question on towing my featherlite-hitch weight?

[yankeeslover]

I have a new 2013 ram 1500 truck... 5.7 hemi. states it can tow 8500 pounds.. my 2011 jayco featherlite 17 c is way way under this weight... according to yellow sticker on door w/propaine it weights in at 2950 pounds.. im not worried about pulling it. im wondering about the cargo weight for my truck.. with people and cargo in bed and tongue weight of hitch it cant exeed 1500 pounds...im going on my first trip next week.. gonna have 5 people In truck.. figure we weight roughly 750 pounds just in passangers... and according to jayco brochure the hitch weight of my camper is a whopping 475 pounds dry?? can this be correct for a 2950 pound camper? so this puts me at 1225 pounds already.. not much room to add any cargo to bed of truck(wood,coolers,bikes) anything I may need... plus the camper only has a ccc of around 475 pounds, so im really limited on what I can store in camper.
question is, does 475 pounds sound correct for dry hitch for this camper? and if so, should I have my wife drive up with the other passangers in another car? its about 60 mile trip. I hate to waste two cars and gas but not sure how to do this... btw, we will be way under towing capacity of ram truck and under the GCWR...its just the 1500 pound payload im worried about which I think has to include the hitch weight..thank you

[theoldwizard1]

donn0128 wrote:
Sadly you have hit upon the nemesis for 1/2 ton trucks. Because of the soft springs, low RAWR and P rated tires your weight ratings are going to be very low.

Check into air springs (NOT air shocks). If you have leaf springs, some places can quickly and inexpensively add a leaf. I did this on my E150 Club Wagon. It is a bit rougher empty, but the tail does not drop as much when I hook up.

Definitely check the load rating on your tires. It is right on the sidewall.

[Hoosierdaddy47]

FWIW, it's mostly illegal to transport firewood in NY, so that'll save a bit of weight.

[skipnchar]

Sounds about right but remember you won't be TOWING around an empty trailer so it'll weigh more than that once you put your personal stuff in the trailer. At a MINIMUM it should be 10% or greater and could be as heavy as 15% of the GVWR of the trailer. Weighing it is the ONLY way to know for sure what it'll weigh when loaded. For what it's worth, there are a LOT of half ton trucks that can't tow their rated weight because they hit the payload limits before reaching it. Keep in mind though, each pound of people, cargo etc. reduces your max trailer weight pound for pound.

[skipnchar]

Sounds about right but remember you won't be TOWING around an empty trailer so it'll weigh more than that once you put your personal stuff in the trailer. At a MINIMUM it should be 10% or greater and could be as heavy as 15% of the GVWR of the trailer. Weighing it is the ONLY way to know for sure what it'll weigh when loaded.

[bikendan]

yankeeslover wrote:
thanks guys...cant wait.. im not gonna lose sleep over all this..gonna enjoy myself... I forgot anyways, im over 50 miles from campground. cant get wood anyways till at cg..oh well.... ny state law

my hat's off to you, yankeeslover! in the 7 years i've been on the Hybrid forum, i've never seen a newbie post so many questions, in such a short period, as you have.:W
but it's better to ask than to not.
but you really need to do your Camp Driveway before you take off.
that way you'll get familiar with everything before you leave.

get a list of things to ask about and put it in one post, instead of starting a post for each question.
that way it's easier for us to answer in one thread.

[Bumpyroad]

load what you can behind the axle.
bumpy

[yankeeslover]

thanks guys...cant wait.. im not gonna lose sleep over all this..gonna enjoy myself... I forgot anyways, im over 50 miles from campground. cant get wood anyways till at cg..oh well.... ny state law

[Hondavalk]

JMO A 1/2 ton truck pulling a 3000lb tt with a hitch weight of 475lbs, load it and enjoy.

[ChooChooMan74]

Just go with it. Go over the nearest CAT scales and see where you are at. If you are over, try adjusting a bit. I am 100lbs over my GVW on my TV full of propane, water, and the standard 4 passengers. My Axle weights are fine (actually over on the front WITHOUT the trailer...figures Jeep never accounted for the diesel???) I am not saying to go over, but I don't think you have much of a worry.

GO RED SOX

[yankeeslover]

how the previous owner pulled this TT with a caravan I will never know.. surely a caravan has less Towing capacity then my new ram... anyways. I will probably have to play it smart and pick up a lot of my stuff at the CG.. I can get firewood along the road, and they have two big grocery stores.. I will just buy beer/soda/ice when I get to destination.. we don't travel with a ton of stuff, but will try to make due.. I don't think buying firewood in the town where campground is any more expensive then buying it locally... either way small price to pay to keep weight down..oh well..

[donn0128]

Typical TT is going to have a hitch weight of between 12 and 15%. So the factory is saying your hitch weight of that trailer is a bit over the 15% number.
Sadly you have hit upon the nemesis for 1/2 ton trucks. Because of the soft springs, low RAWR and P rated tires your weight ratings are going to be very low.
I guess to be on the safe side, you are going to have to sacrifice something? Fire wood, people, toys, something is probably going to have to be left home.

[Bumpyroad]

is your axle completely at the rear of the RV? IIRC my 17 ft Ascend had a hitch weight of 259 lbs. dry.
bumpy