Making Sense of Towing Numbers

[jameskuzman]

I am currently new truck shopping and trying hard to discern whether or not a 2020 1500 Crew Cab 4WD Big Horn with the 5.7 and 3.92 axel will do the trick.

I thought my understanding of the math involved in all of this was solid, but after reading some of the threads here, I'm questioning that.

We are looking to tow an Airstream, which we'll likely purchase within the next year, with whatever vehicle we get. I want to make sure that I buy enough truck to handle it.

I plugged the VIN of one of the Rams I'm looking at into the on-line calculator. It came back with 1,779 payload and 11,679 towing capacity.

The Airstream model we are looking at has a GVWR - the most it can possibly weight - of 7,300. Hitch weight is 835 pounds, but realistically closer to 900 with propane.

That should put us comfortably under on payload as far as I can tell (roughly 1,300 pounds).

It would also put us under on towing capacity (7,300 max).

The GCVWR - that is, the combined weight of the vehicle and its passengers and cargo, plus the trailer and its contents - is 17,000 for the 1500 4WD Crew Cab.

If the truck and its passengers weigh 5,450 and the most this particular trailer could ever weigh it 7,300, we're up to 12,750, which is well within the GCVWR.

Am I missing or misunderstanding anything?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Jim

 

[RVGuy]

You have your math right. Your tow capacity is how much trailer weight you can pull. You could also look at the GCWR (gross combined weight rating, this is how much your entire setup can weigh including the truck), which is where the trailer weight comes from. The tow capacity is basically your GCWR minus the truck's curb weight.
Honestly you'll run out of payload on a half ton before you hit that GCWR number.
I'd also pay attention to the GAWR of the rear axle but you should be able to almost evenly distribute the tongue weight between the axles with a good quality weight distribution hitch so you should be good there too.

 

[Jus Cruisin]

If you are going to drag it around a lot, I'd really look into a gasser 2500. If it's going to be 3 or 4 trips that are sort of local the 1500 would be plenty. Also, be ready for looking to upgrade to a bigger trailer and still have the "right" truck for the job.

 

[jameskuzman]

If you are going to drag it around a lot, I'd really look into a gasser 2500. If it's going to be 3 or 4 trips that are sort of local the 1500 would be plenty. Also, be ready for looking to upgrade to a bigger trailer and still have the "right" truck for the job.

We camp maybe 8-10 times a year, usually for 3-4 nights at a time, within 2-3 hours of home. This includes some weekday work camping as I have a remote job. With the bigger trailer, I can envision maybe heading south for a month in the winter, but we have some responsiblities and obligations that would prohibit any sort of cross-country "see America" kind of travel, at least for the next 10 years or so.

Our current camper is a T@B 400 teardrop which we love. For a typical camping expedition it's just about ideal for two people since we spend most of our time outdoors anyway. In inclimate weather or when working all day inside, though, work space is limited. That and tank size are its biggest drawbacks and the reason we're looking to a larger trailer down the road.

I appreciate what you said about looking for the right truck for the next trailer. I already made the mistake of buying a tow vehicle that can pull the T@B but nothing more, thus the want to move to a truck. Ditto not looking far enough ahead on a bigger camper, but to be fair, I have no regrets about the T@B. It's just that more room to spread some work out would be nice, so we have our "someday sights" set on the 23' and 25' Airstreams which seem the perfect balance between enough space to be comfortable without being too big to fit into whatever campsite happens to be available.

 

[Mustangmike66]

Get a 2500, you won’t regret it. That’s what I should have done.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[dhay13]

Considering you work remote I would go with a 2500 since daily fuel usage won't be much of a factor. Our boat/trailer weighs about 9500 and I could have got by with a properly equipped 1500 but I work from home so fuel consumption didn't matter much to me so I went with the 2500. Towing you probably won't see much difference in MPG. I'd guess a 6.4 2500 would get about 10 MPG towing that camper. My son tows his 9000lb 26' camper and gets about 9 MPG. I get about 12 MPG around town. And like was mentioned, if you buy a bigger camper next year that 2500 will be fine, even a 5th wheel.

That 1500 you mentioned should be just fine for the TT you mentioned but for longer trips that 2500 will be a much more relaxing trip. Son towed his 1500 miles to North Dakota by himself about 10 hours per day and said he felt fine mentally at the end of the day. I towed it with my old 1500 and you could feel the sway when semis past me. I actually kept watching my mirrors and slowed down every time one was coming up beside me and I have been trailering for 35 years. 2500 is much more stable.

Also, if you consider a Cummins keep in mind the payload on a 2500 isn't very high and if you ever move to a 5th wheel you will likely be over payload. The 6.4 has about 900lbs more payload than the Cummins (3000lbs vs 2100lbs-ish)

 

[seadog1272]

I tow a 28 ft trailer that weighs in at 6700 lbs using an Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch and my 2019 Ram 1500 crew cab 4X4. I have no problems towing and have gone on cross country trips. I average 10 mpg while towing and 17 mpg without the trailer. The 1500 is a very comfortable daily driver. I have had the truck for 1 and 1/2 years and have had no problems with it at all.

 

[runamuck]

I pull our 6000# travel trailer fine with my '19. usually run at 68-69 and get 8.5-10 depending on terrain. be sure to check the door jamb sticker for the exact numbers. mine was not anywhere near what the ram website calculator came up with. got my truck and trailer weighed at CAT scale so I would know exactly where I stand.

 

[Marley]

I also agree with your math and you won't have any issues but always recommend a WDH for towing.

Here's something to consider though.
We've had 4 travel trailers over the years and each one required a bigger truck to pull them.

