towing

[lovemydodge]

I have a 1500 quad cab gas 4.7 dodge ram, 04.
can someone please tell me how much this can tow? Everyone we talk to has different answer. We want to purchase a toy box trailer for camping with out dirt bikes and ATVS. Every dealership we go to has a different answer.

[curtis73]

First of all, don't listen to factory tow ratings for more than a general idea. They are based on what some bean counter thinks you can tow without generating a warranty claim. Put it this way... Chevy sold a Caprice with a tow package that had the LT1 and a 2.93 rear axle. They said it was good to tow 6800 lbs. My Impala SS with an LT1 and 3.08 rear axle was supposedly only capable of towing 3000. Everything else was all but identical. Bean counters at work.

Secondly, don't use factory tow ratings to determine whether or not you can safely tow a travel trailer. The main reason is sway. The single most dangerous vehicle on the road (according to the NHTSA) is a vehicle towing a travel trailer. Don't let that discourage you from doing it... Done properly, it is a stress-free and casual experience. If you try to maximize your trailer size, it becomes a stressful and dangerous exercise.

Its fine to use tow ratings for things like utility trailers, flat beds, fifth wheels, and goosenecks. The problem with travel trailers is that you have a billboard-size wind sail that catches any puff of wind. On a 30' trailer, that translates to 480 sq ft of real estate waiting to blow you around. Multiply that force by the mechanical advantage it has on the truck because the hitch is 5' behind the axle, and you have a "tail wagging the dog" situation. With your truck, I would literally rather tow 10,000 lbs on a short flatbed, than 1000 lbs worth of 30' travel trailer. You get a puff of wind on the back of the travel trailer and it has so much leverage on the truck that it may very well put you in a ditch.

For your truck, I suggest this. Your capacity is only as strong as the weakest link. You will have trailer brakes, so braking is not a big issue. You have a modest engine that might exhibit problems like overheating and slow hill performance. Although you may not care about going up a hill at 35 mph, it is a sincere hazard, especially when you share the road with trucks. If they have to break their momentum to wait for you it may translate to a much more dangerous road environment for everyone else. A change in the traffic pattern is a very dangerous situation in traffic. Your frame and chassis are certainly capable of towing 6000 lbs provided your tongue weight is properly balanced and you use a distributor hitch. Your transmission is not really up to much more than 5000. Absolutely keep it out of OD when towing anything, and don't ever let it shift when at full throttle. When you're going up a hill with your foot to the floor and slowing down, know where your transmission would shift on its own. DON'T let it shift. Instead, back off the throttle a bit and manually drop it down a gear. You'll save yourself thousands of miles of transmission life in that truck... or any light truck for that matter. Dodge rates your truck to tow anywhere from 3300 to 7250 depending on axle ratio, wheelbase, engine, tranny, etc. Post some more info for me... I know your wheelbase, but let me know your axle ratio. That is a huge factor.

All of this technical stuff aside, I strongly recommend not going over about 26' of travel trailer, regardless of weight. I would say with D-range tires, careful tongue weight distribution, and keeping tabs on your transmission's shifting, you could probably safely do 6000 lbs at that length.

Now (if I haven't confused you enough) consider this. Never purchase a travel trailer based on its dry weight. Always use GVW. When you pack for a week, a weekend, or even just a night or two, you almost always are at or above GVW. Some trailers are OVER their GVW with just water in the tanks and a few toiletries. Again, trailer GVWs are very political numbers, just like the trucks that tow them, but if you select a trailer based on its dry weight thinking that you can just "pack light," you'll be disappointed.

Now I'm going to confuse you EVEN MORE!!! It also depends on how far you intend to travel. If you're certain that your only RVing experiences will be 20 miles down the road, tow whatever you darn well choose. Myself, I have towed a travel trailer (literally) for 130,000 miles. Five different trailers, four different trucks, every state in the union and seven Canadian provinces. When you truly travel, the combo really shows its colors. Myself being someone who enjoys driving a "challenging rig" can appreciate the experience of driving difficult vehicles. One particular combo that I had for about 30,000 of those miles was a 31' travel trailer with a 3/4 ton F250. It had the diesel, so power wasn't an issue, but (believe it or not) the trailer was borderline too much for the truck. I really should have had a longer wheelbase like a crew cab long bed. It would have made the difference between a stressful, white-knuckle day, and a pleasant drive with my wife. I really wish I could go back and apologize for the times I snapped at her because I was trying to not get us killed and she asked if that nail color looked good on her. It was that big of a deal.

If you're going to just tow occasionally, don't fret too much. If you are going to be an avid RVer, there is no substitute for overkill.

General guidelines that I give over at my RV forums...

1/2 ton trucks with small V8 or any V6: Up to 24' trailer, weight to be determined by axle ratio and tire choice.

3/4 ton trucks, big V8 or diesel: Up to 29' trailer regardless of weight.

1-ton dually: Up to 34' trailer.

For every step up in wheelbase, add a foot or two of trailer. Since your truck is most likely the shortbed, you don't get much of a benefit in length choice. Notice that I make very little reference to weight. That is because most travel trailer GVWs at those lengths rarely exceed the towing capacity of the vehicle.

I'm sorry for the excessively long post, but you sounded like you had done research with frustratingly different results. I thought you deserved the whole story from someone with experience. Dealers tend to tell you whatever you want to hear, and RV salesmen will tell you that you have more than enough truck to tow the Taj Mahal just so they can sell an RV.

I wish you luck, and come see us over at www.rvadvice.com if you have more questions.