Towing with enclosed

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twokss

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Hey guys,
I'll be towing my car from New Jersey down to Tampa Florida to have work done in a little over a month. The truck is a 16' ram 1500 crew 4x4 with the tow package, brake controller, and 3.21 gears. The wheels on the truck are the 17" steel wheels that the tradesman come standard with. The car weighs roughly 3600 pounds and the trailer weighs roughly 3000 pounds. Let's just call it 7000 pounds to be on the very high end for the total. My question is, how will the truck perform? All my major towing has been with borrowing my friends diesel. I've never towed this big of a load this far. I would assume the truck can handle it but I figured I'd ask for opinions anyway. Any preparation suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks


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goodguy11

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You have a load leveling hitch?


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EJR_3

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I would imagine you'll be find. With an enclosed trailer, you'll definitely need tow mirrors if you don't have any. And don't forget to change the gain on your brake controller.
 

goodguy11

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You truck has plenty of balls for that load


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Jimmy68

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Air bags are nice too but if you don't haul often then don't get them for this one trip. Just an added nice thing, not mandatory.
 

Sandbox

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It will depend a lot on tongue weight. 7000lbs will squat the rear of your truck so make sure the weight is distributed correctly. Weigh Distribution hitch would be a good thing to have.
 
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twokss

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Can anyone recommend a good weight distributing hitch?


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OUMX117

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Can anyone recommend a good weight distributing hitch?


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You won't need one if you have your trailer loaded properly. I jsut pulled my 28x8.5 enclosed trailer weighing in right at 9k from Oklahoma City to Crested Butte Colorado and it did just fine. I have the $89.99 Airlift 1000 bags and a brake controller. That's it. The truck was absolutely solid the whole way there. Prepare for awful mileage. You can look at my fuelly profile in my sig and see that I was averaging just under 8mpg for that trip. It pulled and stopped the load with no issues though.
 

THETANK

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any chance on having it shipped re: cheaper maybe, no wear and tear on your rig etc?????
 
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twokss

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The car is a little rare so I'd prefer it not leave my sights


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dRAMbuie

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You're going to want a weight distribution hitch to keep your load nice and level and prevent any porpoising. Especially over any kind of distance.
It would be bad advice to suggest otherwise.

Your truck has the integrated brake controller, so you're good there.

Make sure the trailer load is distributed properly.
That can make all the difference in the world.
On a bumper pull your tongue weight should be minimum 10% and shouldn't exceed about 15% of your gross trailer weight.

I'm less experienced with 5th wheels but I believe hitch weight on those can be 25%.

Some might suggest a sway control setup, but that's overkill in my opinion.
I often pull about 7,000lbs (27' long travel trailer) through the Rockies and have never felt unsafe without one.
And the terrain on your trip is going to be pretty easy going.

With the right setup you'll be amazed at how well your truck pulls that weight.

Safe travels!
 
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dRAMbuie

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Can anyone recommend a good weight distributing hitch?


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I can't remember what brand I have off the top of my head, but anything from Reese should be fine.

I'll check the make/model on mine when I get home if I remember.
 
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twokss

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You won't need one if you have your trailer loaded properly. I jsut pulled my 28x8.5 enclosed trailer weighing in right at 9k from Oklahoma City to Crested Butte Colorado and it did just fine. I have the $89.99 Airlift 1000 bags and a brake controller. That's it. The truck was absolutely solid the whole way there. Prepare for awful mileage. You can look at my fuelly profile in my sig and see that I was averaging just under 8mpg for that trip. It pulled and stopped the load with no issues though.



I hope it gets better gas mileage than that. That will almost double my fuel cost that I was planning. I was hoping for close to 15 mpg


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THETANK

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^^^^^^not being a **** (I hope) but I do not see 15mpg in your future. Good luck.
 
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twokss

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I might just end up having to borrow my friends diesel. That sucks


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EJR_3

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I hope it gets better gas mileage than that. That will almost double my fuel cost that I was planning. I was hoping for close to 15 mpg


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Pulled my car and cargo from Vegas to San Diego round trip and averaged 12 mpg. Don't have a weigh distribution hitch and the truck pulled it without any issues.
 
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twokss

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Was that in an enclosed?


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dRAMbuie

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I hope it gets better gas mileage than that. That will almost double my fuel cost that I was planning. I was hoping for close to 15 mpg


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You're probably looking at 10 to 12mpg realistically with an enclosed trailer of that weight.

Maybe a bit better if you don't have a lot of hills to contend with.
 
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