New (used) owner; some rookie questions

[Christopher 1977]

Hi all! Picked up my slightly-used '18 1500 quad cab a few months ago. Having difficulty with the following:

1. TOWING: my build sheet shows "DELETE CLASS IV RECEIVER HITCH" but I see someone installed a bolt-on receiver to the bumper. The receiver says to consult the owner's manual for towing capacities and info. The owner's manual says to consult ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide for towing capacities. That specific webpage doesn't exist anymore, but ramtrucks.com has a towing cheat sheet which just ends up saying "final towing capabilities will depend on your vehicle's configuration". Am I just going around in circles?

((edit: I did find the Trailer Life 2018 guide here: https://webcontent.goodsam.com/trailerlife.com/digital_editions/TrailerLifeTowGuide2018.pdf, and referencing my engine, trans and axle ratio came up with 8190 lbs towing. I just don't trust that number since the hitch I have is bolted to the bumper.))

2. CURB WEIGHT: Curb weight of the vehicle is part of the calculation for payload and towing capacity. Despite the power of the internet, I haven't been able to nail down my truck's curb weight. Do I just have to take it to a weight station or is there an easier way?

 

[Daw14]

Drivers door jam has a decal with ratings listed.

 

[Lsujker]

That's an interesting question. wonder what the bumper is rated for. Personally I would not get even close to the rated 8190. seen a bumper bend down from too much weight.

the weight of your vehicle is the GVWR minus payload rating. should be on your door as stated.

good luck man. if all else fails, put a true 2" receiver on the truck.

found this on Ram website https://www.ramtruck.ca/documents/ramtruck/specifications/2018-ramtruck-1500ds-specifications-en.pdf

 

[Jim BB]

If I was in your shoes and i was going to be towing 2000 to 7500 LBS I would be putting on a CLASS IV RECEIVER HITCH on it

 

[Christopher 1977]

Thanks all!

@Lsujker thanks so much! That pdf lead me down a rabbit hole! Ram bodybuilder is mentioned in the manual, but the link is defunct and has been replaced with this, where I found the US version of the info you posted along with a lot of other docs.

 

[GRKN]

I wouldn’t tow anything more then a 4x8 light utility trailer off the bumper. Definitely install a class IV receiver

 

[Papa Red]

Welcome to the forum.

Red

 

[BrenttheMouse]

I wouldn’t tow anything more then a 4x8 light utility trailer off the bumper. Definitely install a class IV receiver

I wouldn't even trust the bumper to tow that!

 

[Christopher 1977]

I have to admit it's pretty wild to me that a bolt-on hitch can't be trusted to tow even a tiny trailer that, you know, a Civic could tow. One would think that if our bumpers were so fragile, folks wouldn't install a bumper hitch for them?

I did try looking in the manual and online for the tow rating of the bumper but have come up empty handed (except some forum posts here that say our bumpers are rated to 5000#).

 

[Lsujker]

Well it all depends. Suggesting that a 4x8 trailer is to much, feels tongue and cheek. My first truck was a 1994 GMC Sierra with a bumper hitch. Towed a 14 foot trailer with dirt bikes and 4 wheelers countless times. Probably looking at 1 to 1.5 tons. No issue.

Also seen a bumper bend first up then down. That was loading a 55HP tracker on a 20' trailer with 6K axles. Don't do that.