1/2 Ton 5th Wheel

Wow, thanks for all the help. So I guess my husband was right (again).

The 5th wheel is out of the question now. There was one other model that we both liked. It was a 26 ft. travel trailer. The Hitch weight is 853, and the dry weight is 6447. Would this be a better haul for my truck?

You need to upgrade the truck to a 3/4 ton if you want that Fiver. Yes, you can pull it and stop it... but the fivers pin will likely overload your Ram 1500's rear axle.

As others have said, pin weight in the bed of the truck would be the main issue rather than the total weight of the trailer.

I have a 2004 Dodge Durango with the Hemi. We pulled or previous trailer for over 10 years. Fully loaded the trailer weighed about 5500 lbs. While the Durango was rated to 8500lbs there is no way I would think about pulling that much. The Hemi is a great engine and performed well with 5500lbs but that would be about my limit. We do live in a mountain state with many steep grades so that is a factor. If you live where its flat 6-7000lbs might be ok but no higher regardless of vehicle rating. You won't be happy!

That's a similar setup to what I have and yes I pull it no problem but yes I am overloaded. My pin weight is about 1450 loaded plus a bit of cargo in the truck. Am thinking of a 3/4 ton for next year.

It has a dry hitch weight of 1420 pounds. At a minimum you need a 3/4 ton truck to handle this big a dry hitch of that size. With a hitch that weighs 200 pounds or more you are now at 1620 dry your half ton is overloaded and you are not even in the truck much less have anything in the 5er.

Here are the specs. for the 5th wheel that I wanted. It's just me and my husband, no kids, 2 small dogs.

http://www.keystonerv.com/buyers-guide/model-comparison?m0=85474

You need to run the numbers but probably not.

The newer pickups have a higher rating than the older trucks. I own a 2004 and know that in 2005 the numbers started to climb but the new trucks are just built for heavier loads. At least by manufacturers printed material. If you open the drivers door on the truck there should be a sticker which gives the GVWR. Weight your truck with fuel and family ready to go camping and what's left is for carrying the camper.

2005 Ram tow ratings

I don't know what the numbers are for the 5er you looked at. A 5th wheel will have about 20% of it's loaded weight in the bed of the pickup. This is what overloads most pickups in the 5th wheel world. The truck probably has 1,200 to 1,700# of cargo capacity for family, bikes, hitch (200#) whatever else you load in truck and the camper's pin weight (hitch). A 10,000# camper (loaded, not the dry weight) will put 2,000# in the bed. Even at a loaded weight of 8,000# (small in the world of 5ers) a pin weight of 1,600# will exceed your pickup.

Cougar Half-Ton Specifications

Pulling it isn't the issue. It's supporting the pin weight of the trailer. By the time you add people, cargo, hitch, and accessories to the truck there won't be much payload left. I don't know which trailer you're looking at but likely it would overload the truck.
A few things to keep in mind:
Salesman generally will say anything to make an sale.
He is correct, it will pull it. That's not the issue.
A trailer that is "1/2 ton towable" doesn't mean you can take any "1/2 ton" vehicle, load it down with whatever you want, and then still pull the trailer.
If your truck is actually a regular cab 2wd model with no options and there will only be two of you in the cab with no other gear then you could probably be withing the payload rating of the truck. I highly doubt this is the case.