Whats my top towing capacity

Soaringcook · Nov 8, 2021

I have a 2016 ram 1500 quadcab hemi 5.7 with 8 speed tranny. Big horn.. Im thinking of buying a travel camper, what would be my max towing and also what do you guys consider a confortabke towing capacity for my ram.

rule18 · Nov 8, 2021

Soaringcook said:
I have a 2016 ram 1500 quadcab hemi 5.7 with 8 speed tranny. Big horn.. Im thinking of buying a travel camper, what would be my max towing and also what do you guys consider a confortabke towing capacity for my ram.

Go here, https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing/towing-guide.html click on Look Up My Vehicle, then enter your VIN. You'll get your exact specs per your trim level. Don't listen to the TT sales people, they typically know very little about your truck, and lots about how to make a sale. :gr_grin:

marine6212 · Nov 8, 2021

Soaringcook said:
I have a 2016 ram 1500 quadcab hemi 5.7 with 8 speed tranny. Big horn.. Im thinking of buying a travel camper, what would be my max towing and also what do you guys consider a confortabke towing capacity for my ram.

You need a 4500 ram! Your 1500 is not designed to tow!

jvbuttex · Nov 8, 2021

Always check your door sticker and the RAM link above. However, to give you an idea i had a 2015 1500, it would pull the 6000lb TT we bought. problem we had was too much tongue weight. Pulls fund stops fine, just that tongue weight was my arch nemesis.

crash68 · Nov 8, 2021

What a truck can tow isn't always what the driver behind the wheel who's responsible for how the trailer is set up and loaded is capable of.

marine6212 said:
You need a 4500 ram! Your 1500 is not designed to tow!

only a 4500??
more like this...

Irishthreeper · Nov 8, 2021

marine6212 said:
You need a 4500 ram! Your 1500 is not designed to tow!

What, you didn’t recommend fore and aft deezles in that 4500?.

Irishthreeper · Nov 8, 2021

crash68 said:
What a truck can tow isn't always what the driver behind the wheel who's responsible for how the trailer is set up and loaded is capable of.

only a 4500??
more like this...
View attachment 476652

I’m sure you Cummins folks are nodding your heads in unison…yup, that camper needs a 3500 dually

marine6212 · Nov 9, 2021

crash68 said:
What a truck can tow isn't always what the driver behind the wheel who's responsible for how the trailer is set up and loaded is capable of.

only a 4500??
more like this...
View attachment 476652

Tired of seeing new threads about towing! This subject has been beaten like a dead horse and dragged through the mud sideways!

A little reading on this forum and they could have the answer they seek in 5 minutes..

Rlaf75 · Nov 9, 2021

marine6212 said:
Tired of seeing new threads about towing! This subject has been beaten like a dead horse and dragged through the mud sideways!

A little reading on this forum and they could have the answer they seek in 5 minutes..

You dont actually have to read the threads you dont like

Fake-Account27 · Nov 9, 2021

You will run out of payload long before you run out of towing capacity. You can get your exact payload on the door jam. I am going to assume 1700 for these calculations.

1700 lbs -(total weight of all passengers) - (weight of gear in your bed) = available payload.

Subtract 100 or 200 lbs from your available payload as a safety buffer then divide by 0.12 (the average tongue weight on most trailers). This gives you your max towing capacity of your fully loaded trailer.

For my truck (Ram 2500 Cummins)

2200 lbs payload - 800 lbs (2 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs) - 200 lbs of crap in the bed - 200lbs buffer = 1000 lbs.

1000 lbs / 0.12 = 8300 lbs.

My trailer weighs about 7500 lbs loaded and it is quite normal for my total payload with tongue weight to be around 2000 lbs.

huntergreen · Nov 9, 2021

Fake-Account27 said:
You will run out of payload long before you run out of towing capacity. You can get your exact payload on the door jam. I am going to assume 1700 for these calculations.

1700 lbs -(total weight of all passengers) - (weight of gear in your bed) = available payload.

Subtract 100 or 200 lbs from your available payload as a safety buffer then divide by 0.12 (the average tongue weight on most trailers).

For my truck (Ram 2500 Cummins)

2200 lbs payload - 800 lbs (2 adults, 3 kids, 2 dogs) - 200 lbs of crap in the bed - 200lbs buffer = 1000 lbs.

1000 lbs / 0.12 = 8300 lbs.

My trailer weighs about 7500 lbs loaded and it is quite normal for my total payload with tongue weight to be around 2000 lbs.

2000 lbs tongue weight ?

