Help with possible trailer purchase. Can I haul it? Wife wants to buy ASAP

[nlambert182]

I'm not attempting to take it to the extreme, so if it sounds that way I've done a poor job explaining it.

Truck tow ratings are extremely misleading most of the time when it comes to RV towing. 9.9 times out of 10, you will never get to the tow rating of the truck before you've exceeded both payload and axle ratings because of the way that the mass is distributed in the trailer. They work fine for flatbeds.

RVs are a totally different animal, and I think a lot of the time this is where folks get sideways. With an RV, you're much better suited to go by payload and axle ratings and ignore tow ratings. Tongue weights are almost always heavier.

A 10,000 lb trailer with a 10% tongue weight is only 1,000 lbs on the hitch and against payload (if you can shift the weight back to lighten the tongue).
A 10,000 lb RV with a 15-18% tongue weight is 1,500-1,800 lbs on the hitch and against payload... and the weight can't really be shifted to compensate.

Since a lot of 1500 Rams have a low payload in the 1,100-1,400 lb range you're golden with a flatbed, and likely over by a decent amount with an RV.


I do agree that in the grand scheme of things... going over on payload by 200-300 lbs isn't likely going to hurt a thing as long as you stay below the rear axle rating. It's going to push the truck close to its limits though, and for an inexperienced traveler it will likely be an uncomfortable experience. My only real point to all of this is just to make it as simple as possible for a new RV'er.

 

[rzr6-4]

That strikes me as low but all I really have to go off of is when I was majoring in engineering... teacher usually put 50% factors on things like elevators, etc. where people's safety was involved. I never graduated and have no other experience so take me with a grain of salt.

Anything structural is likely 2X safety factor at least. Low risk items maybe 1.5 but not usually. I've seen 4-5x on some projects.

 

[mtofell]

Anything structural is likely 2X safety factor at least. Low risk items maybe 1.5 but not usually. I've seen 4-5x on some projects.

I knew a guy years ago that had a job in materials testing... basically, finding out when something will break. Talk about a fun job!! All you do is break stuff

 

[Jas34]

Now that we've beat to death the weight issues and engineering safety factors with regards to them, maybe it's time to do the same with the weight distribution hitch setup and the SAE standards for that .

Here's an interesting read on the subject. FWIW, back when I had an E2 Fastway hitch, I set it up using the instructions that came with it. These were exactly the SAE method in the article in the link below. I was never completely happy with that hitch and since switched to an EAZ Lift hitch set up the same way the author of that article mentioned and it works great. Maybe it wasn't the hitch after all... Lots of other interesting reads in the "hitch hints" section of that RV Lifestyle link below.

Setting Your Torsion Bars - RV Lifestyle Magazine

Mysteries of the SAE J2807 Tow Rating Standard By Andy Thomson For RV owners, one of the most important factors in safe and enjoyable towing is the proper adjustment of the torsion bars that distribute the weight between the trailer and the tow vehicle. When properly set-up, the torsion bars…

www.rvlifemag.com