs far better. 1/2 the payment on a lease, 2x the gas mileage (approx). Much nicer to drive, park, maneuver.

I drive about 20,000 miles a year. I haul lightweight things in the bed, use 4WD in Michigan winters, make 2 school runs every morning, commute back and forth to my store. I don't need to snow plow, I don't need to haul cinderblocks in the back, etc. This truck is incredibly overkill for my daily needs, the payment is huge, my avg fuel mileage is horrendous (around town this winter, it's under 10mpg), the part-time 4WD is rudimentary and overall ride is what you'd expect from a 3/4 ton truck. It is my last choice of vehicles to drive of the 3 that we have.....

I actually take my wife's 2014 Escalade to run the kids to school and back, because of better AWD, lower center of gravity, better weight balance, and mileage in the high teens.

We're on track this year to put 25,000 miles on her Escalade and 5,000 on the truck this year, because of this.

BUT, here's the kicker - We have a large bumper-pull camper that we tow locally 2 times a summer (10 miles round trip) and once to the Upper Peninsula on a 750 mile round-trip vacation. That's it. I am 100% confident a 1500 Ram will tow it to the local campground, but am unsure about the longer trip. (Honestly, I'd sell the blasted camper if my wife didn't love it so much, hahaha).

We have 5 family members (450# total). Topper on the truck (250#). Camper is a 2013 Cougar 32RBK. Specs show it is about 7400# dry (we've removed one of the scissor-sofas), tongue weight about 750#. I have a Pro-Pride anti-sway hitch (aka Hensley Arrow).

I'm going to approximate (haven't scaled it) that it is 8500-9,000# loaded.

I would order (or find) a 2019 Ram 1500 Crew Cab, Laramie, 5.7 w/ 3.92, towing package w/ IBC, could get the 6-4" bed if needed for stability, air suspension if it's better or could add rear air bags & E load rated tires if it helped. The Laramie I test drove yesterday had a sticker on the door jamb of 1580# capacity. Lease payment is 1/2 my current payment. Fuel mileage is nearly 2x as good. Full time 4WD mode would be nice. Overall better ride, handling, etc.

Attached is a photo of our current setup. It's a long trailer. I've seen 3 other people on here towing around 10,000 lbs and they're pleased with the performance. I'm not worried about acceleration, I'm worried about cross-wind sway, being passed by Semi Trucks and causing sway.

Any thoughts? I plan to test tow with a 3.92 axle ratio Ram here in a few weeks once the snow is gone and I can get a feel for it. But in the meantime, am wondering.....View attachment 18145

I know this is an older thread but a lot of people are in the same predicament. We buy the truck we need 1% of the time and 99% of the time we have an overkill truck. Pulling a trailer like the one you spec out in the photo, and the weight you listed is fine for the RAM 1500 with 3.92 gears. If you are a good driver with hauling skills, pulling this trailer is not a problem. I had a 1500 Megacab in 2007 with a 5.7 and pulled a 9,800# trailer all over the place. I towed it through AZ, CO, CA, ....all the way to Montana, North Dakota, etc. This was my full time truck for everything. Did it like huge hills in Arizona? Not really, but it never had any issues and never got hot. The new RAM with the new frame, brakes, transmission and suspension is now way better and more capable. I just purchased a fully loaded Limited (no etourqe) and I'm going to pull almost the exact trailer you have in your thread (photo). On a windy day going against the wind will be the only thing that isn't that fun. Other than that, you're way better off buying the truck that suits your needs 99% of your time, instead of 1% of your time. At one time I thought I needed a bigger truck and went to a Ram 2500 Megacab with Cummins and 4.10 gears. Loved the truck but 99% of the time I had way more truck and bounced around everywhere I went. Now, 99% of the time I'm riding in an extremely smooth, quiet, zippy...amazing truck and the smile on my face will not go away!

 

[riccnick]

I know this is an older thread but a lot of people are in the same predicament. We buy the truck we need 1% of the time and 99% of the time we have an overkill truck. Pulling a trailer like the one you spec out in the photo, and the weight you listed is fine for the RAM 1500 with 3.92 gears. If you are a good driver with hauling skills, pulling this trailer is not a problem. I had a 1500 Megacab in 2007 with a 5.7 and pulled a 9,800# trailer all over the place. I towed it through AZ, CO, CA, ....all the way to Montana, North Dakota, etc. This was my full time truck for everything. Did it like huge hills in Arizona? Not really, but it never had any issues and never got hot. The new RAM with the new frame, brakes, transmission and suspension is now way better and more capable. I just purchased a fully loaded Limited (no etourqe) and I'm going to pull almost the exact trailer you have in your thread (photo). On a windy day going against the wind will be the only thing that isn't that fun. Other than that, you're way better off buying the truck that suits your needs 99% of your time, instead of 1% of your time. At one time I thought I needed a bigger truck and went to a Ram 2500 Megacab with Cummins and 4.10 gears. Loved the truck but 99% of the time I had way more truck and bounced around everywhere I went. Now, 99% of the time I'm riding in an extremely smooth, quiet, zippy...amazing truck and the smile on my face will not go away!

I don't think being 2,000 lbs over capacity in your mega cab is a good example of how that truck, or any other truck should be used to tow over its capacity...

If you want your 99% truck as a daily driver, then get a 99% trailer, or borrow / rent the proper truck for those 1% days. Anyone who tows more than 3.65 days a year is using their truck more than 1% for towing, so I'd imagine those of us who just drop a trailer down at a campsite as seasonals are the only ones following the 99/1 rule. Everyone else should be looking at more capable trucks or lighter trailers.

Somehow, many of us are capable of living our lives within the capabilities of our trucks, with either the foresight to buy the proper truck, or the common sense and decency to pull the proper trailer with it. Not sure why this is so difficult for others. Not once has my life been significantly impeded by the lack of capability of my 8,000lb capacity truck to tow a 12,000lb trailer. Maybe I'm just lucky.

 

[silver billet]

Other than that, you're way better off buying the truck that suits your needs 99% of your time, instead of 1% of your time.

This is such horrible advice that even my cat just curled up into the fetal position. Please don't do this. (The only exception being if you plan to rent/borrow a different truck for that 1% of the time).

 

[devildodge]

I had a 1500 Megacab in 2007 with a 5.7

Do you know that this was equipped with 8lug 2500/3500 axles?

Just asking, because it really doesn't suit the argument.

And if a person is only towing their camper 3.65 days a year...how do you get all the way home on the 2nd trip

 

[tkrpata]

Okay, maybe someone can help me, I am new to towing and really don't understand it. We are looking at buying a 2019 Dodge Ram Limited with the V8 and 3.92 rear axel. We are also purchasing a 20ft Enclosed Aluminum Tailer with an empty weight of 3200 lbs, dual 3500 lbs axels to haul our Slingshot which has a weight of about 2000 lbs. Can the truck we are looking at tow this configuration or do I need to look at the Ram 2500?