First Time Travel Trailer & Truck Owner

[annmarie]

After lots and lots and lots of research (phew!) we finally pulled the trigger on our very first truck and trailer! 2019 RAM 1500 and a 2015 Keystone Springdale 270LE.

We're hoping to move-in full time once we get a remote job lined up and until then we'll be taking trips and possibly living in it this summer/fall (we're from Minnesota), if the weather is decent. We are doing our first road trip for a week next Friday.

We're super excited to be a part of the rv family!

[LHaven]

Welcome! I predict great fun ahead for you, hopefully with a very small number of those mandatory "learning experiences". :bdance:

[annmarie]

Hah! I feel like we're already well on our way... a stinky hot water heater and a slide out that's tipping too far out! :facepalm:

[Chris P]

Congratulations and Welcome to the forum from New Jersey, Not to bash the 1500 but had and a 2013 and really wasn't up to the task on a2020qb Definitely geared wrong though, Good luck keep us posted ,it's a really nice set up., Upgraded to the 2500 6.4 l

[annmarie]

What's a 2020qb?? Tow capacity for our 1500 is just over 11k and our dry weight for the rig is 7k. So I'm assuming we'll be okay...?!

[sourdough]

What's a 2020qb?? Tow capacity for our 1500 is just over 11k and our dry weight for the rig is 7k. So I'm assuming we'll be okay...?!


Hi annmarie;

I figured this would come up. Recognize the "dry" weight of your trailer is meaningless, as is the "tow" rating for the truck. Neither has ever been seen by your truck I imagine.

Your trailer has a gvw of 9560lbs - much more than your 1500 wants; I can assure you from experience. Tongue weight loaded would approach 1200 lbs.

What do you need to know? The numbers on the door stickers inside your driver door. What is the payload of the truck? You need to deduct 1200 lbs. from that. What is the gvw? The gawr of the front and rear axles?

What kind of WDH/sway control do you have? If it's not one of the best you will not have a fun time. What is the axle ratio on your truck? If it is 3.55, trade it off with that trailer (btdt).

Not to be a downer but there is so much more to pulling an RV than picking that "big ole trailer" that looks so nice then finding a "pickup" that the manufacturer says will "pull" it....so much more.

Post those numbers and lets see where you are. I pulled a 10k gvw trailer with a Ram 1500 (in fact 2) and found they were marginally adequate although over payload. The 2500 fixed that...totally. You might be right on the edge or a bit over - just depends on how you load and what you carry. Let us help.

[annmarie]

Our RAM has a 3.92 rear axle ratio - we didn't consider any less than 3.92 because of how significantly it impacted towing capacity.

We have an Andersen weight distribution hitch.

Our tongue weight is 797lbs + 10-15% of our total cargo. We certainly don't anticipate putting an additional 2000lbs - not even scratching the 2550lbs it can take. So we won't ever tow at 9560lbs.

Tow capacity on the truck is 11,340lbs.
GVWR is 7100lbs.
GAWR front is 3900lbs.
GAWR rear is 4100lbs.

We wouldn't have purchased this truck/trailer combo if we anticipated towing at almost 10,000lbs. We wanted to give ourselves at least a 15% buffer. If we tow it at 8500lbs, a 20% buffer is only 10,200 which we are still well below.

We did a ton of homework prior to our purchase and I'll be damned if this is a bad truck/trailer combo. Because if our research wasn't enough, then no truck/trailer owners could possibly get it right the first time!!

[Logan X]

Our RAM has a 3.92 rear axle ratio - we didn't consider any less than 3.92 because of how significantly it impacted towing capacity.

We have an Andersen weight distribution hitch.

Our tongue weight is 797lbs + 10-15% of our total cargo. We certainly don't anticipate putting an additional 2000lbs - not even scratching the 2550lbs it can take. So we won't ever tow at 9560lbs.

Tow capacity on the truck is 11,340lbs.
GVWR is 7100lbs.
GAWR front is 3900lbs.
GAWR rear is 4100lbs.

We wouldn't have purchased this truck/trailer combo if we anticipated towing at almost 10,000lbs. We wanted to give ourselves at least a 15% buffer. If we tow it at 8500lbs, a 20% buffer is only 10,200 which we are still well below.

