Travel trailer towing.

2012Coleman wrote:

evanvalk wrote:
I would like some input from those who pull a travel trailer with a Ram 1500 Hemi 5.7 with the 355 Ratio rear end, Regarding speed, handling fish tailing any pro ot con, mostly Trailers over 30 ft. Thank you all. Ed

Here is the OP's question. I think every answer he got COULD be correct for HIS situation but as someone stated, he was just waiting for someone to say he was just fine. Maybe he can safely tow his TT, maybe he can't - you can argue about it till the cows come home. The answer can't be found by asking with such limited information.

Based on the info given Beemerphile gave the best answer.

What can be done is use information obtained here to figure it out for himself - if he's so inclined. But as he has the easy answer, I'm not counting on it. Good luck to you.

Again I disagree. That answer was just wrong, and full of misinformation.

I have a 2015 F150 and tow a 35' Bullet. It's slow up the hills but tows very well. I have the Equal-I-Zer 2 rated at 12,000. I did not want to get a bigger truck because I don't just tow the camper so it is more practical for me. We are never in a hurry camping anyway.

evanvalk wrote:
I would like some input from those who pull a travel trailer with a Ram 1500 Hemi 5.7 with the 355 Ratio rear end, Regarding speed, handling fish tailing any pro ot con, mostly Trailers over 30 ft. Thank you all. Ed

Here is the OP's question. I think every answer he got COULD be correct for HIS situation but as someone stated, he was just waiting for someone to say he was just fine. Maybe he can safely tow his TT, maybe he can't - you can argue about it till the cows come home. The answer can't be found by asking with such limited information.

Based on the info given Beemerphile gave the best answer.

What can be done is use information obtained here to figure it out for himself - if he's so inclined. But as he has the easy answer, I'm not counting on it. Good luck to you.

DutchmenSport wrote:

evanvalk wrote:
Thanks, Bulldawg, that's what I was hoping to Hear, Ed, Happy RVing.

When I read new forum threads here, I have come to the conclusion that the original poster has already made up his/her mind and is simply seeking affirmation of their decision. Here is one such example.

Right or wrong, the original poster will have to live with his choice, no matter how much warning, advise, or suggestions anyone presents here.

That being said (and hope I have not turned the original poster "off" to bad yet), coming from personal experience, I would not tow anything with a 1500 / 150 vehicle. Now granted, each tow vehicle and trailer combination are different and that's the reason anyone asks questions here, but I once owned a 1500 Suburban (Chevy) and it towed the pop-up flawless. Then when we got our first travel trailer (Dutchmen Sport), it was only 5,000 pounds. But a mere 6 months after purchasing the trailer, the transmission was destroyed in the Suburban. Engine was still great! Body was great! Tires were great! I had the transmission replaced with a rebuilt one, and it simply never drove the same again.

We sold it for our first 3500 dualy (gas) model and learned from our miss-fortune.

Now, on the other hand, automobiles and trucks have come a long way since the middle 1990's. We just took a week trip to Florida with our current trailer and back to Indiana. En route we saw some mighty strange tow vehicle-trailer / 5th wheel combinations that made, both my wife and me, shake our heads in unbelief. 1500 and 150 single rear wheel vehicles towing some behemoth trailers. I suppose those folks never read anything on RV.net. Yet, they were buzzing down the "highway of life".

We did experience seeing many trailers with a lot of fishtailing going on with some of these rig combinations. But still, the owners were buzzing down the road at 70 and 75 mph. Made us shutter in our boots watching some of this.

Another thing that amazed us was how many were NOT using any kind of weight distribution set-up.

But you know what? Those trucks were on the road pulling those trailers. So I suppose, they must be making trucks and transmissions a whole lot better these days than my 1995 Suburban!

To the Original Poster: If you feel comfortable towing a trailer with that length and with a vehicle the size you are considering, all I can say is "try it!" I hope it works well for you. BUT ... please do keep an open mind, (if) the truck begins to experience mechanical issues, do get a heavier truck the next time.

