Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 

Go Back   Keystone RV Forums > Keystone Fleet | Keystone RV Models > Lite Weight Trailers
Click Here to Login

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-11-2014, 01:00 PM   #21
GaryWT
Senior Member
 
GaryWT's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: MA
Posts: 3,153
Quote:
Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
Not trying to be disrespectful to the previous post but we pull a Cougar 26SAB with our 2012 Ram 1500. Added Airlift 1000 airbags and some higher load capacity tires. It does a great job as far as I am concerned. The truck is a regular cab short bed hemi with 3.92 gears.
The truck payload stays the same as the axle rating does not change. Also the tire pressure on the door should be kept the say. Hope it continues to work for you though.
__________________
2013 Premier 31BHPR
2014 F350 6.2L
Soon to be just DW and I
GaryWT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2014, 02:19 PM   #22
x96mnn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 502
Quote:
Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
Not trying to be disrespectful to the previous post but we pull a Cougar 26SAB with our 2012 Ram 1500. Added Airlift 1000 airbags and some higher load capacity tires. It does a great job as far as I am concerned. The truck is a regular cab short bed hemi with 3.92 gears.
Not sure if this was directed toward me or luvspalmtrees. If it was toward me no disrespect taken, my experience is just that, mine and could be caused by my lack of experience towing.

As for the post on additions, my additions was for stabilization and not to increase the book capacity. All loaded up I was 300pds to 500pds below my legal limit at the scales. The only item I found that seemed to make the most difference on my 2011 ram was the airlift 1000.

Very happy with my dually.
__________________
2008 Jeep Liberty
RVision TS25s
2011 Ram 4x4 Hemi, Airlift 1000' e rated tires
2012 Sprinter 266
2014 RAM 6.7 Cummins Diesel
2015 Sandpiper 30IOK

All I care about is camping, maybe three people and beer!
x96mnn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2014, 05:01 PM   #23
logspec1
Junior Member
 
logspec1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Irvington, al
Posts: 22
tongue-pin weight

Rooti, I would question your curb weight of 3,087lbs. I would recommend you run that to a CAT scale and check for sure. I have a F150 with a GVW of 7100lbs and my curb weight (truck with tool box and full tank of gas) came in at 5880. These trucks are about the same so I would check yours because that GVW is going to determine what tongue or pin weight you can handle.
__________________
Logspec1
2014 Premier 30REPR
2013 F150 XLT Supercab
5.0 V8 w/tow package
logspec1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-12-2014, 03:09 AM   #24
bsmith0404
Senior Member
 
bsmith0404's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
Quote:
Originally Posted by logspec1 View Post
Rooti, I would question your curb weight of 3,087lbs. I would recommend you run that to a CAT scale and check for sure. I have a F150 with a GVW of 7100lbs and my curb weight (truck with tool box and full tank of gas) came in at 5880. These trucks are about the same so I would check yours because that GVW is going to determine what tongue or pin weight you can handle.
I question that as well. My 2500 was 7200 lbs. Granted it's a 2500 duramax, that that doesn't add 4000 lbs., I think 5-6k is more realistic. Heck my corvette is over 2,500.
__________________

Brent
2013 Alpine 3500RE
2019 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
U.S. Air Force Retired (25 yrs)
bsmith0404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2014, 12:08 PM   #25
pakuma
Senior Member
 
pakuma's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: West Hills
Posts: 125
Smile

I am towing my 1/2 ton fifth wheel with a Ram 1500 with the 5.7l Hemi. The trailer GVWR is 100 Pounds under the max capacity as recommended by Ram's truck team. I have already put over 6000 mi. on it and have not had any problems except for gas mileage while towing uphill.
__________________
Jeff Frankel
2013 Cougar 297RKWS
2019 Ram 2500 6.4l Diesel
pakuma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2014, 01:10 PM   #26
ncgrl1
Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Hudson, N.C.
Posts: 72
Thank you Jeff
ncgrl1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 06:14 AM   #27
Bob Landry
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Austin, Tx
Posts: 1,910
Quote:
Originally Posted by Festus2 View Post
Where should you be on weight? That depends, of course, upon what RV you are pulling. We have no information about the towing specs on your truck nor anything about the weight of the TT or 5th wheel so it's impossible to provide you with any "real answers".

