Can I tow this?

[BoCO]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiesel. Thanks.

 

[fraleywp]

If you find an Ultra Lite you can get a TT in that size range around 5k dry weight.

Sent from my Z2_PRO using Tapatalk

 

[RockyAEV]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiesel. Thanks.

So I have a YouTube channel that goes over the Chevy Colorado ZR2 Bison and over two videos I talk about towing (yes the numbers will be different than for yours) but take that information and then use this spreadsheet (link below) and see where your numbers are. If you have more questions after that I will try my best to help.....hope this helps [emoji41]



2018 Ram 2500 Tradesman
6.7L, G56

 

[Toddbigboytruck]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiei. Thanks.

Yes I have to agree 5000lbs dry is usually 6500 loaded I have a very similar truck and mine has 3:21 I tow my 21 ft hybrid( weight is 5500 lbs fully loaded, more like 5000lbs then I tow. 3000 miles for Canada to Florida with no issues. Do you have the brake module already? You might want to look in to adding air bag in the springs ( I will be doing that this winter)

 

[gofishn]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiesel. Thanks.

Tow table for 2017 shows your trucks base weight as 5220 lbs or there abouts.
Your CAT Scale showed you were already at 7060?
if so, you are already over your GVWR of 6900lbs without adding any tongue weight.
So, no, if you wish to stay within your trucks stated limits, then you can not pull any trailer and need to dump some weight from your truck, as it sits.


Will your truck pull the camper? Yes.
Would I advise a person new to towing to do such? No.
Would I be comfortable towing such? Yes...with brake, spring, shock, tire upgrade.
Then again, I hardly tow anything, just a 20ft Lund Boat and already did all those things.
I did not like the Ride of the OEM stuff.

 

[GsRAM]

Based on your stated loaded weights this is a no go.

You only have about 400 lbs of rear axle capacity left for trailer tongue weight and the weight of the wdh.

No way your going to find a trailer that size with that low of a tongue weight and even if you can figure out how to load it to keep the tongue light it'll be a poor handling, dangerous squirrelly mess.

You are in pop up territory or really and quite honestly you should have a 2500 series truck just based on the loaded weights you stated. Your already maxed out, probably way over payload limit. That's not the main concern though.

You never want to exceed grawr and I dont see how your going to pull a large tt with 400 lbs of rear axle capacity left. Just my .02

 

[Ohio5pt7]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiesel. Thanks.

I have a 263bhxl forest river wild wood dry weight is 5804. Sleeps 10 and has a slide out and a big bathroom. It is rated for 1800lbs of cargo including water tank being filled. So 7604 is the legal max. I have 3.21 gears 4x4 and a crew cab. Truck is rated to tow 8100 and it tows this without issue. With me in it my truck weighs in at 5840. So that 13450 then wife kids bikes and toys and a grill pushing 14500 would be my guess. Long story short if you want to camp get a tent or a new truck hd truck.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

 

[RockyAEV]

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

I'm new to TTs and towing so I'm having a hard time figuring out the math based on other threads in this forum. There must be some experts out there, maybe verndiesel. Thanks.

I hope you looked at the video, but here is a little more information that I can give you. I don’t have all of your actual numbers but biased off of the information you gave this is what I came up with. I used B&W hitch website to get the tongue weight to go with....and then used your numbers for the rest. By those numbers you are over payload as you sit right now. Have you added a big toolbox full of tools? Was this loaded with the whole Fam-damnly? Every number goes in effect when you are talking about towing both legally and safely. Otherwise you will put yourself and others in danger. Most travel trailer salesman won’t tell you the nitty gritty because they want the sell. Do the numbers yourself and know, don’t guess. good luck




2018 Ram 2500 Tradesman
6.7L, G56

 

[Nickx86]

Unless you are able to take some of the weight from the full load on your truck and transfer onto the trailer, you won’t be able to tow a TT.

 

[bdc2]

Why does a bed deck/drawers and a topper weigh that much? I'd be lightening up my truck , being over gvwr 24/7 can't be good for it.

