Your trailering experience

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smurfs_of_war

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Just looking for a little feedback on towing experiences with the 2013's. I've gone through a pile of posts and have a real broad range of experiences on here.

My setup- 26ft Jayfeather TT, 5900 wet. WD hitch.

2013 Laramie CC 5'7" box hemi 8spd 3.92. Class IV receiver, TB, HD transmission cooler, HD engine cooling, HD shocks, front and rear sway bar, basically any towing goodies I could get. What gets me is the payload. I knew going in that it would be lower than my F150, but I am just wondering how well you guys are doing when your bouncing off of or exceeding your payload rating? Hitch weight might be 600lbs, I load everything in the trailer (had to in the F150 too) but our passenger weight hits the 800lbs mark LOL! So yeah, I am over the payload on the door sticker. Knew that would happen. For the distance and number of times I pull that camper though, there is no way I could justify a 2500 since this is my DD.

Input? I am reading about guys yanking 8500lbs trailers with ease!

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TRCM

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WOW !!! The capacity changes don't make sense. (assuming 4x4 since the payload of a 4x2 is 1500+)

They dropped the payload from 1610 in 2012 to 1245 for 2013, but they raised the towing capacity from 9850 for a 2012 to 9900 for a 2013.

I know my camper is old and heavy...in the 6k range, and my 2012 tows it just fine.
 
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smurfs_of_war

smurfs_of_war

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Yeah, they are low. I am pretty sure moving the trailer will be just fine. I will be over my payload rating with full passenger load and hitch weight.

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whatroads

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Our trucks have some similarities. Mine 11 4x4 QC Hemi 3.92 with HD tow pkg. My trailer is 31 ft and 7K + weight. I tow my trailer without issue. I do not have air bags. However, I could see some benefit to be gained from them.

You don't list it. If you do not have a heavy duty weight dist hitch then get a good one. I use a 10K rated Equal-i-zer. Reese DC and others make good hitches. Stay away from friction bars. IMHO they're useless
 

audio1der

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Have you considered a set of Airlift (or other) helper bags? They won't change any capacities but will help eliminate sag and help with sway.
The lower payload of the '13s must be due to all the goodies it has? Rambox?

We flirt with our payload max when setting out for camping trips longer than a week, but the sway due to wind and passing trucks is really the only concern we have. We're struggling to justify a 2500 as a DD when towing a dozen times a year. We'll see when the 2500 w/6.4L Hemi comes out and we test drive it. I think we just need a little more truck in front of our 32' (35.5' overall) trailer.

Can you share which WD hitch you're using? A good WD hitch can make all the difference in a comfortable tow but also eats into the payload.
 

Batram

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I have a 2013 Quad cab with the Hemi, 3.92 gears & 6spd & I love the way my truck pulls. My trailer is a Keysone TH, 7900lbs loaded & it pulls with ease. My last truck was a 2007 F150 with the 5.4 & my new Ram is a night & day differecne throughout the entire towing experiance from low speed city driving, to high speed hiway travels.
 
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smurfs_of_war

smurfs_of_war

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Have you considered a set of Airlift (or other) helper bags? They won't change any capacities but will help eliminate sag and help with sway.
The lower payload of the '13s must be due to all the goodies it has? Rambox?

We flirt with our payload max when setting out for camping trips longer than a week, but the sway due to wind and passing trucks is really the only concern we have. We're struggling to justify a 2500 as a DD when towing a dozen times a year. We'll see when the 2500 w/6.4L Hemi comes out and we test drive it. I think we just need a little more truck in front of our 32' (35.5' overall) trailer.

Can you share which WD hitch you're using? A good WD hitch can make all the difference in a comfortable tow but also eats into the payload.

