Towing a tow hauler

[Alal]

New to the fourms. Just bought a 2016 r 1500 and wanted to know if what the rv dealer told me was true.

He said that towing a tow hauler without toya in the back i.e. quads, bikes etc... wouldn't be good cause they are made expecting that weight I the back. And that we should get one if we do not have toys to put in the back to weigh it down.


Would it be ok to tow a toy hauler without the weight of the toys?

 

[K-Dawg]

That might be the dumbest thing I've heard in a long time. Empty trailers may wander and bounce a little when they're empty, but not towing and empty trailer because it's empty, is just dumb advice.

Now for the more important question. Why do you want to tow around an empty trailer?

 

[Alal]

Wife and I looking at trailers and like the garage area for a second room for our daugther. We have looked at the TT with bunk rooms as well. Just looking at options that would work and like.

 

[K-Dawg]

So you're looking at a "Toy Hauler" that has both living space AND a garage space for bikes/quads, etc.... and the RV dealer told you not to because you needed to have weight where the "toys" are supposed to be? Dude was just trying to get you to spend more money and buy a more expensive trailer. No reason you can't "do-it-yourself" and convert the garage space into living space. I've seen people do this on horse trailers that are combination travel-trailer/horse hauler.

 

[BlkZrx]

How much TH can your 1/2 ton tow? Say that fast 3 times.. LOL

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[Alal]

8100 is the towing cap. As for the rest of numbers I do not have that handy or remember. But we are not looking for a mansion on wheels. Probably at the most a TT or toy hauler that isn't over 7000lbs. If we go the toy hauler route we won't have any bikes or quads to drag around.

 

[R.L.K.]

I'd definitely stick to 7k or less , my 1500 is rated at 9,300 towing ( if I remember correctly) anyway I towed 8,540 lbs once & infelt it was a bit much , I've towed 7- 7.5 k several times and it's fine . Amazing what an extra 1k feels like behind a little 1500.

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[RamInfo]

Toy haulers have their axle placement different than regular travel trailers, to accommodate the added extra weight of toys in the back. What you’ll want to watch is the tongue weight without toys—it may be higher than normal without the offsetting weight of toys. And be aware that TH and TT dealers will tell you ANYTHING to make a sale—“Oh yes, that’s half-ton towable” is one of their favorites.
Best,
DG

 

[TRCM]

No toys in the back will most likely put you over or close to payload limits with tongue weight.

As was said, they have different axle placement to accommodate the extra weight in back....if it isn't there, the weight will be on the truck more.

Think of a see saw....the middle is your trailer axles.....2 people 1 on each side it balances out....but let one step off, and the other ones hits the ground....that's basically what happens when the toy hauler has no toys in it, it won't hit the ground, but the camper side gets real heavy real quick.

 

[NewBlackDak]

A toy hauler with no weight in the rear has a heavy tongue, and will put you over the payload capacity of most half tons.


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[yillbs]

haha.. I purchased a toy hauler for the second room in the back for my kids. It's a good storage area. The back rooms on these are made with much denser wood. I've had a 32 foot normal trailer, and a 28foot toy hauler on my 1500, i RARELY have anything in the back and it wonders the same amount as my non toy hauler. The dealer is an idiot.

 

[Riccochet]

If you buy one just move the dual 30lb propane tanks to the garage area and strap them down good. The loss of weight from the front plus the added weight to the rear should offset enough for you to get home without much issue.

Now, if you plan on just towing it around with no weight in the back, probably not a good idea without WDH setup that's going to transfer enough weight back to the trailer tires. Or get you a golf cart.

 

[cyclepuck]

As a few have said the tongue weight of a TH is a good amount more than a standard TT. That's why the dealer was saying that. My TT has a tongue weight of 780lbs same floor plan in a TH is 1845lbs

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[billyw]

Wow! Sounds like the dealer was steering you straight and some of the posters here are aiming to get you in trouble. Toy Haulers are notorious for having very heavy tongue weight to offset the weight of the toys in the back. When I was shopping them, it became very obvious that I would need to keep some kind of weight in the garage at all times to avoid over loading my Class IV hitch.