Forum Discussion

bironacad's avatar
bironacad
Explorer
Oct 31, 2013

new 3500 srw tow vehicle?

I will be buying a new diesel tow vehicle in Jan\Feb 2014
My trailer is a redwood triple slide with a scale weight of 14000 lbs brochure said 13,800 lbs with a brochure pin weight of 2700lbs. I have pulled it with my 03, 2500 Ram, Smarty JR chipped for towing. I would like to stay with a srw truck. The new ram 3500 says it has an 11,800 lb gvwr with a 4000 lb payload. The rear GAWR is 7000lbs so says the dealer. I would like to think I will be all right with the quad cad, 4x4, short box with the fifth wheel prep. Anyone driving a similar 2013.

The new vehicles come with exhaust break, traction sway control and the like and I want to feel good about the purchase.

Thanks
Tow Vehicles

59 Replies

Show More
  • boogie_4wheel's avatar
    boogie_4wheel
    Explorer
    Oct 31, 2013
    You are currently towing with a 3rd gen 2500 with added springs... Why wouldn't the new 3500SRW handle it any better?

    Based on the numbers you've posted, I wouldn't hesitate one bit!!! That ~2700lb pin has your '03 over the GVWR if you care (it has to, I was at 9800 with 2500lbs worth of rock in the bed earlier this year). I bet you were close to max on the 17" tires!

    You are buying 'more truck' than you currently have for the same trailer. The larger wheel/tire for the additional weight rating will help.
  • Miles_Away's avatar
    Miles_Away
    Explorer
    Oct 31, 2013
    That truck should be OK for your trailer. We have towed with a 3500 SRW for years with no issues. However, the Dodge Quad Cab short box is
    really -
    really -
    really - short. You may want to look at that issue a little closer.
  • donn0128's avatar
    donn0128
    Explorer II
    Oct 31, 2013
    A SRW truck is really not enough for that much weight. Get a dually and stop worrying.
  • bironacad's avatar
    bironacad
    Explorer
    Oct 31, 2013
    john&bet wrote:
    crickeydog wrote:
    FWIW: When we were shopping for a new truck in 2005, we wanted a SRW 3500 as well. Turned out we would have been overweight on the SRW trucks GVWR when hitched to our 30' 5'er (see sig). Loaded, our 30' 5'er scales at 14,205 lbs. It's GVWR is 14,400 lbs. Pin weight is 3710 lbs. We had to buy a DRW in order to have room to play with when loading the truck. Look seriously at the DRW vs. SRW weight ratings when considering what you plan to tow, as well as buying a short bed truck to tow a 5'er. You have a large 5'er. Hitched to a SRW short bed truck, IMHO, your 5'er's wagging the dog!!! Good luck.

    Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)
    A short bed truck does not necessarily mean a shorter truck. A short bed truck can have the same wheel base and overall length as a long bed truck, depending on cab configuration. So no tail wagging the dog so to speak.


    The guide says it will do the job but I was wondering about peoples experience with the new trucks
  • john_bet's avatar
    john_bet
    Explorer II
    Oct 31, 2013
    crickeydog wrote:
    FWIW: When we were shopping for a new truck in 2005, we wanted a SRW 3500 as well. Turned out we would have been overweight on the SRW trucks GVWR when hitched to our 30' 5'er (see sig). Loaded, our 30' 5'er scales at 14,205 lbs. It's GVWR is 14,400 lbs. Pin weight is 3710 lbs. We had to buy a DRW in order to have room to play with when loading the truck. Look seriously at the DRW vs. SRW weight ratings when considering what you plan to tow, as well as buying a short bed truck to tow a 5'er. You have a large 5'er. Hitched to a SRW short bed truck, IMHO, your 5'er's wagging the dog!!! Good luck.

    Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)
    A short bed truck does not necessarily mean a shorter truck. A short bed truck can have the same wheel base and overall length as a long bed truck, depending on cab configuration. So no tail wagging the dog so to speak.
  • sclark's avatar
    sclark
    Explorer
    Oct 31, 2013
    If you have the vin number you can to the RAM TOWING site and enter the vin number. This will give you the specifics for your truck. Good luck with your new rig. you can look it up under the "look up my vehicle" section.
  • jmtandem's avatar
    jmtandem
    Explorer II
    Oct 31, 2013
    My trailer is a redwood triple slide with a scale weight of 14000 lbs brochure said 13,800 lbs with a brochure pin weight of 2700lbs.


    Most on this forum would strongly encourage you to never use brochure weights. Use the gross weight of the coach and you should be able to determine if the truck will do the job. If not, there are always duallys that have more rear axle, more gross weight and more payload.
  • crickeydog's avatar
    crickeydog
    Explorer
    Oct 31, 2013
    FWIW: When we were shopping for a new truck in 2005, we wanted a SRW 3500 as well. Turned out we would have been overweight on the SRW trucks GVWR when hitched to our 30' 5'er (see sig). Loaded, our 30' 5'er scales at 14,205 lbs. It's GVWR is 14,400 lbs. Pin weight is 3710 lbs. We had to buy a DRW in order to have room to play with when loading the truck. Look seriously at the DRW vs. SRW weight ratings when considering what you plan to tow, as well as buying a short bed truck to tow a 5'er. You have a large 5'er. Hitched to a SRW short bed truck, IMHO, your 5'er's wagging the dog!!! Good luck.

    Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)

About Travel Trailer Group

44,044 PostsLatest Activity: Jul 26, 2025