Fake-Account27 · Nov 9, 2021

huntergreen said:
2000 lbs tongue weight ?

The tongue weight of my trailer is close to 1000 lbs, plus 1000 lbs of people and gear in the truck itself.

2003F350 · Nov 9, 2021

huntergreen said:
2000 lbs tongue weight ?

While he explicitly stated what his tongue weight was, it IS possible to find Travel Trailers with tongue weights getting close to 2k. In his case, that much tongue weight would basically mean he'd be over his payload if he put more than himself in the truck.

All of that said, it's really the GAWR that you need to stay under, which you can't accurately check without a scale. Problem is I can't think of a SINGLE RV dealer that has their own scale so they can set your system up properly, most of them just eyeball it with a tape measure - which is why I had significant sway after they 'set up' my 35' travel trailer behind my PW. Couldn't run more than 62 mph or it was all over the place. A couple adjustments later and I can safely run 65 mph and it's rock solid, with just a standard WDH and a standard friction sway bar.

huntergreen · Nov 9, 2021

2003F350 said:
While he explicitly stated what his tongue weight was, it IS possible to find Travel Trailers with tongue weights getting close to 2k. In his case, that much tongue weight would basically mean he'd be over his payload if he put more than himself in the truck.

All of that said, it's really the GAWR that you need to stay under, which you can't accurately check without a scale. Problem is I can't think of a SINGLE RV dealer that has their own scale so they can set your system up properly, most of them just eyeball it with a tape measure - which is why I had significant sway after they 'set up' my 35' travel trailer behind my PW. Couldn't run more than 62 mph or it was all over the place. A couple adjustments later and I can safely run 65 mph and it's rock solid, with just a standard WDH and a standard friction sway bar.

Thanks for this explanation.

Gero · Nov 10, 2021

I'd keep it under 24ft and under 6000lbs loaded if you want a comfortable tow.

You can stretch it to 28ft and 7000lbs but the experience won't be as good.

JerryETX · Nov 11, 2021

As stated with a half ton it's more about payload and sway than tow rating. An RV dealer will tell you since your truck can tow 11K lbs that you can buy a TT that is 10-11k lbs and that's just crap! What Fake-Account 27 said about running out of payload is true most of the time.

rsdata · Nov 11, 2021

I am going to assume 1700 for these calculations.

1700 lbs -(total weight of all passengers) - (weight of gear in your bed) = available payload.

Subtract 100 or 200 lbs from your available payload as a safety buffer then divide by 0.12 (the average tongue weight on most trailers). This gives you your max towing capacity of your fully loaded trailer.

1700# is quite high for what the OP said he had. Ha may have as little as the 1309# payload that I have...

Fake-Account27 · Nov 11, 2021

rsdata said:
1700# is quite high for what the OP said he had. Ha may have as little as the 1309# payload that I have...

Yeah I have actually never owned a 1500 series truck so I was guessing, but 1300 is only 150 lbs better then my minivan.

crash68 · Nov 11, 2021

Gero said:
You can stretch it to 28ft and 7000lbs but the experience won't be as good.

This has similarities to male cow feces.
It comes down to how the truck, trailer and load is set up. I have had a 32' behind mine that's over 7K lbs and it tows like an arrow. One hand on the steering wheel and cruise set. Unless there's strong winds or a storm, if the trailer doesn't tow as smooth as driving just the truck there's something wrong.

mtwofeathers · Nov 11, 2021

Not a matter of what

Soaringcook said:
I have a 2016 ram 1500 quadcab hemi 5.7 with 8 speed tranny. Big horn.. Im thinking of buying a travel camper, what would be my max towing and also what do you guys consider a confortabke towing capacity for my ram.

Its not a matter of what you tow, but how you would stop one. There are 6 variations on that truck. The 1500 isn't really designed for towing in the first place.
Other than checking the owner's manual, you can do a little bit of basic math to figure out your RAM towing capacity. Find the vehicle's curb weight, add it to the payload weight (if you're carrying anything), and subtract that from the vehicle's GCWR (or Gross Combined Weight Rating) to get your max towing capacity. But like I said passenger's extra stuff in the bed, even a hitch if your truck doesn't have one can add weight to the calculations. And change towing capacities. The 1500 limitations are mostly axle, brakes. A tuner wouldn't hurt, extra capacity for the rear, can be bags, and anything to stiffen it up. Tongue weight can be solved in many different ways. But added weight to the truck.

How to Increase Towing Capacity for RVs

Looking at how to increase towing capacity of your RV? Check out this guide on how to upgrade towing capacity to travel as efficiently as possible.

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Whats my top towing capacity

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