Towing question

m2102 · May 8, 2023

I’ve had my 2017 1500 5.7 hemi 2 yrs and only towed one thing so far. Had to tow my goldwing trike to dealer to have clutch replaced. Rented a uhaul open trailer to haul it and I was concerned on fuel. My fuel gage was jumping high then low and back and forth. It was full when I left. Is that normal for fuel gage to do that? I want to get a toy hauler camper and not sure how it would act. Thanks in advance.
sorry for long first post.

LeeD · May 8, 2023

That doesn’t sound normal at all. I’ve towed our boat many times (about 5000lbs) and never saw the gas gauge move like that.

m2102 · May 8, 2023

I’ve never seen anything like it before either. Hoping it was just a fluke.

mtnrider · May 8, 2023

Not normal...

JNelson · May 8, 2023

Sounds like the fuels gauges sending unit.

If you’re thinking about a toy hauler camper look at your tow capacity on your truck before making the dive.

m2102 · May 8, 2023

It was the only time the gauge did that. I’d have to double check but I believe tow capacity is 10k lbs.

dhay13 · May 8, 2023

Good luck towing 10,000lbs. Highly unlikely you can do it legally. Any idea what gears you have? A 1500 is pretty much limited to around 7500lbs to be comfortable and stay under all maximums. A 9300lb TT with 1100lbs tongue weight puts the GRAWR over by a few hundred lbs.
Not trying to sound like an idiot but just don't want to see you buy a 10,000lb trailer and regret it.
When they say max tow 10,000 that might not be for your specific truck. That might be for a single cab, 2WD, 3.92's, etc. You need to find it for your exact truck then be sure you don't go over GCVWR or GRAWR. And advertised tongue weight is always low. Example, my sons Grand Design Imagine MK2670 said 690lbs tongue weight but all loaded up it was 1000lbs. Even empty it was probably 750-800.
Ask questions here, go to a CAT scale, etc. And DO NOT listen to the sales folks when it comes to whether your truck can tow it...lol

m2102 · May 9, 2023

Yea I mite have been a little overestimating on the weight.

62Blazer · May 9, 2023

Towing really shouldn't have anything to do with a gas gauge jumping up and down. Sure, it will go down faster simply because you are using more fuel....but should not have any effect on how steady it is.

huntergreen · May 9, 2023

dhay13 said:
Good luck towing 10,000lbs. Highly unlikely you can do it legally. Any idea what gears you have? A 1500 is pretty much limited to around 7500lbs to be comfortable and stay under all maximums. A 9300lb TT with 1100lbs tongue weight puts the GRAWR over by a few hundred lbs.
Not trying to sound like an idiot but just don't want to see you buy a 10,000lb trailer and regret it.
When they say max tow 10,000 that might not be for your specific truck. That might be for a single cab, 2WD, 3.92's, etc. You need to find it for your exact truck then be sure you don't go over GCVWR or GRAWR. And advertised tongue weight is always low. Example, my sons Grand Design Imagine MK2670 said 690lbs tongue weight but all loaded up it was 1000lbs. Even empty it was probably 750-800.
Ask questions here, go to a CAT scale, etc. And DO NOT listen to the sales folks when it comes to whether your truck can tow it...lol

My 16 big horn 4x4 is rated for towing 10000 pounds, on paper anyway. In my opine, a 1500 is too light to tow that load safely. That’s HD truck territory.

JerryETX · May 9, 2023

m2102 said:
Yea I mite have been a little overestimating on the weight.

With a travel trailer it’s not just the weights to consider it’s the height and length. A toy hauler is going to be higher than most non-tow hauler travel trailers and therefore will result in more wind drag even if the roof is sloped to help with that. Also the length needs to be considered. Towing a trailer that is 22’ long isn’t the same as towing a 30 footer. Huge difference in how the truck will or won’t handle it.

runamuck · May 9, 2023

I looked at a lot of toyhaulers whe I had my '19 laramie 4x4 ccsb 5.7 and although the truck had no trouble pulling our 6000# 28' travel trailer, there were almost no toyhaulers with low enough tongue wt. that would work for me. you will likely be only able to tow a smaller one with no slides. they seem to all have a lot more tongue wt. compared to travel trailers. check your listed payload.

regal81455 · May 11, 2023

@m2102 sounds to me like you may have a wire grounding out somewhere. Did you have the tow/haul button activated when this happened or no?