The OP asked a simple question and I gave him an honest and straight forward ans_er specifically to his question based solely on personal experience. Your post above seems to insinuate that I gave poor advice, or advice he wanted to hear. Re-read if you must, I just answered the question. The issue on "new forum threads here" is posters tend to make assumptions, deviate wildly from the original topic, and otherwise ramble on about the same old subjects...payload, gvwr, gcvwr, etc etc. All things I covered by simply stating "if you are within all your numbers/ratings.

beemerphile1 wrote:

3oaks wrote:

Nvr2loud wrote:

beemerphile1 wrote:
By fish tailing, I assume you mean trailer sway? It probably wouldn't be any worse than another overloaded 1/2 ton truck.

A +30 feet trailer will most likely be too much for any 1/2 ton.

How many times do we (as a travel trailer forum) need to go through this argument. There is no 'magic' length that is too much for any given truck. There are many factors to determine appropriate tow vehicle / trailer combinations.

I had an 18 foot trailer that was WAY WAY too heavy for my 1/2 Ton Sierra, I needed to have a 3/4 Ton for that trailer. My 30 Foot trailer is easily under what the truck is rated to pull, under the max combined weight rating, under the max hitch rating with WDH (over the max hitch rating without WDH) and I am at my payload max when I'm fully loaded with family, bikes, wood, and propane in the bed of the truck. I could shift the wood and propane to the trailer if I ever need that little bit of extra payload.

I don't even have sway, since I keep nearly 15% tongue weight on the truck.

Exactly! Often too many automatic nay sayers without even knowing all the details.

My post was made based on the details the OP gave which was very little. In case anyone missed it, I said "will most likely be too much". I didn't say it will be.

A 1/2 ton with a 3.55 gear does not make a great tow vehicle. A +30 feet trailer will likely have too much tongue weight. That is as good an answer as can be given without specific info.

Beg to differ. My 150 has a 3.55 rear. My TT is 31 feet long. My 5.4 3.55 TV tows it like a dream. My TV is not in any way overloaded. My TT has a GVWR of 7200lb which it will NEVER even be close to. Loaded ready to camp, It comes in UNDER, or at 6000lbs depending on where it is going.

Blanket statements that are completely and utterly wrong, do not help. It is no different than saying a 4.6 van can't tow any trailer, or that a Vibe can't tow a Aliner. I wouldn't but you do. How does it do? Not as good as my 5.4 3.55 towing my 6000lb 31' TT. I bet

dvitale300 wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:

evanvalk wrote:
Thanks, Bulldawg, that's what I was hoping to Hear, Ed, Happy RVing.

When I read new forum threads here, I have come to the conclusion that the original poster has already made up his/her mind and is simply seeking affirmation of their decision. Here is one such example.

Right or wrong, the original poster will have to live with his choice, no matter how much warning, advise, or suggestions anyone presents here.

That being said (and hope I have not turned the original poster "off" to bad yet), coming from personal experience, I would not tow anything with a 1500 / 150 vehicle. Now granted, each tow vehicle and trailer combination are different and that's the reason anyone asks questions here, but I once owned a 1500 Suburban (Chevy) and it towed the pop-up flawless. Then when we got our first travel trailer (Dutchmen Sport), it was only 5,000 pounds. But a mere 6 months after purchasing the trailer, the transmission was destroyed in the Suburban. Engine was still great! Body was great! Tires were great! I had the transmission replaced with a rebuilt one, and it simply never drove the same again.

We sold it for our first 3500 dualy (gas) model and learned from our miss-fortune.

Now, on the other hand, automobiles and trucks have come a long way since the middle 1990's. We just took a week trip to Florida with our current trailer and back to Indiana. En route we saw some mighty strange tow vehicle-trailer / 5th wheel combinations that made, both my wife and me, shake our heads in unbelief. 1500 and 150 single rear wheel vehicles towing some behemoth trailers. I suppose those folks never read anything on RV.net. Yet, they were buzzing down the "highway of life".