Not sure about Texas, but in most places there isn't any max "legal" weight restrictions - except some DL restrictions when towing something in excess of 10000 in some states and provinces. There is a "safe" weight and you should be under the maximum towing limits of your truck. Doesn't matter if you are pulling in the flats or in the mountains, the limit doesn't change.
The cutoff for a CDL is 26,0001 lbs. Texas does not require a CDL for a recreational vehicle, but depending on weight, you may be required to obtain a Class A license.
__________________
2011 Outback 277RL
2013 F250 XLT Crew Cab 6.2L

Bitter Gun Owner
Bitter Clinger
Armed Infidel
Bob Landry is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 03:00 PM   #28
bsmith0404
Senior Member
 
bsmith0404's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
Quote:
Originally Posted by ncgrl1 View Post
Not trying to be disrespectful to the previous post but we pull a Cougar 26SAB with our 2012 Ram 1500. Added Airlift 1000 airbags and some higher load capacity tires. It does a great job as far as I am concerned. The truck is a regular cab short bed hemi with 3.92 gears.
30' 5er on a regular cab short bed 1/2 ton.....wow, that's a lot of trailer for that short wheel base. The x-lite is light enough though. I definitely wouldn't go any longer/heavier without a truck upgrade.
__________________

Brent
2013 Alpine 3500RE
2019 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
U.S. Air Force Retired (25 yrs)
bsmith0404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 03:35 PM   #29
x96mnn
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 502
Went to look at the following set up today with a friend who was looking. He decided not to. 2011 ram 1500.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	image.jpg
Views:	133
Size:	63.4 KB
ID:	6838  
__________________
2008 Jeep Liberty
RVision TS25s
2011 Ram 4x4 Hemi, Airlift 1000' e rated tires
2012 Sprinter 266
2014 RAM 6.7 Cummins Diesel
2015 Sandpiper 30IOK

All I care about is camping, maybe three people and beer!
x96mnn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 03:41 PM   #30
Javi
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,456
Quote:
Originally Posted by x96mnn View Post
Went to look at the following set up today with a friend who was looking. He decided not to. 2011 ram 1500.
That should be just fine, the bumper is still several inches off the ground and the fenders ain't hitting the tires.. Just take it slow and watch how you load the trailer..
Javi is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 04:46 PM   #31
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by Javi View Post
That should be just fine, the bumper is still several inches off the ground and the fenders ain't hitting the tires.. Just take it slow and watch how you load the trailer..
Piece of cake, just put the generator, spare water jugs and the firewood forward of the hitch (in the front of the bed) and it'll balance the heavy trailer. Heck, might be able to even put a motorcycle on the front bumper to get the fenders off the tires...

Like Albert, "What, me worry?"
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 05:07 PM   #32
bsmith0404
Senior Member
 
bsmith0404's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Las Cruces
Posts: 4,665
Quote:
Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Piece of cake, just put the generator, spare water jugs and the firewood forward of the hitch (in the front of the bed) and it'll balance the heavy trailer. Heck, might be able to even put a motorcycle on the front bumper to get the fenders off the tires...

Like Albert, "What, me worry?"
You have it all wrong...put a receiver on the back bumper of the 5er so you can put the motorcycle back there taking weight off of the hitch. I thought you guess would know that by now.
__________________

Brent
2013 Alpine 3500RE
2019 Silverado 2500HD Duramax
U.S. Air Force Retired (25 yrs)
bsmith0404 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2014, 05:24 PM   #33
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
Quote:
Originally Posted by bsmith0404 View Post
You have it all wrong...put a receiver on the back bumper of the 5er so you can put the motorcycle back there taking weight off of the hitch. I thought you guess would know that by now.
Yeah, you're right. I have a receiver on the back of my trailer, but I haven't bought a motorcycle yet, so I keep forgetting that option. I suppose I could put the cargo platform on the receiver and carry a bunch of concrete blocks, eh? LOL

Hmmmmm, I wonder if that "helium build option" would lighten the pin weight if I put some balloons under the front overhang?
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-18-2014, 03:56 PM   #34
donnie_o8
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Toledo Oh.
Posts: 38
I see this subject come up a lot here. As far as trying to get away with being at the max limit of the TV......???? I'm there right now and it aint a good feeling. We are lucky its flat here were we live cause the truck don't do hills....lol. We have a f150 and the trailer is right at 6000 lbs. The truck just don't do it for me. I would never think about one of them there 1/2 ton towable jobs unless someone is gonna haul my beer for me. We are looking at trucks right know...... and I'm skippin right over a 3/4 ton...Were looking at 1ton duallys I don't ever want to have this problem again as knowing we are going to get a bigger trailer someday.
__________________
2012 Passport GT 3100rk
2007 F150 4x4
2007 Ram 1500 (soon to be traded)
We need a bigger truck!!

donnie_o8 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2014, 05:25 AM   #35
jsmith948
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Central San Joaguin Valley, CA
Posts: 2,117
There you go.....there is NO SUBSTITUTE for real-world experience
__________________

Jack & Marty
2018 Laredo 298 SRL
2011 F-250 SB Crew Cab 4x4 6.7L
jsmith948 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2014, 06:25 AM   #36
JRTJH
Site Team
 
JRTJH's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,841
In the September 2014 issue of Trailer Life, the "trailer review" article by Chris Hemer sums it up better than I've read in a long, long time. His words would serve as a "beginner's guide" and as "experienced advisor's comments" on this subject. He gets the point across to almost anyone who wants to listen and think about towing. Here's the way the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel/Lance 1995 article begins:

"As we drive through the scenic Owens Valley along California's Highway 395, the word that keeps coming to mind is "effortless." The trailer feels planted and stable, and the tow vehicle purrs along contentedly, nonplussed by neither steep grades nor an incessant headwind. This is trailering nirvana. This is the way it's supposed to be.

