The Beginning (Towing)

Hi all

I'm sure a post like this has been posted here but I feel I should have my own.

There are several reasons for this IMO

I'm kinda self centered like that & I'd like this to mainly serve as a record of progress of where I am and where I'm going.


I'd like to first put out what I have with the truck then ask a couple of questions at the end.

I got the build sheet for it yesterday so I'm going off what it says:

2006

RAM 1500

5.7L HEMI Multiple Displacement Engine

DGQ 5 spd Auto 5-45RFE tranny

SLT Quad Cab 4x4

Build Date: 05/15/2006

Tires: P75/60/R20 (Good Year. Still same brand/size on it)

Customer Preferred Package 26G
" " 2TG

3XV: Big Horn Regional Package Discount

3YN: Sound & Security group discount

4KZ: 4x4 Tracking

594: Vehicle Order tracking

5L4: 4WD 4x4

blah blah blah stuff

AHC: Trailer tow group

BAZ: 136 amp Alternator

DH5: Elec shift on the fly p/time t/time trans case

DHA: Lock up torque converter

DJM: 205MM HD Front Axle

DMH: 3.92 Axle Ratio

DRB: Corporate 9.25 LD Rear Axle

DSA: Anti-Spin Diff rear axle

MXB: Front Air Dam

MXC: Front air close out panel

NFU: 34 gal tank

NHD: HD tranny oil cooler

NMC: HD Engine Cooling

NZD: Next Gen Engine Controller

SBA: Front HD Shocks
SGB: Rear HD Shocks

WP2: 20x9 Alum Chrome Clad wheels

XFH: Class IV Hitch/Rec

XFK: 7 pin wiring harness

XFU: Trailer Tow w/4 pin Connector wiring

Z6G: GVWR 6700#




ahhhh finally, the end haha

SO, I'm here in the towing section because I'm buying a tow camper in the next couple of weeks (or less) and I'm wondering IF I need to upgrade the "suspension" area of the truck. ie, helper springs, airbags, etc?

Or, will the truck pull an app. 5K# camper w/out doing any suspension mods?

I DO want to do some mods anyways but can't right now unless it would be specifically to be able to pull the camper.



Thanx for reading. Please let me know any tips, suggestions, questions.
They'd be greatly appreciated.

I posted in the other section about this for you check it out.

Thanx Mega

I just spent the past hour or so going through the wopping 3 pages in this forum lol

I read about every one of them. So, I'm a bit crestfallen at my chances of lively conversation regarding pulling campers.

Ah, well, I'll just have to join an actual camping forum

I would add a set of airbags to the rear. Plus if you can find a used superchip tuner that would help a lot to. They come up for sale on here from time to time. You may even want to consider a trailer bake controller for your truck. Good luck with the camper.

What kind of airbags? Brand? Link?

I saw a video on "trucku" on youtube and they added a Hellweg single helper spring & they said that it added 2K# to the spring load.
You know anything about this?
It was a simple installation too.

With air bags wouldn't you have to worry about having to have air in them (source?) when loaded and needing to release them when not loaded? Then, there is the problem of having the source to refill them when loading.
I guess an air tank or 12V compressor could do this?

Of course, there is still the Legal aspect, and the GAWR to figure.
And, considering this rating (GAWR), it seems it would then be the lowest denominator when considering trailer weight.

I was in the frame of mind that if I were to add those helper springs, get the tuner, and that would be a good starting point to add a CAI & Exhaust.
I'll be most likely buying the Diablo T1000 I was just looking at.
Brand new @ $600

Diablo is good if you plan on doing more than bolt on mods because you can get custom tunes. Superchips is great for bolt on mods plus the trans tuning is better. The helper spring will make your truck ride stiffer when you are not towing. The air bags you can add air with any compressor and I don't believe its hard to get air out. The bags will let you keep a good ride quality and be there to keep you level when you tow something. They are not effecting how much weight you can tow they are just there to keep your truck level.

