first time towing

hey all, I would like to extend thanks to all who view and essentially comment here.
I will be partaking in a nice alaskan caribou hunt here in a few days and was looking for some advice from others that have previously towed.
This will be my first time towing and i'll have a 16' flat trailer (weight unknown) with 4 quads on top of that.
i can avg each quad to be about 700-750 (wet)
I have a '14 1500 CCSB 4x4, 5.7L, 3.92 gears. i'm guessing i'll be alright since my research shows my tow capacity at 10,050#'s and payload at 1417#'s

Any advice on how to tackle hills? (somebody mentioned running 4-low)
will the tow/haul option help with the gear hunting up hill and engine braking down hill?
Thanks

You should be fine, but I'd bet your numbers are high.....go by the sticker on the inside of the drivers door, NOT anything else.

TRCM said:

You should be fine, but I'd bet your numbers are high.....go by the sticker on the inside of the drivers door, NOT anything else.

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Thanks for the heads up. i got those numbers off here:
Ram Trucks - Towing Guide - Capacity Chart punched in my vin under the "look my vehicle up" option but will stick to what the door sticker says.
I'll post pics up when i get all loaded down and ready to roll.
I'm assuming only 7-8k pounds which would keep me well the "advertised" towing capacity. haha

I wouldn't use 4 low on paved roads. Tow/haul will definitely help your gear search. Watch your tongue weight.

Agreed, don't use 4wd on a paved or hard packed road...only on real loose stuff.

That link may actually be a good one....I put in my info, and the numbers were right.

I guess either the 8 spd gives you more towing, or you have a lower trim level, as I have the same truck otherwise (but mine's a Laramie), and my numbers are a little lower @ 9850/1278

Most towing links don't account for optional equipment, which is why the door sticker is the best thing to go by.

As for weight, you'll likely be in the 5000 lb range (est 2k for trailer, and 4 x 750 for ATVs), well within the safe zone, so just be smart when driving and you'll be just fine.

LOL that link said my payload is 0 lbs.

no worries you won't need to do anything crazy just use tow haul.

Excellent advice guys. Thanks a lot. I am fairly new to trucks but kept it "MOPAR or NO CAR" and don't want to be doing more than what she can do.
I understand I'm going to have some sag but I'm ok with that.


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8 sp with your low height load @ 5k I'd just leave in tow mode it will continue to adjust & be all good
Enjoy and best of luck

CavRedBigHorn said:

hey all, I would like to extend thanks to all who view and essentially comment here.
I will be partaking in a nice alaskan caribou hunt here in a few days and was looking for some advice from others that have previously towed.
This will be my first time towing and i'll have a 16' flat trailer (weight unknown) with 4 quads on top of that.
i can avg each quad to be about 700-750 (wet)
I have a '14 1500 CCSB 4x4, 5.7L, 3.92 gears. i'm guessing i'll be alright since my research shows my tow capacity at 10,050#'s and payload at 1417#'s

Any advice on how to tackle hills? (somebody mentioned running 4-low)
will the tow/haul option help with the gear hunting up hill and engine braking down hill?
Thanks

Click to expand...

DO NOT use 4 low... 4 low is for ultimate grunt force, usually when you're stuck, pulling someone or something else out... Your max speed will be around 25 with 4 low anyways...

As far as overall weight, you'll be fine.... You will want to try and load the trailer in a manner to put roughly 10% of the overall weight on the tongue of the trailer to not overload the truck.

With your setup you really shouldn't have any issues... Put it in tow haul mode. As you approach a steeper hill you may want to manually down shift the transmission so it doesn't have to do it under more load on the hill. You will have to just see how your truck does on the trip. If you are hearing it searching for gears then either slow down or force it into a lower gear.

Make sure all tires are inflated to rated pressures and leave plenty of room around you at all time.

Do remember that you'll need to make wider turns but that trailer sounds like it should follow your tracks pretty close.

The biggest thing about towing that much weight is getting it set up properly with the truck and making sure you're comfortable with the load.

Make sure you don't have a bunch of rear end sag. I'd suggest airbags if you don't already have them.

Then go find a nice open stretch of road and practice slowing the load down from whatever speeds you're going to be driving at.

My advice is to service the trailer axels before leaving. Have some spare tires, bearings and everything you'd need to do repairs. The way I understand it you could be putting hundreds of miles on gravel roads which could reek havoc on you little tires and wheel bearings.