We did a ton of homework prior to our purchase and I'll be damned if this is a bad truck/trailer combo. Because if our research wasn't enough, then no truck/trailer owners could possibly get it right the first time!!

If I can point out one thing, and I am not trying to sow discontent, the max tow number you are using is for an empty truck. The max tow number of 11330 they list in the towing guide is the empty weight of the truck subtracted from the gross combined weight rating or GCWR, which is 17000 lbs.

https://www.ramtrucks.com/content/dam/fca-brands/na/ramtrucks/en_us/2019/ram-1500/capability/pdf/2019_DT_J1_Trailer_Tow_Official_Report_OFFICIAL_A_ 2018-1-31.pdf

When you are towing you are far more likely to be near the loaded weight of your truck, or the gross vehicle weight rating GVWR, than the empty weight. There will be passengers, cargo, firewood, ice chest, generator, tools etc, loaded in the truck.

So in reality the maximum weight you can tow is the GCWR minus the trucks GVWR.

17000-7100=9900 lbs.

The loaded weight of your trailer is somewhere around 9600 lbs if I am remembering correctly. So I don’t think you have the amount of weight cushion that you think you have.

The other number you need to look at is the payload capacity. It’s listed on a sticker inside the drivers door. It says “all occupants and cargo shall not exceed xxxx pounds”. Included in your cargo is the loaded hitch weight of your trailer plus all other cargo and occupants.

For your hitch weight, again you want to use the loaded number or the trailers GVWR of 9600 pounds. The hitch weight is approximately 12 percent of the trailer’s weight or

9600x.12=1152 pounds trailer tongue weight.

I think your payload capacity is somewhere around 1800 pounds and if that is the case, you may be ok.

I guess my main point is it is better to use the loaded numbers when you are figuring out how much you can tow.

You are definitely near the limit of what your truck can handle (if your not over) and the towing performance will probably suffer. My intent with this post was not to tell you that you are wrong, it was just to provide information so you can make the best decision possible. YMMV.

[sourdough]

Our RAM has a 3.92 rear axle ratio - we didn't consider any less than 3.92 because of how significantly it impacted towing capacity.

We have an Andersen weight distribution hitch.

Our tongue weight is 797lbs + 10-15% of our total cargo. We certainly don't anticipate putting an additional 2000lbs - not even scratching the 2550lbs it can take. So we won't ever tow at 9560lbs.

Tow capacity on the truck is 11,340lbs.
GVWR is 7100lbs.
GAWR front is 3900lbs.
GAWR rear is 4100lbs.

We wouldn't have purchased this truck/trailer combo if we anticipated towing at almost 10,000lbs. We wanted to give ourselves at least a 15% buffer. If we tow it at 8500lbs, a 20% buffer is only 10,200 which we are still well below.

We did a ton of homework prior to our purchase and I'll be damned if this is a bad truck/trailer combo. Because if our research wasn't enough, then no truck/trailer owners could possibly get it right the first time!!


Well then, congrats on your new rig. I'm absolutely positive we'll never hear any question, at all, about towing, sway or other issues because you got it "right" and no one else can - even though the numbers you quote are the typical novice mistakes. Got it. Happy camping.

[travelin texans]

It's been advised numerous times on this forum & any other rv forum you may want to read that the dry weight of YOUR rv & every rv ever built only applied til the delivery driver added a battery to tow it to the dealers lot & will NEVER EVER weigh that again, so using that number will give you worthless numbers every time.
Once it arrives at the dealership propane bottles, either full or empty, battery/batteries are installed adding at minimum 100 lbs to that "dry weight", then they may add water which fill the water heater that adds 8+ lbs per gallon.
DRY WEIGHT MEANS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!
The max tow weight of your truck is also meaningless as you'll most likely exceed the payload long before you ever tow the max.
Here's another worthless figure, "half ton towable", most of those rvs in that category are pushing weights for 3/4 ton trucks.
Yes, your truck will tow your rv although probably at or over it's weight limits, but as others have stated if your happy we're tickled pink! As you said you've done your homework, just be VERY careful cause some of your homework was using the wrong numbers.