Instead of linking to a specific setup here is a link to where you should be able to find just the air suspension kit you need/want: Air Shocks - 650+ Reviews & Best Prices on Air Bag Suspension Systems & Kits

I installed one of the firestone kits on my truck and my wifes truck to help with our towing duties. Goodyear also offers a complete kit. Base what you get on what you need. Getting a kit that is a little more than what you need is ok but getting one too small will only cause problems.

People get excited and always for for the power upgrades, and completely disregard the safety and actual functional aspects when it comes to modding up for towing.

Trailers generally have a 10% tongue weight, compared to the overall weight of the item towed. So, at 5000k, the tongue weight will be right about 500#. That will make your tail squat a bit. On the up-side, it is better to have the tongue low (it increases high speed stability and reduces the phenomenon of "tail wagging" or fishtailing of the trailer. The Down side is that it puts a lot of weight on the rear axle, and if nothing else, will make the headlamps shine high and into the eyes of oncoming traffic when driving at night.

You can adjust your headlamps down, but when empty, they will then barely light the front bumper.

Before throwing down any cash, try it out. See how balanced the truck is on level ground towing. Air up the trucks tires or max capacity and see how she does.

The biggest concern is the stopping power. At any weight over 1k lbs towed really needs functioning trailer brakes.

I say get a brake controller, hitch up and see how it looks and handles. Then prioritize your mods from there.

Remember, it is frustrating to bog and tow slowly up steep hills, but it won't kill you. Being unable to stop because you cooked your brakes going down the hill on the other side CAN be outright dangerous and deadly.

Don't for for "fun" mods. Go for "functional" ones in this scenario.

Pulling that much trailer you are going to want a weight distributing hitch and some type of sway control. Some hitches have sway control built in, and some you need to add the friction bar between the coupler and the frame of the trailer. The WDH will redistribute some of the tongue weight to the front axle and if setup properly will level the truck out. Airbags will level the truck but will not redistribute any weight or increase your towing capacity. If you go to a site like rv.net/forum you will learn more than you ever wanted to know about towing.

Trailers usually have a 10% - 15% tongue weight. Closer to 15% is more common and preferred. Usually with full propane and battery it will be a good 15%. Not enough tongue weight can actually lead to sway.

The #1 thing I recommend for any full height camper is a weight distribution hitch.I have the Equalizer brand and love it. It's also really popular over on the RV forums. It has about the best built in sway control there is and since there are no chains on the weight bars, it's as simple as they come. My camper is a small hybrid with a max loaded weight of under 4000 lbs, but any full height camper benefits from a WD hitch.

RVnet is the biggest and most popular RV forum. I access it through Woodalls Open Roads Forum It's the same forum with just a different portal. I use that one because the Rvnet portal sometimes gave me trouble posting.

Welcome, and check out the forums at the link I posted. Once you get a camper, you can fish around in the area specific to your type. Just beware that there are what we like to call weight police over there that think you shouldn't tow anything without a diesel dully LOL.

Ray

Something else to consider is the actual hitch you will be using. Forget the stock one that attaches to the bumper and go with one that is full frame mounted. I learned that lesson the hard way. Had to replace my bumper and mounts after the first time towing my trailer. When I went to install a hitch on my wifes truck I went with a full frame mounted hitch.

MegaMouseGW said:

Something else to consider is the actual hitch you will be using. Forget the stock one that attaches to the bumper and go with one that is full frame mounted. I learned that lesson the hard way. Had to replace my bumper and mounts after the first time towing my trailer. When I went to install a hitch on my wifes truck I went with a full frame mounted hitch.

Click to expand...

The 4th gens already have the frame welded cross bar. The add on 2" receiver bolts to that along with a big single bolt that goes through the center ole on the bumper. The majority of the pulling force is on that frame welded cross bar.

Ray

Ocelot said:

The 4th gens already have the frame welded cross bar. The add on 2" receiver bolts to that along with a big single bolt that goes through the center ole on the bumper. The majority of the pulling force is on that frame welded cross bar.

Ray

Click to expand...

And that is exactly what I bent with my travel trailer. Everything was right for my truck but got to the trailer park my bumper was bent. Was not a good day.

WOW!

I am most pleasantly surprised

So many good responses, advice, and knowledge.

Thank you all.



SITREP

Wife & I went to an RV dealer today.
We looked at a 28' Layton Lakeview @ 6100#

The tech came over & looked at my truck and gave it a thumbs up.
Said I was completely ready to tow. All I needed was the "Equal-i-zer" hitch ($925????!!!!) - which, I have found on Amazon (being the only place I looked thus far) for $530 - and a brake controller - which they have for $125.

I'm "wired" for everything already he said.
He also said at 6K# with the EQ hitch and B.contr I would probably not need the airbags or helper springs - which, according to the video I watched, if done properly, do NOT effect unloaded ride.

The ability to stop was not lost upon me.
I figured that with a brake controller, trailer brakes, and truck brakes, and my tendency to be so overly cautious it's irritating lol, I'd be OK with this setup.

If I'm wrong and NEED to upgrade the brakes/rotors, please edumecate me

I've driven a "Big Truck" - hauling bulk cement (80K#) - here and there for awhile but I've never really "towed" anything with a passenger vehicle. Couple of times is it.
So going slow up hills won't be a shock to me


Thanx for the referral to the RV site. I shall make my way over there ASAP.

Also, I'll have to do/find a comparison between the Diablo/Super chips to see which I'm gonna get.

You might want to check these out if you find the stock brakes lacking: Power Stop 1-Click Performance Brake Kit | PowerStop Performance Brake Kit

Got 2 sets, one for my truck and the second for my wifes truck. Took my wife a month to figure out how to stop without locking them up. Only took me a week to adjust my braking style. Correctly installed and broken in they are extremely good, I would say a good 75% better than stock. I am looking to upgrade my calipers now (wife does not know about this upgrade yet). Haven driven big rigs myself these are extremely good. Seeing as you have driven something big also you might feel right at home with them. Stock is good, performance towing brakes are better.

I don't think you really need upgraded brakes as long as trailer brakes are in good condition. I cranked up the gain on my brake controller just to see how much stopping power the trailer brakes had and I could stop the truck and trailer with just the trailer brakes at 25 mph.
It was just testing the brakes for fun though.

The most popular and most recomended brake controller is the Prodigy P2 or P3. with the adapter plug, there's no wiring. Just plug it into the connector under your dash above the pedals. It's plug-n-play

About the equalizer hitch:

See if you after negotiating the trailer price, you can get them to include the hitch. It isn't uncommon on a brand new trailer.

Trailer price advice:
It's pretty common to get up to 30% off the sticker price. You can try what I did and got a great deal. Find a model you like and then go online to both https://www.rvdirect.com/ and RV Wholesalers
I used RV Direct. Get a online quote for the model you want with the comparable options and take that quote to the dealer and see if they will match the price. When I did that at a large dealer about an hour away, they matched the price and it was 10% less than the RV show price.

The sticker price on my camper back in 2010 was $18,950.00 and the RVdirect quote that they matched was $12,990.00

If they hadn't matched it or came close, RV direct would have shipped it free to a dealer in Albany, NY which is only about 2 hours from me.

Oh, and they also sell the Equalizer cheaper than the dealer.

Ray

WulfGang said:

The tech came over & looked at my truck and gave it a thumbs up....

I figured that with a brake controller, trailer brakes, and truck brakes, and my tendency to be so overly cautious it's irritating lol, I'd be OK with this setup.

.

Click to expand...

One thing you will quickly learn is that a dealer will never tell you it is too much trailer for your truck. You could be looking at purchasing the Queen Mary and the dealer will tell you " Oh yea...no problem." Download the Dodge towing guide for your particular year and check the numbers for yourself. Just because your truck can pull it doesn't mean you should.

Secondly, the brake controller is not optional. In fact it is by law in most states that any trailer over a certain gvwr (3500#???) must have its own brakes. As long as you setup your controller properly the stock brakes on your truck should be fine.

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Ocelot said:

The most popular and most recomended brake controller is the Prodigy P2 or P3.

