Will RAM 1500 be adequate for Passport 2200

RMC · 12-28-2018, 07:03 AM

Our trailer is a 2019 Passport 2200RBWE.

Dry weight 4395 lbs
GVW weight 6500 lbs

We do not have tow vehicle right now. We have an opportunity to get an excellent deal on a 2015 RAM 1500.

Here are the vehicle specs:

2015 Quad Cab 1500 6.5' Box
Engine 5.7 Hemi
8-Speed Automatic 8HP70 Transmission
Max Towing - 8120lb (3683.17kg)

Will this be adequate for the job? When we camp we will regularly need to go through the mountains.

**JRTJH** · 12-28-2018, 07:48 AM

There's not nearly enough information about the truck to make an "informed decision"....

At "first blush" it might appear adequate since the truck "is rated to tow 8120 pounds" but missing information about payload, cargo you intend to carry, size of your family (considered part of the cargo carried), the trim level of the truck (affects payload), the axle ratios, whether it's 2 or 4 wheel drive, and even which hitch you're planning to use will all (or should all) be considered when making a decision about tow vehicle. Also, any optional towing packages, towing equipment, and since it's a used vehicle, any owner added accessories... Remember, things like a fiberglass shell can add upwards of 500 pounds of payload weight that you have to deduct from the total available capacities.

Remember, the tow ratings are considered "the absolute maximum" the vehicle can tow, and the weights listed on the trailer are the "absolute minimum" the trailer will weigh, so you're already considering "apples and oranges" in the comparison.

If you can provide more information as listed above and any other info you have about the truck/trailer, how you plan to use them (towing with water full/empty, etc) will help those who have similar situations to give you their "real world experiences".....

ctbruce · 12-28-2018, 07:56 AM

This video will help explain all the parameters John is talking about and how they all interrelate. This is how you make an informed decision. https://rvsafety.com/rv-education/ma...ks-to-trailers

**sourdough** · 12-28-2018, 08:52 AM

RMC

As John said, at first "blush" it would appear the truck would be OK, but, it would be greatly beneficial to get the numbers off the driver's door so that you can post payload, gvw and gawrs. The other info suggested will help you make a very informed decision on the capabilities of the truck and trailer.

I've owned 3 Ram 1500 5.7 trucks, all double cab short boxes. They came with 3.55 or 3.92 ratios, all 4x4. They are a capable truck but can be overloaded.....yes, you don't have to ask. Post back with the other info and we can proceed from there. Lots of knowledge here so I'm sure we can help you out.

RMC · 12-28-2018, 05:29 PM

Here is some additional information:

Truck (2015 RAM 1500):

It is a 4 wheel drive.

GVWR =6900
GAWR = 3900

Seller is still researching the axle ratio.

Trailer (2019 Passport 2200RBWE):

The trailer hitch weight is 452 lbs.
We have an RV Pro W/D Hitch
Dual 6V batteries.
No other extras.

It will only be my wife and I. Total weight @350 lbs for the two of us.

We expect to do a fair amount of dry camping.

Not much gear initially but I can see us getting a generator at some point down the road.

**sourdough** · 12-28-2018, 06:10 PM

You need to have them give you the "payload" off the door pillar - important. They need to give you the gawr...front and back - not just one. I would not even consider without knowing the axle ratio....with proof. If they are original owners (2015) they should know that; if not, check the VIN.

Your tongue weight with the trailer loaded will be more in the 700+ lb. range. You must take that into consideration vs your payload (you need to know). If the previous owner added 2 6V batteries to the nose....subtract that from your payload.

RMC · 12-28-2018, 08:05 PM

My bad Sourdough, the GAWR is the same (3900) for both front and back. He sent me a photo of the door panel numbers and since they were the same I just posted the one.

**sourdough** · 12-28-2018, 08:31 PM

On those pics there should be a line giving the payload number (carrying capacity)...what is that?

rhagfo · 12-28-2018, 10:18 PM

If the seller has shared the VIN you can put in the link below and get the factory build sheet with all the options. It will also have the axle ratio.
https://fcacommunity.force.com/RAM/s/equipment-listing

Hankster · 12-29-2018, 03:26 AM

You're going to be fine, I have almost the same set up as you. I would probably get a set of D or E rated tires for it. Mine has stock Goodyear SRA 20" tires. They are nothing more than a passenger tire, and are the weakest link in the whole truck as far as towing goes. With the 8 speed trans you will find that you can select which gears you want to stay below. It does a good job with downhill engine braking when in tow haul mode.
My rig has the .321 gears, and it does just fine.
I pulled my buddy's 1972 ideal (5500#)to Orofino back in November, the brakes weren't working on the trailer, and I was really nervous about tackling Whitebird grade. The 8speed handles it like a boss.
We will be heading out in April for a cross country move with our Keystone Bullet 261rbswe that has a GVW of #7600. The only preps I'm making are tuff truck 1000 air bags, and upgrading the tires to BF Goodrich KO2's in D load range. The thin sidewall tires, and the springs that are selected for the cushy ride are this trucks greatest weakness.

RMC · 12-29-2018, 09:59 AM

The VIN lookup tool rhagfo posted is for US vehicles only. The link for Canada on that site just goes to a Ram dealer. No VIN lookup.

I'm still stuck on calculating the carrying limits for this truck. I did find this chart

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf

On page 3 is has the Quad cab numbers. The 2nd chart on that page is for 4x4.

The 5.7 V8 HEMI with 8 speed transmission gives :

8060 tow rating with 3.21 axle ratio
10210 tow rating with 3.92 axle ratio

8060 lines up with what the seller told me (8120) so this truck likely has the 3.21 axle ratio.