 

[BoCO]

Thanks every one. I guess the first thing I need to do is try to trim the fully loaded GVW. But, is the axle weight more important than the GVW when it comes to towing?

 

[RockyAEV]

Thanks every one. I guess the first thing I need to do is try to trim the fully loaded GVW. But, is the axle weight more important than the GVW when it comes to towing?

So first and foremost the axle rating numbers are the maximum each axle should carry. The more weight you add to the vehicle (tool boxes, after market bumpers, oversized tires) it all changes what you can carry and tow, this is because you are taking away what the axle scan carry (more weight on means you can carry less). In most cases one component will be the limiting factor.

In most cases a vehicle can physically carry, tow, haul, pull much more that the stupid engineers say.......haha but in doing so you are putting more stress on parts and they will wear out faster. And if you do not stay on top of maintenance you will deal with big issues sooner rather than later.

Lastly it’s a math problem....you have to do what you are doing....get numbers (actual numbers) then either calculate them yourself or use one that is already out there.....and you will see where you can add weight (my worksheet will automatically change to red when you are over) play with the numbers on paper then go from there.


2018 Ram 2500 Tradesman
6.7L, G56

 

[pacofortacos]

Not to a lawyer if something would happen, even if you aren't at fault. Many people don't worry about this, but you don't control what happens around you.

All weight maximums are important, the axle weight is important since it is possible to be over the axle weight on one axle and still under the GVWR.

In your original post, you state you are over 7000#, you make it sound as if this is without a trailer.
Is that the case?
If so, there is no way you will be able to tow really anything, you are already over GVWR and close enough to the GAWR that practically any tongue weight will throw you over that. A well adjusted WDH might be able to get you just under GAWR.

To be honest, you are in 2500 territory to be safe and have an enjoyable trip if towing any distance at all.
If you get caught the fines can be substantial also.

Only you can decide how much you want to gamble.

 

[dhay13]

And likely less about the fines and more about potential lawsuits. Being a personal vehicle it isn't likely anyone will be stopping you and checking your weights but if something bad should happen and there is an accident and the investigation finds that you were overweight then you might have a bigger problem. I'm not saying the truck can't do it or that you shouldn't do it but just mentioning the possibility.

My current boat weighs about 8500lbs with trailer. My last truck was a 2013 1500 Express 5.7 with 3.55s. Tow rating was about 8600lbs. I towed it a couple of hours away to get new canvas made and on the way back stopped at a rest stop. Towing a 32' long trailer I pulled into the truck side. And the state police were there with their scales. When I came out of the bathroom I was checking the trailer and the trooper asked if anything was wrong. Told him no just checking everything. He mentioned about the big boat and I said yeah I need to get a bigger truck. He said well the load doesn't look that heavy. I told him I was pushing the limits of this truck. He commented that the trailer handled it well...lol. Probably not the smartest conversation to have but I came from law enforcement so felt confident he wouldn't bother me over it.

BTW-that truck towed perfectly. No issues at all but I wanted to be legal just to cover my butt. Never know if someday I decide to tow this boat hundreds of miles away. Rather be safe than sorry.

 

[Tahoebronco]

If you are overweight and are involved in an accident - even if you technically weren't "at fault", you can be found to partially at fault because you shouldn't be driving overloaded. If your involved in an accident where someone gets hurt, a good lawyer will find a way to bankrupt you.

Fiberglass shells do weigh a lot, plus the added weight of the sliding tool tray just takes away from your total gross vehicle weight. If you are going to get a travel trailer, and still like the benefits of your shell and sliding tool, you should do as other have recommended - upgrade to a 2500 or 3500. Those rigs have bigger and stronger brakes and the suspension to safely handle the weight.

 

[BoCO]

Update:
I generously estimated the following weights:
topper 250#
running boards 100#
drawer system 250#
2 retrievers and their crates 200#
various equipment, etc. 300# (removed all this and went back to the scale to calculate this weight)
Everything else is stock

This all adds up to 1100#. With a base weight of 5452, this adds up to 6552#. I had a full tank of fuel @ 200# and myself at @ 200# and maybe 5# of mud in the wheel wells. That puts me at 6950. I can't figure out where the extra 200 lbs came from.

