How to find my towing capacity/

[hikernbackpacker]

In the Fall of 2019 I bought a used 2018 Ram 1500 Crew Cab 5.7L V8 Hemi 4wd truck with the 5'6" bed on it. I did get it from the dealership and it was slightly used, had roughly 3,000 miles on it. It does not have a tow hitch installed nor does it have the electronic trailer brake controller installed. It does have the Tow/Haul button on it.

Using the info from the stickers on the inside of the drivers door, I find the GVWR is 6,900 pounds and the combined weight of occupants and cargo is 1,396 pounds. The stock tires, which I also run on it, are the P275/60R20. I am not sure of the 'trim' level of the truck, it doesn't have a tag on it like the Big Horn tags I've seen.

Before I attempt to haul anything very heavy or get a hitch installed and try to tow something, I need to find out what the towing capacity is of my truck. I just don't know where to look to find that. Anyone have any idea where I can look to find that?

Thanks in advance.

 

[jvbuttex]

your yellow door sticker should give you all the weights on there for per axle and GVRW - basically combined weight. I dont have the link anymore, if you search this site / towing hauling, there are many threads on tow weights. In some posts there are links to the Ram site for what you can tow. you type in your vin and it tells you all about it.

 

[hikernbackpacker]

your yellow door sticker should give you all the weights on there for per axle and GVRW - basically combined weight. I dont have the link anymore, if you search this site / towing hauling, there are many threads on tow weights. In some posts there are links to the Ram site for what you can tow. you type in your vin and it tells you all about it.

Thanks for the reply and the info. From the searching I've done so far it does look like the Ram website that used to provide info by VIN number doesn't exist any longer. At least any links that I'm finding that used to point to it take me to the general Ram site and after much surfing around on it no vin input to be found on any of the page.

I did manage to dig up the original window sticker as I still have that from when I bought the truck. So I did find that it is the Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab 4x4 trim level. Seems back in 2018 that the Express trim was very much like the Tradesman trim.

I will keep looking to see what else I can find.

 

[mtofell]

The 1396# payload is usually the most important number as you run out of that pretty early on. That is how much you can put in (people, stuff in the bed) and on (trailer tongue weight) the truck. Since that # was derived as the truck was being driven off the factory line you might want to hit a scale to see what it really is. Every floor mat, aftermarket mod and piece of dirt stuck in the tire tread subtracts from that.

A quick example of what you could tow: Take a 5,000# trailer of some type. Typically, 10-15% of that weight goes on the truck (so takes away from your payload). So, you're now down to 800ish# of people and gear you can put in the truck.

The other towing number is what the truck can pull (this is often just called "max towing". IIRC, most 1500s are 7-10K depending on engine and rear gears. So, if your truck was rated at 10,000# it could only pull that with very little else in the truck since as much as 1500# of that 10K would go on the truck as payload.

Great job coming here to learn BEFORE buying something. #1 rule is don't listen to RV salesmen. As far as they're concerned any truck can tow anything. They just never finish the sentence with, "off the lot."

 

[GTyankee]

if you have 2 wheel drive ---->

5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT ENGINE 8-SPD AUTO 8HP70 TRANS(BUY)SRW 3.21 = 8160 tow capacity

5.7L V8 HEMI MDS VVT ENGINE 8-SPD AUTO 8HP70 TRANS(BUY)SRW 3.92
= 10,340 tow capacity

To find out what your differential ratio is
enter your VIN, using CAPITAL LETTERS

scan the list for the differential ratio, it will be either , 3.21 or 3.92

 

[jimboblayton]

Enter my VIN where?

 

[crash68]

Enter my VIN where?

To look up a vehicle build sheet:

FCA RAM

fcagroup.my.site.com

(use all capital letters)
It gives you a PDF of how the vehicle was built at the factory

 

[crash68]

#1 rule is don't listen to RV salesmen. As far as they're concerned any truck can tow anything. They just never finish the sentence with, "off the lot."

Same applies if they tell you the WDH will be set up for you. There's no way to adjust the WDH unless the truck and trailer are fully loaded for camping. You would be surprised how just moving the weight around in the truck/trailer can change how pulls behind the truck, can be the difference between one hand driving and having to white-knuckle.

 

[pacofortacos]

Thanks for the reply and the info. From the searching I've done so far it does look like the Ram website that used to provide info by VIN number doesn't exist any longer. At least any links that I'm finding that used to point to it take me to the general Ram site and after much surfing around on it no vin input to be found on any of the page.

