Unstable Towing with our 1500

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rickshein

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Our travel trailer tail is wagging our RAM 1500 dog. Our configuration:
2021 RAM 1500 Limited (V8 Hemi w/air suspension)
Weights per the door frame sticker are:
GVWR: 7100 lb
GAWR front: 3900 lb
GAWR rear: 4100 lb
Max payload: 1359 lb
Max towing: 8159 lb
Gulf Stream Conquest Lite 238RK (length 27' 11", spec dry wt 4815, hitch wt 640)
Reese hitch 49911 - max gross wt/tongue wt: 6000/600
Tires on the TT (ST205/75R14) have been upgraded to Goodyear Endurance tires.
We had ourselves weighed on the first trip, and the weights were:
Front truck axle-3320, Rear truck axle-3960, Trailer axle(s)-4880. Actual hitch weight unknown.
The weight of the trailer is well within the capability of the RAM 1500 and the rating of the hitch appears to be correct (hitch weight is only slightly over). The hitch was installed and adjusted by our dealer. The trailer was not heavily loaded, and not in any strange way that would have changed the tongue weight much. However, at speeds approaching 55 mph, it starts to approach a white knuckle drive. It seems to sway and is overly sensitive/bouncy to uneven roads. The Reese hitch is supposed to have integrated sway control, but it doesn't feel like it.
After posting this same question to a Facebook Newbie RV group, the leading theory is that the air suspension, once its reengaged (jack mode disabled per the user manual) is conflicting with the weight distribution setup ().
For those of you out there with a 1500 Limited and a similar size travel trailer, what is your experience? Do you stick with the user manual setup? Do you drive with jack mode left on?
 

dhay13

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I don't see anything obvious but you are likely way over that advertised tongue weight. Advertised tongue weight doesn't include propane tanks or battery. Figure at least 100lbs more than advertised. My son's TT has an advertised tongue weight of 690lbs and he is closer to 1000lbs but he is loaded havy. Step-son has an advertised tongue weight of about 850lbs on his Grand Design Imagine 3250BH and brand new off the dealer lot it was 1100lbs but the 52 gallon fresh water tank was full.
 

tron67j

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Load your trailer and truck like you travel, including people and fuel. Then weigh each axel and tongue weight. You could find you are unbalanced and overweight. All the advice in the world will not help you until you get weights, and also provide tire pressure and load rating of tire. If you have tanks full that can add to problem, and if you again are unbalanced with too much weight behind trailer axle you will wag like crazy. Good luck.
 

Firebird

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My buddy has a 2020 1500 ecodiesel limited with air suspension. Proper WDH, and just slightly larger trailer, and it whips him like a dog. I'm not sure the air suspension is the best choice for towing heavy.
 

crash68

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The hitch was installed and adjusted by our dealer. The trailer was not heavily loaded, and not in any strange way that would have changed the tongue weight much
There is your problem.
You need to have the truck and trailer loaded as if your ready to go camping and then go find a CAT scale. Weigh the combo with the WDH on, then drop the trailer and weigh just the truck. You can do all the math with the axle weights between those two readings. Post them if you want and we'll give you an idea what needs to be adjusted.
To give you an idea of how what you might think won't make a difference, I've actually have lightened the bars while towing a trailer when adding three people to the cab(400lbs max). That was enough to make the rear end feel a little squirmy for me, it's usually stable enough I feel perfectly comfortable with two fingers on the steering wheel.
I know a few people that tow heavy that also have the four corner air suspension without problems.

(Edited in) Played with your numbers posted above but guessed the "truck only" weights, your most likely really ass heavy (over 15%). Look at the trailer axle weight to dry weight, looking at that alone everything is sitting on the tongue.
 
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14hemiexpress

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Weigh your truck 3 times,weigh with the camper with out the bars, with the bars, and empty no trailer all back to back. This will tell you how well your hitch set up is distributing the weight and give you a good start on we’re you need to go.

Also it looks like your hitch is underrated it’s not even rated for the dry hitch weight of your camper. No reason with out shifting a few things around you shouldn’t beagle to get it tuned in. Also your a little heavy 7280, 180 over gvw your still inside your axle weights but I’m curious what all you have loaded in the truck anything that can make is way back to the camper?
 

crash68

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Weigh your truck 3 times,weigh with the camper with out the bars, with the bars, and empty no trailer all back to back.
You can make all the calculations and adjustments using the weights with the WDH bars on and just the truck without the trailer.
 