So it looks like we are OK with tow limits but what is the spare carrying capacity of the truck when towing? Is it 8060-6500 = 1500 lbs?

BTW Hankster, the tires have just been replaced with 8 ply Toyo so I should be good there.

rjrelander · 12-29-2018, 12:48 PM

That's kind of where we are at with our Sierra 1500. Our biggest limitation is also the axle ratio but even worse. If I remember correctly, our ratio is 3.08 which clips us at about 6200 lbs. as opposed to a 3.42 ratio which would give us 9200 lbs. Better for normal driving and mileage but even with the transmission cooler and towing mode, still hard on the transmission and drive train for towing.

cjm · 12-29-2018, 05:32 PM

Use the VIN look up on the US site - not canada... it will work - at least it did for me...

notanlines · 12-30-2018, 03:48 AM

"I'm still stuck on calculating the carrying limits for this truck."
Can you not simply have the present owner send (text-email) you a picture of the yellow tag on the inside the driver's door post? I fail to see the problem here.

Hankster · 12-30-2018, 04:13 AM

What is the trim level? If it's a bighorn you should be right around 5900- 6,000 at the scale, and your
gvwr should be 6900. That's what my 2015 is, his and mine should be pretty similar if it's a Bighorn quad cab Laramie trim is a little bit heavier. Tradesman/express a little bit lighter.

This is my door stickers.......
What's confusing to me is mine scales out at 5900 ish before I added the side steps, and rubber bed mat which would leave me with 1000#-1100 of payload according to the VIN tag sticker, but the other one states 1440#, so which is it?

**JRTJH** · 12-30-2018, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hankster

...

This is my door stickers.......
What's confusing to me is mine scales out at 5900 ish before I added the side steps, and rubber bed mat which would leave me with 1000#-1100 of payload according to the VIN tag sticker, but the other one states 1440#, so which is it?

Based on the photos you posted, the GVW is 6900 and the payload is 1440. Doing some math, that means the curb weight of the truck is (should be) 5460. You say your truck weighs 5900 pounds. That's a 440 pound difference. I'd suspect your additions of side steps and bed mat are a part of that. You'd need to do some research to find the rest of the weight. Guessing here, it may be the weight of the receiver, wheel well liners, any dealer applied options such as spray on undercoat, floor mats and other similar "accessories"...

Supposedly, the door stickers are "vehicle specific" and should not be off by more than a few pounds. Why yours is 440 pounds off ?????

If it were me, I'd go with the actual vehicle weights, not a sticker that is more "historical" than "factual". Seldom (really never) have I seen a CAT scale weight be more than 1-2% wrong. I'd believe the scaled weights.

Hankster · 12-30-2018, 09:02 AM

I'm not too concerned, there is some added weights, I'm sure, that weight was also with gas in the tank, a small tool kit, some toothpicks, and a pack of gumin the console. It also included me, and a few miscellaneous items in the bed, and 4 mudflaps.
I'm more of the type that believes the gvwr is more of a guideline/ suggestion to be somewhat adhered to. I'm not going to lose any sleep if I'm a hundred or 2 over, especially after getting upgraded tires, and the airbags. Now when you get much beyond that is when I start getting concerned.
I know some here might have their head exploding when they read this, and that's fine, I'll put my safety shield on, and turn the other way.

Hankster · 12-30-2018, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rjrelander

That's kind of where we are at with our Sierra 1500. Our biggest limitation is also the axle ratio but even worse. If I remember correctly, our ratio is 3.08 which clips us at about 6200 lbs. as opposed to a 3.42 ratio which would give us 9200 lbs. Better for normal driving and mileage but even with the transmission cooler and towing mode, still hard on the transmission and drive train for towing.

The older 3&4 speed trans in the Chevy truck was it's Achilles heel. I think it was an L480E.
The newer transmissions (all brands)have so many more gear options, and usually have a much lower first gear ratio than the older ones did. With the ability to lick out the higher gears it makes for an easy time towing, keep it in an appropriate gear, and let the engine do it's job. Climbing a 7% grade at 50 mph with the engine turning 3500 doesn't bother me as long as the temps aren't going too high.

Logan X · 12-30-2018, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RMC

The VIN lookup tool rhagfo posted is for US vehicles only. The link for Canada on that site just goes to a Ram dealer. No VIN lookup.

I'm still stuck on calculating the carrying limits for this truck. I did find this chart

https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf

On page 3 is has the Quad cab numbers. The 2nd chart on that page is for 4x4.

The 5.7 V8 HEMI with 8 speed transmission gives :

8060 tow rating with 3.21 axle ratio
10210 tow rating with 3.92 axle ratio

8060 lines up with what the seller told me (8120) so this truck likely has the 3.21 axle ratio.

So it looks like we are OK with tow limits but what is the spare carrying capacity of the truck when towing? Is it 8060-6500 = 1500 lbs?

BTW Hankster, the tires have just been replaced with 8 ply Toyo so I should be good there.

Unless I’m reading the above tow chart wrong, it looks like your gross combined weight rating is 13800 lbs, minus your gross vehicle weight rating of 6900 lbs, equals 6900 lbs max towing capability. When the tow chart gives you the max tow number, it is for a dry vehicle with no modifications.

RMC · 12-30-2018, 02:49 PM

So basically we would be down to 400 hundred pounds of payload in the truck when towing our trailer? (6900 - 6500). There is a cover for the bed of the truck so that would have come out of that.

I'm confused as to why the chart would list max tow capacity as 8060 when 13800 (GCWR ) - 6900 (GVWR) = 6900. I mean these numbers are right there in the chart.

It is not making sense to me.

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