Towing Help! 2023 Ram 1500 5.7L V8 eTorque, 4x4, Crew Cab, short bed, 3.21

[Lockie5]

Need tow package for sure, hopefully you got 3.92 rear ratio. Consider trans cooler. Pulled trailers and loads my whole life since 14 years old - 65 now. You’ll be fine with a beefed up 1500 for most camping trailers. You keep upgrading a couple feet, better plan on a new 2500

 

[MrMagumba]

I have a payload similar to you. My trailer is 5080 lbs. Here is how it looks on a scale. First with wt dist, then no wt dist, then no trailer. I don't have to worry much about where I load stuff. Just throw it in the cab, box or trailer-whatever is most convenient. I still have a little room to grow on the camper. Actually looking at it again, I'm knocking on the door of the 7100 max wt on the truck. Better throw some stuff in the trailer.

 

[Loudram]

There has been some really good advice in this thread and a little not so good. Here's my experience. First off, know your numbers on your truck. A few posts have given you some good ways to figure them out.

The big question is tongue weight of the trailer. You'll run out of payload before you hit your max tow with a 1500. You want the tongue weight between 10% and 15%. Ideally 12%. (I'm at 14%.) Unfortunately you can't know that exactly until it's loaded. However to start with, take the brochure tongue weight and add 100 lbs to that number before anything else. That will take into account the weight of one battery (60 lbs) and 2 full bottles of propane (2 x 20 lbs) The brochure tongue weight only includes empty propane tanks. A battery isn't included either in the weight. Then remember that on most trailer the main storage is the front pass thru. That's where all the gear will go.

My brochure tongue weight is 650 lbs. I have a Weight Safe True Tow hitch with a built in scale. My loaded tongue is between 975 lbs and 1000 lbs. Our trailer is a front bedroom so all the weight from the stuff in the front pass thru and the clothes in our bedroom along with an upgraded and heavy queen mattress and a weight distribution hitch brought me to this number. The tongue weight adds up quickly.

For reference my trailer is 29' long and weighs 6050 lbs dry and 7200 lbs loaded. I don't put much stuff in my truck and I am within 150 lbs of my max payload. This is my fourth trailer. I've had a 27' , two 33', and this one. All towed with a 1500 using an Equalizer hitch before and now the True Tow.

 

[bigal2295]

Bought the factory bolt on hitch from the Dodge dealer for my 2500, same part # for a 1500 at the time (2004) and been towing with it for almost 20 years. Grade 10 bolts will hold to over 10k lbs. Also just look at the trailer MFG's website it will tell you max trailer weights.

 

[Beech35]

Take 600 pounds for you and your family gas and baggage and your left looking for a trailer with a 1,000 pound tongue weight Fully loaded. They’re easy enough to find.

 

[NotSoFast]

If you are thinking of camping where it is cold, a four seasons rating is essential to keep tanks and valves from freezing. Lance trailers could be light enough for you to tow (barely) and still sleep all of the people and critters.

 

[yrraljguthrie]

First, you need to change your mind about the Airstream. They are heavy and don't have much storage. You're probably sacrificing 1000 lbs by towing the Airstream. Lots of other trailers just as nice, lighter, and a lot more places to put stuff. And then quit worrying so much. If you stay strictly within the towing limits that truck will put a 25-foot trailer down the road at 80 mph! The only difference between a pickup with the 3.21 and the 3.96 is just that. No difference in the design or construction of the pickup. Just tow slower than 80mph??? Remember this is how I would do it, but I'm not suggesting you follow my example.

 

[ramffml]

You are looking at it wrong. It is not the trucks capacity to tow that is important. It is the trucks ability to STOP that is important. Second is suspension. THIRD is the durability of the transmission. Then power. With a 1500 series, towing short distance, 5000 is safe. long distance on the freeway, you are going to overheat the brakes and the transmission. If you want to tow 5000lbs or more down the highway for hours at a time, get a 2500. Not for the deisel, but for the suspension and braking capacity.

Trailer brakes are all fine, but at some point in the braking process, even just to slow for traffic, the disks on your 1500, towing a 5000lb trailer, are going to be dealing with over 11000 lbs of weight. The disks are going to get very hot. The pads are going to wear excessively. Get the 2500. Even a used one will be better than a new 1500 if you plan on doing a lot of traveling with a heavy trailer. Or get a tow beast. A 3500.

I disagree with you on the brakes. The Ram's have excellent/large brakes, and your trailer brake should be setup so that it doesn't change the braking effort required to stop. In other words, the trailer brakes will stop the weight of your trailer, and your truck should stop itself, you shouldn't feel any different coming to a stop. I've never read anyone having any issues with the brakes in our trucks while towing or otherwise, they are quite good and again your trailer should stop its own weight. In an emergency going down hill with no trailer brakes, you should be fine coming to a stop using just the truck's brakes, once at least, you don't want to do a whole trip down the mountains like that though.

The weak spot on our trucks when it comes to towing heavy, is suspension. The hemi is strong enough to pull 8000 pounds in either gear ratio, the brakes are rated and strong enough to stop 11,500+ pounds so they will have no trouble stopping 8000 pounds.

However, the suspension is very soft and cushy and the factory tires are squirmy. If those 2 issues are addressed, you will be more than fine to tow 8000 pounds, that just leaves possible heat issues as the truck is programmed to run too hot.

 

[Rockyw]

The Air Stream Is heavy, my Grand Design is 6200 lbs.

 

[NotSoFast]

The Airstreams also don't have 4 Seasons ratings. But they are pretty solidly built, partly because they don't have slide-outs. But that also makes them less roomy. The weight is less of an issue. Some Airstream owners complain about buffing and waxing the aluminum.