Good example of why I prefer more truck than a half ton

[VernDiesel]

While an HD is heavier with stiffer suspension etc and can handle more weight safely, we have no idea what caused this wreck. To suggest it was “because” he was towing with a 1/2 ton SUV is ridiculous.

2500/3500s also have flopped over TT wrecks. Blow outs, poor set up, driver error. We don’t know what caused this wreck.

If anything I wish there was more emphasis & discussion of proper set up. Especially when working with a half ton and having to tow at near max rating. You know WDH & loading adjustments to replace factory steer weight & proper tongue weight percentages via CAT scale results. So that you know you have a stable safe & within specs tow.

 

[Walter Mc]

Well, it has a brush bar, that makes it a beast.....right?

 

[CaptOchs]

I tow with a half ton and my camper is 7000# dry. It tows just fine. Without facts we can only speculate.

• Maybe his WD setup wasn't up to par. Some of these kits are better than others. My dealer refused to transfer my old WD kit because they couldn't confirm the what the bars were rated for. I could imagine some dealers would just toss them on.
• Maybe he had a decent WD kit but it wasn't dialed in right. I had to take mine back to the dealer for them to re-adjust once. Mine is really solid now. Passing tractor trailers don't quite scare me as much anymore.
• Maybe he was going too fast. I typically drive between 60-70. If I go over 70 it doesn't handle nearly as well. If I encounter a lot of wind, I drive closer to 55-60. It's OK to be under the speed limit.
• That's a pretty old Expedition. Maybe there was a mechanical problem. Still the original shocks? Looks to be around an early 2000 Expedition. I had a 2003 Expedition. While it did tow my camper, it did not tow it well. The camper was too heavy and I knew the truck wouldn't last long towing that camper. That's how I ended up with my RAM.

I wouldn't necessarily resort to saying a half ton was his problem. It could have been any one of these items.

 

[sandawilliams]

While an HD is heavier with stiffer suspension etc and can handle more weight safely, we have no idea what caused this wreck. To suggest it was “because” he was towing with a 1/2 ton SUV is ridiculous.

2500/3500s also have flopped over TT wrecks. Blow outs, poor set up, driver error. We don’t know what caused this wreck.

If anything I wish there was more emphasis & discussion of proper set up. Especially when working with a half ton and having to tow at near max rating. You know WDH & loading adjustments to replace factory steer weight & proper tongue weight percentages via CAT scale results. So that you know you have a stable safe & within specs tow.

We can speculate but there is no doubt he had way too much trailer for his tow rig. A high crosswind would make a believer out of you with that light vehicle regardless of setup.

 

[Ram Wagon]

Just because you can doesn't mean you should, how many of us see people out there going 75 - 80mph towing horse/travel/toy haulers ect. It scares the crap out of me when i see these guys out there. I think the speed is probably more of a factor than anything else. I've been guilty of it before and maybe that's where with age comes a little more wisdom. just my $0.02

 

[NH RAM]

It looks like a wdh setup is on there, so it may have just been too much tongue weight for the Expedition. I have seen a lot of people lately with heavily sagging rear ends and campers; many are suv's because the tongue weight, cargo, and family are overloading it. I passed a gas station and saw a smaller trailer, maybe a 24' being towed by a Tundra this weekend with no wdh and the front tires looked like they had very little weight on them. I went to check in to my site and about 10 minutes later the same guy is parked outside of the office looking for a site at the same campground with his dog and his girl in the truck. I don't understand how one looks at something like that and thinks it'll be fine, then puts their loved ones inside and gets on the road. I've seen the same with HD pickups, so this is not exclusive to half-tons and suv's, but it's far more prevalent as people are getting into the camping lifestyle and learning.
There should seriously be a requirement from camper sales companies to verify that a camper can be safely towed within the limits of the tow vehicle before it is delivered. This won't help with private sales, but educating owners and keeping them safe should be a priority, heck, it's an opportunity to upsell a wdh/ sway control hitch, or if a truck is lifted / leveled, add airbags to keep it level and keep braking and steering optimal.

I know from experience, if the wdh/sway control is not dialed in, the trailer wants to sway. Driving through Franconia Notch in NH has a lot of cross winds and on one occasion I had to slow waaay down as the wind was whipping my travel trailer around- had I been going faster initially, I don't know that I would have been able to recover. This weekend was a bit windy in New England so I was very happy to have the 5w rather than the TT- no sway, smooth and steady.

 

[wgreggking]

just for kicks

 

[John KIOhio]

Much rather have too much than too little!!!!

 

[2003F350]

This past Sunday I was at my property. Headed home, I was passed by several RVs - I was running 75 mph.

They all made me nervous, because that's just too fast to pull a trailer that size, especially in the winds we had (15-20 mph cross winds).

The scariest was the one who almost wiped me out because she had a 35' TT behind a half ton Ram running 80 mph. She couldn't even keep it in her lane, but just kept trucking on along. I hope she doesn't hurt someone when she wipes out.

People do this **** all the time. If I recall, even for private use, once you pass 10k GCVWR, you're supposed to run the truck speed limit. But it's been a while since I looked into that. Even so, it's a good idea to run it.