Bike_Pilot · May 11, 2023

For the toy hauler definitely look closely at your specific truck's capacities. Look at payload, rear axle weight, gross combined weight and towing capacity as any one of those could be your limiting factor. Payload is most often the limiting factor. Assume the trailer is 20% heavier than the spec sheet says.

ATC has some small, light toy haulers that will probably work ok.

Generally when I think toy hauler I think 3500 diesel. Personally I'd have no interest in towing 10k lbs with a half ton. I live in the mountains though so my use is perhaps an extreme case. Just the exhaust brake on a HD truck makes all the difference going down steep, long grades.

turkeybird56 · May 11, 2023

huntergreen said:
My 16 big horn 4x4 is rated for towing 10000 pounds, on paper anyway. In my opine, a 1500 is too light to tow that load safely. That’s HD truck territory.

Yup, all day long.

Blue Truck · May 15, 2023

m2102 said:
I’ve had my 2017 1500 5.7 hemi 2 yrs and only towed one thing so far. Had to tow my goldwing trike to dealer to have clutch replaced. Rented a uhaul open trailer to haul it and I was concerned on fuel. My fuel gage was jumping high then low and back and forth. It was full when I left. Is that normal for fuel gage to do that? I want to get a toy hauler camper and not sure how it would act. Thanks in advance.
sorry for long first post.

Correlation.
Causation would be when the fuel gauge goes from high to low quicker than normal, which is what generally happens when towing anything.
Poorly is how a half ton would act towing most toy haulers. As others have said, there are a few small, featherweight ones, but most are big, heavy sails.

Vehicle manufacturers are in an arms race to claim higher tow ratings (and payload) vs their competitors. Don't take their #'s seriously. Sure, they're putting stronger engines and bigger brakes on them now, but other components are still small and not suited to towing heavy. A truck that's sprung like a passenger car for a smooth ride and comes with P-rated tires shouldn't be anywhere near a heavy trailer.

StNick · May 15, 2023

If you are thinking about towing a 10000 pound trailer, be very careful. That's a lot of weight for a "half ton" truck. Try to find a trailer specialist to get good opinions. Also, if you will be using a frame hitch many are Class 4 and rated at 10000 pounds max. Consider going to a Class 5. Remember that the 10000 pound weight is possibly dry weight. Water is quite heavy and so is all the extra stuff your wife could elect to take along.

ICHILLU · May 15, 2023

dhay13 said:
Good luck towing 10,000lbs. Highly unlikely you can do it legally. Any idea what gears you have? A 1500 is pretty much limited to around 7500lbs to be comfortable and stay under all maximums. A 9300lb TT with 1100lbs tongue weight puts the GRAWR over by a few hundred lbs.
Not trying to sound like an idiot but just don't want to see you buy a 10,000lb trailer and regret it.
When they say max tow 10,000 that might not be for your specific truck. That might be for a single cab, 2WD, 3.92's, etc. You need to find it for your exact truck then be sure you don't go over GCVWR or GRAWR. And advertised tongue weight is always low. Example, my sons Grand Design Imagine MK2670 said 690lbs tongue weight but all loaded up it was 1000lbs. Even empty it was probably 750-800.
Ask questions here, go to a CAT scale, etc. And DO NOT listen to the sales folks when it comes to whether your truck can tow it...lol

Udy2554 · May 15, 2023

Wildwood FSX 34’ to the ball! 1000+lb TW…8000-9000lb full of water and RZR 900!

Fury 2910, 34 1/2’ to the ball! 990lb TW, @12,000lb full of water and RZR900!

Can’t help with fuel gauge…mine sinks quickly when hauling either! Fury is gone, FSX tows nicer…much lighter!

WDH is a must!!! I also have air bags!

dhay13 · May 15, 2023

Exactly. And with a 10,000lb bumper pull you are extremely likely to be over your GRAWR. A gooseneck is about the only way to tow 10,000lbs and not exceed GRAWR in a 1/2 ton. We had a 9300lb TT hooked to a Tundra with 1100lbs tongue weight and rear axle weight was 4160. 2017 1500 Ram max is 3900lbs. Granted this was a Tundra but the TT was brand new off the lot and completely empty. I towed it home with my 2500 but he towed it about 10 miles to the campground with his Tundra and stopped at the CAT scales. I also weighed it at the CAT scales while hooked to my 2500. TT was a 2021 Grand Design Imagine 3250BH

Towing question

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@m2102 sounds to me like you may have a wire grounding out somewhere. Did you have the tow/haul button activated when this happened or no?​

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@m2102 sounds to me like you may have a wire grounding out somewhere. Did you have the tow/haul button activated when this happened or no?