Trailer towing is a numbers game. Horsepower, torque, tow capacity, hitch weight, gross axle weight [GVWR] and gross vehicle weight [GVWR] ratings. They all factor into what truck and trailer make a good pairing but don't necessarily tell the whole story. In fact, there are dozens of factors that can affect the way a trailer tows-from suspension and brakes to wheelbase and weight balance. Frequently, as we set out on a test, we find something lacking in the way the combination works, but we learn to accept it, because we know the two weren't built for each other and therefore can never be perfect."


He goes on to talk about the rig that he is testing, the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel and the Lance 1995.

This "perfect" rig, according to him is a matched half ton truck with adequate power and torque, wheelbase of 149.5", weight of 5633 lbs, GVWR of 6950, and a GCWR of 14500. The trailer is 23'9", 4860 lbs, with a GVW of 5700 lbs.

He isn't trying to tow a 35'+ trailer with a light duty truck, he's staying within the realm of "reality" for a good pairing. Many of our readers try to push the envelope, add "just a little more" then see a nicer floorplan and add "just a tad bit more" and keep growing until they simply outclass their tow vehicle.

That's the core message donnie_o8 is saying in his recent post, the echo by jsmith948, the "rant" I've been posting for the last couple of years, the message being repeated over and over. Will all the "new to RVing members" get it? Nope, some will continue to listen to the profit hungry salesmen, the "I am doing it, you can too" crowd, the guy with the hairy chest standing on his truck beating his chest saying, "TRUCK GOOD!!" and they will be swayed to believe they can beat the numbers by just adding "only a little bit more". Over and over the "wrong message" of "just add air bags and LT tires and you'll be fine." If only it were that simple to make an "outclassed vehicle" one that's "tow worthy."

Honestly, listening to the words of Chris Hemer in this article and letting it be the "mantra" for towing wisdom would go far in making RVing safer and much more comfortable for nearly everyone.
__________________
John



2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
JRTJH is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2014, 07:40 AM   #37
SAABDOCTOR
Senior Member
 
SAABDOCTOR's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: WESTERN,CT
Posts: 2,095
AH common sence, something there isn't much of in Fairfield county Connecticut I live and work in the land of you didn't tell me i couldn't my lawyer will contact you it's not my fault. Gee John i really need to retire
__________________
BARNEY AND CHRISTINE
2010 MONTANA 3750FL
2005 DODGE 3500 DUALLY TD
2 RESCUE PUPS: SUSITNA AND CRYSTAL. RIP ALYESKA!
SAABDOCTOR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2014, 06:49 PM   #38
audio1der
Senior Member
 
audio1der's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Airdrie, Alberta
Posts: 552
During our latest outing, a family pulled in next to us pulling a decent length Rockwood ultra light 5'er. I asked the fellow about his TV and he told me confidently that although his '13 Chev 1/2 ton was near it's limit, it could tow it because of his Reese Sidewinder hitch. I had to turn around and walk away.
__________________
2013 Passport 3220BHWE, upgrade axles, Kumho Radial 857's, all LED, TST507 TPMS, Reese DCSC, DIY corner stabilizers
2012 Ram 1500 Sport crew cab, Hemi, 4x4, 3.92 LSD, factory brake controller, S&B CAI w/scoop, Moroso air/oil can, 87mm ported/polished/knife-edged throttle body, Magnaflow exhaust, 180* t-stat, Rear lowered 2", Airlift 1000.
audio1der is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-19-2014, 09:04 PM   #39
chuckster57
Site Team
 
chuckster57's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,235
Never ceases to amaze me just how much trailer, either bumper pull or fifth wheel people will attach to a TV....And not think anything about it.
__________________

2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.

Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
chuckster57 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-01-2014, 08:44 AM   #40
Currahee
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 5
Towing

I am about to purchase a used (2009 Keystone Passport Ultra Lite 285RL). For the first year we will be towing it with a 2004 Toyota Tundra Limited Double Cab. It has the tow package and I did some upgrades (10 ply E rated Cooper tires, upgraded mono tube gas shocks and struts, nice brake controller). The truck is rated for a max towing capacity of 7000lbs, but we will be well below that. I am sure I will not be using the overdrive and expect a bit of a struggle, but the truck is pretty powerful for a small V-8. The Passport is equipped with a Hensley Hitch, so that will be very helpful as far anti-sway, but we will have to pack light in the truck and trailer. Next year, we plan to upgrade. I will let you know how it does.
Currahee is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Keystone RV Company or any of its affiliates in any way. Keystone RV® is a registered trademark of the Keystone RV Company.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 02:25 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.