Towing a 27' Travel Trailer

[pkrexer]

I have a 2013 1500 and this past fall bought a Jayco 27' Travel Trailer as they were on clearance with the winter months approaching. I believe dry weight is around 6000lb, with a tongue weight of around 550lb.

Regardless, when I towed it home... my rear end was sagging pretty good...

I have since put 5100's set to 2.1" on my front to level my truck out some. Its safe to assume the sag will be even more noticeable now.

I'm planning on putting airlift 1000's on it, the only concern I have now is if the trailer is going to be to nose high? The hitch I have has a 2" drop to it. Should I invest in a hitch that is adjustable?

Thanks.

 

[14hemiexpress]

I don't think you'll run nose high. Airlifts typically are for load leveling. They shouldn't raise past stock height.

 

[billyw]

An adjustable hitch is probably a good idea. Getting all the geometry right is pretty important.

 

[dRAMbuie]

The website isn't liking me today, so I'll try this post again...

If I were you, I'd invest in a weight distribution hitch before you spend money on anything else.
550lbs really isn't that high for tongue weight, which is the primary reason for those airbags. So you may be going overkill by adding those.

I tow a 27' trailer with my 1500, and my truck rides pretty level once I'm all hooked up. That's with a box full of camping gear (including a big generator). My tongue weight is quite a bit higher than yours as well.
All I have is the weight distribution hitch.
Though I do have the Outdoorsman trim, which I believe comes with heavier duty rear suspension.

I had a ton of headaches with the air bags on my last truck, so I wouldn't get them again unless I felt I really had to. Less to worry about that way.

 

[SHOOT2KILL]

These might work for you...5 star rating with 700+ reviews...Ive used several sets of the front style on my H.D. trucks for a few decades now with great results....

2015 Ram 2500 Suspension Enhancement | etrailer.com

 

[mtofell]

That tongue weight is pretty light. You usually want at least 10% of the trailer weight on the tongue to help prevent sway. Of course, the more tongue weight, the more the back can sag and lead to other problems. Get a good weight-dist. hitch and take the time to get it setup right. Or, take it to someone who knows what they are doing. Getting everything dialed in will make all the difference between a good/safe/comfortable setup and a miserable experience. If needed, airbags are a great addition to help level loads and make towing heavier weights more manageable.

 

[pkrexer]

Thanks guys,

Think I'm going to follow your advice and just get a weight distribution hitch.

 

[Farmer Fran]

Thanks guys,

Think I'm going to follow your advice and just get a weight distribution hitch.

I am thoroughly shocked the dealer did not tell you to get a WDH!!

 

[69GWC]

Yeah when I bought my 28'b they were all over selling me one..

 

[GsRAM]

Wow, where do i start. First off, what is your campers gvwr? The dry weight is a useless number. If your rig really is 6k dry, your truck is almost certainly overloaded.

What is your payload capacity on the yellow sticker on the drivers door jamb ? I'd bet it's in the 1300 lb range. That figure includes all passengers and gear in the truck cab and bed, weight of the hitch and tongue weight. Figure 13% for typical tongue weight, even using your dry figure, that's 780 lbs , and if your dry weight really is 6k, your loaded weight is likely North of 7k lbs, or more, maybe closer to 7500lbs, that would be 975 lbs of tongue weight alone.

Please tell us you didn't leave the dealer lot with a standard drop shank with no wdh and no sway control? If you did, that's downright dangerous and if you would have wrecked and hurt someone, I'd think they could be held liable.

Get back to us with the gvwr of the trailer and the payload limit from the yellow sticker. But again, I'm fairly confident you will be over your payload limit.

Please do not tow that rig until you have a proper wdh set up and sway control

 

[pkrexer]

I literally towed the trailer like 2 miles down the road to my house from the dealership... I wasn't driving halfway across the country through the mountains or anything

I'm also over estimating the trailer weight... I'm pretty sure its closer to 4500lb and 450lb tongue weight.

Regardless, I'm going to be getting a weight distribution hitch. Already have one on order.

Thanks again.

 

[TRCM]

Well, my 40 yr old 25' trailer weighs right around 6k-6.5k, and the tongue is ~700 I think.

Truck tows it just fine with a WDH.

Without, the rear sags a lot.....

 

[GsRAM]

Well, my 40 yr old 25' trailer weighs right around 6k-6.5k, and the tongue is ~700 I think.

Truck tows it just fine with a WDH.

