HELP. Need info on max. towing w/ Dodge Ram 1500

Yeah I had a dodge 1500 almost identical to yours but a 4x4 when we first started pulling a camper.Wasnt able to pull much weight with that truck.I believe our camper was 4700 lbs plus gear.But you can find something for sure just prolly wont be a fiver.Got a wopping 7 mpg too with that hemi! I could hear the fuel moving out of the fuel tank.Lol

Do yourself a favor and dont ask the dealer if you can pull it.I made that mistake years ago and almost killed myself trying to stop something my truck had no ability to tow.Do some research and learn yourself what tongue weight is,gcvr,axle rating etc before pulling the trigger on a camper.Im by no means a member of the weight police ,but use common sense.

Good luck with whatever you get and have fun!

careful with travel trailer tongue weight also..I have a 2013 Ram 1500 CC and my payload per door sticker is a whopping 1061lbs....whenI weighed the truck and family at a cat scale i was 6380lbs...gvwr of truck is 6800lbs....420lbs left over for payload (things in the bed, trailer tongue weight, etc). Ram payload is horribly low on laramie and laramie longhorn models

Thanks to all who responded. Looks a little "grim" for pulling a 5th wheel with our Ram 1500. Maybe, it is time to look at TT. Thanks again.

You need a HD truck or stick with a 5000-5500 ish dry TT (that will be 6500-7500 ish loaded). Your truck is capable of pulling a good size camper.... But it's not going to do the job of an HD truck. Size the trailer to the trucks capability and you will be more than fine.

This is not an issue of HD vs Half ton. This is an issue of appropriately sizing the RV for the Truck.

We see the same thing with 2500 series owners who want to pull a triple axle 20k toy hauler and can't understand what the problem is. After all they have a HD truck. Remember, it's not about how much the trailer weighs. It's about how much of that weight is put on the truck. For a fiver it's 20-25% of the trailer weight, for a TT it's 10-15%.

Thanks and good luck!

Jeremiah

Based on our experience with a GMC 1/2 and a small(24ft)light(6500)fifth wheel, we would not recomend it. Even with helper springs the pin weight was just to much for the truck. We went to a 30 ft TT with a empty weight of 5500 lb. Truck does well now.

Clicky

Looks like 5258 lbs. with a payload limit of 1408 lbs.

Well your problem is going to be finding a light enough 5th wheel.

You have a GVWR of 6700#
Curb weight of 5292#.......leaving you with 1408# of carrying capacity
You have a RAWR of 3900#
Curb weight of 2997#....leaving you with only 903# of capacity on rear axle

Now subtract weight of you, passengers, all stuff in cab (backpacks, bags, stuff under seat, in door pockets etc.) and the weight of 5vr hitch from that 1408# (actually from the rear axle capacity of 903#)

Example.......400# for people/stuff and 200# for hitch----600# from 1408# only leaves 808# for 5vr pin weight. (OR 303# before reaching RAWR)
Typical 5vr pin weight is roughly 20% of trailers weight
20% (808#) would be a trailer roughly weighing 4000# fully loaded to go camping. (OR only 1500# based on RAWR)

150/1500 trucks are better suited to tow 'bumper pull' trailers as you can 'tow' a bigger/heavier trailer with WD hitch vs 'carrying' a 5th wheel.
You will exceed RAWR long before you reach 'carrying capacity' with a 5th wheel.
And with that short bed you will need a slider hitch for a 5th wheel which are even heavier

Tow rating for your truck is 5258#
Max tongue weight with Class III (bumper ball) is 500# but with a Class IV (receiver hitch) is 1200#.
Tongue weight roughly 15% of trailer.......so a 5000# trailer max.

Tow rating

It says what weight you can tow right in the owners manual. At least all the ones I have looked at do.
It's not whether or not the truck can tow it, it's how's your driving skills and most important is it safe.
A dealer told my BIL his 1/2 GMC would tow his 30' TT and it does. He is 500# under the max limit with it. He can't keep it on the road with a 5 mph breeze.
He white knuckles it everywhere. Therefore, to him, RVing is not relaxing and will stop camping very soon because he can't adjust to the idea that maybe he should have gone to a heavier truck.

He is one of the many that buy a TV that looks pretty and then tries to find a rig that is the biggest he can tow.

Check out this posting: Whats Your Real Weights? Truck and Trailer. The Real Deal

You will see in the posting, toward the bottom a web site that hopefully can be of help to you. I'll be watching this posting for addition help for me also.

http://fifthwheelst.com/before_you_buy.html

I am just like you and been trying to found out exactly what is the limit/maximum size 5th wheel I can pull safely. I have a 99 Dodge 250 cub cab 2/4 that weights 6540 lbs and the GVWR is 8,800, GCWR is 18,000. I am still trying to figure it out. I need help too.