[FlyingAroundRV]

Just one other consideration on your numbers. As others have pointed out you may be very close or over your truck's limits. If you are over those limits and something bad happens, what will your insurance company do? I'll bet London to a brick that they'll jump on that as their way out of paying. And even though you're no doubt sick of hearing it already, if you are near or over your truck's capacity, the probability of something bad happening rises.
I feel your pain at finding out that your truck may not be sufficient for your trailer. When I first visited these forums, I had my sights set on a 150/1500 sized truck for our 272UFL which is about the same size as your trailer. I too, got jumped on from a great height here and (grudgingly) went instead for a 250 sized HD truck. That cost me an extra $10K and it was a hard sell to my wife. After 3 months touring with our rig, we both recognize that it was good advice.
Sorry to be a downer. Your new truck looks beautiful and no doubt you're just rarin' to get on the road with that beaut new travel trailer. Good luck with it and please keep us posted on how it goes. The people here really do have your best interests at heart with their advice.

[notanlines]

AnnMarie, you've gotten very good advice on this forum, not so when it comes to some of your other sources. We have nothing to gain and you have everything to lose, so to speak. I won't go into the vast number of numbers available to you, that has been covered. I'll bet the commenting members so far are pushing a million miles of towing various trailers. There are probably OTR drivers on this forum with a million all by themselves.
Keep a good attitude, enjoy what you've purchased, look forward to bigger and better. But in your travels realize every day that you are at or over the absolute limit of that Ram. And avoid all brochures, both Dodge AND Keystone!

[Ksupaul]

😂 Read Annemarie’s OP a few days ago and said to myself, can’t wait to see how this one goes in a few days!!

Try replacing your anode rod in your hot water heater if you have one. Also flush it out several times as there could be a lot of sediment in the bottom of it causing some of this smell. Happened and worked for my smelly hot water anyway. Good luck!

[Northofu1]

:wlcm: from Toronto

[ken56]

Please try not to take offense to some comments. They are just being truthful and going by years of experience. Take your truck and trailer NOW to the scale before you pile anything into it. Get the 3 readings you need, truck and trailer WITH the weight distribution hooked up, then WITHOUT the spring bars hooked up, keep the tongue on the ball though, and then the truck alone without the trailer attached at all and all passengers and a full tank of gas and trailer off the scale. That gives you exactly what your combo is as it sits new. Then when you finally get loaded up with all your best stuff and everything you will be taking with you in the bed of the truck go weigh again the same procedure. Then you will know the difference and how much you actually have loaded into the trailer and truck. Note your rear axle weight rating. That will tell the tale.


While you may well be at the upper limits of the truck it will pull it. How it will do on some steep grades who knows. You invested in a good hitch that should be adequate for the tongue weight. Hook up and go and see how it does. That is all you can do. Live and learn.

[annmarie]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the warm welcome and the feedback.

We plan to do an official weigh-in for our peace of mind and to make sure we’re towing safely for ourselves and everyone on the road.

[newemptynester]

annmarie - welcome to the forum, I am really glad you are here. Enjoy making memories in your new TT. Have a safe and fun summer. Keep us posted on your travels.

[GlampingHippie]

We tow with I think the same truck. Never had any issues HOWEVER the truck honestly NEVER carries more than 2 adults and a tank of gas on board. We never carry water in the trailer tanks and really don't have much stuff in the trailer. (Ya we are probably the only trailer owners you will see with empty cupboards!) It was a decision we made to be able to not have to move to a bigger truck.


Go through the scales with an honest load (everything you think you need/want) in both your trailer & truck. That will tell you the truth. Then make the hard decisions about what you can keep and what has to go.


Make it work & enjoy your ride.
Welcome!! :CF2:

[LHaven]

We did a ton of homework prior to our purchase and I'll be damned if this is a bad truck/trailer combo. Because if our research wasn't enough, then no truck/trailer owners could possibly get it right the first time!!