Passenger weight and fuel weight is calculated into the GVWR, correct? With that said, I calculate 1100# payload and my truck is rated for 1450. So I should be under, but I'm not. What am I missing? The scales don't lie.

I have a 2017 Laramie CC with tow package, 5.7 Hemi, 8 speed, 3.92 gears. I have a cap on the back with a sliding drawer setup in the bed. Specs say the GVWR is 6900, front and rear GAWR is 3900 each, max towing is 9870, and GCWR is 15,850. Fully loaded (which is normal) the CAT showed me at gross weight of 7060, steer axle was 3540 and the drive axle was 3520.

Looking at buying a TT in the 26' to 28' range. Most seem to have a gross dry weight around 6500 and dry hitch weight around 600. Can I actually tow this size TT given that I'm slightly over GVWR for my RAM and the axle weights are close to the GAWR?

 

[392DevilDog]

Full fluids is included in the payload estimate. So your extra 200 is your calculation for fuel, or adding yourself in at 200. Payload doesn't account for driver, only the tow rating gives a weight for that...300 for driver and passenger

 

[BoCO]

I see what you are saying. So my payload is the 1100# I estimated plus my weight, making it 1300#.

I'm still confused by my overall weight. When I added everything together, I included my weight and fuel weight, along with everything else on the truck to come up with 6950. Yet the scale weight was 7060. Sorry, I used 200# as the difference because I had rounded up so much on all my weight estimates. So I don't understand that 200# difference.

 

[392DevilDog]

GVWR 6900 GCWR 15850 GAWR 3900.

Weight 7060 Front 3540 Rear 3520.

So you are over GVWR but under GAWR and this is before a trailer.

You say you weighed your truck at 5452 and you weigh 200.

Your weight was 7060 but your guesstimate is 6950(that is 90 pounds)

So, I am still not sure what your 200 pounds is you say you are missing.

6900 minus 5252 is 1648 payload, which is phenomenal for a half ton.

What does your yellow payload sticker on the driver's door jamb say?

You can tow a respectable trailer, you just can not haul while towing.

This is my philosophy on towing and why I have a 2500. I haul while I tow and haul more than I tow.

A 1500 can tow, but it can not haul and tow.

Check over the numbers I have here from your posts, get the payload from the tire and loading sticker and then we can talk more numbers.

I come up with you are 90 lbs off not 200.

When it says max tow. That is your 5252 plus 370 minus 15850. You will never travel that low ever.

Max payload and max tow are 2 very different things and are mutually exclusive.

Anxious to hear your payload @BoCO

 

[Jimmy07]

Update:
I generously estimated the following weights:
topper 250#
running boards 100#
drawer system 250#
2 retrievers and their crates 200#
various equipment, etc. 300# (removed all this and went back to the scale to calculate this weight)
Everything else is stock

This all adds up to 1100#. With a base weight of 5452, this adds up to 6552#. I had a full tank of fuel @ 200# and myself at @ 200# and maybe 5# of mud in the wheel wells. That puts me at 6950. I can't figure out where the extra 200 lbs came from.

Passenger weight and fuel weight is calculated into the GVWR, correct? With that said, I calculate 1100# payload and my truck is rated for 1450. So I should be under, but I'm not. What am I missing? The scales don't lie.

Here’s the problem, you’re focusing on the wrong numbers- payload and GVWR. Forget about those numbers. They mean nothing as far as the truck’s capabilities and “being legal”. Just worry about your axle and tire ratings. You already weighed your truck and know the front and rear axle weight, and what’s left. No sense in figuring out what each item weighs that got you there. You know that once you adjust your weight distribution hitch, not ALL of the TT tongue weight is going on the rear axle. A lot of it gets transferred to the front axle. Sure, you might be getting close to needing bags, but you’ll be just fine towing something like you’re looking at.