Without, the rear sags a lot.....

Good deal, what do you have? I love the older rigs

That's why i still have my 28yr old Layton. Built heavier before weight was as much of a concern. One piece aluminum roof in lieu of the garbage tpo or epdm roofs of today.

 

[GsRAM]

I literally towed the trailer like 2 miles down the road to my house from the dealership... I wasn't driving halfway across the country through the mountains or anything

I'm also over estimating the trailer weight... I'm pretty sure its closer to 4500lb and 450lb tongue weight.

Regardless, I'm going to be getting a weight distribution hitch. Already have one on order.

Thanks again.

Good to know. Thanks. I'd still like to know your trailer gvwr and yellow door sticker payload limit.

You have to be careful with heavy trailers with just an extended drop shank. They have tongue weight limits. There's not nearly as robust as a wdh shank and hitch head.

 

[TRCM]

Good deal, what do you have? I love the older rigs

That's why i still have my 28yr old Layton. Built heavier before weight was as much of a concern. One piece aluminum roof in lieu of the garbage tpo or epdm roofs of today.

1976 Shasta RL2500

She ain't purdy, but she works.......

The older ones were sure heavy, and they sit so dang low (they were made to be towed by cars too back then), I have seriously considered putting a 3" lift on it just to get it to sit level going down the road and to help with ground clearance out at the property I hunt.

 

[Cardhu]

1976 Shasta RL2500

She ain't purdy, but she works.......

The older ones were sure heavy, and they sit so dang low (they were made to be towed by cars too back then), I have seriously considered putting a 3" lift on it just to get it to sit level going down the road and to help with ground clearance out at the property I hunt.

Shackle flip will probably get you 6" depending on your leaf pack thickness.

 

[TRCM]

Shackle flip will probably get you 6" depending on your leaf pack thickness.

Can't flip shackles the way the suspension is made....and shackles are only 4" long end to end.

Twin axle with floater plate

 

[GsRAM]

You don't flip the shackles, you do what is incorrectly called an axle flip. I did this on my Layton with great results. Really gave me a lot more ground clearance.

What you are doing is going from an under slung to an overslung leaf spring set up.

When you put the leaf spring pack on top of the axle it gives you about 5"or so more clearance. They sell kits to do it based on axle tube diameter. It's a great time to rebuild the suspension, replace all bushings and shackles and use a wet bolt kit so you can grease everything. Just make sure you have very good, solid cribbing because you have to have the rig jacked up pretty far and both axles off the ground to do it.

 

[GsRAM]

1976 Shasta RL2500

She ain't purdy, but she works.......

The older ones were sure heavy, and they sit so dang low (they were made to be towed by cars too back then), I have seriously considered putting a 3" lift on it just to get it to sit level going down the road and to help with ground clearance out at the property I hunt.

Nice! I love the older rigs. They built them to last. Growing up my family had a 1978 terry taurus, 24' and i loved that rig. Tons of great memories

 

[VernDiesel]

GsRam is correct find the trailer GVWR for the best advice. Agree for a TT get an anti sway WDH. I use the Andersen for several reasons mostly because I do many different trailers. If I was setting it up to stay with one TT especially if it was a heavy tongue & loaded bed I would get the Blue Ox sway pro.

I have bags also. You can likely get by without them if your not putting much weight in the bed in addition to the TT but they do compliment a hitch nicely.

I just did a 1,000 mile transport with a heavy tongue 34' 8,000 pound TT which is a lot for a half ton. The Andersen is height adjustable & does great with eliminating sway but is not the strongest with weight redistribution. At the scale I added more air to the bags & tightened the hitch a bit and it transferred another 80 pounds off the rear axle to the front & trailer.

This helped Stablize the truck & eliminated some of the porpoising. I use axle to frame bags not the cheaper in coil bags. These dampen & help control the suspension as well as help carry the load & keep the height or rake you want. Hit rough pavement or a pot hole with a lot of tongue weight & the difference can be dramatic.

The key to safe handling & control as well as a nice ride & enjoyable tow is weight distribution. Guessing with adding up payload stuff is no more useful than a manufacturers dry weight rating. You need wet actual scaled weight mostly to help with and know distribution.

Standard wheelbase Ram if your steer axle weight is at least 85 percent of your rear axle weight you will have a stable truck & trailer that would survive an emergency maneuver. Truck stop CAT scales give you all 3 weights front rear & trailer axle weights on one pass for around ten bucks.