We did experience seeing many trailers with a lot of fishtailing going on with some of these rig combinations. But still, the owners were buzzing down the road at 70 and 75 mph. Made us shutter in our boots watching some of this.

Another thing that amazed us was how many were NOT using any kind of weight distribution set-up.

But you know what? Those trucks were on the road pulling those trailers. So I suppose, they must be making trucks and transmissions a whole lot better these days than my 1995 Suburban!

To the Original Poster: If you feel comfortable towing a trailer with that length and with a vehicle the size you are considering, all I can say is "try it!" I hope it works well for you. BUT ... please do keep an open mind, (if) the truck begins to experience mechanical issues, do get a heavier truck the next time.

Thanks for your thoughts Dutchman Sport! As a newbie I take what is said on the forum seriously. The TT dealers are quick to say "yea, you're vehicle will tow it with no problem". What I have learned from this thread is that I'll keep my speed low, verify tire pressure every trip, travel as light as I can (drained tanks, no excess cargo), and keep my truck and its' fluids serviced regularly.

And I wasn't trying to bust your chops regarding towing speeds,it's all a learning curve.:)

DutchmenSport wrote:

evanvalk wrote:
Thanks, Bulldawg, that's what I was hoping to Hear, Ed, Happy RVing.

When I read new forum threads here, I have come to the conclusion that the original poster has already made up his/her mind and is simply seeking affirmation of their decision. Here is one such example.

Right or wrong, the original poster will have to live with his choice, no matter how much warning, advise, or suggestions anyone presents here.

That being said (and hope I have not turned the original poster "off" to bad yet), coming from personal experience, I would not tow anything with a 1500 / 150 vehicle. Now granted, each tow vehicle and trailer combination are different and that's the reason anyone asks questions here, but I once owned a 1500 Suburban (Chevy) and it towed the pop-up flawless. Then when we got our first travel trailer (Dutchmen Sport), it was only 5,000 pounds. But a mere 6 months after purchasing the trailer, the transmission was destroyed in the Suburban. Engine was still great! Body was great! Tires were great! I had the transmission replaced with a rebuilt one, and it simply never drove the same again.

We sold it for our first 3500 dualy (gas) model and learned from our miss-fortune.

Now, on the other hand, automobiles and trucks have come a long way since the middle 1990's. We just took a week trip to Florida with our current trailer and back to Indiana. En route we saw some mighty strange tow vehicle-trailer / 5th wheel combinations that made, both my wife and me, shake our heads in unbelief. 1500 and 150 single rear wheel vehicles towing some behemoth trailers. I suppose those folks never read anything on RV.net. Yet, they were buzzing down the "highway of life".

We did experience seeing many trailers with a lot of fishtailing going on with some of these rig combinations. But still, the owners were buzzing down the road at 70 and 75 mph. Made us shutter in our boots watching some of this.

Another thing that amazed us was how many were NOT using any kind of weight distribution set-up.

But you know what? Those trucks were on the road pulling those trailers. So I suppose, they must be making trucks and transmissions a whole lot better these days than my 1995 Suburban!

To the Original Poster: If you feel comfortable towing a trailer with that length and with a vehicle the size you are considering, all I can say is "try it!" I hope it works well for you. BUT ... please do keep an open mind, (if) the truck begins to experience mechanical issues, do get a heavier truck the next time.

I don't disagree with you, a heavy duty truck will always be better at pulling the same trailer then a light duty truck, but it isn't necessary. It is a luxury that some can and some can't afford.

I have a problem with people who grossly exceed any limits, on any vehicle... light, medium, or heavy duty. We all see it everyday, and those people are just ticking time-bombs.