I did manage to dig up the original window sticker as I still have that from when I bought the truck. So I did find that it is the Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab 4x4 trim level. Seems back in 2018 that the Express trim was very much like the Tradesman trim.

I will keep looking to see what else I can find.

Does the window sticker list the optional 3.92 gear for an additional charge? If not the default is the 3.21 gear set and a max tow of approx. #8000 lb. - which in all honesty you don't want to go over 7k lbs. if towing any long distance.

 

[Sherman Bird]

#1 rule is don't listen to RV salesmen. As far as they're concerned any truck can tow anything. They just never finish the sentence with, "off the lot."

Quite true, and sardonic, unfortunately! I've been lucky enough to find good used owner's manuals on Ebay.... usually in good shape, for 20 dollars up. That might be a good possibility! Cheers!!

 

[Dean2]

Same applies if they tell you the WDH will be set up for you. There's no way to adjust the WDH unless the truck and trailer are fully loaded for camping. You would be surprised how just moving the weight around in the truck/trailer can change how pulls behind the truck, can be the difference between one hand driving and having to white-knuckle.

So true. I drove from Edmonton to Ponoka yeasterday in a stiff cross wind. It was blowing 40 mph with gusts to 60. BEing the Canada Day long weekend there were a LOT of trailers on the road. It was VERY interesting to see the breadth and depth of the number of poorly setup 5th wheel and bumper pull holiday trailers there were on the roads. A few were well setup and very stable even with the wind, maybe 20%. Another 20% were off in their setup but not too bad.

The remaining 60% were all over the road. As much as those trailers were swinging around, anyone with a brain would have pulled over and either fixed the setup or waited till the wind went down at night. I saw everything from severely overloaded 1/2 tons, to poorly setup up WDH, to trailers that obviously had WAY to much weight behind the axles and others with so much pin weight even one tons were squatting hard in the rear.

There really needs to be a whole bunch more enforcement because we saw two pickups and trailers that left the road from the effect of wind on them.

 

[hikernbackpacker]

Thanks again everyone for the additional informative posts. I am certainly not at the point of purchasing any RV or other trailer yet, just finding out what the range is that the truck can safely and reasonably handle and in the process both learning and understanding how to arrive at what those limits are.

I did learn from my window sticker that it has the 3.21 Rear Axel Ration. Additionally, from some further searching around I found this document which on its page 17 (page 13 of the actual PDF) that for my particular vehicle the max towing weight would be 7,990 pounds. So the previous approximation of 8,000 pounds was pretty much spot on.

I also used the link provided earlier in the messages to track down the equipment list that the truck left the factory with. That proved very insightful as it doesn't appear that any of the equipment was taken off before I bought it as well as nothing additional was added. I feel pretty certain the reason that the door label states my max payload if 1,396 pounds rather than the standard 1,500 pounds is due to the side step rails that were part of the factory order for the truck. I'm glad to have them on there being of rather short stature and realize that they take away from the overall total but their benefit far exceeds their cost in weight.

I now feel certain that anything that I do want in terms of an RV trailer the truck will handle. I am a single person looking for something that can be a 'base camp return to civilization' after spending several nights backpacking in whatever park I opt to wish to hike and backpack in. After spending a few days and nights in the woods with all of your belongings in a backpack that weighs at best 30 pounds, it doesn't take much to 'upgrade' to the comforts of civilization. Not looking for anything that has vast quantities of storage or 'toy hauling' capabilities, those are fine in and of themselves but not for what I am looking for. At least now I can do some research with the confidence of knowing that I should find something within the bounds of what the truck can handle.

 

[mtofell]

1,396 pounds rather than the standard 1,500

Fwiw, there's really no "standard" anymore. Trucks roll off the line with payload weights all over the map. I've seen "half-tons" with 2000#+ and as low as 1000#.

A lot of people get hung up on brochure weights or things they find online but the only thing that really matters is what's on the door sticker of an individual truck (or more accurately, what the scaled weight is). Again, GREAT job figuring that out and coming here for help. If you spend any time here at all you'll see the almost weekly post of the poor guy that bought a 9,000# (dry) trailer because the TV ad said his truck could tow 10,000#. I had a buddy do almost exactly that. He bought an 8,000# TT and his half-ton truck had a payload of 1069#. He arrived camping complaining of a dummy light on his dash that was an arrow pointing at the bed (Ram truck alarm for being overloaded). He now drives and F350.... expensive lesson.

