Forum Discussion

Ncm86's avatar
Ncm86
Explorer
Apr 03, 2014

New guy, not sure which tow vehicle to choose

Want to start camping with a travel trailer, looking at anything from 26-31ft. I don't have a tow vehicle yet, trying to research it but it's a bit confusing.

I was looking at a dodge ram 5.7 hemi with 3.92 gears- specs say max payload 1264 lbs, max GCVW 15,650 and GVW 6800.

Also looking at f150 with 5.0 with 3.73 gears- max payload 1570 lbs, max GCVW 15,100 and GVW 7350

The dodge seems to tow more plus more torque and hp, but ford has a bigger pay load. Not sure what's more important or if payload matters that much.

Thanks,
Mike
  • sclark's avatar
    sclark
    Explorer
    Apr 03, 2014
    I would recommend determining what RV you want to purchase. Look at the GVWR of the trailer. This number is the maximum your trailer can weigh. Take 15% of that number. This is the approximate amount of weight it will place on your trailer hitch. This number goes against the payload capacity of your tow vehicle. Add the hitch weight, the weight of your passengers and equipment you will haul in your tow vehicle. This number needs to be less then the payload capacity of your tow vehicle. If you are "good" on those numbers, you can look at the "towing capacity" number the manufacture places on your truck. It is again a good idea to ensure that the tow vehicle has the capacity to tow the GVWR of your trailer (as opposed to the UVW unloaded or dry weight). Hope this is not too confusing. Good luck.

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