Is it safe to tow this camper

[pspc271]

So I have a bone stone 2012 1500 crew cab sport with the 3.92 rear and 20 inch rims. Im thinking about buying a 34 foot camper that has a 5700 lb dry weight and a 630lb dry hitch weight. Realistically we would probably add another 800lbs worth of gear, food, and supplies to the camper plus about 600 lbs for the weight of the 4 occupants.

With that said, is my truck capable of towing this and is it safe? If not, is there anything I can do to the truck make it safely capable of pulling this load?

 

[TRCM]

Yes...I tow a 6000 lb camper several times a year....no issues

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Yeah it'll do it fine. 34' is pretty long but as long as you keep that in mind, should be smooth sailing. Do yourself a favour and invest in a good weight distribution hitch with integrated sway control- just a suggestion. Something like the Reese Straight Line Dual Cam or the Blue Ox SwayPro. Your nerves will thank you. It will make managing that length far easier.

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[S2kiHemi]

A 2012 1500 Crew cab with the 3.92 gears is rated to tow 10,000-10,150 lbs depending on 2wd or 4x4. You should be fine.

 

[audio1der]

You may rn out of payload, but will have TONS of power to pull that weight.
\Honestly, that's a LOT of sidewall area for a half ton. Big Rigs passing and wind can make for some white knuckles unless you have a VERY good WD system properly dialed in. Our trucks almost have too much power for their "bones"; they could use more frame when in front of something that length.
Our setup;32' (35.5' bumper to ball) 6300lbs dry, 7K loaded to go, 710lbs tongue

If we could go back in time I'd keep it to a 27', MAYBE a 29'.

 

[14hemiexpress]

You should be fine as stated above invest In a good WD hitch with sway control. With that much of a "sail" you will have to be careful around semi's and high winds stroms. The actual pulling won't be a issue at all but it's going to move around on you a lot.

 

[pspc271]

Thanks for the comments! What are your feelings when it comes to keeping the stock tires that come on the 20s. I've seen people say that they aren't good for towing. I'm also considering the airbag 1000s.

 

[audio1der]

The stock GY Wrabglers are CRAP for towing. Their sidewalls are SO soft and mushy which hekps the comfy ride when empty. It lso induces flex and sway while towing; almost scary. I can't WAIT to replace them with some 'C' rated LT tires (General Grabber HT+)

I can't imagine anyone towing with a 1500 without airbags. For less than $100 you eliminate all sag, help control sway and keep your WD hitch at a consistent geometry for every trip. Can't say enough good things about them.

 

[BoldAdventure]

You can control payload by just not packing heavy. The choice is up to you what you bring along. Also, payload is kind of a guideline. Look at axle ratings and tire load rating.

All the comments have been real good.

I towed home on the Goodyears, they were marginally ok, unlaiden. If you're buying something and towing it home, you'll be fine, IMO.

I am not going to tow on them long term however, they are getting repalced. But they will get the job done in the short term with an empty trailer and truck moving between my house and storage.

My Airstream came with the Reese Dual Cam. I plan on installing the Propride; but I'll be honest, that Reese has made me consider waiting awhile before dropping the cash on the other setup. I might just wait till I go full time. If I was a weekend camper who didn't go on long distance trips, I probably would skip it all together.

Semi's don't seem to bother me much, but different areo-dynamics

 

[SWJewellTN]

I was going to disagree with the others until I realized that you were speaking of the 2012 rather than the 2013 which I had. I think the difference is the 2013 has coil springs versus leaf springs in the 2012.

I have a similar sized travel-trailer, (and a weight-distributing hitch with sway control), and after a year of stressful towing I traded the 2013 Ram 1500 in for a 2014 Ram 2500. One example of stress was when a gust of wind on I-40 traveling across the Cumberland Plateau danged near jack-knifed me beyond recovering at only 60 MPH. I thought my wife and I were going to die that time. Semi's passing me would pull the truck into their path so I had to get over onto the warning strip when they passed. People with 2500's passed me like it was nothing, (not referring to power but control). Going up a long grade that wasn't too steep was at 45 MPH with the pedal floored.

I told my wife that I shouldn't be mentally exhausted after a 1.5 + hour trip. After talking to other campers with similar sized travel-trailers and 2500's who said they didn't have such problems I traded for my 2500 diesel.

My 2 cents.

