Towing with 1500 and air suspension

SeventyGTX · May 5, 2022

After living in our 5th wheel while our house was being built, the wife was burned out with RV's, so sold both the fiver and the Cummins. Well, now we are talking about getting a smaller travel trailer for 2-4 day trips. My current '15 Limited 1500 has the factory air suspension and I can't find much about towing with it. The truck has 3:92's and a bit over a 10k towing limit. My questions are how will it tow with the air suspension? Will it automatically level itself? We are looking in the 21 to 26 ft range in trailers. Thanks for any help from those that tow with this setup.

chopperman1 · May 5, 2022

I pull a Jayco 29' with mine. Zero issues with it. Still utilize a WDH even with the 4 corner air.

Tim7139 · May 5, 2022

SeventyGTX said:
My questions are how will it tow with the air suspension? Will it automatically level itself?

Like a champ. It will level itself, though a WD hitch is still recommended once you go over 4,000lbs

crash68 · May 6, 2022

SeventyGTX said:
My questions are how will it tow with the air suspension? Will it automatically level itself?

Look in the owners manual for how to properly set up the truck when using a WDH.
Also remember to set up the WDH when the truck and trailer is fully loaded for traveling/camping. It's best to use a semi CAT scale to check the WDH adjustment. Weight the truck and trailer together then drop the trailer and weigh just the truck, that will give you all the numbers for tongue weight percentage and how the hitch is adjusted.

JF19Longhorn · May 6, 2022

Being a limited, you'll probably run out of payload with any trailer of a decent size. Your door jam will have a sticker with your trucks specific payload. This does not include fuel, passengers, hitch, or anything else that did not roll off the assembly line with your truck.

SeventyGTX · May 6, 2022

I did a quick search for "towing" in the manual and couldn't find anything specificially about the air suspension which is why I started this thread.

SeventyGTX · May 6, 2022

JF19Longhorn said:
Being a limited, you'll probably run out of payload with any trailer of a decent size. Your door jam will have a sticker with your trucks specific payload. This does not include fuel, passengers, hitch, or anything else that did not roll off the assembly line with your truck.

I realize all the weight adds as I towed a 34 ft 5th wheel with a 2500 Cummins for a few years. Just never towed with a 1500. I'm not too concerned about weight as we plan on going with a smaller trailer, probably under 25ft.

There is another poster here that said he went from a 2016 standard suspension 1500 to a newer one with air to pull his 27 footer (I think) and said it feels mushy and gets some swaying even though it is set up exactly they way it was with his previous truck which towed it great. I imagine a lot of it could be tires if they are like the SL rated ones like mine currently has.

HDGoose · May 19, 2022

SeventyGTX said:
After living in our 5th wheel while our house was being built, the wife was burned out with RV's, so sold both the fiver and the Cummins. Well, now we are talking about getting a smaller travel trailer for 2-4 day trips. My current '15 Limited 1500 has the factory air suspension and I can't find much about towing with it. The truck has 3:92's and a bit over a 10k towing limit. My questions are how will it tow with the air suspension? Will it automatically level itself? We are looking in the 21 to 26 ft range in trailers. Thanks for any help from those that tow with this setup

You will overload the rear axle with a travel trailer long before you hit the max trailer weight. Even in my 3500 dually, I cannot hit max trailer weight with a 5th wheel trailer without going over rear axle rating. I can reach max weight with a gooseneck trailer loaded over the axles properly.

A 10k boat tows differently than a 10k travel trailer. So choose the travel trailer wisely based on your current truck.

SeventyGTX · May 28, 2022

HDGoose said:
You will overload the rear axle with a travel trailer long before you hit the max trailer weight. Even in my 3500 dually, I cannot hit max trailer weight with a 5th wheel trailer without going over rear axle rating. I can reach max weight with a gooseneck trailer loaded over the axles properly.

A 10k boat tows differently than a 10k travel trailer. So choose the travel trailer wisely based on your current truck.

Sorry for the late reply, haven't been on the forum. I have decided not to tow with this truck after seeing the 1103 combined cargo weight on the door jamb sticker. When I got the truck, I assumed it had a higher rating since it had 3:92 gears and never even thought to look at the sticker since we didn't plan on getting a TT at the time. Now I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the Cummins.

tron67j · May 28, 2022

Sorry to hear that. That is what I am seeing more and more as my friends are looking at trucks for the first time and they ask about towing. It is appearing that manufacturers are focusing more on loading up trucks to be cash cows that are more luxury vehicles than actually built to be a truck (what at least I think a truck should be). It is interesting to see that a 2022 Kia Sorento my sister bought has more listed payload capacity (1,468) than your truck. I understand trailer capacity limit is different but that doesn't matter if, as HDGoose said above, payload max is hit before trailer max is hit.

mtofell · May 30, 2022

SeventyGTX said:
Sorry for the late reply, haven't been on the forum. I have decided not to tow with this truck after seeing the 1103 combined cargo weight on the door jamb sticker. When I got the truck, I assumed it had a higher rating since it had 3:92 gears and never even thought to look at the sticker since we a didn't plan on getting a TT at the time. Now I'm kicking myself for getting rid of the Cummins.

A buddy had almost that exact same truck and when we were out camping I told him his truck was massively overloaded with his 30' TT (+ firewood and coolers in the bed, dogs a hard shell and a truck full of people). He looked at his door sticker and it was 1069#!! He admitted an icon on the dash kept lighting up that was an arrow pointing down at the bed.... LOL. I never knew there was such an icon. Anyway, he drives an F350 now...... largely so I'd stop giving him ****! He wasn't even aware of payload..... he just kept saying the truck could tow 10,000#. It is borderline criminal how trucks and weights are advertised.

ramffml · May 31, 2022

mtofell said:
It is borderline criminal how trucks and weights are advertised.

