1/2 ton towing

Bkuhl1179 wrote:
Just purchased a 2020 Ram 1500 5.7 with the etourqe along with a 3.92 rear. Specs on the truck says it has a 1681lb payload and can tow up to 11500 lbs. Looking into purchasing a 2021 Grand Design 3250BH. Dry weight on the rig is 8450lbs and hitch weight is 850lbs. Am I crazy for trying to tow something this big? The numbers seem to be in line with what the truck is rated for.

Have you considered towing up mountains or towing when it is windy??

I would be mostly doing local towing so no major mountains to get up. Also been looking at the equalizer 4 anti sway distribution hitch. Not sure if that would help with wind at all but if it’s super windy I wouldn’t tow that day. Kind of new into this towing a travel trailer gig. Just looking for opinions.

Why limit yourself to “local towing?” No Rockies, Sierra, Appalachians? You are making too many compromises IMO. No hitch fixes the tail wagging the dog in wind. Adequate TV weight and wheelbase are the only sure cures.

Well for starters, you considered dry weight which will never come into play.

Your looking at a 10K trailer minimal with 1200 lb tounge.....there goes your payload once you add a dog and wife.

Tow ratings are very deceitful.

Bkuhl1179 wrote:
...snip... it has a 1681lb payload ....snip..

Not nearly enough payload for that size trailer.

Bkuhl1179 wrote:
Just purchased a 2020 Ram 1500 5.7 with the etourqe along with a 3.92 rear. Specs on the truck says it has a 1681lb payload and can tow up to 11500 lbs. Looking into purchasing a 2021 Grand Design 3250BH. Dry weight on the rig is 8450lbs and hitch weight is 850lbs. Am I crazy for trying to tow something this big? The numbers seem to be in line with what the truck is rated for.

Yes, you are crazy.

Not sure exactly what the GVWR of the trailer is but I suspect it is well north of the dry weight (10K or a bit higher)..

As it stands, with the advertised dry weight of 8450 lbs the tongue weight is too light for the trailer length and I suspect that tongue weight is heavier than what is advertised..

for absolute best towing stability you want the tongue weight to be right up at 15% and that my friend with the current dry weight would be 1281 lbs!

That's only going to leave you with 400 lbs of available cargo on your truck.. Add in a passenger or two and you are maxed out and we haven't talked about what that trailer tongue weight will be once you put stuff IN the trailer..

You have a trailer which would be far better matched to at least a 3/4 ton..

As a rule of thumb, you will run out of available cargo before you hit the supposed advertised "towing limits"..

Buyers remorse is coming soon..

Haven’t pulled the trigger yet on the TT. That’s why I’m on here getting opinions.

I think you'll be disappointed trying to tow that trailer.

General advice, cut at least 2,000 pounds from that dry weight and 2' from that length for a better towing experience with a half ton.

/Going to check out a 5,900 pound 34' trailer as soon as we can setup a date with the dealer.
//My truck is nearly identical specs, though a worse rear end
///This is about the biggest we're considering

It may be do-able within the numbers but it won’t be a fun or comfortable experience. That size and weight would be much better suited to a 3/4 ton truck.

Our current trailer is of similar size but significantly lighter. At just under 8k fully loaded it was borderline for most half ton trucks. They could pull it but would usually exceed payload, axle, or receiver ratings even though nowhere near the fictional tow rating.

You’ll be much more comfortable with a trailer under 30’ and 6k dry weight with your Ram.