 

[tron67j]

The 1396# payload is usually the most important number as you run out of that pretty early on. That is how much you can put in (people, stuff in the bed) and on (trailer tongue weight) the truck. Since that # was derived as the truck was being driven off the factory line you might want to hit a scale to see what it really is. Every floor mat, aftermarket mod and piece of dirt stuck in the tire tread subtracts from that.

A quick example of what you could tow: Take a 5,000# trailer of some type. Typically, 10-15% of that weight goes on the truck (so takes away from your payload). So, you're now down to 800ish# of people and gear you can put in the truck.

The other towing number is what the truck can pull (this is often just called "max towing". IIRC, most 1500s are 7-10K depending on engine and rear gears. So, if your truck was rated at 10,000# it could only pull that with very little else in the truck since as much as 1500# of that 10K would go on the truck as payload.

Great job coming here to learn BEFORE buying something. #1 rule is don't listen to RV salesmen. As far as they're concerned any truck can tow anything. They just never finish the sentence with, "off the lot."

All this exactly. Adding a hitch receiver, the hitch plus WDH setup will subtract about 150 pounds from your PC, or 1400 (rounded) - 150 = 1,250 PC for occupants, gear in truck, any aftermarket accessories that might have been added to truck. When buying trailer, don't rely on dry weight to do math for tongue weight. Generally 2 propane tanks and battery will put about 150 pounds alone right on the hitch, so now down from 1,250 to 1,100.

A 6,000 pound trailer (total loaded and verifying hitch and axle weights at scale) will put about 900 pounds (including that propane/battery weight) on hitch, so PC will be 1,200 - 900 = 300 pounds payload capacity remaining for people and gear in truck. You can see how you will definitely hit your limit for trailer weight much sooner based on your PC rather than the max trailer rating for the truck. Generally you want to travel dry, no water or grey/black water in tanks. Good luck.

 

[hikernbackpacker]

Fwiw, there's really no "standard" anymore. Trucks roll off the line with payload weights all over the map. I've seen "half-tons" with 2000#+ and as low as 1000#.

A lot of people get hung up on brochure weights or things they find online but the only thing that really matters is what's on the door sticker of an individual truck (or more accurately, what the scaled weight is). Again, GREAT job figuring that out and coming here for help. If you spend any time here at all you'll see the almost weekly post of the poor guy that bought a 9,000# (dry) trailer because the TV ad said his truck could tow 10,000#. I had a buddy do almost exactly that. He bought an 8,000# TT and his half-ton truck had a payload of 1069#. He arrived camping complaining of a dummy light on his dash that was an arrow pointing at the bed (Ram truck alarm for being overloaded). He now drives and F350.... expensive lesson.

I am quickly learning that there is no "standard" anymore. Blows my mind and gives me a headache when I start trying to comprehend the large number of trim levels and what they include and what other options can be added on that in turn reduce payload capacity.

Ouch on the person who bought the trailer at near the trucks towing capacity and then had to upgrade the truck. Perhaps its my background in backpacking, or maybe from my childhood days growing up on a working family farm, but I learned early on and continue to practice never pushing the limits of whatever tool you are trying to use.

I do appreciate the advice and information, certainly has helped me learn a lot in a short amount of time.

 

[hikernbackpacker]

All this exactly. Adding a hitch receiver, the hitch plus WDH setup will subtract about 150 pounds from your PC, or 1400 (rounded) - 150 = 1,250 PC for occupants, gear in truck, any aftermarket accessories that might have been added to truck. When buying trailer, don't rely on dry weight to do math for tongue weight. Generally 2 propane tanks and battery will put about 150 pounds alone right on the hitch, so now down from 1,250 to 1,100.

A 6,000 pound trailer (total loaded and verifying hitch and axle weights at scale) will put about 900 pounds (including that propane/battery weight) on hitch, so PC will be 1,200 - 900 = 300 pounds payload capacity remaining for people and gear in truck. You can see how you will definitely hit your limit for trailer weight much sooner based on your PC rather than the max trailer rating for the truck. Generally you want to travel dry, no water or grey/black water in tanks. Good luck.

Appreciate the advice as yes I had pretty much thought along the lines of traveling dry. My original thoughts of doing so were more along the lines of the habit I have developed over the years in my hiking and backpacking travels where I try to support the local communities various businesses. This involves stopping in at supply shops to pick up food for my backpacking trips to dining at local places to eat if doing just day hiking. Figured I'd do something like that when I do branch out into using a trailer as a base camp, waiting until I get to my destination to pick up groceries and such. After all, with the trailer being like a base camp at a camp ground I'd be gone several days backpacking before returning for a brief respite in civilization before venturing back out on the trail again. At least that is the thought at this time as I am just in the early stages of exploring and learning about all of this.

