Towing a small 5th wheel with a 1/2 ton truck

Please explain dry pin weight -- is that the hitch in the truck?

Here are the specs from the Ram website for my vehicle:

TIRES P265/70R17
ENG 4.7L V8
TRANS TYPE A5
TRANS 545RFE (DGQ) SPD AUTO
AXLE (it lists both 3.55 & 3.92...don't know what mine is)
GVWR 6700
PAYLOAD 1670
BASE WT 5008...Front 2858....Rear 2150
GAWR Front 3700.....Rear 3900
GCWR 12,500
MAX TRAILER 7300

Tell me if my thinking is incorrect:

The 5er I'm looking at is just over 6100 lbs dry; assume 1000 lbs of "stuff", so 7100 lbs. Assuming I stay within the payload with the hitch & other "stuff", + 2 people, am I not within the 7300 max trailer and the 12,500 GCWR?

This is the lightest 5er I can find...if it not a safe situation, I guess I will have to go back to looking at another TT.

Thanks so much for your help...like I said, this is my first attempt at a 5er, and I don't want to start off with a bad move:-)

redwingnc wrote:
That just means that if the trailer is 6000 lbs, I can't load it with more than 1000 lbs (which should be easy), if my max trailer is 7300, right?

No, tow rating is not likely your problem although you'll probably exceed that too. You aren't saying 6500 pound 5er. You are saying 8000 pound 5er.

All those 5er have over 1000 pounds of dry pin weight. Add in a 200+ pounds receiver. Then you, any other passengers in the cab. Do you plan to put anything in the 5er in front of the axles, like fill up that basement storage, anything in the kitchen cabinets, cloths in bedroom closet? I think you'll be 1000 pounds over payload loaded for a week+ long trip. Even a 7k loaded TT causes amny half tons to exceed their GVWR. Do you know your payload? If your Ram is a 2006+. there is a sticker on driver's door or door jam stating the max combined wight of occupants and cargo shall not exceed xxxx pounds. If older, then you'll have to weigh it.

Notice what everyone with a half ton except Tundra guy did. It was fine, but upgraded. Get the right truck now or stick to under 6k dry TT. Even then right near tow rating and payload, I don't think you'll be happy with the acceleration.

romore wrote:
Might work if you don't mind mashing the pedal with the hazards flashing and getting passed by a fat kid on a bicycle in the hills. Descending will test your nerves and gas mileage will suck. We over estimated the towing capacity of our first tv even though the specs said it should handle the load, gave up after the second trip. Go with a lighter bumper pull or get more truck.

I don't post a whole lot but I have to disagree with this post. I have towed with a '02 RAM 1500 4.7L with a trailer at or slightly above the GCWR of the truck. I don't suggest doing that but never felt there was a safety or performance issue with over 30K miles of towing. However, the 4.7 handled the weight very well and the performance was never an issue with this truck.

The only two mods that were made were to go from a 3.55 gear to a 4.10 and LT tires. The OP truck is most likely a 3.92 already since it has the towing package.

It was no speed demon but then again, that shouldn't be the issue when we are towing! Power was not overabundant but more than adequate.

Typically dry weights are from the factory, account for water, batteries, clothing, dishes, etc etc. Usually people are pretty surprised what actually goes into a trailer.

When it comes to weights it's recommended to not go off the dry weight but the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) which is the max amount it's rated for. The chances of it being the "dry" weight when it rolls of the dealers lot is slim to none as well.

That just means that if the trailer is 6000 lbs, I can't load it with more than 1000 lbs (which should be easy), if my max trailer is 7300, right?

redwingnc wrote:
I have found a few....Palomino Puma at 5770, Heartland Sundance at 6354, Keystone Springdale at 6200, etc....so they are out there!

Just did a quick look at the ones you mentioned, most of those weights are "dry weights". GVWR is over 8,000 lbs.

We camped with a 1/2 ton Chevy 5.3 and 3.42 gears for some time pulling a 7k small FW. Had no issues, just the 2 of us during that time. A little slower in the hills but overall no issues. We eventually moved to the truck we have now. If I had a smaller camper then a newer 1/2 ton would work. Just stay within your weight ratings. Overall the 4.7 will get the job done. I have never owned one but a coworker did. He pulled some cow trailers from Florida to Georgia and back multiple times. I heard no complaints from him on the truck., other then the dash cracking badly...

I used to live in Brighton before moving to NC! Please explain what you mean...I am truly a novice at this:-)

It is obvious that most have not pulled with a 4.7L Chrysler engine. Shortage of power will not be your first problem. Load management will accor long before power issues,
MM49

All stock except uprated tires.