1500 V6 Towing Question

[Eric Spada]

Hello....Newbie here!

I have a 2019 1500 V6 with 3:55 ratio. My tow capacity is 7490 and my GCWR is 12,900.....dealership advised that it is actually 13,900 but manufacturers always give a 1,000lbs buffer????

Here’s my situation/question:
I recently bought a travel trailer that weighs 6100. I have a weight distribution hitch/sway bar setup.
When towing with my family and gear I estimate that my total weight (fuelled truck/trailer/people/gear) is around 11,800 which gives me at least 1,100Lbs in space BUT when towing in relatively flat (small-medium hills) My engine sits at b/n 3200/3500 RPMS in tow/haul mode.

should I be concerned?

any help/guidance is greatly appreciated.


Thanks

 

[dhay13]

Is 6100 the dry weight? Or actual scaled weight? If dry weight then you are probably closer to at least 7000lbs. If that's the case then your total weight is probably closer to 13,000 all loaded up with family, etc. That is alot of weight for a V6. My 2013 had the 5.7 hemi with 3.55 gears and I towed my sons 6700lb dry weight TT and I was turning about 4000 RPM on the interstate at about 60 on small hills. Max tow ratings are a marketing gimmick. Most trucks cannot achieve max tow ratings without going over some other rating.

 

[Eric Spada]

Hi @dhay13

Thank you for your reply! I was told it is 6100 scaled (actually 6050 but I added 50lbs for the propane tanks)...how can I tell?

if the numbers are correct, should
I worry?....sounds like I should really worry if your numbers are correct!!!

 

[14hemiexpress]

Best thing to do is hit a cat scale loaded up and find out where you truly are. The easy way to scale is get the cat app. When you pull up, just put in the scale number on the sign make sure your lined up right and follow the app prompts. The manufacture puts the gcwr for a reason I wouldnt worry about the rpm if your within your limits. I would worry more about temps. V6 requires high rpm to make torque.

 

[Quyonmob]

V6 is definitely going to have to rev to move that much weight. 269ftlb isn’t a lot of torque for that much trailer, especially over 55mph (wind resistance is exponential).

You must be over payload?

 

[crash68]

when towing in relatively flat (small-medium hills) My engine sits at b/n 3200/3500 RPMS in tow/haul mode.

should I be concerned?

Nope, not at all. The torque peak(269 ft/lbs) of your engine is 4175 rpms, the engine needs to rev that high for the torque. Even with the Hemi (410ft/lbs at 4K rpms) it would be elevated rpms while towing. If you want your engine to spin in the 2K rpm range then buy a diesel. The EcoDiesel torque peak is at/under 2K rpms depending on which version (Gen2 is 420 ft/lbs at 2K rpms, Gen3 is 480 ft/lbs at 1600 rpms).
When it comes to towing, horsepower is how fast you go but it's the torque that actual moves the load.

 

[Tim7139]

My tow capacity is 7490 and my GCWR is 12,900.....dealership advised that it is actually 13,900 but manufacturers always give a 1,000lbs buffer????

It's common for a trailers 10%-12% tongue weight to put you over your payload before you hit your max tow, so you may want to review that number if you have not already.

Most states/provinces/insurers have no tolerance for going over your door stickers.

In the old days manufactures had their own formulas for assigning GCWR. Standardized methods were introduced with SAE J2807 to determine GCWR and calculate corresponding max tow. In many cases this was believed to have lowered lower the allowable values, and could be where your dealers errant comment came from(i.E. based on the old formula there could have been be more capability).

 

[Eric Spada]

@14hemiexpress

thanks for that, I’m in Canada so will have to figure that out where I can go to a scale and weigh up without being too obvious.

 

[Eric Spada]

@Quyonmob & @Tim7139 payload is listed at 2100lbs.
Tongue - 780
Occupants - 500
Car seats/odd stuff I keep in truck - 100
Gear - 300-400 (when we bring bikes) otherwise we pack light at probably 200-300.

Total at upper limit is around 1800/1900 lbs which gives me some space..... on the lighter side at about 1700 giving me some extra padding

You still think I should be worried or is 200-400 pounds of buffer comfortable??


Thx

 

[RAM DRVR]

Payload and payload capacity is the big question. Also, how long is the trailer? It can be a big sail in the wind.

What does the yellow sticker on the drivers door jam say for tow rating?

 

[Quyonmob]

@Quyonmob & @Tim7139 payload is listed at 2100lbs.
Tongue - 780
Occupants - 500
Car seats/odd stuff I keep in truck - 100
Gear - 300-400 (when we bring bikes) otherwise we pack light at probably 200-300.

Total at upper limit is around 1800/1900 lbs which gives me some space..... on the lighter side at about 1700 giving me some extra padding

You still think I should be worried or is 200-400 pounds of buffer comfortable??


Thx

check your door sticker, 2100lbs sounds a few hundred high. Maybe a base model quad cab 2wd would get that high

here’s mine: