Ram 1500 Ecodiesel

[Tow Rookie]

Hello, I have never towed before and have a 2017 Ram 1500 ecodiesel that can tow 9200 lbs with 3.92 gears and looking at buying a 2011 Keystone cougar 27rls travel trailer 6145 lbs dry with 715 lbs tongue weight. Ram info: Max trailer weight rating listed as is 8,580 lbs as a 4x4 on ram spec sheet. (confusing)
GVWR 6950
Base weight 5695
GCWR 14,550

Can I safely tow this trailer with my family. I am new to towing and before I buy it from a private party, I need to make sure it is safe. Two adults and two kids in the family. Thank you in advance.

[338RLKCougar]

You have to look at the payload for your truck. In other words what you, your family, the tongue weight of the camper and what you will be carrying in the bed of your truck when you go camping and deduct that from what the Factory says the payload is. This will let you know if the truck is overloaded for it’s carrying capacity or not. Sounds like your truck will pull it but the question is, is there enough payload. The Ram website has this info in a PDF that you can download for free. Good luck and safe travels.

[JRTJH]

The GVW of the truck is a "hard and fast number"
The GCWR of the truck/trailer combo is also a "hard and fast number".
The base weight AND the payload are variables that must be considered and will change depending on loading. They will determine what is "left over" for the maximum trailer weight.

Let's look at some examples using your "numbers":

GVW - empty weight: 6950-5695 = 1255 payload
GCWR - empty weight: 14550-5695 = 8855 max trailer weight
GCWR - Truck GVW: 14550-6950 = 7600 max trailer weight

Remember: Payload = passenger weight + cargo weight + hitch weight + trailer tongue weight.

From the above three calculations, you should see that the maximum trailer capacity does not remain constant, but varies depending on what cargo/passengers/hitch weight you put on the truck. So, if the truck is empty and you are the ONLY passenger, you can tow a heavier trailer than if the truck has 600 pounds of cargo in the bed, you, your wife and 3 teenagers in the cab. EVERY pound you add to the truck takes a pound off the maximum trailer because the GCWR remains constant.

Putting it in different terms, your truck "might" be OK towing a 6145 pound trailer but as you increase the load on the truck, you decrease the "left over" to be consumed by the trailer. And as you load the trailer, you decrease the "left over" to be consumed by passengers and cargo in the truck.

Finding the balance between truck, passenger load, truck cargo, hitch weight, trailer weight, trailer cargo and trailer tongue weight will ALL play into your calculations. While you may find someone who ALWAYS travels with no cargo in his trailer and travels alone (or with only his wife) will be within the ratings, someone else, who travels with a half filled fresh water tank, 1000 pounds of cargo in the trailer, 400 pounds of cargo in the truck bed and 4 passengers plus the driver will be critically overloaded.

Look at your anticipated payload and passengers and "guess" your trailer cargo at 1000 pounds (a conservative figure). Calculate the trailer tongue weight at 11% of the trailer total weight (not the empty weight) and plug those numbers into the above three calculations. That will give you a starting point on whether you'll be within the ratings.

[flybouy]

3 major considerations...
1. What is the capacity of YOUR TRUCK. That can be found on a yellow sticker on the door post. Now, take that and deduct everything you put in the truck, both interior and the bed. That's you, spouse, kids, dogs, aftermarket accessories, tools, firewood, cell phones, tablets, hitch, etc.
2. The trailer dry weight and tongue weight is only useful to the driver that delivers it from the factory. Once you add the battery, fill the propane tanks, and fill the camper with bedding, food, cloths, water, drinks, pots, pans, coffee maker, kids toys, etc. the weight will increase rapidly. I'd hazard a guess that the tongue wt. will climb to nearly a 1,000 lbs before you know it.
3. Consider the sail area of the trailer. As I see it a 30' camper can create a handful to control on a windy day or with passing large trucks or busses. This will spark many debates as many folks towing with a 1/2 ton will say it's fine. Others, such as myself who have towed long trailers with both 1/2 and 3/4 or larger trucks will say you need a larger truck.:popcorn:At the very least, take the length of the trailer into consideration when choosing a hitch. Don't skimp and get a hitch without sway control and don't consider the friction sway control that's a flat bar connected to hitch and trailer that you have to remove to back up. Do a search on the forum and you will find many posts on the subject.
Welcome and hope you find what you are looking for. Many good, knowledgeable folks here that can help you along!

[hankpage]

Also remember to add 100 lbs. for hitch and another 100 lbs. for propane and battery. (Propane and batteries are stored up front so most of the weight is on the hitch.) Good luck and travel safely. JM2¢, Hank

[ctbruce]

Here is a great video that explains how all of parameters have to agree. I hope it helps.

https://rvsafety.com/rv-education/matching-trucks-to-trailers

[KSH]

I had an eco diesel, it towed great. I did end up getting a propride hitch which made the world of difference in the sway control. My trailer weighed 7200lbs and is 28'long. I took it to a scale and made sure everything was setup right.