Max towing, for real...

[Andrei20]

So you have no problem believing that the ford explorer, a unibody crossover SUV with a turbo 4 with 310 ft pounds of torque that weighs 4700 pounds and has a 119in wheelbase can tow 5300 pounds?

But you can’t believe that the 2023 xc90, a unibody crossover suv with a turbo 4 with 310ft pounds of torque that weighs 4650 with a 117.5in wheelbase can tow 5000 pounds?

The math on that equation is the same.

And that was exactly my point. A Touareg towed a Boeing 747 once, but that doesn't mean that it can do it all the time and it's safe to put it on the road, and it's not legal either.
So we follow the numbers in the Owner's Manual. Where they come from, and what was done to put them there, is not our business, but they're there for a reason. It's possible to overload any vehicle beyond it's recommended payload limit, or towing limit, but that is trouble. You get caught, you're in trouble. You have a 4000lbs camper behind that RAM with maximum tow capacity of 3800lbs, and you get caught, DOT will give you hard time. Numbers are numbers.
That's all I wanted to say.

 

[Random_Walk]

No dog in any of these fights, but one thing did stand out:

"...a brake controller, which I am not sure if it has..."

Given that most trailer brake controllers have a manual override mechanism (usually a 'pinch' style switch), you would definitely know if you had one.

 

[Andrei20]

Andrei you are new here and it appears that you came in here to try to argue instead of to learn or offer up any kind of help with questions. I don't think you'll make it very far without keeping an open mind. Yes, you've repeated multiple times that you would prefer a European vehicle, that you really don't like Ram, and that you're a mechanic and know more than the rest of us. Kudos to you. Still not sure why you're here unless it's to troll.

At the end of the day, a 1/2 ton truck is going to have more payload and towing abilities than a mid-sized SUV in most cases. In the case of a Ram with a small V6, of course it's going to have less towing capacity because of the power to weight ratio. But people don't buy such a large truck with a small engine to tow with. They buy it for light utility and usually for better fuel mileage.

When you start talking about towing, you have to compare apples to apples and once again as many have already said, you're not doing that because Volvo does not use the same standards to determine tow rating as American companies. Therefore you cannot get an accurate comparison. If Ram decided to use the same standards as Volvo you'd likely see the tow ratings of a Ram increase even more. These trucks are physically more capable than they are rated for, but there is a margin of error built in for safety.

I towed a 16k 43' triple axle toy hauler from Kentucky back to Alabama with a 2012 Ram 2500. It was way over the payload capacity (under axle rating) but it moved the load down the road and got us home, so it can do it. Would I do it again? No. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should and just because one line in a brochure tells you that a vehicle is "capable" of towing *** lbs of weight doesn't mean you can ignore the other caveats that the manufacturer tells you about (I.E... the Ford or the Volvo notes). You have to apply common sense AND an ability to properly interpret the information in the owner's manual before you decide what to tow.

Critics accepted.
Thank you.

 

[2003F350]

Further evidence of dumb people: I’m selling my ‘21 2500 Hemi and there was a lady in the RV resort that was interested in it. They just bought a new 5W but don’t have a truck yet since they’re here for a year. Anyway, my truck has a 17k lb tow limit, 3060 lb payload and GCVWR of 23k lbs. She showed me her RV details and as soon as I saw 2350 empty hitch weight and 15k lb. loaded weight I told her she needed a 3500 diesel to stay well under all limitations. Also typed up a list with all pertinent explanations that one needs to know. So…she was happy till her neighbor told her she would be fine with my truck, sight unseen, due mostly to tow weights.
He said he was a long haul trucker and knew that stuff. BS! I explained again why it wasn’t a good choice and to buy something that would have plenty of excess capabilities. My 2500 pulled my 10,500 lb loaded 5W extremely well but it’s not enough for the weights she has.

Don't you just love it when 'long haul truckers' come in and say 'oh that truck will haul that weight no problem!'?

Right there I know they have no clue what they're talking about, and that if they do drive a truck they literally just drive, they have no clue how anything on the truck actually works.

Because heavy duty trucks today have air suspensions that are purpose-built to haul extremely heavy loads, not springs and shocks and MAYBE air bags. They've got completely different suspensions than light-duty (read: 3500 and under) trucks, they've got completely different braking systems, they've got completely different electrical systems, and they've got MUCH heavier frames.

It's not an apples-to-apples comparison, and being a long-haul trucker doesn't automatically mean you have the knowledge of how much is safe to pull with a Ram 2500. Sure, I'll bet he's SEEN a 2500 hauling way too much weight, but that doesn't mean it was a safe pull.

 

[Hemidog]

I'm no towing expert, but just remember Bruce Jenner was over towing with his SUV, which caused an accident and killed someone. He was looking at manslaughter charges... just sayin..

 

[Gr8bawana]

I'm no towing expert, but just remember Bruce Jenner was over towing with his SUV, which caused an accident and killed someone. He was looking at manslaughter charges... just sayin..

Correct, you are absolutely not an expert.
Wow! There is no end to people spreading false information.
Jenner was not "over towing" at all. The Cadillac escalade had a towing capacity of 8100-8300 lbs. It was towing a trailer loaded with an ATV so I seriously doubt it was overloaded.

 

[Zoe Saldana]

Correct, you are absolutely not an expert.
Wow! There is no end to people spreading false information.
Jenner was not "over towing" at all. The Cadillac escalade had a towing capacity of 8100-8300 lbs. It was towing a trailer loaded with an ATV so I seriously doubt it was overloaded.

" not an expert."
A lot of those. They know they are not an expert. But they continue to post.

 

[tron67j]

I was at a campground this past week. Guy comes in with a massive 5th wheel, and trees blocking truck. Another perso goes to help and I hear the driver say he just got his new F250 with diesel so he had more capacity to tow his also new fiver. I don't know numbers but had bedroom slider plus two living sliders. I watched him hook up a couple days later, that bed just kept going down. The guy who originally helped happened to be sitting in his golf cart, waved to the driver then looked at me and rolled his eyes.

Payload capacity matters. In this case, the guy kind of had too much engine for what he could probably tow with the 3/4 ton CC 8' bed. The engine weight was hurting him.

 

[RAMblin_Man]

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.

Not a troll post. Bought the 5th wheel, already in place at a campsite, so I've never had any occasion to move it yet.

 

[nlambert182]

Not a troll post. Bought the 5th wheel, already in place at a campsite, so I've never had any occasion to move it yet.

I hope you plan on buying a truck (or paying a tow company) when it's time to move it. You need at least a 3/4 ton.... If you attempt to tow it with what you have in your sig, it will not end well.