If you had a second tranny go bad on that suburban, I would have completely agreed with you, however trannys go bad everyday for many reasons. Mine went out on my 3/4 ton and I was towing nowhere near the limits of that truck (payload, tongue weight, or towing capacity)

What I have found with most newer half-tons, they are always running in too high a gear when towing. I use 1st to 4th gear in my six speed. The transmission temperature stays low and steady, the fuel consumption is not bad, and there is always enough power ready for the changes in terrain / traffic. Once I let that truck use 5th or 6th, all that goes out the window. Fuel consumption is horrible, power is lacking, and the transmission temperature skyrockets.....

I purchase winter tires for my vehicles, but a lot of others around me claim all season tires are good enough. I don't disagree with them, but I know winter tires are better, so I splurge on that luxury. I would love to have a one-ton, but it just won't happen on my budget, therefore I have to carefully load my truck /trailer to stay safe.

DutchmenSport wrote:

evanvalk wrote:
Thanks, Bulldawg, that's what I was hoping to Hear, Ed, Happy RVing.

When I read new forum threads here, I have come to the conclusion that the original poster has already made up his/her mind and is simply seeking affirmation of their decision. Here is one such example.

Right or wrong, the original poster will have to live with his choice, no matter how much warning, advise, or suggestions anyone presents here.

That being said (and hope I have not turned the original poster "off" to bad yet), coming from personal experience, I would not tow anything with a 1500 / 150 vehicle. Now granted, each tow vehicle and trailer combination are different and that's the reason anyone asks questions here, but I once owned a 1500 Suburban (Chevy) and it towed the pop-up flawless. Then when we got our first travel trailer (Dutchmen Sport), it was only 5,000 pounds. But a mere 6 months after purchasing the trailer, the transmission was destroyed in the Suburban. Engine was still great! Body was great! Tires were great! I had the transmission replaced with a rebuilt one, and it simply never drove the same again.

We sold it for our first 3500 dualy (gas) model and learned from our miss-fortune.

Now, on the other hand, automobiles and trucks have come a long way since the middle 1990's. We just took a week trip to Florida with our current trailer and back to Indiana. En route we saw some mighty strange tow vehicle-trailer / 5th wheel combinations that made, both my wife and me, shake our heads in unbelief. 1500 and 150 single rear wheel vehicles towing some behemoth trailers. I suppose those folks never read anything on RV.net. Yet, they were buzzing down the "highway of life".

We did experience seeing many trailers with a lot of fishtailing going on with some of these rig combinations. But still, the owners were buzzing down the road at 70 and 75 mph. Made us shutter in our boots watching some of this.

Another thing that amazed us was how many were NOT using any kind of weight distribution set-up.

But you know what? Those trucks were on the road pulling those trailers. So I suppose, they must be making trucks and transmissions a whole lot better these days than my 1995 Suburban!

To the Original Poster: If you feel comfortable towing a trailer with that length and with a vehicle the size you are considering, all I can say is "try it!" I hope it works well for you. BUT ... please do keep an open mind, (if) the truck begins to experience mechanical issues, do get a heavier truck the next time.

Thanks for your thoughts Dutchman Sport! As a newbie I take what is said on the forum seriously. The TT dealers are quick to say "yea, you're vehicle will tow it with no problem". What I have learned from this thread is that I'll keep my speed low, verify tire pressure every trip, travel as light as I can (drained tanks, no excess cargo), and keep my truck and its' fluids serviced regularly.

It is true you can muscle up and F-150 for a 2000 payload. The only person I talked to that had done so was pulling in the Rocky Mountains. He had no complaints about power but his unhitched gas mileage and ride comfort were miserable.

The fact is people have, do now and will in the future; exceed the TV Max cargo, the TT max tire speed limit, and a host of other things without the slightest problem. Their TT and TV combination and driving style has worked for them for years; so they are not about to tamper with it.

Other folks seem to have a disproportionate amount difficulty with seemingly suitable TV and TTs and end up adding or changing tires, suspensions and other peripherals. It is in these situations where the advice and suggestions from the board really shines.

The TV manufacturers give you the max cargo, max tongue and towing specs. The TT manufacturer gives you the TT specs. What they cannot tell you is how YOU will perceive your TT and TV handling.