Towing with RAM 1500 (Tire Load Rating)

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YARTES

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HI There,

I'm new in to towing so I'd like to make sure I'd be doing it safely. My truck is a RAM 1500 V8 HEMI with 3.55 axel ratio, and I'm planning to tow a 7000Lb (GWVR) RV with a 670Lb hitch weight. I will use a Curt WDH w/Sway Control.

Unfortunately my payload is only 1245Lb so by the time I add passengers, WD Hitch, and RV Hitch weight, I'm only 10lbs below. :-/

I have 2 questions:

1. Tire Load Rating= I have Nokia Attiva AT tires with a 115 Load Rating (i.e. 2649Lb). The truck GAWR is 39000Lb. Would they be ok for towing or would I need to upgrade to a higher Load rating? (i,e, >120 for 3000Lb+)

2. Do I need air bags in the rear suspension or will the WDH be enough?

Any advice is really appreciated. :)
 

KMKKOZ

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Airbags would be very helpful. I got the Airlift 1000 HD and I love them. I towed before and after (similarly weighted TT) and it was sagging a couple inches even with the WDH. The airbags level it perfectly.

I still run the stock P rated tires, and I think they are similar in load rating. Yours x 4 is 10,549. If you think you are less than that you are good.
 

engineering

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Airbags would be very helpful. I got the Airlift 1000 HD and I love them. I towed before and after (similarly weighted TT) and it was sagging a couple inches even with the WDH. The airbags level it perfectly.

I still run the stock P rated tires, and I think they are similar in load rating. Yours x 4 is 10,549. If you think you are less than that you are good.


I also got Airlift 1000's and love them - perhaps not an absolute requirement but they do stabilize the truck under load and you just let the air out for daily driving. All improvement with no drawbacks IMHO.

I also went with 17" LT (Light Truck) 10 ply tires and don't regret that either. The OEM 20" passenger tires were not giving me much confidence even though I was well below the max ratings. The LT's not only have a higher weight rating, but the additional rigidity is great with a fully loaded truck. A little more harsh for daily driving, but not too bad.
 

dhay13

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I can assure you your tongue weight will be higher than advertised if loaded properly. Probably closer to 700-800. Aside from that your truck shouldn't have any issues towing it but you will be very close and probably over payload. I had a similar truck (2013) and towed my sons 7500lb TT (6600 dry-8500GVWR) and had no issues. I towed it 400 miles. I was using his Husky TS Centerline WDH but the truck was 100% stock including the crappy Good Years. I didn't scale it but was probably very close to max on payload. My max towing was 8600 so I was under that.
 

grizzstang

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Air bags are nice in warmer climates but I see you live in Edmonton so don't bother.

I am in Calgary and everyone I know that tried airbags have had them leak in a year or two that required replacement or removal.

I would upgrade your rear springs. There are many options and they are not too expensive either. Tuftruck rear coils are about $200.00 USD for a set and take less than an hour to install.

Towing a 7000 lb travel trailer you will need them or your truck will be riding around on the rear bump stops. Mine was with stock springs and a 5500 lb travel trailer.

I also changed to an LT tire not so much for the weight but the stability. I found my truck really wandered with the stock P rated tires.
 

tron67j

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Make sure you add in any weight of things you added like bed cover, running boards, your hitch, etc. That all subtracts from available payload. Have you verified your fully loaded trailer hitch weight? That number seems a bit low unless you are shifting too much weight behind the trailer axle.
 

BWL

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Those tires will be enough to go over your axle rating so technically fine, but higher rated will feel better towing. You towing occasionally or going to be hitting the road often? If often I'd look to go higher rated on the next set.
 

Robert Fly

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Hitch up and let it roll. Make a run up Hwy22 as there is enough ups and downs to let you see how it rides.
 

gfh77665

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OP, how often will you be towing? If its just occasional, I would not add air bags or anything else. If you are doing it daily for work, then its a whole different story. Your RAM, equipped the way you describe, is already very capable. The HEMI V8 mated with the 3.55 gearings is stout!
 

62Blazer

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That's not that big of a load and should be well within the factory rated capacity. With the WDH and everything set halfway correct you shouldn't have any issues.

The current tires are rated at 2649 lbs., which means the two rear tires can support 5,298 lbs. and your GAWR is only 3,900 lbs. No problem there. Would an heavier rated tire be "better"...sure, but is not required by any means.

