max tow capacity

[sluggo68]

I own a 2014 dodge Ram 2500, 6.4 hemi. curb weight of the truck is 7300 full gas, oil. TT weighs dry 6400, I estimate aprox 200 lbs of food/gear, hitch weight is 1000 lbs with batts. and full propane tanks. I only ever carry about 6 gallons of fresh H20 while traveling. The dealer says max tow weight is 12,600. I would like to know what is the max on the hitch and total towing weight I can safely tow. Thank you for any help on this.

[1kennyOG]

Lots of landscapers with that truck are pulling 11,000+ pounds so you should be fine 🙂

[IndyCamp]

You and I have the same truck.

My trailer is around 7,500 loaded.

I can fill my bed with firewood, chairs, bikes, gray water tote, and not be anywhere near my payload (3K). That is including the people in the truck, who account for about 500 pounds.

You're more than fine. Go camping and have fun!

[sluggo68]

thanks everyone for helping me understand/find out how much I can tow/carry. It's greatly appreciated. I now know that I can very safely tow my camper and all my gear.

[autorot8]

sluggo68 wrote:
door sticker only reads cargo max weight of 3050, owners manual reads, MAX GCVW 19,500, MAX tow 12,500. I have two 24 series deep cycle batts, two 30LB propane tanks, WD hitch 60LBS, truck curb weight 6,900LBS, camper dry 6,200LB.

With that trailer you really don't have anything to worry about, you have more than enough truck. Somewhere in the owners manual it will state the max weight on the hitch is around 17000 lbs and it does not differentiate between weight distributing hitch or not, since it is a 2 1/2 receiver, class V hitch.

[x96mnn]

To keep things short, you have nothing to worry about. That truck could haul a lot more then the trailer you have.

If you reading the right sticker, means you have 3050pds of payload. The trailer is 6400 pds, let's add 1500 for gear so 7900 pds. Gives you a hitch weight of around 1125pds or so. You subtract that from your 3050pds of payload and what you have left is what you can legally put in/on the truck. 200pd hitch, 50pds of running boards, gas, people and so on.

Loads of room, you most likly will not know your towing anything at all,

[sluggo68]

door sticker only reads cargo max weight of 3050, owners manual reads, MAX GCVW 19,500, MAX tow 12,500. I have two 24 series deep cycle batts, two 30LB propane tanks, WD hitch 60LBS, truck curb weight 6,900LBS, camper dry 6,200LB.

[bikendan]

sluggo68 wrote:
Everyone, thanks so much for all the great info. It is greatly appreciated. I truly enjoy this site for all the great people that are so helpful and full of knowledge. It is so helpful to us newbies.

but what's your door sticker say?:h

[BenK]

It is simple math, but requires actual weights of both TV and trailer. Axle weights of them both fully loaded

Here is the formula GCWR >= TV GVW + Trailer GVW + HITCH/Misc

You also need all of your RATINGs for both TV & Trailer...GCWR, GVWR, FGAWR, RGAWR...and do NOT go above ANY

Of course decide if you believe in the RATINGS system or not...the wheels will not instantly fall off if over...just sooner AND performance will be less that at or below your RATINGS

Performance includes braking and MANHANDLING the WHOLE setup...not just getting it going

[sluggo68]

Everyone, thanks so much for all the great info. It is greatly appreciated. I truly enjoy this site for all the great people that are so helpful and full of knowledge. It is so helpful to us newbies.

[1kennyOG]

Drivers door sticker is pretty important here.
max tow and max tow with weight distribution also not the same.

[sch911]

What is your GVWR, and GCWR? Only then can your max towing weight be calculated.

[Golden_HVAC]

You can check the drivers side door for a GVWR. It might be 10,000 pounds, and if it is, subtract your curb weight from the GVWR (10,000 - 7,300 = 2,700 more weight you can put in the truck before reaching it's max weight rating)

The GCVWR is found in the towing guide. It will depend on the rear axle ratio, engine, transmission, and model of course.

Your GCVWR should be well over 14,000 pounds, so your light trailer is no problem for the pickup!

Good luck,

Fred.

[autorot8]

You have a class V receiver. I think the max hitch weight is around 17,000 lbs. You have 2700 lbs payload according to your weigh-in. I don't think you have anything to worry about with regard to your trailer. That max tow weight is close to what the dealer indicated. You have a GCVWR of 19500 with the 3.73 rear axle, close to 23000 with the 4.10.

[SlowBro]

I'm still learning about this too, and I'm finding that there are a lot of factors to consider. You mentioned curb weight but every pound that has been added after the factory can take away (in my case) ten pounds on the towing limit. Even 15lbs of floor mats in my instance mean 150lbs less I can tow.

You also didn't mention tongue weight or percentage of tongue weight to trailer weight. And there are some recommended safety buffers. And the type of hitch you use matters.

So there's lots to consider. I found this calculator helpful. Be prepared to be shocked how much less you can actually safely tow. For example, my SUV can pull 8,900lb but I'm looking at 4,000-5,000lb trailers.
http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml