Bummed out!! Truck can't tow what I need her to.

Ratket · Jun 22, 2017

Nice ! That's a big ass trailer lol. well big by my standards- only because I can't afford it and I like to go to remote areas.

SouthTexan · Jun 22, 2017

Here is mine. Without air bags.

440hsp · Jun 22, 2017

Yeah, the whole boondocking thing probably wont be happening with us too much. Lol

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440hsp · Jun 22, 2017

@SouthTexan Nice 5th wheel. How long is it? I was trying to stay under 40ft. Lol

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SouthTexan · Jun 22, 2017

It is a 40' Bighorn 3610RE

mtofell · Jun 23, 2017

440hsp said:
@ SouthTexan and Mtofell, the trailer that fits our family has a loaded weight of 13995 lbs. And a tongue weight of 2180 which is my entire payload capacity. After the whole family gets in the truck not including anything else that puts us around 1400lbs over the (rated) 10000lb GVWR. I have an airlift load lifter 5000 airbag kit for the rear and new shocks. Do you think my 2500 can tow that trailer safely across the U.S??

Edit : Sorry forgot to mention the truck

2014 Ram 2500 CC Laramie 4x4 CTD

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Couple thoughts.... 2180 pin weight seems light for a 14,000# 5th. Also, typically, "tongue" weight is a bumper trailer and "pin" weight is a 5th. So, we are talking about a 5th wheel, right?

That's a lot for a SRW truck loaded with people but may well be within the RAWR (FAWR is pretty stagnant and likely okay regardless of what's going in the rear). The two pieces of information you must have are an accurate loaded pin weight on the trailer and your truck weighed all geared up to go. You can always estimate people and gear if you can't get everything/everyone to the scale.

I've never taken exact weights with my truck/5th combo but am very confident within a few hundred pounds due to rolling over scales numerous times with and without my RV.

The airbags are great and easily supplements the rear suspension to as good or better than the 3500. I'd have no problem loading right up to the RAWR and tire rating (lesser of the two) but you'll get a lot of push back from the "never exceed GVWR" crowd.

crash68 · Jun 23, 2017

Like other have stated, its the GAWR(s) and the GCWR that you need to be concerned with, the CTD will tow the load.

440hsp said:
Do you think my 2500 can tow that trailer safely across the U.S??

The truck can tow the trailer safely, but that depends on the driver behind the wheel. That's a bunch of weight, things can go bad fast. Even if you had 3500, same answer applies.

GsRAM · Jun 23, 2017

If your talking 35-3600 lbs of weight in the truck, pin weight and cargo, that is a lot of weight for a 2500 series truck to go cross country with. However my 2500\6.4 has I've 3100 lbs of payload, same suspension as yours.

Can it do it? Probably. But what you want to do is no different than the half ton guys who want to pull a 30+ foot, 10k plus lb tt with their trucks.

How much do you want to push things? The numbers are there for a reason.

Personally i think your in one ton truck territory with that rig, but thats just me. I like more margin than most. Good luck.

BossHogg · Jun 23, 2017

SouthTexan said:
There is absolutely no law in any state stating you can't go over the number on the tire load and inflation sticker.

You basically have the same truck as 3500 accept for the rear suspension. The brakes, frame, axles and such are all identical to the 3500. So mod the rear suspension to be able to handle the added weight better and be done with it. You will not get into any legal trouble for going over the manufacturers rating since there is no such law stating you have to do so.

mtofell said:
If you tear 2500 and 3500 (SRW) trucks apart and lay all the pieces on the ground the ONLY differences you will find is some rear suspension and the numbers on the weight tag.

The are some states I've heard about that have laws that can get you a felony charge if you are involved in an accident and your payload is exceeded, Flordia is one of those states and a friend of mine had this happen to him. You want to pull a fifth wheel and not drain your financial resources, stay with a 3500.

There is a definite difference between the frames of the 2500 and the 3500 simply because the 2500 has coil springs and the frame has to accommodate the mounting. There may be other differences but I don't know if anyone outside of Chrysler knows for sure.

440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

Thanks for all the input fellas. Guess i might be looking at square one again because I'm not buying another truck. Im trying to pay off debt, not aquire more. Selling the house, paying other odds and ends off and buying the rv for fulltiming.

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SouthTexan · Jun 23, 2017

BossHogg said:
The are some states I've heard about that have laws that can get you a felony charge if you are involved in an accident and your payload is exceeded, Flordia is one of those states and a friend of mine had this happen to him. You want to pull a fifth wheel and not drain your financial resources, stay with a 3500.

I wonder what they do with vehicles that were made pre-2000 when car makers were not regulated to put the tire inflation and loading sticker(payload sticker) on the vehicle or for those that have changed tires to a lower rating tire which would essentially lower the vehicles load rating. That would probably be hard to enforce since I doubt these agencies had payload specs fr every vehicles on the road or tire ratings for every tire made.

BossHogg said:
There is a definite difference between the frames of the 2500 and the 3500 simply because the 2500 has coil springs and the frame has to accommodate the mounting. There may be other differences but I don't know if anyone outside of Chrysler knows for sure.

Other than slight difference for mounting purposes, the 2500's received the same frame as the DRW 3500's in 2014.

"All 2500s get the new, higher-strength steel frames the 3500 duallys got last year, but now they are offered on all single rear wheel versions. In fact, both a new 3500 single-rear-wheel and select 2500 models can now be optioned with a factory-offered fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailering package. "

2014 Ram HD 2500-3500: First Drive

I also think going with the coil springs option and adding air bags to help suppliment the coil springs like the factory air bag option does with the DRW 3500 suspension up is a better option than just having the 2500 factory air bags only. If the 2500's still had leaf springs then all you would need to do to beef it up to what a 3500 could handle would be to install the 3500's springs since everything else is the same. That is essentially the same as supplimenting the 2500's coil suspension with air bags or Timbrens.

MN-Ram · Jun 23, 2017

If I was towing a heavy load (higher than my payload spec) every once and a while, I would get Airlift 5000's with the Jounce bumpers in them. I don't think I would want to risk a bag blowout without spring stops while loaded with that kind of weight.

If I were going to tow that kind of weight on a regular basis, I would consider a heavier duty truck.

But, that's just my opinion. I am always a belt and suspenders kind of guy.

I'm eager to hear your final decision.

440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

That's what kit I have. The airlift 5000 ultimate kit with jounce bumpers

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SouthTexan · Jun 23, 2017

Yeah, towing that amount of weight in a suspension moded 2500 or SRW 3500 on a regular basis another matter. Not saying that they can't handle it, but I would move up to a DRW truck if I was towing that amount once a month or more due to stability reasons. I only make my 160 mile trek with my 14k trailer two to three times a year. Usually once to take it down to the coast at the beginning of summer and another to bring it back at the end of summer. There is usually a trip to the river or within 100 miles in there during the off season.

440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

Yeah, we'll be fulltiming tgrough every mountain range in the U.S plus hopefully the mountains in Canada.

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440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

Ok my fellow RV'ers. Any suggestions on best weight distributing hitches? Found some grand design travel trailers that are very similar in layout and length to the 5th wheel we were looking at but less weight which is key here.

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mowin · Jun 23, 2017

440hsp said:
Ok my fellow RV'ers. Any suggestions on best weight distributing hitches? Found some grand design travel trailers that are very similar in layout and length to the 5th wheel we were looking at but less weight which is key here.

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As someone who has towed 10k 38' tt, and a 38' 11k 5er with my 3500 SRW, I'd definitely look into a smaller 5er over a large tt (assuming the tt your looking at is large) for frequent traveling. Those looong tt's can be a handful.

Any WDH with sway control will work. Getting everything level is the key to setting those up.

SouthTexan · Jun 23, 2017

All of my heavy trailers are gooseknecks or 5th wheels, but my father uses the Equal-i-zer w/ 4 point sway control and he loves it. I used it once to pull his trailer down to the coast for him. It kept the sway to a minimum and made towing the trailer non-eventfull which is what you want when towing. It was actually a much more pleasurable experience compared to what I remember my old bumper pull felt like.

440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

@SouthTexan That was my main concern was sway with a longer TT. I wanted the convenience and safer towing of a 5th wheel. Just hook up and go but we've been looking at 5th wheels for months in every shape and form and we keep coming back to grand design. The smaller 5th wheel models are too cramped for us 4 plus 2 big dogs. The floorplan that fits us is too damn heavy though.

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440hsp · Jun 23, 2017

I know pulling a longer bumper pull trailer will be a handful in windy situations which i know we will encounter from time to time.

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Bummed out!! Truck can't tow what I need her to.

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