I always tell people to hook up the trailer and try it out as-is first and see how it does before relying on the internet towing police. You can hitch up the trailer and start off easy going down some two lane roads and progress to the freeway at higher speeds. Not like you need to immediately jump on the freeway and drive 80 mph, or that the truck and trailer will fly through the air and land upside down in a ditch as soon as you leave the driveway if the weight isn't right. No offense to anybody on here as you can get good advice, but I swear most responses are just regurgitating what they read on a forum previously and I even question how many of those people really have much towing experience.
 

engineering

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I always tell people to hook up the trailer and try it out as-is first and see how it does before relying on the internet towing police.

The constant references to the 'Towing Police' are rather hilarious. I don't hear anyone claiming the truck/trailer will immediately combust if you go one pound over. The discussions about manufacturer ratings are almost purely legal in nature.

I have been involved in various lawsuits over the years - mainly industrial and business related. The cold reality is that an opposing attorney can milk the tiniest detail into something that can ruin you financially. Being overweight in an accident (even a minor one) is definitely one of those details that an attorney can exploit against you. It is not about logic or engineering in the legal world.

I tend to pay attention to things that introduce legal jeopardy. Win or lose, lawsuits crush your soul and your bank account. A mere accusation can be more expensive than your truck.
 

gfh77665

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Good post but I thought the OP said he was just at the capacity but not technically over? Maybe I misunderstood.
 

Gearjunkie

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Your payload sounds low. Is it from a chart or the tire rating sticker on the door frame? A chart I found gave me 12?? lbs but the sticker on my frame says 1410lbs
Here is a video on air bags vs Weight distribution hitch. Good info.
 

dhay13

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The yellow door sticker will be closer and easier for payload. The charts are hard to read and often deceiving, meaning they show max payload of XXXX but that is for a completely different configuration, or maybe you have the Ram boxes and sunroof so that throws it off. If you add bigger tires and heavier wheels that will take away from payload, etc. Best thing to do is go weigh your truck as it sits then subtract that from your rated GVWR then you know exactly where you are.
 

KMKKOZ

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That was a great video. I use both airbags and WDH so I found this video also. On how to use both. It is basically how I set mine up. Good to review and make sure everything is working well together.

 

novelmike

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HI There,

I'm new in to towing so I'd like to make sure I'd be doing it safely. My truck is a RAM 1500 V8 HEMI with 3.55 axel ratio, and I'm planning to tow a 7000Lb (GWVR) RV with a 670Lb hitch weight. I will use a Curt WDH w/Sway Control.

Unfortunately my payload is only 1245Lb so by the time I add passengers, WD Hitch, and RV Hitch weight, I'm only 10lbs below. :-/

I have 2 questions:

1. Tire Load Rating= I have Nokia Attiva AT tires with a 115 Load Rating (i.e. 2649Lb). The truck GAWR is 39000Lb. Would they be ok for towing or would I need to upgrade to a higher Load rating? (i,e, >120 for 3000Lb+)

2. Do I need air bags in the rear suspension or will the WDH be enough?

Any advice is really appreciated. :)

I have a 2012 Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.7 and the 3.92 gears. And have E rated tires.
My trailer is 6700lbs and my tongue weight is about 1,000lbs “dry” So loaded up my tongue weight is probably a couple hundred pounds more and trailer is about 1,000+pounds more.

**The E rated tires make it feel more stable on the highway.

I use a Blue ox weight distributing hitch that’s rated for a 1500lb tongue weight rating (I really like it too!)
I also have the Firestone “coil-rite” airbags kit that came with “work-rite” rubber springs that are in place of the stock bump stops. When loaded, the work-rite springs will be touching the rear axle. I only use about 15-20psi in the airbags.

Overall the truck rides great with my setup and the heavy trailer (for a 1/2 ton) I’ve never experienced any sway when towing and the truck is stable when passing big rigs.

*** I would recommend getting airbags. They can be bought for less than $200 and installed easily. My airbag kit is about $100 more. If I do not have any air in mine, and the WDH on, my truck squats quite a bit. Airbags fixes that (your truck will sit level) and will definitely make your truck feel more stable.
If your drive home from the RV dealer isn’t too far, try it out before installing the airbags. My guess is that you’re going to want them.
 
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