Had I known the wife was going to chase the " bigger is better " theory, I could have bought a 2500 to start and been done.

 

[Elkman]

The payload rating for the truck factors in a 150 lb per passenger seat deduction. It is why the "payload" rating is the highest for a truck with a regular cab where there will be fewer passengers.

With so many people opting for more fuel efficient tow vehicles there has been a trend toward lighter trailers being produced by the manufacturers. There are also collapsible ones that pop-up with solid sides and these take a lot less power to tow with the greatly reduced air drag. Even Airstream now makes a 22 ft trailer with a dry weight of 3600 lbs and could be towed even with an SUV.

Prices have gone up for these with their use of aluminum and the Trump tax on aluminum coming in from Canada. Even the cost for my jetski trailer jumped by $400 with the Trump tax so it is hurting Americn manufacturers sales.

 

[392DevilDog]

The payload rating for the truck factors in a 150 lb per passenger seat deduction. It is why the "payload" rating is the highest for a truck with a regular cab where there will be fewer passengers.

The payload rating does not account for occupants.

The max towing calculation does. 300lbs for occupants and cargo. It used to just be 150lbs for driver.

The reason the regular cab has more payload is because it weighs less.

GVWR minus base weight equals payload capacity.

A regular cab and a quad or crew all have the same GVWR based on 4x4 or 4x2.

The regular cab truck weighs less than both. The quad cab weighs less than the crew. And the crew with 6'4 weighs the most

Hence the reg cab has the most payload and the crew 6'4 has the least.

Once again. Payload is the allowance for occupants and cargo.

Base weight is an empty truck with full fluids.

Payload is everything a truck can haul up to GVWR from the base weight.

The passenger/cargo allowance is for the max towing figure.

This is why max towing is a superficial number. In my case I weigh 295. I can take a 5 lb weight with me to tow at max towing. And have to use a trailer with only a 10% tongue weight.

 

[Ramrodd]

I plugged the VIN of one of the Rams I'm looking at into the on-line calculator. It came back with 1,779 payload and 11,679 towing

Where is this VIN calculator?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mustangmike66]

https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ramrodd]

https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It just took me to the ram truck website. Where do I go from there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[392DevilDog]

It just took me to the ram truck website. Where do I go from there?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

At the bottom of the page. Bellow all the pictures of the trucks and vans.

It says look up my vehicle.

Click that.

Then be sure to use your VIN number.

DO NOT JUST USE THE CONFIGURATION

Has to be your specific VIN

https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-guide.html

 

[Mustangmike66]

Click there and enter your VIN.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[RBinNC]

Click there and enter your VIN.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Wow! So I did it by vin and it's substantially more than my configuration. Not sure why?

All jt is is a tradesman 4x4 crew cab 8 foot bed 4.10 rear 6.4/8 speed. Configuration says like 15,200 lbs. My vin shows a pic of a single cab and claims over 17k lbs but it says photo might not be the same.

I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[392DevilDog]

@RBinNC

The configuration probably used 3.73 gear ratio.

The VIN is almost 99% accurate now.

Remember though. That max towing number only allows for 300lbs passenger/cargo 70 lbs for hitch and a 10% tongue weight.

They said the 2019/20 gained about 200lbs of payload. Interestingly enough...on a 2018 a longbed has less payload than a shortbed.

My 2015 has 2998 payload. And your truck probably has a few more options than mine.

 

[HDGoose]

The payload rating does not account for occupants.

The max towing calculation does. 300lbs for occupants and cargo. It used to just be 150lbs for driver.

The reason the regular cab has more payload is because it weighs less.

GVWR minus base weight equals payload capacity.

A regular cab and a quad or crew all have the same GVWR based on 4x4 or 4x2.

The regular cab truck weighs less than both. The quad cab weighs less than the crew. And the crew with 6'4 weighs the most

Hence the reg cab has the most payload and the crew 6'4 has the least.

Once again. Payload is the allowance for occupants and cargo.

Base weight is an empty truck with full fluids.

Payload is everything a truck can haul up to GVWR from the base weight.

The passenger/cargo allowance is for the max towing figure.

This is why max towing is a superficial number. In my case I weigh 295. I can take a 5 lb weight with me to tow at max towing. And have to use a trailer with only a 10% tongue weight.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/no-go-for-standardized-tow-ratings.html

"Maximum tow ratings can no longer be based on a stripped base-model truck with a 150-pound driver traveling alone. Test trucks must now be equipped with popular options found on 33 percent (or more) of the configuration being tested. The 150-pound test driver is now accompanied by a 150-pound passenger."

 

[chri5k]

The payload rating for the truck factors in a 150 lb per passenger seat deduction. It is why the "payload" rating is the highest for a truck with a regular cab where there will be fewer passengers.

With so many people opting for more fuel efficient tow vehicles there has been a trend toward lighter trailers being produced by the manufacturers. There are also collapsible ones that pop-up with solid sides and these take a lot less power to tow with the greatly reduced air drag. Even Airstream now makes a 22 ft trailer with a dry weight of 3600 lbs and could be towed even with an SUV.

Prices have gone up for these with their use of aluminum and the Trump tax on aluminum coming in from Canada. Even the cost for my jetski trailer jumped by $400 with the Trump tax so it is hurting Americn manufacturers sales.

Wow that must be one heavy Jetski trailer if an aluminum tax of 10% raised the price by $400 assuming the aluminum actually came from Canada. Canadian aluminum is about $0.86 per pound ($1,900 / metric ton on average over the last 5 years) so the tax would add about $0.09 per pound. That trailer would need to contain 4,400 pounds of aluminum.