who to listen you.

[Danford50]

I have a 2012 dodge ram 1500 with the 4.7 engine with a 3.55 gear ratio and a 6 speed transmission. Went to camping world the other day looking at a springdale 266 went and talk with the sale person and I ask him about my truck being able to tow the camper and he told me that my truck toying capacity was 7300 lbs, then I came home and send of a email to dodge company and gave him my last 8 didgit of my ven number and they email me back and told me my truck was rated at 6050 lbs. but when I look in my truck manuel it said my truck could tow 5000 lbs standard to a max of 6450 lbs, so I am confused who do I listen too the dodge company or the sale person at camping world or the truck Manuel?

[Lowsuv]

the scales are your friend
weigh your front and rear axles on a cat scale
or a dmv scale
in oregon we can weigh for free when the highway truck scales are closed
i have found that my new trucks and cars empty are hundreds (800) of punds heavier than the light weight shown in the owners manual
once you know your actual rear axle weight , that will tell you how much tongue weight you can use for your trailer .
for the best handling figure 13% tongue weight to get your trailer max weight .

for example if your rear axle truck weight is actually 2500 # and the gvw sticker of your pickup says max rear gvw is 3500# then you have 1000 # to work with.

[tvman44]

Salesman only wants to make a sale. 🙂

[Adam-12]

I also leave a "20%" buffer or reduction in my towing capacity as a safety margin. (i.e. breaking, up/down grades, handling etc...)

For instance, IF your truck truely is only rated to tow 6,050lbs as Dodge told you, minus 20% (1,210 lbs), then you're left with a comfortable 4,840 lbs of towing.

[path1]

I would start by getting the info myself try a search like
http://www.google.com/#hl=en&gs_rn=12&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=9&gs_id=10&xhr=t&q=dodge+vin+decoder&es_nrs=tr...

Then you know what your working with.

[Georshrwd]

Take it from one Dodge owner to another, the web site is wrong and so is the dealer. It all depends on what options your truck is loaded with as far as options. They all add weight. The dodge sights says my payload is 1080lbs. My door plate says 808lbs. Look at your door plate and pay attention to the payload ratings. You will more than likely exceed payload with that trailer. Remember your payload includes everything and every body you load in the truck plus the tongue weight of the trailer. What does the trailer weigh dry? You will more than likely add minimum of 1000 pounds when you load it up. You need somewhere between 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer on the tongue to keep the load stable.

[time2roll]

Well it is between 6050 and 6450. Can you find 6050 in the manual and verify that is not your truck. Easy to misread the manual or skip a footnote that deducts 400 pounds.

Forget whatever the RV salesman said. (on most things not just tow capacity)

[thomasmnile]

Danford50 wrote:
the Manuel and the information in it was for my truck with the same info for my engine size and transmission.

Remember the manuals are generically written for given power train combos, and the payload/towing figures may not factor in vehicle options that add weight, and therefore may reduce towing/payload capacity. I would trust the information you received from Dodge based on the VIN #.

[HarleyEnough]

Checkout their body builder guide. You can pick your exact truck and find the tow rating:

http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2012/docs/ram/rammlup1500.pdf

Select what model cab you have then scroll down through the pdf slides to find your exact model, engine, transmission and 4wd/2wd. It doesn't work right in firefox, mozilla or chrome for some reason so use IE.

[Danford50]

the Manuel and the information in it was for my truck with the same info for my engine size and transmission.

[brirene]

Since you gave Dodge your vin, I would probably trust that one the most, with one point; to which department did you send the email, and who responded to it? Second choice is the manual, which is more generic. Way, way down the list is the salesman. He's looking to make a sale.

[fla-gypsy]

If the dealer acquired the info from the VIN number it would be more accurate than the owners manual and never believe a RV dealer in such a matter