The payload was definitely chewed up by the goodies- and is surprisingly low from the get go. yes- RamBox included- that was a must have after I saw it for all the stonework I do for a hobby in the summer time. I had to compromise (as I suspect so many others do) since my trucks are such a multi-tool. I will (according to some crunching) go over by about 2-300lbs fully loaded and hitched with my GVWR, but nowhere near my GCWR or GAWR nor tow cap- and this occurrence will be rare. I know it sounds like a lot, but the combined weight of my family alone is 826lbs. As for our TT- the realistic loaded weight is usually around 5100-5300 lbs- we have never reached the GVWR. I really spun on this, but then I realized that for the other 359 days per year that I won't have the 26' ass wagging around behind me, my family needs to be able to enjoy and use this truck as our DD, main family travel vehicle, portable toolbox and reliable, comfortable transport. So, a compromise was made. I know there are weight police on all of the forums (the F150 forum was bad for them) but in the grand scheme of things- it was a necessary compromise and there is no way I can afford a second truck to tow that trailer (26' 5900lbs wet) and I wasn't willing to "settle" for half a truck anymore. Also- an HD is out of the question. I would kill it from lack of use far before anything else failed- forget about the added costs. It's funny- a guy my wife works with bought an almost identical truck, minus the RamBox, and pulls a 34' bumper pull behind it- GVWR of 9980lbs. Says it yanks it around like nothing but he is already almost at his payload on hitch weight alone. He has 4 people and luggage to load after that. So the trucks are capable- no question there.

Anyways- the Reese WD hitch and airbags are on my list. I want to say our current hitch is a Blue Ox? I never really noticed- it was setup and sold as part of the TT buy, and I never really looked closely since it performed well. No sway control other than the electronic sway control of the F150. I was looking to the Firestone airbags unless somebody has a different or better option? that's just the name I recognize. Also, E load rubber is going on tomorrow to take some squirm out of the truck. Any other thoughts on this?

One additional note- I pulled this with my F150 ('10 5.4 3.55's standard tow package) without any real troubles. Payload on it was higher of course, but I experienced almost no sway at all with this TT in the Ford. I am hoping for a similar experience in the Ram.
 

audio1der

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Blue Ox is a good WD hitch. I would spend some time "playing" with it, making incremental adjustments before giving up on it. Despite the dealer setting it up for you, it's likely you can do better. There is so much info on trailer forums, the hitch manufacturer, Youtube, etc that any issue you have, you should be able to find an adjustment you can make to remedy it. Playing with hitch head angle, hitch height etc can really pay dividends in towing ease.

While the Reese WD is an OK setup, if I knew how much I'd sink into it I would have looked for a used Hensley hitch and been done. After paying $700 for the Reese 12K trunion setup and another $250 for the dual cam sway controllers, I'm close to what I could find a used Hensley setup for and still don't have as much control. A hitch is not a hitch...

I don't know anything about the Firestone product. but I do have a hard time believing it is worth the extra $$ over the Airlift 1000 as they appear identical except for color. I tried Timbren SES with terrible results, was hesitant to try airbags and am now a complete convert- they are AMAZING and I can't even imagine towing a good size travel trailer with our platform, without them.
 

snarky

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just get a bigger truck.no more problems. 2500 will be fine.
 
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smurfs_of_war

smurfs_of_war

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just get a bigger truck.no more problems. 2500 will be fine.

Looked at a 2500- just more truck than I wanted as a mixed daily driver and few times per year a trailer puller. By the book- yeah, I should either have a stripped down 1500 or a 2500. But, I would not get my options (without paying through the ****) and I dealt with a base model truck for enough years (actually- every truck I have owned has been a no frills base model) so I wanted the extras this time.

So yeah, bigger truck would be great- if I could afford it ;)
 

Power247

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We have a Jayco 267BHS and I am sure we exceeded the payload when loading up for some of our bigger trips. I bought my '09 years before we bought the camper and would still have it if not for the 3.55 gears. I added Airlift 1000s and they are worth 5x the price. they don't help the payload numbers but they will improve the ride greatly. plus they can help keep you from attracting any extra attention on the highway. We have the Equal-i-zer hitch and totally love it in case you decide to change out your Blue Ox.
 

toofart

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Input? I am reading about guys yanking 8500lbs trailers with ease!

FWIW, those guys are either full of ****, don't tow very far or only tow on flat surfaces.

I have an Outdoorsman QC 4x4 and I tow my 4000lb Challenger in a 20' enclosed trailer, which itself weighs 3200 lbs. With passengers, tools and gear, I'd say I'm at the payload limit, if not a bit over. On flat surfaces any truck will tow anything with ease, but when you're going down some grade and other traffic is blowing past you, I wouldn't say it's "with ease" -- you have to be paying attention. But it does get the job done and I'd say very safely too. A 2500 would definitely do a better job in those circumstances, but then again, a 3500 would be even better yet.