 

[BoldAdventure]

I was going to disagree with the others until I realized that you were speaking of the 2012 rather than the 2013 which I had. I think the difference is the 2013 has coil springs versus leaf springs in the 2012.

All Ram trucks after 2009 in 1500 variant feature a rear coil spring. It wasn't until recently that the 2500's got coil springs.

 

[PippinAin'tEasy]

Gladys is 33' 11" bumper to ball and at 11' tall she is a wind catching sail. The Goopyears do nothing but keep you honest and under 65mph. I'll be trading up to E rated commercial 20's as soon as the bank account allows. Agree with the other posters: spare no expense on your WD hitch. Without the Ox swaypro I would not even pull out of the park. And, unfortunately, don't expect an uneventful ride if you head out on the interstate. These 1/2 tons have more than enough ass to haul the TT yer looking atbut ride a fine line of being short on weight. We run ~8500# fully loaded and I don't feel unsafe but I pay attention to every last one of the rig's limitations. Airbags are a must. Easy to install and tons of links on the best place to run your shrader(s). Play around with yer cargo/haul numbers and you'll no doubt find a combo you'll be happy with.

FWIW, I stay the hell off of interstates at all cost. Not worth a wreck just to save an hour or two. And beleive me, after putting 1/4 million miles under the tires in the last 5 yrs the view from every damn interstate looks exactly the same. Keep to the backroads. The scenery is better, there's less traffic and you'll save on fuel cost. Above all, enjoy the ride.

 

[DieselDad]

I think the two most important issues you will face are towing up and down graded hills. Power and torque are needed uphills and a set of heavy duty brakes are extremely important when your going downhills. Flat ground shouldn't be issue at all.


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[SWJewellTN]

All Ram trucks after 2009 in 1500 variant feature a rear coil spring. It wasn't until recently that the 2500's got coil springs.

My bad: Ya'll would know better than I. A friend of mine with a 2012 2500 pointed it out to me and said that he had the last year for the leafs. I took him to mean 1500's as well.

 

[TRCM]

I can't imagine anyone towing with a 1500 without airbags. For less than $100 you eliminate all sag, help control sway and keep your WD hitch at a consistent geometry for every trip. Can't say enough good things about them.

Mine is totally stock...and it tows my 6000 lb dry weight 25' long, 38 yr old camper, and my 3400 lb 19' boat/trailer combo just fine.

I do use a WD hitch with the camper tho.

With my WD hitch as low as it can be adjusted, there is no sag, and I couldn't have the rear of the truck any higher or the tail of the camper would become an issue. Remember, this is a 38 yr old camper, and it was built to be towed by cars, not trucks, so it sits very low to the ground.

If I used air bags to keep the truck level and as high as it is alone, then I'd have to put a lift kit on the camper.

 

[juniorz]

These trucks are a beast

 

[dRAMbuie]

As others have already said you should have no problem at all.
I tow about 6200lbs with 600+lbs tongue weight on a regular basis through mountainous terrain with no problem at all.
I also have the 3:92 rear end and I'm assuming you have the Hemi.

 

[smurfs_of_war]

Where's the "green with envy" emoticon?

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[Bigdaddy]

All Ram trucks after 2009 in 1500 variant feature a rear coil spring. It wasn't until recently that the 2500's got coil springs.

Hey BoldAdventure, how much you Airstream weight if you don't mind me asking?

 

[toofart]

One example of stress was when a gust of wind on I-40 traveling across the Cumberland Plateau danged near jack-knifed me beyond recovering at only 60 MPH. I thought my wife and I were going to die that time. Semi's passing me would pull the truck into their path so I had to get over onto the warning strip when they passed.

I told my wife that I shouldn't be mentally exhausted after a 1.5 + hour trip.

I can't believe guys saying a 30' camper is "nothing". If you encounter semis passing you at 70+mph and/or wind gusts, you're in for one heck of a ride.

I have a 20' (yes, only 20') enclosed trailer for my car (total 7500 lbs), and when truck traffic is light and there's no wind, you almost forget it's there. Wind gusts and heavy truck traffic can turn a 2 hr segment into an interminable pain in the ass. I've never felt like I was in any danger, but the constant monitoring and correction is just exhausting.

Like another poster said, I now plan my trip according to predicted winds and traffic, and stay off the truck-infested sections of interstate.