Towing Camping Trailer

[Riccochet]

I went thru the exact same thing. Started with a 21-foot grand design (7800 lbs pull along) with a Bighorn gas 1500. it worked great! then upgraded to 150 series 26 ft 5th wheel. I added airbags at a cost of $1,000.00. This allowed the truck to pull it, but the truck wasn't too happy. I was just below Max weight in nearly every category. Also, mileage went in the toilet. 13mpg down to 8-9!!! I traded in for a 2500 Tradesman with a Cummins engine. That did the trick! Then I traded up again to a Reflection 337RLS (nearly 12k lbs.) The truck is a beast but now my mileage is down to 10-11mpg. I'm well under max weights but as you can see there are growing pains... Get a diesel 2500! You won't regret it...

I guarantee you are way over your payload rating towing that 337RLS with a diesel 2500. It has 2200 lbs of pin weight unloaded. That's pretty much 100% of your payload before you put a single thing in that trailer, including propane and batteries, or a single person in the truck.

You do you though.

 

[Lance1985]

I pull a Lance trailer, 24 ft includes tongue length and weights around 6000 lbs depending on load. My 2019 RAM 1500 Quad Cab 4x2, 5.7 V8 Hemi, MDS VVT eTorque, has the optional Trailer Tow Group, 3.92 axle, Max Trailer Weight Rating of 11,500 lbs, and GCWR of 17,000 lbs. WDH with 600 lb bars and an Anti-Sway BAR (most Important)

I pull the trailer all summer from Colorado to the Pacific Coast, from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, Rocky and Sierra mountains, Mohave Desert 100 deg temps, elevations to 8000 ft with ascends and descends up to 7-degree grades. I rarely drive above 60 mph and get on average 11 mpg.

For my 2 cents worth, consider a smaller, lighter trailer or a bigger more powerful truck.

 

[Farmer Fran]

Towing the trailer in the pictures on page 5, I used this

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[El Huapo]

Forgive me for not reading all 8 pages before posting and maybe it's been already said, but I feel it's important to tell the OP about towing to Alaska: It's best to take the truck & trailer on the ferry, but expensive. If you're going to travel up the "AlCan Highway" go slowly and watch out for frost heaves. The winters in Canada break the roads and heave up, making big! speed bumps.
Lots of places you'll suddenly see skid marks on the other side and that's your warning: someone pulling a trailer too fast going the other direction got their trailer airborne by a frost heave, hit the brakes while the trailer launched and then skidded when it touched down. When you see that, SLOW DOWN.
Add to that the fact that the road workers will be out, fixing those things and sometimes it'll be soft dirt for a long ways, uphill and down, rough going.
Now there's lots of Canadian members here, if things have changed since I traveled that road in the '90's, I won't be offended if they correct me, and I wish the OP good luck since I didn't see that you have 4WD...

 

[Farmer Fran]

Forgive me for not reading all 8 pages before posting and maybe it's been already said, but I feel it's important to tell the OP about towing to Alaska: It's best to take the truck & trailer on the ferry, but expensive. If you're going to travel up the "AlCan Highway" go slowly and watch out for frost heaves. The winters in Canada break the roads and heave up, making big! speed bumps.
Lots of places you'll suddenly see skid marks on the other side and that's your warning: someone pulling a trailer too fast going the other direction got their trailer airborne by a frost heave, hit the brakes while the trailer launched and then skidded when it touched down. When you see that, SLOW DOWN.
Add to that the fact that the road workers will be out, fixing those things and sometimes it'll be soft dirt for a long ways, uphill and down, rough going.
Now there's lots of Canadian members here, if things have changed since I traveled that road in the '90's, I won't be offended if they correct me, and I wish the OP good luck since I didn't see that you have 4WD...

Note to self... do not take my ZL1 to Alaska

 

[2020PW]

I guess it could be worse.

 

[Tulecreeper]

In case this has not been uploaded before. The highlighted one at the top is mine, but this chart gives an idea of what you're working with.

 

[Jane S]

I guarantee you are way over your payload rating towing that 337RLS with a diesel 2500. It has 2200 lbs of pin weight unloaded. That's pretty much 100% of your payload before you put a single thing in that trailer, including propane and batteries, or a single person in the truck.

You do you though.

I give up!

 

[Riccochet]

I give up!

I saw your previous post before you edited. You should give up. Those numbers on google are all wrong. 10k GVWR, CTD 2500's come in around 7700-8200 lbs curb weight. Basic math here, but you subtract the curb weight from the GVWR and BOOM you have your payload capacity.

There isn't a CTD 2500 on this planet with a 3000+ lb payload capacity. Anywhere. Ever.

The 6.4 2500, yes, 2900-3200 payload depending on options.

 

[Farmer Fran]

I saw your previous post before you edited. You should give up. Those numbers on google are all wrong. 10k GVWR, CTD 2500's come in around 7700-8200 lbs curb weight. Basic math here, but you subtract the curb weight from the GVWR and BOOM you have your payload capacity.

There isn't a CTD 2500 on this planet with a 3000+ lb payload capacity. Anywhere. Ever.

The 6.4 2500, yes, 2900-3200 payload depending on options.

FYI, Tulecreeper payload is 3913 lbs in his 2500 6.4