Like you, I only tow heavy a few times a year (2000 miles round trip, mind you) so getting a 2500 just doesn't make sense 357 days out of the year.

The Laramie and Longhorn trims are definitely heavy, especially with the RAMBOX. According to the chart below, the Longhorn 4x4 CC w/RAMBOX and 6 speed weighs a whopping 5900 lbs! On a 6800 lb GVWR that doesn't leave you much, but if a guy picks that trim level, they've already decided that interior comfort and amenities are more important to them than payload and towing.
 
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smurfs_of_war

smurfs_of_war

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FWIW, those guys are either full of ****, don't tow very far or only tow on flat surfaces.

I have an Outdoorsman QC 4x4 and I tow my 4000lb Challenger in a 20' enclosed trailer, which itself weighs 3200 lbs. With passengers, tools and gear, I'd say I'm at the payload limit, if not a bit over. On flat surfaces any truck will tow anything with ease, but when you're going down some grade and other traffic is blowing past you, I wouldn't say it's "with ease" -- you have to be paying attention. But it does get the job done and I'd say very safely too. A 2500 would definitely do a better job in those circumstances, but then again, a 3500 would be even better yet.

Like you, I only tow heavy a few times a year (2000 miles round trip, mind you) so getting a 2500 just doesn't make sense 357 days out of the year.

The Laramie and Longhorn trims are definitely heavy, especially with the RAMBOX. According to the chart below, the Longhorn 4x4 CC w/RAMBOX and 6 speed weighs a whopping 5900 lbs! On a 6800 lb GVWR that doesn't leave you much, but if a guy picks that trim level, they've already decided that interior comfort and amenities are more important to them than payload and towing.

With the Laramie, when we looked at it vs the other trims (I knew my numbers going in so I knew what I wanted mechanically and to mate to the trailer) we also had to keep in mind the yearly trip to the mountains for two weeks without the trailer and we plan on doing an east coast tour soon- again, without the trailer in tow- so the missus got the upper hand on me and we got a higher trim level. Seems like a stupid reason, but that BC run quickly throws on a few thousand kms every February. Our trailer goes from here to the Cypress Hills park (300km round trip) and the Sask Landing (120Km round trip). We never tow it far. Three bored kids PLUS a trailer on the back make for a long day. In a few years, two of the three will be off to college, so my payload numbers all fall into line then since one of the two is a monster LOL!

Anyways, enough justifying what I bought :)

I scaled my truck the other day just for curiosity sake. With me (242lbs) in it, a trifold cover, the WDH, and a full tank of fuel, 2652KGs. So, 5834lbs and change. So with extra pieces (cover) and extra weight (the 92lbs difference between me and a 150lbs included and the weight difference between my Duratracs and my SR/A's) I am still under the posted truck weight on the charts- and that is with almost every creature comfort I could get on it. Makes me wonder if Ram actually had a clue when they posted weights or if they actually even weighed a few to see?
 

thrashie

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other than my 3.55 gears, I don't find towing to be much of an issue here in flat florida...I finally got my Blue OX WDS dialed in now and towing is much 'dreamier' than it had been...I pretty much got all the bounce out and generally a much smoother ride.

my truck has the hd cooling etc...just the wrong rear gears for me.

I had to lower the ball down 2 notches, and 'lossen' up 1 chain link as it was way too high/tight on my new truck.


our TT is a 2011 Keystone Passport 290 BH, ~7k loaded and I am using Airlift 1000's.
 

snarky

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here is my 2500 i use to pull my 40 camper 8000 dry weight. it has no problem towing it,i just traded it in for a 2013 lairime longhorn cummins dually just cuz i wanted more.
IMG_20130714_094252.jpg
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20131109_080822.jpg
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smurfs_of_war

smurfs_of_war

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here is my 2500 i use to pull my 40 camper 8000 dry weight. it has no problem towing it,i just traded it in for a 2013 lairime longhorn cummins dually just cuz i wanted more.
IMG_20130714_094252.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
20131109_080822.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Thats like an apartment block on wheels! Nice rig!

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