Buying RV, towing/weight question

[4R Daddy]

I'm about to buy my first RV and know nothing about towing capacity. Here is the info sheet on the RV and also the sticker on my door.
I called Dodge and with my VIN and they said it could pull 8500#. I'm confused on all of this. Will my Dodge 1500 pull this camper?




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[Sahelian Jeep]

There are a million different questions/variables when trying to figure out all of the towing capacities. Basically you can tow something that weighs 8500# as long as you use sway bars. If it has the 5.7 and you get all the load leveling stuff for the hitch you should be fine for short trips. I wouldn't won't to pull that very often/far with the 1500! I have an '03 2500 fo' by fo' with the 5.7 and pull a 35' bumper pull that weighs a little less than that with NO problems.

[41Chevy]

Yes, but only with 2100 pounds of water propane and other cargo.

[4R Daddy]

Ok, so if I keep cargo to a minimum I should be ok?


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[4R Daddy]

And does that include passengers?


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[super_dave]

Yes it will pull it. You won't break any land speed record but it will do fine as is. To be on the safe ER side I would install trailer brakes and only use a weight distribution hitch and sway bar.

[fullsizeaggie]

That is the max weight recommended by dodge. If you put a scale under each truck wheel, they can only total 8500lbs truck, gear, fuel, passengers etc. That's what a trooper would do if they wanted to. Your truck is registered to be at a certain weight for tax purposes as well - you can change this. With the trailer, the max weight is 10000, that is contents, trailer, water etc as it sits on the 4 wheels. I don't know what the empty trailer weight is but I bet its 8000-8500. You are at your max there already. I would suggest buying a smaller trailer or a bigger truck for safety sake. Maybe for 1-3 times a year you would be ok. But regular towing, I wouldn't recommend. Then you need to make sure your tires can handle that load...as well as the trailer tires....

[Todd-ty729]

With trailer brakes and a good weight distribution hitch your truck will pull it.

Easy to say but I prefer to pull heavier campers with a 3/4 ton or larger truck. They are better equipped to handle the load.

Pulling it is one thing.
Stopping is another. 3/4 tons have bigger, better braking systems and usually set up with better engine and transmission cooling capacity. Braking is the main area of concern.

[powderburner]

http://webcontent.goodsam.com/motorhomemagazine.com/2016DinghyGuide.pdf

This will tell you towing weight

[stinkbelly]

Like everyone said, you can pull about anything. It isn't a great idea to pull one that heavy with a 1500.

I pulled one that weight with a 2500HD 6.0L engine and it was work. If you aren't going far or fast and don't care about fuel mileage, it might be ok, but really a heavier truck with bigger, stronger everything would be better for that weight of trailer.

[Mike D]

Buying RV, towing/weight question

Your trailer weighs 6460# completely empty. Once you load it with linens, dishes, propane etc you will probably be around 7500#. The maximum combined weight including all holding tanks full is 10,000#, so you can stick up to 3540# of "stuff" in it.

I would take your truck by a set of scales and you will better know if you are within the limits of your truck. If Ram said it's rated at 8500# you should be ok but until you weigh it you won't know for sure.

You need to weigh it with a full tank of fuel and all passengers that you will normally have in the truck.

Once you get the camper stocked, take it back across the scales and you will have a combined weight.

If you don't have the factory brake controller in your truck spend the $$ to get a good one. I like the Tekonsha Prodigy controller.

Definitely make sure you have a load distributing hitch, sway control only if needed IMO.

The numbers on your door sticker mean GAWR = max load capacity of each axle.

GVWR = maximum weight your truck can carry (cargo) with full fluids, passengers and cargo combined.

You can look in your owner's manual and find the CGVWR rating which will tell you the maximum combined weight of your truck and trailer.

Based on my experience it will pull it but it won't necessarily be fun.


"An honest government has no fear of an armed population".

[LWD]

Remember a few things.

Putting stuff—anything—in your trailer increases the weight of the trailer. Your trailer grosses well over what your truck can pull. So be judicious in loading your trailer with stuff.

Second, you must use a weight-distributing hitch.

Third, your truck grosses at 6800 pounds, and you may overload your truck before you exceed its towing capacity. This is a common problem with lighter vehicles like 1500-series trucks and SUVs—they just can't handle that much weight. Everything you put in or on the truck counts: fuel, luggage, people, the trailer tongue. Remember, the trailer tongue will weigh about 10% of the total weight of your trailer. I don't see it in your post, but you need to know what your truck weights empty. A 7500# trailer will have about a 750# tongue if you've loaded it evenly.

I'll give you an example. I had a Nissan Armada with the tow package. It was rated to tow 9000#. The problem was though that it had only enough cargo capacity to take a 900# tongue, my 280 pound body, and half a tank of gas. If I put luggage and the wife and kids and another half-tank of gas in it I was going to be well overweight on the vehicle and the combination weight. The combination weight is limit on the total weight of the tow vehicle and trailer. You can also exceed that pretty easily on light trucks and SUVs.

LWD

[GMG]

What gets me is everyone worries if they can pull it. but no one thinks of whether they can stop it.

[BigL]

Your trailer weighs 6460 empty. That is the same weight as my 28' trailer. I pull and stop it with my 2011 F150 with a 5.0l engine with no problem. When the wind is high though, I slow down. My truck has the Ford tow package on it so it has the extra transmission coolant, trailer brakes, and integrated sway control. Weight distribution hitches are a big plus when going long distances and highway speeds. I usually don't use them around town going to/from where it's stored but anytime we're going somewhere they are used.

I've towed it many places in Texas in the 3 years that I've had it. I took it to Gulf Shores, Alabama last year. In a few weeks, I'll do a trip that includes St. Louis, Colorado Springs, and Roswell, NM.

It's not bad pulling/stopping with the truck, but high winds and passing trucks sure can cause some pucker factor at times. I was going too fast on the way to Port A in some strong winds and the sway control kicked in. It's basically an engine brake to slow you down. Scared me at first. My next truck will be a F250 or F350 but I have no concerns with this one. It will be probably a few years before I upgrade trucks.

[41Chevy]

What gets me is everyone worries if they can pull it. but no one thinks of whether they can stop it.

That's what the required brakes are for.