Towing help for someone brand new to trucks and towing.

[ram71093]

I recently purchased a 2019 Canadian sport 1500 with a 5.7 hemi ,crew cab 4x4, 5'7 bed and 3.21 gears. On the sticker on the inside of the door it says the max payload is 1423lbs and total weight of the truck is 7,100lbs. I want to eventually get a travel trailer and the Keystone Rv Travel Trailer RVBullet 243BHS seems like a perfect match although I know absolutely nothing about trucks, towing etc lol (although I'm trying to learn before any TT purchase). The specs of the TT ...
Dry Weight
5,088 lbs.
Payload Capacity
1,412 lbs.
GVWR
6,500 lbs.
Hitch Weight
580 lbs.
is this safely doable? Thanks in advance

 

[crash68]

the Keystone Rv Travel Trailer RVBullet 243BHS seems like a perfect match although I know absolutely nothing about trucks, towing etc

You have plenty of truck to pull that trailer. The key to easy towing will be how well you dial in the WDH to the weight of the fully loaded truck and trailer.
The best way to dial in a WDH is fully load the truck & trailer with the WDH attached to a CAT scale and weigh the combo, then drop the trailer and weigh just the truck. You'll have all the weights needed to calculate the tongue weight percentage and how much weight is returned to the front axle. You want about 10-12% tongue weight, return the weight lost on the front axle, and the rear axle weighs more than the front

 

[dhay13]

You have plenty of truck to pull that trailer. The key to easy towing will be how well you dial in the WDH to the weight of the fully loaded truck and trailer.
The best way to dial in a WDH is fully load the truck & trailer with the WDH attached to a CAT scale and weigh the combo, then drop the trailer and weigh just the truck. You'll have all the weights needed to calculate the tongue weight percentage and how much weight is returned to the front axle. You want about 10-12% tongue weight, return the weight lost on the front axle, and the rear axle weighs more than the front

^ what he said. Truck should handle that fine. Get a good WDH. My son has a Husky TS Centerline that works great but there are others that are good too. Shoot for around 12% tongue weight (give or take). I also suggest investing in a set of tow mirrors if you don't already have them. I have the 1A auto tow mirrors and they are just like factory. You also will need trailer brakes if you don't have them. You can buy the factory one and have it programmed to your truck or buy the aftermarket ones like Tekonsha and Reese offer but I like the factory one.

Get it all hooked up and loaded and go to your local CAT scale

 

[Dean2]

If you search "Towing" on this forum there are 20 pages of threads on the subject. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know about it. Welcome to the forum.

 

[ram71093]

You have plenty of truck to pull that trailer. The key to easy towing will be how well you dial in the WDH to the weight of the fully loaded truck and trailer.
The best way to dial in a WDH is fully load the truck & trailer with the WDH attached to a CAT scale and weigh the combo, then drop the trailer and weigh just the truck. You'll have all the weights needed to calculate the tongue weight percentage and how much weight is returned to the front axle. You want about 10-12% tongue weight, return the weight lost on the front axle, and the rear axle weighs more than the front

Great thank you, I know very little about most of what you posted (even had to google wdh) but it gives me a great starting point knowing that it's a good match for the truck. I definitely have some research to do.

 

[ram71093]

^ what he said. Truck should handle that fine. Get a good WDH. My son has a Husky TS Centerline that works great but there are others that are good too. Shoot for around 12% tongue weight (give or take). I also suggest investing in a set of tow mirrors if you don't already have them. I have the 1A auto tow mirrors and they are just like factory. You also will need trailer brakes if you don't have them. You can buy the factory one and have it programmed to your truck or buy the aftermarket ones like Tekonsha and Reese offer but I like the factory one.

Get it all hooked up and loaded and go to your local CAT scale

Great info, thanks!

 

[ram71093]

If you search "Towing" on this forum there are 20 pages of threads on the subject. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know about it. Welcome to the forum.

Thank you, I have been browsing the forum but figured I'd ask if this TT was a good fit before really digging in.

 

[JayLeonard]

Your hitch weight will likely be close to 900 lbs once the trailer is loaded. So you need to take that into consideration.

 

[ram71093]

Your hitch weight will likely be close to 900 lbs once the trailer is loaded. So you need to take that into consideration.