 

[09SilverRam]

Appreciate the advice as yes I had pretty much thought along the lines of traveling dry. My original thoughts of doing so were more along the lines of the habit I have developed over the years in my hiking and backpacking travels where I try to support the local communities various businesses. This involves stopping in at supply shops to pick up food for my backpacking trips to dining at local places to eat if doing just day hiking. Figured I'd do something like that when I do branch out into using a trailer as a base camp, waiting until I get to my destination to pick up groceries and such. After all, with the trailer being like a base camp at a camp ground I'd be gone several days backpacking before returning for a brief respite in civilization before venturing back out on the trail again. At least that is the thought at this time as I am just in the early stages of exploring and learning about all of this.

 

[2003F350]

Fwiw, there's really no "standard" anymore. Trucks roll off the line with payload weights all over the map. I've seen "half-tons" with 2000#+ and as low as 1000#.

A lot of people get hung up on brochure weights or things they find online but the only thing that really matters is what's on the door sticker of an individual truck (or more accurately, what the scaled weight is). Again, GREAT job figuring that out and coming here for help. If you spend any time here at all you'll see the almost weekly post of the poor guy that bought a 9,000# (dry) trailer because the TV ad said his truck could tow 10,000#. I had a buddy do almost exactly that. He bought an 8,000# TT and his half-ton truck had a payload of 1069#. He arrived camping complaining of a dummy light on his dash that was an arrow pointing at the bed (Ram truck alarm for being overloaded). He now drives and F350.... expensive lesson.

Indeed - and that's why I prefer to keep myself 'over-trucked.' I don't think I've driven a half-ton that wasn't a loaner or my wife's truck in...a long time. I have ALWAYS had something that was at LEAST of the 3/4 ton variety, and skimped on trailer weights wherever possible. I'm not a fan of air bags, so I do everything I can to keep my base trailer weight manageable.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

Just my thinking and opinion and is probably controversial.
The gross weight limit is a number to pay attention to. It is important.
However, max trailer tow is another matter. I believe it is based on being able to pull the trailer at the speed limit, with enough power left over to pass other vehicles using the trailer tow feature. Also, there has to be a margin built in to account for altitude. If a person is willing to slow down, allow ample room for any passing of other vehicle and keep the transmission shifted down a gear or two then a half ton even with the 3.21(think I got the number correct) and the 5.7 can easily tow 10,000 lbs. Stay off Interstate roads crowded enough that everyone needs to drive close to the speed limit or above. When the deciding factor is the rear axle ratio, the truck is built to handle the highest-rated tow weight. Just shift down one gear.
I don't know what would happen in case of a lawsuit involving a truck towing over its weight limit. However, farmers and ranchers probably tow twice or three times the tow limit sometimes. I've seen 1/2 tons towing 6-8 round hay bales. 1500-2500 lbs. each +the tailer.

 

[09SilverRam]

Just my thinking and opinion and is probably controversial.
The gross weight limit is a number to pay attention to. It is important.
However, max trailer tow is another matter. I believe it is based on being able to pull the trailer at the speed limit, with enough power left over to pass other vehicles using the trailer tow feature. Also, there has to be a margin built in to account for altitude. If a person is willing to slow down, allow ample room for any passing of other vehicle and keep the transmission shifted down a gear or two then a half ton even with the 3.21(think I got the number correct) and the 5.7 can easily tow 10,000 lbs. Stay off Interstate roads crowded enough that everyone needs to drive close to the speed limit or above. When the deciding factor is the rear axle ratio, the truck is built to handle the highest-rated tow weight. Just shift down one gear.
I don't know what would happen in case of a lawsuit involving a truck towing over its weight limit. However, farmers and ranchers probably tow twice or three times the tow limit sometimes. I've seen 1/2 tons towing 6-8 round hay bales. 1500-2500 lbs. each +the tailer.

We own what’s left of the family farm. Lease wasn’t making enough to pay taxes so we sold a lot, have 80 acres of pasture, house, horse barn and equipment barn and way more equipment than we should. My dad does a little horse boarding and AQA shows to keep busy.

My dad asked me if I could put a gooseneck ball in his Tacoma bed. I told him it didn’t matter, the Tacoma couldn’t pull any of our gooseneck trailers and he goes “it pulls the little hay trailer fine”. The little hay trailer is a bulldog hitch with two 6k pound axles and holds 4 - 5 rounds, turns out he has been dragging it around in 4lo because he doesn’t want to get the F350 dirty.