Boy, do I hear your pain. I recently decided to run through all the actual numbers to satisfy myself that we are not overtowing. I had to gather numbers from the doorframe, the door edge, and the truck user manual (why aren't they all in one place?) as well as the trailer decal, and that was only half the numbers I needed. I purchased a tongue scale to get that weght, and I'm going to have to visit a truck scale (some 50 miles away) to gather the rest. Only then will I know whether I have good news or bad news. My wife has been insisting that we are well within specs given a single number on the truck brochure, and she's going to be furious if we turn out to be overweight.

It does appear that the manufacturer's single-value tow figure is absolutely useless, and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who never get it "right."

We don't really carry anything in the truck other than its own fluids, two of us, and two dogs, so at least we aren't preloading ourselves that way.

[LHaven]

Get the 3 readings you need, truck and trailer WITH the weight distribution hooked up, then WITHOUT the spring bars hooked up, keep the tongue on the ball though, and then the truck alone without the trailer attached at all and all passengers and a full tank of gas and trailer off the scale. That gives you exactly what your combo is as it sits new. Then when you finally get loaded up with all your best stuff and everything you will be taking with you in the bed of the truck go weigh again the same procedure.

And this brings up another question.

The DW hates her TV for other reasons (among them, the rear suicide doors which make it impossible to load groceries in a parking lot) and is talking about upgrading to a new truck anyway. Now, we understand that the tow value on the manufacturer brochure for our current truck is total BS, and the number for any new vehicle will be equally worthless. How do we choose a proper new vehicle when the dealer is certainly not going to let us tow our rig out to the scales to perform all this rigamarole before we buy it?

[Northofu1]

And this brings up another question.

The DW hates her TV for other reasons (among them, the rear suicide doors which make it impossible to load groceries in a parking lot) and is talking about upgrading to a new truck anyway. Now, we understand that the tow value on the manufacturer brochure for our current truck is total BS, and the number for any new vehicle will be equally worthless. How do we choose a proper new vehicle when the dealer is certainly not going to let us tow our rig out to the scales to perform all this rigamarole before we buy it?

http://www.keystoneforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38633
I would wait a year and buy this 2500. The reason I would personally wait a year is to see how the 10 speed transmission fairs. It did very well against the 1 ton DRW Ram.
Unless your planning on upgrading to a 16k trailer it should easily handle what you have. I would never buy a fully tricked out truck and I don't tow enough to warrant a diesel. so payload would be better than the truck tested.
Good luck with your homework.

[FlyingAroundRV]

... How do we choose a proper new vehicle when the dealer is certainly not going to let us tow our rig out to the scales to perform all this rigamarole before we buy it?
If you take your current rig over the CAT scales, once with the trailer, and once with just the truck, you'll get those weights exactly, including the tongue weight.

You can then get a go-nogo decision from the door sticker on any truck you're considering. The tongue weight is the one that relates to your payload and axle ratings most of all. It's the weight that your truck has to carry on its back.

[travelin texans]

Boy, do I hear your pain. I recently decided to run through all the actual numbers to satisfy myself that we are not overtowing. I had to gather numbers from the doorframe, the door edge, and the truck user manual (why aren't they all in one place?) as well as the trailer decal, and that was only half the numbers I needed. I purchased a tongue scale to get that weght, and I'm going to have to visit a truck scale (some 50 miles away) to gather the rest. Only then will I know whether I have good news or bad news. My wife has been insisting that we are well within specs given a single number on the truck brochure, and she's going to be furious if we turn out to be overweight.

It does appear that the manufacturer's single-value tow figure is absolutely useless, and I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who never get it "right."

We don't really carry anything in the truck other than its own fluids, two of us, and two dogs, so at least we aren't preloading ourselves that way.

If there's a grain elevator, trucking company or possibly the local landfill could also weigh your rig if ask nicely or paid a fee, don't have to necessarily drive 50 miles to a truck stop.

[sourdough]

And this brings up another question.

The DW hates her TV for other reasons (among them, the rear suicide doors which make it impossible to load groceries in a parking lot) and is talking about upgrading to a new truck anyway. Now, we understand that the tow value on the manufacturer brochure for our current truck is total BS, and the number for any new vehicle will be equally worthless. How do we choose a proper new vehicle when the dealer is certainly not going to let us tow our rig out to the scales to perform all this rigamarole before we buy it?