Does that mean that it wouldn't be safely doable or would I just need to maybe pack lighter? The places I would plan on going would be rv parks with water/Electric hookups so I'm hoping to fill water there instead of traveling with it. Not sure if that would matter or not

 

[Tulecreeper]

I can't find the tow chart for the 2019 MY, but for 2023 the chart says your max towing capacity is right about 8000#. Even with a max loaded TT at 6500# you still have over 20% safety margin on weight so you should be fine. Be careful, take it slow, have fun. There will be a learning curve involved so don't get frustrated.

 

[ram71093]

I can't find the tow chart for the 2019 MY, but for 2023 the chart says your max towing capacity is right about 8000#. Even with a max loaded TT at 6500# you still have over 20% safety margin on weight so you should be fine. Be careful, take it slow, have fun. There will be a learning curve involved so don't get frustrated.

Excellent thank you

 

[crash68]

Your hitch weight will likely be close to 900 lbs once the trailer is loaded. So you need to take that into consideration.

So he should take your guess at what tongue weight will be? Without knowing how the trailer is loaded there in no way to make that assumption the tongue weight will be 900 lbs.

 

[ram71093]

So he should take your guess at what tongue weight will be? Without knowing how the trailer is loaded there in no way to make that assumption the tongue weight will be 900 lbs.

I've never loaded a TT but it would be myself, my wife and 2 boys under 7. Clothes for a couple of weeks depending on where we stayed, a small grill, some bikes, firewood, fishing gear, toys etc. I'd plan on filling water at the site and shopping locally for food once we were all set up. Not sure if that helps at all as far a weight goes.

 

[Tulecreeper]

The dry tongue weights that the manufacturers post on their websites are notoriously off (under), sometimes by as much as a couple hundred pounds. What the general rule-of-thumb is, is to take 10% of the GVWR of the trailer and add 30% to that to get you in the ballpark of what your loaded tongue weight will be. In your case, you would take 10% of 6500#, which is 650#, then add 30% to that which would come to 845#. It's not going to be exact, but it will let you know whether or not your going to break something getting it to the CAT scale.

 

[ram71093]

The dry tongue weights that the manufacturers post on their websites are notoriously off (under), sometimes by as much as a couple hundred pounds. What the general rule-of-thumb is, is to take 10% of the dry weight of the trailer and add 30% to that to get you in the ballpark of what your loaded tongue weight will be. In you case, you would take 10% of 6500#, which is 650#, then add 30% to that which would come to 845#. It's not going to be exact, but it will let you know whether or not your going to break something getting it to the CAT scale.

Good to know. Is the 845# subtracted from my payload of 1423 or is it a separate measurement?

 

[JayLeonard]

Good to know. Is the 845# subtracted from my payload of 1423 or is it a separate measurement?

It would be part of your payload.
I made the hitch weight guesstimate based on a similar trailer I have. Advertised tongue weight of 597, weighed after manufacture at 660( by the manufacturer), lightly loaded and weighed at a CAT scale over 900.

 

[White six four]

Anything you've also added to the truck running boards, light bars, bigger wheels and tires, glove box full of napkins etc all count against your payload. My wdh is 110 lbs if I remember correctly and that would also be deducted from the payload. Going to a scale like others have mentioned is your best bet to get actual weights.

 

[crash68]

I definitely have some research to do.

I've been meaning to type up how to weigh a truck/trailer for towing.

Truck/trailer weighing for towing with a WDH.

For the initial WDH set up, use the front fender height method to get the hitch in the ballpark. Measure the front wheel-well fender height from the ground of the truck before loading or attaching the trailer. Follow the manufacturers directions for adjusting the WDH to return the fender height...

www.ramforum.com

 

[Tulecreeper]

I'm sorry, I misspoke in my above post. You take 10% of the GVWR of the trailer, then add 30% to that to get your loaded tongue weight. I corrected it.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Good to know. Is the 845# subtracted from my payload of 1423 or is it a separate measurement?

It subtracts from your payload/cargo capacity. So, if you have 1423# for your payload capacity, then drop 800# onto the hitch, you will only have 623# left over to put in the truck. That includes gear in the bed of the truck (coolers, camping gear), people riding in the cab, your jumper cables behind the seat, etc. It also includes anything you added after you bought the truck - running boards, a winch, your weight distribution hitch (WDH), a roll bar, etc.