Ram 1500 Bumper Notice
I'm currently towing a Crossroads Z-1 (around 7,000 lbs loaded if I had to guess) with a Nissan Armada. It's a little sluggish as to be expected but it has air bags to lift the back end up. I just...
Forum Discussion
Chromag wrote:
I'm currently towing a Crossroads Z-1 (around 7,000 lbs loaded if I had to guess) with a Nissan Armada. It's a little sluggish as to be expected but it has air bags to lift the back end up.
I just purchased a 2011 Ram 1500 with the Hemi V-8 and towing package (quad cab). I dont have the numbers in front of me but it has a towing capacity of around 10,500 with a payload of around 1,500 lbs. I hooked up the TT to it without the weight distribution so I could swap out the tongue jack and it was really sagging.
On the bumper just above the hitch it states that it has a 500 lb capacity (but to check my owners manual which I dont have).
Is this something I should worry about? We're towing out tomorrow to the Disney campground and I'd rather stop towing with the Armada. I'd like to keep the miles and stress off of it.
I have a Blue Ox weight distribution hitch.
As others have said, the 500# weight rating on the "bumper" is if you are towing in weight carrying mode (raw dead weight, no WD) on the "bumper". They usually limit the pull rating to 5,000# to line up with the 500# dead weight rating. This is regardless if the truck is rated for 10,500# pulling.
To the squat. I think I understand now what you are saying.
You hooked the TT to the truck without putting the WD bars on to change the tongue jack and the back of the truck squatted pretty good? Yes/no?
The truck squat is a fact of the 1500 suspension and is normal for that size truck. When you hook the WD bars up on a properly adjusted WD hitch, the rear squat should be a lot less and more like approx 1 to 1.5 maybe 2 inches from unhitched fender height at the wheels where with no WD, it might be 3 to 4" squat.
The Armada with air bags created a stiffer suspension and less squat however the strain on the truck was still high, just you cannot see it as much.
You did not say where you hitched the trailer to, the bumper or did you have the WD hitch head in the truck 2" reciever? If you are worried you hitched it to the bumper and overloaded the bumper due to the 500# sticker, lets talk some more.
Hope this helps and enjoy the new truck
John
