What can my POS haul?

Gebrown wrote:
This is getting very frustrating! I have an upset wife because I won't get the Coachmen 301.

What will my truck haul???
That question is easily answered in your manual, as Y-guy already said. IMO, believe the truck manual recommended max weights,,, but DO NOT believe the advertised weights of the Toy Hauler brochures/sales people, at all. Before you buy/decide on a 1/2 ton tow-able TH, bring it to the scales and weight it, and its tongue weight.You might be very surprised by the truth of the scales.

I'm sick of looking so recommendations are appreciated. Well as long as you asked I'll try to help again...
I'm sure most of you know but just in case.
Ram 1500, 5.7, 3.92 gears, 6" lift, 35" tires.

She wants a toy hauler with a door to the garage. However, we'll look at TTs as well if my truck can pull it.

Nothing wrong with a 1/2 ton pick up truck. I drive my Silverado 1500 white diamond edition 4wd LTZ everyday. I love it... But don't tow my WW fsw3200 with it.
Problem is, what you want to do with your 1/2 ton PU... Don't use a screwdriver when a chisel is the right tool for the job.

jmo

Get rid of those triers and try again.

Yes, the tires hurt you but that can be fixed with a re gear. The real issue like others have said is that you have a 1500 series truck and you want to pull a 2500+ series trailer.

Assuming you fixed your gearing issue, you are still limited to a 19-21 ft toy hauler.

Here is my 24ft toy hauler on my 2500 gas truck (regeared btw). There is just no way a 1500 can handle it...pull it sure but there is more to it then that. Stopping, maneuvering in emergencies situations etc. It really comes down to safety.

I have upgraded my wife twice and have found it far more economical to upgrade the truck.

Best advice I can give is do what my brother-in-law does. He rents a motorhome. When he put pen to paper and figured all the maintenance costs, storage costs, and how often he would use it, he figured it was FAR cheaper to rent.

1/2 ton trucks just don't cut it for TH towing. When I bought my first TH, a 24 ft. 7,000 unit my SIL towed it home for me with his Ram 1500. It could barely handle it. My F-150 w/4.6L never had had a chance. 30 days later I had an F-250, still have it. The F-250 now pulls a 31 ft. FW TH at 12,000 lbs.

timmac wrote:

Your Wife Is right...

;)

They are always right, just ask them.........;)

Gebrown wrote:
This is getting very frustrating! I have an upset wife because I won't get the Coachmen 301.
What will my truck haul??? I'm sick of looking so recommendations are appreciated. I'm sure most of you know but just in case.
Ram 1500, 5.7, 3.92 gears, 6" lift, 35" tires.

She wants a toy hauler with a door to the garage. However, we'll look at TTs as well if my truck can pull it.

35" tires are about 20% taller than the stock 29" or so tall tires.

That does not help. Also if your truck is a 1990, it will not have enough HP, so give it up. BTW What year is it, what engine? ANY idea of the horsepower? Is it a 3 speed, 4, 5 6, 8 or 9?

A travel trailer is sort of a requirement with a 1/2 ton truck, and probably most 3/4 ton trucks will not tow a heavy fifth wheel very well, so best to jump up to a 1 ton truck if you are planning on using a fifth wheel.

You can use the gas engine, and it will provide enough HP to move a 11,000 pound trailer in a 3500 series truck with a 4.10:1 rear end ratio and stock diameter tires. With the oversized tires, then 4.56 or higher number rear end gears would be required, unless you have a 5 or 6 speed transmission, and can downshift to a low enough gear to run 60 MPH at around 2,500 - 2,800 RPM's.

At 2,500 RPM, your engine will make sufficient horsepower to keep the 14,000 pounds moving down the road, and going up slight hills. By downshifting another gear, you will reach say 3,200 RPM, and have plenty of HP to make it up a mountain.

But it all depends on the model year of your truck, engine size, transmission, ect. Thanks for the help that you gave, but still . . .

Fred.

carringb wrote:

Gebrown wrote:
So, with the advice of Scott maybe I should look at trailers weighing in around 4K lbs.

Actually, I wouldn't go much heavier than that, with the truck in its current configuration. Everything modified on the truck decreases its towing ability and payload capacity. You may want to think more along the lines of VRV Living Lite trailer. And even then, the 22-foot model will be pushing your limits if you load it up.

http://www.livinlite.com/axxess8_5x22-overview.php

My first tow vehicle was a lifted F-150 with oversized tires (although nowhere near 35's) and it struggled with my TT at somewhere around 5k lbs. especially in the wind and hills. 3/4 ton much better and still rides high enough and offroads fine for my hunting needs.

Gebrown wrote:
So, with the advice of Scott maybe I should look at trailers weighing in around 4K lbs.

Actually, I wouldn't go much heavier than that, with the truck in its current configuration. Everything modified on the truck decreases its towing ability and payload capacity. You may want to think more along the lines of VRV Living Lite trailer. And even then, the 22-foot model will be pushing your limits if you load it up.

http://www.livinlite.com/axxess8_5x22-overview.php