There are lots of "meaningless" numbers thrown around by manufacturers and dealers; "maximum tow weight", "unloaded/dry weight" etc. For sales, not real life.

Finding a suitable TV and trailer without scaling it first is not all that hard. In my world, if looking for all new stuff, find the perfect trailer then find the appropriate TV. If your hooked with one or the other find the appropriate match.

Look at the TV driver door and get the numbers from the stickers. They are particular to THAT vehicle and vary from each one. Note the gvw, gawr front/rear and payload. To me the payload is more important because when you hit it you probably hit the gawr. Find the trailer. Note the gvw. You may have to compute the unloaded weight on the sticker and the "carrying capacity" listed there as well to get it. From that combined number (gvw) calculate 20% pin weight for a 5th wheel and 12-15% for a TT to get your pin/tongue load on your proposed truck. From the payload of your proposed TV subtract that number. What's left is what you have for anything/everything you think you will carry in the TV; weights of all people, gear, tools, puppies, BBQ and on and on. If you still have payload left....you may be OK. If it's "on the line and you have no margin", IMO you are going to be overloaded.

In the scenario above I have determined I want to take the payload of the TV, multiply by 85% and let that be my payload number to give me a cushion. Minimum I want anymore is 10%.

Use those calculations and you should not have an issue with buying too much trailer or too little truck. Those are my opinions only and I know others thoughts vary wildly. At least the trip to the scales shouldn't give you that hit in the pit of your stomach.

[LHaven]

I'm using this online calculator (http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml), which I believe does all that math, and the story is turning out to be a sob story.

One question: in my 2012 F-150 manual, the number for my particular submodel (SuperCab, 2WD, 145” wheelbase, 3.5L, 3.55 RAR) for "maximum trailer weight" is 9800, but there's no mention of a tow package in that table. On the underside of the hitch, which was part of the max tow package, it says "max gross trailer weight" is 10,500. Which should I believe?

(Not that it matters in practical terms -- right now it looks like neither one of those figures lets me pull my sub-8,000 lb. trailer.) :cry:

[FlyingAroundRV]

I'm using this online calculator (http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml), which I believe does all that math, and the story is turning out to be a sob story.

One question: in my 2012 F-150 manual, the number for my particular submodel (SuperCab, 2WD, 145” wheelbase, 3.5L, 3.55 RAR) for "maximum trailer weight" is 9800, but there's no mention of a tow package in that table. On the underside of the hitch, which was part of the max tow package, it says "max gross trailer weight" is 10,500. Which should I believe?

(Not that it matters in practical terms -- right now it looks like neither one of those figures lets me pull my sub-8,000 lb. trailer.) :cry:
The important number is not the towing capacity, but the payload capacity. That tells you how much your truck can carry (not pull). The other number is the gross axle weight capacity, especially the rear axle. That one is a bit harder to find because you have to get the truck weighed to find out what is already sitting on that axle. If you look through the truck brochures, you'll soon work out that any extras on the truck, such as 4WD, extra trim and furnishings subtract from your payload capacity! Intuitively, you might think that a 4WD would have more weight carrying ability because of the extra heavy running gear ... But the opposite is true. That is one of the reasons I went for a 2WD truck.

[mwemaxxowner]

If there's a grain elevator, trucking company or possibly the local landfill could also weigh your rig if ask nicely or paid a fee, don't have to necessarily drive 50 miles to a truck stop.I was stopping in to suggest this. I'm a big advocate for getting real weights, vs published weights. For example, listed curb weights are usually a lot less than what you drive around weighing, you'd be surprised how much the random junk in your vehicle adds up to. Especially if you like to stay prepared like I do with straps and chains and whatnot.

I work for a trucking company now and have easy access to scales. However, before this, I learned that both my local scrap metal yard, and my local landfill will allow me to use their scale if it isn't occupied free of charge. All it took was asking the lady at the window while being polite. Our company would also allow a local to weigh a trailer if they asked. We have several scales, but one is outside the gates for the log trucks with a digital readout, just beside the public road in a gravel lot. Honestly someone could be on it and off of it before anyone would realize even if it wasn't okay.

There are quite possibly options at your disposal that you aren't even aware of that are fairly convenient and free.

