Max towing, for real...

[RAMblin_Man]

Hey guys, I've seen in the specs that my 2012 1500 ST 3.7L V6 2WD (recently bought, used) has a towing capacity of about 3800lbs. I've only towed a light 15' pontoon boat with it so far, but I have a 5th wheel travel trailer, and a guy at the local hitch shop told me my truck could tow the 5th wheel. I'd love for that to be true, but I'm skeptical. The 5th wheel camper weighs about 10,400lbs. Has anyone here tried towing that much weight with a vehicle like mine? How much is the max you have towed with it? Thanks.

 

[Fake-Account27]

1. What does the payload sticker inside the driver door jam say?

Subtract your weight and the weight of any passengers from that number. Divide by 0.15 to get the max travel trailer you can tow and 0.2 for the max 5th wheel.

A 2500 gaser can tow a 10k 5th wheel railer, and some Diesels can, but not all. A 1500 does not have the payload for a 5th wheel, and the v6 does not have the power anyway.

 

[dhay13]

^ agreed. That would be a tough task with any 1500 just due to payload but you are almost 3x your rated tow capacity.
Your payload is listed on the black/yellow sticker inside your drivers front door jamb. If the 5th wheel weighs 10,000 then you are probably looking at around 2000lbs pin weight, which will likely exceed or at least take up a large chunk of your payload. This will also most certainly put you over your max GRAWR (can be found on the black/white door jamb sticker). Also, be mindful of GCWR. From my quick search it looks like GCWR is 8500lbs-ish. That means truck and trailer combined can't exceed 8500. The trailer alone is over that. Realistically you need a 2500 to tow that big of a 5th wheel but many do it with a 1500 5.7 but likely are over many different weight capacities.

 

[Travelin Ram]

Can it? Sure, just watch some YouTube videos of grossly overloaded trucks in third world countries. Or pulling fivers with VW Beetles.

Should you? Absolutely not. Don’t take any advice from that hitch guy. He’s dangerous.

Frankly this sounds like a troll post; it’s hard to imagine that anyone who already owns a fifth wheel could be so uninformed about what it takes to tow it.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Hey guys, I've seen in the specs that my 2012 1500 ST 3.7L V6 2WD (recently bought, used) has a towing capacity of about 3800lbs. I've only towed a light 15' pontoon boat with it so far, but I have a 5th wheel travel trailer, and a guy at the local hitch shop told me my truck could tow the 5th wheel. I'd love for that to be true, but I'm skeptical. The 5th wheel camper weighs about 10,400lbs. Has anyone here tried towing that much weight with a vehicle like mine? How much is the max you have towed with it? Thanks.

The fact is the 1500 and 2500 disels are really only good for grocery shopping.

 

[crash68]

The fact is the 1500 and 2500 disels are really only good for grocery shopping.

Wrong thread if you thought this was the Humor section. Contrary to what a lot of the parrots on this forum like to spout, either one of those trucks are capable of a lot more than getting groceries.

 

[nlambert182]

There are RARE circumstances where any 1500 should be towing a fifth wheel. Very rare.

Heck, a 2500 can quickly max out payload towing a fifth wheel if you aren't careful.

A 10,400 GVWR fifth wheel will carry a wet pin weight of somewhere in the 2,000 - 2,100 lb range. The payload capacity of the OPs truck will be somewhere between the 1,300-1,500 lb range if the stars align just right. Add in people and the weight of the hitch itself and it's far exceeded. I would tell the guy at the hitch shop to kick rocks. He clearly doesn't know what he's talking about.

 

[mtofell]

a guy at the local hitch shop told me my truck could tow the 5th wheel.

I'd find a new guy to work on your truck. You'd likely be over both payload (weight in/on the truck) and max tow (pulling ability of the truck) ratings by A LOT.

 

[Daw14]

That person is just trying to make a sale , and his commission. Run away, its Not safe.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Wrong thread if you thought this was the Humor section. Contrary to what a lot of the parrots on this forum like to spout, either one of those trucks are capable of a lot more than getting groceries.

... if you're not a big eater.