See if you after negotiating the trailer price, you can get them to include the hitch. It isn't uncommon on a brand new trailer.
...


Ray

Click to expand...

X2 on all this. The Prodigys are proportional controllers, which means the harder you brake the harder it applies braking power to the trailer. The other type is time based, which means you dial in how much brake you want and after a time delay it will apply the same amount of braking everytime regardless of how hard you brake the truck. They can be a little jerky in slow traffic and may not give you enough braking in a crisis situation depending on how sensitive you've set it. Definitely go proportional.

When we bought our camper I negotiated the Equalizer hitch up front in the deal and got it at cost which was around $300.

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Ocelot:
Thank you SO MUCh for those links!

We were looking at spending about $10k but USED.
I just got a quote for a 2014 Jayco for $14k which is probably what we are going to go with.

I'll see if I can find one local, per your advice, and try to swing a deal like you did.

@Indybp - HUA (Heard, Understood, Acknowledged)!

*ETA*
Oh,yeah, the used one (wife said not interested anyways) was dry weight of 6,100# - this Jayco is dry weight of 4,900#!
So, I'm much happier with the Jayco weight already.

Hi ya'll

Well, me & the wife went out TT (tow trailer) hunting today.

We originally wanted to buy used but she saw one she just had to have.

So, we brought home this:

#50952 - 2014 Dutchmen Aspen Trail 3130QBS for sale in Souderton PA - Indian Valley Camping Center

2014 Dutchmen Aspen Trail 3130QBS
Dry weight: 6,916#
Hitch weight: 827#
Length: 34'

We got the PRO Weight Dist Hitch.
At the site we couldn't get the ideal linkage on the chains because of the truck behind slightly out of level with the trailer.

The 37 mile tow home was... pretty easy.

I was pleasantly surprise at the ride height of the truck.
It actually looked like I had installed a leveling kit on the rear.
Brought it down slightly less than the front.

Very little sway here & there. Mostly 1-2 bounds/rebounds when hitting dips/bumps on the way home. Sometimes 3.


Braking: Installed was a "Voyager" brake controller. It was set up and I had absolutely NO problem stopping the truck/trailer. Even at the ol' surprise red light.

Now, performance...
I kept it in Tow/Haul all the way home.
Hit some pretty steep hills on the way and lowest it went was 45mph.
I kept it pretty much 65 or less.
I'm excited to see what my future performance upgrades are going to do!


As it stands right now this is what is next:

1) Tachometer. It bothered me my stock tach wasn't working.
So I'm going to buy/install a tach tomorrow.

2) Tuner. I'm seriously leaning toward the $400 Diablo tuner. It has been mentioned the shifting points that is provided with the Super Chips. I feel I don't need the shifting points as much as I need the 30hp/35ftlb torque the Diablo tuner provides vs' the SC's hp gain of (iirc) 18hp? and about the same torque. They are roughly the same $ so that's not an issue.
I plan on making my decision tomorrow and ordering it.
My latest query on the tuner is whether the Diablo can disable the MDS as I have read the SC's can do.

3) CAI. Looking at the enclosed S&B CAI from a link I found on the CAI thread where I incorrectly referred to the Dodge having a MAF
I'm not sure what the HP gain will be but if I understand correctly throttle response will improve.

4) Rotor/Brakes? I "?" this one because as I said above, I had no difficulty stopping the TT/Truck and didn't feel like it was struggling at all to do so. So, I'm not sure if I should upgrade the brakes/rotors at this time.

5) Airbag/Helper spring. IF I cannot get a better ride/height out of setting up the WDH better I will be looking into the helper spring or airbag setup.

6) Exhaust. THIS is the area of improvement I'm both anxious and apprehensive about improving. Anxious because I think the truck can do better and sound better - though, towing, definitely lets the truck roar a lot more than I'm used to haha - than the stock exhaust.
I'm apprehensive however, because of the debate I've seen over the exhausts on these trucks.


So guys, I really need some guidance here if you can.

I got my trailer. I got the $. I just need to make informed decisions!

thanks for all the help so far guys
There is so much info/specs to digest and retain in such a short time.