[mwemaxxowner]

I'm using this online calculator (http://changingears.com/rv-sec-calc-trailer-weight-tt.shtml), which I believe does all that math, and the story is turning out to be a sob story.



One question: in my 2012 F-150 manual, the number for my particular submodel (SuperCab, 2WD, 145” wheelbase, 3.5L, 3.55 RAR) for "maximum trailer weight" is 9800, but there's no mention of a tow package in that table. On the underside of the hitch, which was part of the max tow package, it says "max gross trailer weight" is 10,500. Which should I believe?



(Not that it matters in practical terms -- right now it looks like neither one of those figures lets me pull my sub-8,000 lb. trailer.) :cry:

That is just the capability of the hitch. To get your gcvwr and published towing capacity, refer to the towing guide for your model truck. There is a chart where you can find your supposed towing capacity, and better than that your maximum gcvwr.

Also, if your hitch is the 10.5 rated hitch, I don't think it's the one that accompanies the max tow package. The max tow package also came with 3.73 gearing in that year.

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fleet.ford.com/resources/ford/general/pdf/towingguides/12FLRVTTgdeMar1.pdf&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjn5cyuwZDjAhXQVs0KHertD3QQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw1Pwk94YtjzCJI3RRebCbW3

I've screen shotted some of it, but best to refer to the link. There is a lot of good reading in there, there are frontal area considerations as well as weights.

The towing capacity and rated payload are almost useless. I look at GCVWR and look at gvwr and get weights myself and go from there to figure out what I should be able to tow and what payload I should be able to take on. 225092251022511

[Hankster]

Enjoy the new rig. We tow our bullet 261RBSWE (7600# GVW) with our '15 ram with hemi, and .321 gears and love it. I have added 1000 series air springs inside the coils, and upgraded the tires to load range D bf Goodrich KO2 tires.
We just got back from Key West, and prior to that moved from Boise Idaho area. So we've logged about 5000 miles since March. Make sure to use your tow/haul button.
The 8 speed trans is amazing, it keeps the engine at the right RPMs to let it work.

[Tejastwister]

Nice!, enjoy your experience.

[IdahoJoe]

What's a 2020qb?? Tow capacity for our 1500 is just over 11k and our dry weight for the rig is 7k. So I'm assuming we'll be okay...?!

Annemarie you will be fine. I towed my Laredo 24' TT around the entire perimeter of the US for a total of 7800 miles during the summer with my RAM 1500 5.7 Hemi with 3.21 gears. Not a single glitch (with the truck). I did add air bags to the notoriously weak rear coil springs. Enjoy your new purchase and welcome to the RV world!

[IdahoJoe]

Annemarie, you will be fine. I towed my Laredo 24' TT around almost the entire perimeter of the US for a total of 7800 miles during the summer with my RAM 1500 5.7 Hemi with 3.21 gears. Not a single glitch (with the truck). I did add air bags to the notoriously weak rear coil springs. Enjoy your new purchase and welcome to the RV world![/QUOTE]

[IdahoJoe]

If you listen to some of the folks on this (and other) RV forums you should buy a Peterbilt to be safe. I owned a commercial towing business in the Seattle area and, believe me, towing limits are critical in that business. All of these "geniuses" that tell you to disregard specifications are doing you a disservice. I have had every type of RV there is and have been RVing for over 50 years. Go and enjoy your new rig!

[sourdough]

If you listen to some of the folks on this (and other) RV forums you should buy a Peterbilt to be safe. I owned a commercial towing business in the Seattle area and, believe me, towing limits are critical in that business. All of these "geniuses" that tell you to disregard specifications are doing you a disservice. I have had every type of RV there is and have been RVing for over 50 years. Go and enjoy your new rig!


I've scanned back thru the posts and didn't find any where the poster said they were a "genius". What I did read were lots of various recommendations from those with experience, ie; "informed opinions", not remarks from "geniuses" as used by you as a disparaging remark to anyone posting anything contrary to what you think apparently - your "opinion", of which everyone has one and should be free to post without being belittled.