VR Nicastro

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My opinion, it’s to big and heavy to be pulled behind a 1/2 ton truck.
Others have different opinions about towing.
The frame, suspension and brakes aren’t built for that much additional load on the truck.
My first concern is brakes in any towing setup.
If the brakes were to fail on the trailer for any reason. Can the truck stop going down a 20 degree grade doing 60 MPH?
If you’ve ever worked on a 3/4 or 1 ton truck compared to a 1/2 ton there is a HUGE difference in brakes and suspension.
Weight distribution hitches help but it still doesn’t change the amount of weight behind the truck.
I thought the 1/2 ton Rams were only rated at 500lbs tongue weight?
I’ve watched way to many YouTube videos of towing mistakes to give an unbiased opinion..
I would never tow anything that weighed more then 3K behind a 1/2 ton pickup.
Just because they say it can do it doesn’t mean you should.
Good luck, I hope you get it sorted out.
 
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Riccochet

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1. Get to a CAT scale and do the three weighs
2. you are under hitched. Step up to 1000 lb bars.
3. after you hitch up the air suspension is removing spring bar tension. Either disable air ride or adjust your WDH after it's leveled.
4. verify the trailer is level when hitched up. Nose high or low can cause sway.

And my opinion, it's not the weight of that trailer, but the length that can and will pose an issue for a 1/2 ton truck. 28' is a lot of chooch behind a 1500. I stepped up to a 3/4 ton to pull my 27' TT.
 

BlkZrx

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Those nice riding, passenger car tires they put on half ton trucks are not conducive to controlling a swaying billboard size load. Get some stiff, E range truck tires on it..

Sent from my SM-A516U using Tapatalk
 

14hemiexpress

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You can make all the calculations and adjustments using the weights with the WDH bars on and just the truck without the trailer.

im sure you can but with the fact his bars are under rated he can get a good idea on what exactly he’s transferring back. Does he have to nope but it’s another tool in your pocket.
 

Farmer Fran

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ok my advise (even though I have no clue)

Preface - I towed a Dutchmen Denali 289RK 1000s of miles around this great country with the RAM 1500. I am leaving it to you to look up the specs - my laziness is overwhelming today.

What I learned - get a good WDH and set it up correctly. I run a Eaz-Lift Elite 1000 with a single anti-sway on the passenger side, RV door side. On this setup the spring bars have a rating and you need to look up which ones to use. I used the 1000s. Basically this unit Amazon.com: EAZ LIFT 48058 1,000 lbs Elite Kit | Includes Distribution, Sway Control and Hitch Ball: Automotive

If you have the 4-corner follow the instructions, do the measurements like they say. You obviously know about jack mode off and on.

It is extremely important to have the trailer weight balanced well - it is easy to accomplish by moving the weight around in the trailer. Tongue weight is a key factor.

Make sure the sway control is good and clean - friction is your friend here :) - on my setup.

Not sure what else I can help with at the moment

EDIT: my truck has the 22" wheel option and it is fine - edit and the 20s on my previous trucks was fine.
 
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About tree fiddy

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I had a similar setup when I had my 2020 ram 1500 classic. In my opinion, you need get heavier bars. I have the Centerline WDH with the 800-1200 bars. After getting the bars you need to weigh your rig 3 times as others have mentioned to dial in your setup.

Old Cat Scale numbers were with my previous tow vehicle (2020 Ram 1500 classic CC, 4x4 hemi). Truck was loaded with wife, mom, two kids with baby seats and myself, plus misc camping stuff. No water in tanks. Was at max payload, but old truck towed it beautifully. Although it felt a little jarring when towing it at first, I gotbused to it. Just needed something bigger for reasons.

Steer Axle 3440
Drive Axle 3360
Trailer Axle 5180
Total Axle 11980


Forgot to mention my camper: 2018 Coleman 2405BH, around 28ft from bumper to hitch.

Payload 1,348lbs
Max tow 10,348lbs
 
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runamuck

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your trailer wt. numbers are very similar to mine and my 1500 laramie pulls it fine..looking at the wt. on the rear axle..looks to me to be too heavy tongue wt. too light on the front axle. wdh could be improperly adjusted or you have loaded too much gear in the truck bed and front storage area of the trailer. when I tow my 28' 6000# trailer the wt. on front and rear truck axles is nearly equal, with the front being a little more. I get no tail wagging and if the terrain not too hilly, can set cruise for 68-69 and it holds fine just under 2000 rpms. go to an rv dealer and get your wdh readjusted..add airbags..be careful how you are loaded..
 

