Towing a Travel Trailer

vindicator wrote:
I am new to travel trailers.

I have a 2013 Dodge Ram 1500 with a max tow of 8800lbs and payload of 1600lbs.

I am looking to purchase a Keystone Summerland 2820 which has a shipping weight of 6360lbs, capacity of 2240lbs, and hitch of 690lbs.

Will I have any trouble pulling it?

Thanks for your help....

From what you say here and later you have a 2013 ram crew cab with the hemi and 3.55 axles ratio. It looks as if you will most likely have the 20" rims and express package. You have a fairly high payload for ram, is it 4x4, looks to be 4x2 bc of lower fgawr.

I have a 2012 Ram 1500 QC 4x4 with the 3.92 axle ratio and hemi. I have a Keystone Sprinter 266rbs. I weighed my rig yesterday. Dry i'm 6600lbs loaded i'm 7420. Dry tongue weight is around 700 i'm 900. Its only me, the wife and two dogs. The trucks sits very nicely when the wdh is distributed properly. Truthfully my truck weighs 7040. which according to ram is over my 6700gvwr. My truck is really no different and you have a 680gvwr bc you have a bigger cab which means you weigh more.

Since you have the crew cab i'm guessing you'll have more passengers than I. This all accounts in your total payload. I'm guessing you'll be sitting near where I am.

My truck came with load e range tires from ram, yours most likely will not since you have 20" rims. The goodyears are none for not being the best but you can probably manage with maxing out the tire pressure. All said and done you will probably have near the same set up as me but a little longer. Look into a good wdh.

I have the equalizer and had a few issues getting it to work good but now its great. Get an equally good one and you will have no issues sagging. I also have the airlift 1000bags that fit inside the coils. Trust me they work great for hauling but completely negate the effect a wdh system has especially a friction based one like the equalizer 4pt.

Personally i'm very comfortable with my rig. I am not over any axle loading in fact the closest is 300lbs away. Many will tell you that you can't go over your gvwr and while i agree, i also disagree. An f150 with an ecoboost has a gvwr of 7650 and an axle limit of 7800 combined while my ram has a 7800axle limit and 6700gvwr. I feel its becasue our suspension is softer but with a adjusted wdh you should be fine.

Most likely you'll want a 1200lbs bar wdh hitch also.

Any question on my set up because it will be near yours just ask. I'm no expert but i have towed with this about a dozen times this year and finally have it sitting just about perfect!

BTDT with a 1/2 ton. Towed slightly less at 7300lbs loaded and TW of 900lbs. Truck had 1857lb payload. It can be done. But won't be easy. You will need to watch you trucks payload very closely. With a 6400lb dry TT you be around 7400+lbs loaded. Could be more if that's the brochure weight. Ideally you want between 10-15% for tongue weight. 12% is close to 900lbs. Add up everything like who's going with you and what you'll put in the truck. It all can't be more than 1600lbs. And chances are you may not have all that 1600lbs to start with.
So as you can see you're borderline on payload. Power wise with the Hemi shouldn't be the issue. IMO look for something in the 5-5500lb dry weight.

I am still wayne_tw wrote:
Watch this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOqARlw1EI

A TT getting blown over by an 80MPH wind? What does that have to do with this thread?

The truck is a Crew Cab. The GVWR is 6800lbs, Front GAWR is 3700 and Rear GAWR is 3900.

the 1500 doesnt come in a mega cab and i believe those numbers are for the crew cab. IMO I agree the tow wont be fun but truck could probably handle it. I pull a 32ft Eagle with my F250 and I still get pulled in by semis passing by. Another thing is my 09 Ram squatted alot because of the coil suspension even with a WD Hitch so i would suggest some bags to help raise the rear end up some.

I had a Ram 1500 with a trailer that was shorted and lighter with Reese dual cam hitch. I didn't have an overall comfortable feeling pulling my trailer. I traded the Ram 1500 for a Ram 2500 and now I feel I have the right combination of TV/TT.

Your combination of TV & TT is not ideal.

I am still wayne_tw wrote:
That 32' trailer will be a chore for your truck to handle. It is not just the weight, it is the dynamics of that big of a box catching the wind and push/pull effect of passing vehicles, especially 18 wheelers and buses. You will not have an enjoyable towing experience, and without the best sway control hitch like a Hensley or ProPride, you will experience such sway that it can control the truck sending the truck and trailer into the ditch or worse.

He didn't say what cab configuration he had. If it is a Mega Cab then it has the same wheel base, tire size, etc. as my 2500 QC long bed. So that tt wont effect the truck.

You say you are new to towing trailers and are jumping into towing a very long 4 ton unit. Good luck

Watch this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwOqARlw1EI

That 32' trailer will be a chore for your truck to handle. It is not just the weight, it is the dynamics of that big of a box catching the wind and push/pull effect of passing vehicles, especially 18 wheelers and buses. You will not have an enjoyable towing experience, and without the best sway control hitch like a Hensley or ProPride, you will experience such sway that it can control the truck sending the truck and trailer into the ditch or worse.