[travelin texans]

[QUOTE=IdahoJoe;348080]If you listen to some of the folks on this (and other) RV forums you should buy a Peterbilt to be safe. I owned a commercial towing business in the Seattle area and, believe me, towing limits are critical in that business. All of these "geniuses" that tell you to disregard specifications are doing you a disservice. I have had every type of RV there is and have been RVing for over 50 years. Go and enjoy your new rig![/QUOtrail

Talk about a disservice!!
Telling anyone to totally ignore the rv/truck specs is very irresponsible. Those numbers were put on each of those vehicles for a reason not just cause they had the label & had to put it somewhere.
I'm fairly certain in your trucking company you DID NOT totally ignore the weight ratings of your truck/trailers or just used the very bare minimum trucks to get the job done, if so you would've been out of business rather quickly.
Im very glad you have been trouble free, probably overloaded, with your setup for all your trips, but I would not recommend advising others to do so just cause you've gotten away with it, so far.

[IdahoJoe]

Sourdough, I have no interest in engaging in a debate with you. I just get tired of viewing all of these weight related posts that are provided by folks with the supposed expert knowledge to do so, hence the term "geniuses". I do know a little about weight limits and towing having owned a towing business and have been an RV'er for many years. If I exceeded my weight limits in my towing business the Washington State Patrol would take joy in letting me know. I believe that the poster of this post has done her due diligence and used the correct specifications to arrive at her conclusion. I also know that manufactures build in a substantial safety margin to their specifications. IMO the well meaning posters are taking all of the joy out of the original posters purchase. Have a happy 4th!

[mwemaxxowner]

[QUOTE=IdahoJoe;348080]If you listen to some of the folks on this (and other) RV forums you should buy a Peterbilt to be safe. I owned a commercial towing business in the Seattle area and, believe me, towing limits are critical in that business. All of these "geniuses" that tell you to disregard specifications are doing you a disservice. I have had every type of RV there is and have been RVing for over 50 years. Go and enjoy your new rig![/QUOtrail



Talk about a disservice!!

Telling anyone to totally ignore the rv/truck specs is very irresponsible. Those numbers were put on each of those vehicles for a reason not just cause they had the label & had to put it somewhere.

I'm fairly certain in your trucking company you DID NOT totally ignore the weight ratings of your truck/trailers or just used the very bare minimum trucks to get the job done, if so you would've been out of business rather quickly.

Im very glad you have been trouble free, probably overloaded, with your setup for all your trips, but I would not recommend advising others to do so just cause you've gotten away with it, so far.

Maybe I misunderstood his post, but I don't think he was saying to ignore weight ratings at all.

I read it as though he was saying that those who tell you your truck can't actually do as much as it was rated for are "doing you a disservice". I.e. in his opinion if the numbers shake out you should be fine without upgrading to an F750. Right @IdahoJoe?

[Logan X]

I think the “numbers you should disregard” that are usually talked about on these types of threads are the marketing numbers from the sales brochures. (And the empty weights)

It shouldn’t take “a genius” to know that the real numbers you shouldn’t disregard are the Gross Combined Weight Rating, the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating, the axle ratings, and the payload capacity.

Often times, when people come to this forum asking towing capacity questions, they have only heard the sales brochure numbers and they are not familiar with the actual numbers specific to their vehicle-as was the case with this thread.

If someone is asking if their set up is ok, you are doing them a disservice by saying something like “you’ll be fine, enjoy yourself.” Especially if that advice is based on anecdotal experience (and especially if you had to add airbags or something like that to make your setup work) and not rooted in an understanding of how towing capacities and cargo carrying capacities work.

YMMV

[falcondan95705]

I dont see any problem with the truck trailer you bought.. Have fun, be safe, enjoy, and congrats.. you will have a great time,!

[Chris P]

Basically it's up to her how she feels about how the truck and trailer acts together and how comfortable she is with it, All of these are just our opinions, My 1500 didn't cut it due to the wrong gears,and I wanted another truck [emoji16] She will be just fine, Happy camping.