Cactusmonkey

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Hi Rick, We pull almost the same as you. We have a Outdoors RV 22 FQS ( 27 FT) and have had it on the Cat scales. We pull with a Limited 1500 with four corner air and 3.92 gears. We have pulled this and other trailers with Ford F-150's for years. I think the weak point in your set up is the WDH. You should not feel any wagging. I love this truck and would not want to drive a bigger 2500 or 3500 but would if I needed it. I just don't feel like I need to go bigger.
 

blahargoue

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You didn't mention the brand of hitch. That does make a difference. I switched from a ln old school round bar WDH to a Blue Ox Sway Pro. Big improvement in the tail wagging the dog situation.

I tow a Grand Design 2500RL (29' overall length with a 7850 max GWR) with A 2020 Laramie 1500 without air suspension. Can I feel the trailer wiggle? Sure. Is it a problem? Not usually.

I used to tow a Salem 231 with about the same specs as your trailer with a '17 Ecodiesel. The round bar WDH was an E ticket ride. The Blue Ox was far better. I traded that truck for my Hemi when I bought the new trailer because it was too much trailer for the '17.

Having said all that, I've been RVing for over 40 years and used to tow with 2500 and 3500 series trucks when I was towing big fifth wheels. I went with this properly equipped 1500 because I run solo a lot more than I tow. It's all about trade offs without becoming unsafe. If I were towing anything larger, I go back to an HD truck.
 

ian MacKinnon

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I used to pull a 25 floor hybrid..and I had done a bunch of stuff.. including going up to 10 ply tires..that I felt I was akways on the cusp of being under trucked and in the wind, I was. There is a lot of sail space on your trailer.

You can fiddle and do a bunch of stuff to your truck but I think you would be happier.. ..to move up.

When a rv sales rep said I could pull a 34 foot 5th with my ram.. so I did a bunch of research..and if you account for all the factors and build in a decent safety buffer, half ton trucks suck.

When I read what you posted I was thinking undertrucked. Still do. my opinion
good luck.
 

Brent 1955

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Our travel trailer tail is wagging our RAM 1500 dog. Our configuration:
2021 RAM 1500 Limited (V8 Hemi w/air suspension)
Weights per the door frame sticker are:
GVWR: 7100 lb
GAWR front: 3900 lb
GAWR rear: 4100 lb
Max payload: 1359 lb
Max towing: 8159 lb
Gulf Stream Conquest Lite 238RK (length 27' 11", spec dry wt 4815, hitch wt 640)
Reese hitch 49911 - max gross wt/tongue wt: 6000/600
Tires on the TT (ST205/75R14) have been upgraded to Goodyear Endurance tires.
We had ourselves weighed on the first trip, and the weights were:
Front truck axle-3320, Rear truck axle-3960, Trailer axle(s)-4880. Actual hitch weight unknown.
The weight of the trailer is well within the capability of the RAM 1500 and the rating of the hitch appears to be correct (hitch weight is only slightly over). The hitch was installed and adjusted by our dealer. The trailer was not heavily loaded, and not in any strange way that would have changed the tongue weight much. However, at speeds approaching 55 mph, it starts to approach a white knuckle drive. It seems to sway and is overly sensitive/bouncy to uneven roads. The Reese hitch is supposed to have integrated sway control, but it doesn't feel like it.
After posting this same question to a Facebook Newbie RV group, the leading theory is that the air suspension, once its reengaged (jack mode disabled per the user manual) is conflicting with the weight distribution setup ().
For those of you out there with a 1500 Limited and a similar size travel trailer, what is your experience? Do you stick with the user manual setup? Do you drive with jack mode left on?
 

Brent 1955

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When you load your trailer before leaving the weight distribution should be 60/40 inside the camper. 60 percent in the nose 40 in the rear. Just a suggestion when loading your camper. I haul campers for a living. Most people when there unit starts to wiggle the truck it is either wind outside or weight distribution inside the camper. Or the speed your traveling. if you go to fast your truck and trailer will start to wiggle. Have you ever tried slowing down and see if the wiggle goes away.
 

Willie Mosher

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They some good u tube video
On sway , A guy down in Australia
As good one an German guy on a conveyor belt has another good one,
( RV are call caravan overseas)
 
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