Towing feasibility

Question

We have a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L hemi pickup with an advertised towing capability of 8,250 lbs. The travel trailer we are interested in is a Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 29bh, that weighs 5,961 lbs, and a GVWR of 7,650 lbs. Does this seem doable with the towing vehicle that we have? Or it would it be cutting it too close?

We will soon be a family of 7, so need the space of a larger trailer. We are hoping to get a larger towing vehicle in the next few years but would like to get into camping now. We would be travelling in 2 vehicles for the time being, and able to fill up our non towing vehicle if need be.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

hideout17 · Answer

perigaut wrote:We have a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L hemi pickup with an advertised towing capability of 8,250 lbs.  The travel trailer we are interested in is a Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 29bh, that weighs 5,961 lbs, and a GVWR of 7,650 lbs.  Does this seem doable with the towing vehicle that we have?  Or it would it be cutting it too close? We will soon be a family of 7, so need the space of a larger trailer.  We are hoping to get a larger towing vehicle in the next few years but would like to get into camping now.  We would be travelling in 2 vehicles for the time being, and able to fill up our non towing vehicle if need be.  Any suggestions?   Thanks.Get a good wdh hitch and you should be fine. Only thing imho I would change is the P series tires. I went to E rated on my tundra and made a big difference.

donn0128 · Answer

By the time you subtract passanger weight your available payload will drop below the tongue weight of that trailer.  While it might work with everything empty, your not likey to tow that way.

bikendan · Answer

perigaut wrote:We have a 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L hemi pickup with an advertised towing capability of 8,250 lbs.  The travel trailer we are interested in is a Forest River Cherokee Grey Wolf 29bh, that weighs 5,961 lbs, and a GVWR of 7,650 lbs.  Does this seem doable with the towing vehicle that we have?  Or it would it be cutting it too close? We will soon be a family of 7, so need the space of a larger trailer.  We are hoping to get a larger towing vehicle in the next few years but would like to get into camping now.  We would be travelling in 2 vehicles for the time being, and able to fill up our non towing vehicle if need be.  Any suggestions?   Thanks.the important spec is the truck's PAYLOAD CAPACITY.what does the yellow driver's door sticker say it is?what's the tongue weight of the Gray Wolf?

mfl · Answer

Yes, you will be closing in on your trucks capacity. You will need a WDH, for the approximate 900 lbs of loaded trailer tongue weight. You are wise to use two vehicles with the large family, as that all takes away from the TV capacity.

I think this truck and trailer will work for now, but as you already stated, a heavier duty truck should be in your future plans.

Jerry

tomg2 · Answer

Spend a few bucks and get some scale weights in order to make a better assessment. You will probably discover that you will be overloading your tow vehicle.

Unfortunately, that "Advertised tow rating" is all about advertising and not much about real world travel trailer towing. All the manufacturers do it.

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Towing feasibility

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