[sourdough]

Sourdough, I have no interest in engaging in a debate with you. I just get tired of viewing all of these weight related posts that are provided by folks with the supposed expert knowledge to do so, hence the term "geniuses". I do know a little about weight limits and towing having owned a towing business and have been an RV'er for many years. If I exceeded my weight limits in my towing business the Washington State Patrol would take joy in letting me know. I believe that the poster of this post has done her due diligence and used the correct specifications to arrive at her conclusion. I also know that manufactures build in a substantial safety margin to their specifications. IMO the well meaning posters are taking all of the joy out of the original posters purchase. Have a happy 4th!


I was not, and am not, interested in a debate. I simply tried to point out that the statements you referenced were "opinions" from folks with experience towing....exactly what yours are. There is/was no need to use what I consider a belittling term because you disagree with them. That's it. I wish you a happy 4th as well!!

[Blackrock]

The only modifications I made to my 2016 Ram 1500 was to add air bags inside the coils and upgrade the tires to LT's. Alaska and back in 16', all around Arizona summer and fall of 17', full western states National Parks tour in 18, and now in 19' the Southern Utah tour. Tied down now in an RV resort for the summer in the Arizona mountains.

The Ram half ton has never missed a lick coming and going. I am running at 100% the trucks payload rating most all the time. That's why I chose the truck package I did over the offerings of Ford or General Motors.


You will do okay with your truck and trailer and you will learn how it handles in all situations.

[ptpick]

Annemarie, please don't let the weight police scare you or say you did something really wrong. If the weight police made choices for us all then there is nothing that can tow anything unless it is a diesel, DRW 4x2 preferred. Since you did your research and feel comfortable with what you have, then woohoo, welcome to RV'ing.

[Logan X]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate the warm welcome and the feedback.

We plan to do an official weigh-in for our peace of mind and to make sure we’re towing safely for ourselves and everyone on the road.

I think this is the right choice ^^^

[mwemaxxowner]

I'm somewhere in the middle here, but I think everyone has the best of intentions, and just wants to be sure that you fully understand the jargon and the ratings. I DO think that using a half ton, ANY half ton, means it's going to be more sensitive to improper loading and it's more important that the hitch be dialed in. Sometimes it's also just necessary to flat slow down when maybe you wouldn't have with a 3/4 or more. With my old super duty I'd drag any load as fast as my tires and traffic would allow. Last heavy tow with my half ton I was very comfortable at 65, at 70 it would sway under certain conditions. So, 65 it was.

[Logan X]

I was reading back through this thread and I couldn’t find anywhere where anyone suggested the OP needed to get a bigger truck. Every post I could find was just trying to help explain how the numbers and ratings worked so the OP would have the best information.

And in post #5, the OP asked if her tow vehicle had the necessary capability. No advice was given before it was asked for.

[RickReichert]

Welcome to the world of RVing! Your setup looks great and I'm sure you'll have many happy times with it. As you've discovered, there are strong opinions about trucks, trailers, towing capacities, load ratings, etc. etc. etc. It sounds to me like you've done your best before buying, and only time will tell how it will work out. A lot depends on how you load the trailer; how much water, food, clothing, tools, etc. I would recommend weighing the truck at a certified scale to get accurate weights. Before weighing load load the truck with all of the things you'd normally take camping and fill the fuel tank. After you have those weights, load up the trailer like you are going camping, and weigh again. Once you have weights for each axle you can do the math to see where you really stand. Hopefully you'll be fine on all axles and total weight.

If you end up below the weight limits on all counts you can always add air bags or other stability-improving devices to your truck if you feel like it needs it. However if you end up over-weight on the truck, then it will be time to consider getting a beefier tow vehicle. As others here have said you'll generally run out of truck GVWR before you run out of GCVWR. I would add that the transmission, driveline, and brakes on 3/4 ton trucks are generally more robust than on 1/2 ton trucks, so you might get longer life out of a 3/4 ton. The trailer will not push a 3/4 ton truck around as much as a 1/2 ton, which makes driving more pleasurable, too.

Safe travels!

[falcondan95705]

We used a 92 Dodge Dakota V8 magnum 3.92 gears, shortbed 4x4 to pull a 19 foot 5ver... It did GREAT...

[annmarie]

Hello all, thanks for the contributions! We've weighed ourself on a CAT scale and I'm going to start a new thread on the Tow Vehicles forum. If you feel so inclined to continue contributing, head on over there :)