 

[LoneStarSilver]

Yesterday (Labor Day) took the wife for a 3 hour drive through the beautiful Texas Hill Country. The backroads are narrow, with step grades and multiple winding curves with step cliffs bordering some. I was keeping my Ram at no faster than 55 and had a guy, with his family in a rig almost identical to the top picture of wgreggking's post come by me at about 75. Both trailers were whipping side to side opposite each other, sometime in the other lane. I found a spot and stopped for 15 minutes to let him gain some distance away from us then continued our beautiful drive. I drove 18 wheelers for over 20 years and have pulled various trailers with my 1/2 ton.....but the difference is I know what it and I can do and NEVER exceed what is safe.

An easy way to help deter this somewhat is if Texas would institute a trailer safety course similar to the boat safety course required by all operators. At least the vehicle operators would have some sort of training instead of a trial by fire type of situation.

 

[HM_SanDiego]

Duplicate....

 

[HM_SanDiego]

Glad to hear nobody was seriously injured.....

It sure “looks” like that is too much trailer, either weight wise or sheer size & length....but on paper, weight is all that matters....

insult to injury in this case, and any similar case = if the investigation determines that the trailer was above & beyond the legal towing capacity of the suv, their insurance won’t pay a dime......let that sink in a little bit......

Unfortunately many new to towing, or those who only concern themselves with “can the vehicle haul the load?”, don’t do research and they don’t learn the towing do’s and don'ts....The first 2 rules that people “should” consider when towing anything = can the tow vehicle maintain control of the trailer at all times, and most importantly, can the tow vehicle “stop” the entire rig safely, under emergency circumstances......

There are length and weight limitations for a reason.

 

[BadHemi2014]

This guy also thought his 1/2 was capable of the job.

View attachment 220923

My gawd that's scary.

Our slide in camper wet, plus us and gear is at least 4000lb, but we have a dually.
There's no such thing as too much truck.

 

[Sturoc]

Soo since we are on the subject: I have an 05 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi Auto w/ Big Horn options and tow package. I changed the front brakes rotors out for top o line NAPA. Rear disc are fine. Trans cooler , and what looks like a P/S cooler as well - which I didnt even know it needs one and have never seen before .

All that said, what can i realistically tow ? and what would be the optimum hitch brake set up ?

 

[Jim Bowker]

You guys can sure read a lot more into a photo than I can.
I knew a guy who managed to do the same thing with a brand new 3/4 ton truck and a similar trailer. However, he didn't know the first thing about towing. He also decided to pack the rear of the trailer with a bunch of heavy stuff, and had hardly any tongue weight at all. He proceeded to have his very first trip (zero experience) with this new truck and trailer be on a long distance vacation, travelling at the same speed (~80 mph) he'd do with his car. A semi passed the other way and his trailer started swaying, so he immediately hit the brakes. This obviously didn't end well at all, but luckily him and his family were fine.

That accident would have happened regardless of the tow vehicle.

 

[Jim Bowker]

My gawd that's scary.

Our slide in camper wet, plus us and gear is at least 4000lb, but we have a dually.
There's no such thing as too much truck.

So the guy who never tows more than a single jetski should get a 3/4 ton, and then be stuck with a rather harsh ride and 12 mpg for his daily long distance commute to work?

I realize I picked an extreme example, but I think it's best to have the vehicle that's right for whatever you do most of the time, rather than the right truck for something you do once during the lifetime of the truck.

 

[tron67j]

Soo since we are on the subject: I have an 05 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi Auto w/ Big Horn options and tow package. I changed the front brakes rotors out for top o line NAPA. Rear disc are fine. Trans cooler , and what looks like a P/S cooler as well - which I didnt even know it needs one and have never seen before .

All that said, what can i realistically tow ? and what would be the optimum hitch brake set up ?

Good upgrades to lessen the strain on the truck. Assuming 3.92 gears and quad cab, about 8,500 pounds is the maximum trailer for your truck before you do math of tongue weight and payload. With 15% tongue weight that is about 1,260lbs tongue weight which is about your maximum payload. So to be safe towing with the truck figure about 600 lbs with people, incidentals and fuel in truck so that leaves maximum of 600 lbs tongue weight. At 15% that is 4,000lbs of trailer up to 6,000 lbs at 10% tongue weight. Good luck.

And as above posted, moving more weight over/behind trailer wheels is a disaster looking for the place to happen.

 

[kurek]

just for kicks

 

[ramffml]

So the guy who never tows more than a single jetski should get a 3/4 ton, and then be stuck with a rather harsh ride and 12 mpg for his daily long distance commute to work?

I realize I picked an extreme example, but I think it's best to have the vehicle that's right for whatever you do most of the time, rather than the right truck for something you do once during the lifetime of the truck.

Absolute incorrect. You don't buy toys and then get to complain that your ride is too harsh to pull them. Good lord. If you pull a trailer once every five years, and you need a 1 ton to pull it, then you pull it with a 1 ton or stay off the road.

Your attitude is infuriating. I don't really care if you wreck your own toys, but you people are like alcoholics in that that you take out innocent people with you.

 

[turkeybird56]

All I gotta say is: Nothing worse than the Tail wagging the Dog. W/O more info, not gonna speculate.