I agree somewhat, but a lot of it is driver ignorance too. Because his truck can pull a 10,000 pound trailer (a boat for example), but not every trailer that weighs 10,000 pounds (5w). And he definitely can't pull 10,000 pounds when truck is loaded down with firewood and people, but he can pull it when truck is empty.

So Ram isn't lying, they don't know what exactly you're pulling, but that's why they give different limits; gcwr, gvwr, rawr etc etc, but too many guys are just used to hooking up a trailer and eyeballing the squat before hopping in. Even now we can talk about this on the forum but inevitably someone chimes in and starts talking about "payload police". Some guys don't want to know and some just don't care.

mtofell · May 31, 2022

ramffml said:
I agree somewhat, but a lot of it is driver ignorance too. Because his truck can pull a 10,000 pound trailer (a boat for example), but not every trailer that weighs 10,000 pounds (5w). And he definitely can't pull 10,000 pounds when truck is loaded down with firewood and people, but he can pull it when truck is empty.

So Ram isn't lying, they don't know what exactly you're pulling, but that's why they give different limits; gcwr, gvwr, rawr etc etc, but too many guys are just used to hooking up a trailer and eyeballing the squat before hopping in. Even now we can talk about this on the forum but inevitably someone chimes in and starts talking about "payload police". Some guys don't want to know and some just don't care.

Oh yeah.... I agree which is why I say "borderline". They aren't lying but not going out of their way to educate buyers that ALL numbers matter not just the one they want to cherry-pick and blast all over the TV screen.

SeventyGTX · May 31, 2022

Right now I'm looking at a Rockwood MiniLite that is around 6700 GVWR, but it's the 711 lb dry hitch weight thats got me apprehensive. Its less than 26ft long, yet my buddys 30ft Starcraft only has a 590 dry hitch weight. He has weighed it loaded at 920 and tows it with a '17 Tundra.

What a dilema. I don't want to go back to a 2500 because the roads here in Kingman Az beat you up. That is why I sold it after I sold the 5th wheel. We don't need a large trailer, just something for 2 or 3 day trips.

Loudram · Jun 1, 2022

Avoid anything with a front kitchen. Those will have a high tongue weight. My trailer is 29' and 6000lb dry weight and 625lb dry tongue and it has a 900lb loaded tongue. Your friends trailer sounds about right for the size and weight.

The Rockwood may be a mini light but Rockwood is a quality trailer and they are built solid. That's one reason it weighs more. I'm sure you realize lay out and axle placement also play a role in tongue weight.

Elcorbs · Jun 2, 2022

I have a 2021 1500 Limited 392 gears with a load capacity of 1341 lbs and tow rating of 11,200. I bought the Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S. The hitch weight is 850 lbs. I am over my limit and am looking to upgrade the TV. We took the TT to Florida 2 weeks ago and the truck struggled tremulously going up to Flagstaff and through out New Mexico and Texas. I couldn’t leave the cruise control engaged due to the engine revs. Really annoying for us. I just drove between 55 and 63 mph when possible. I averaged 8.5 mpg for that 4500 mile trip. I didn’t even try to run the speed limit.

Loudram · Jun 2, 2022

Elcorbs said:
I have a 2021 1500 Limited 392 gears with a load capacity of 1341 lbs and tow rating of 11,200. I bought the Rockwood Mini Lite 2511S. The hitch weight is 850 lbs. I am over my limit and am looking to upgrade the TV. We took the TT to Florida 2 weeks ago and the truck struggled tremulously going up to Flagstaff and through out New Mexico and Texas. I couldn’t leave the cruise control engaged due to the engine revs. Really annoying for us. I just drove between 55 and 63 mph when possible. I averaged 8.5 mpg for that 4500 mile trip. I didn’t even try to run the speed limit.

That trailer is lighter and shorter than mine. The tongue weight is more but your truck shouldn't struggle pulling it if it's properly set up. It may bounce more but with towing power you should be fine. Something isn't right.

Randy Grant · Jun 3, 2022

Let the fun begin!!!

Elcorbs · Jun 3, 2022

Loudram said:
That trailer is lighter and shorter than mine. The tongue weight is more but your truck shouldn't struggle pulling it if it's properly set up. It may bounce more but with towing power you should be fine. Something isn't right.

Every thing is set up properly. The truck is level with the air suspension and WDH. When in Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida it towed really nice. The problem is that I live in Arizona and everywhere I travel I have mountains to climb. That is when she struggles. If I leave the cruise control on it will be at 42 - 4400 RPM all day long trying to maintain speed. To keep it from screaming I just let it slow down when going over a pass and large prolonged elevation changes so that I can control the RPM. I don’t have any bounce or sway. It tows wonderful on flat level roads and never gets out of 7th gear. If I have any incline whatsoever it is in 6th gear until I hit the big climbs then it will downshift again and be in the 42 - 4400 rpm range. Not sure how good it is to have the RPM that high all day long. My oil life went from 100% to 12% over that trip to Florida so I know the engine was working very hard.

star_deceiver · Jun 4, 2022

4400 rpm is not screaming. You just don’t like it. The truck will be fine.

Welcome to the mountains. The poor mileage and rpm’s are minor sacrifices.

Towing with 1500 and air suspension

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

ACME product engineer

Senior Member

Member

Member

Senior Member

Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Senior Member

Member

Just a sinner saved by grace

Junior Member

Just a sinner saved by grace

Senior Member

Junior Member

Senior Member

Similar threads

Forum statistics

Share this page