question??

[bedblue]

We have 2011 dodge ram outdoorsman 1500 (4wd quad cab with the 3.92 gear ratio, 5.7 hemi) with towing package with the tow/haul system . My truck has a 5.7 Litre engine with a mz trailer towing weight of 10 000 lbs, payload of 1544, my truck weighs 5300 lb. my GVWR is 15 500lb , 390 hp, with 407 pds of torque. It also has a heavy duty cooling system. We bought this truck because we thought it would be able to tow a large travel trailer and I keep finding out that it cannot tow a whole lot of what I want safely. What if any of the following can we tow (keeping in mind the hitch weight and all that jazz).

1. cougar 32RBK
2. Cougar 31SQB
3. 2013 Springdale 303BHSSR
4. 2013 Springdale 294bh



Summarizing trailers: Dry/Cargo/Hitch/Length
1. cougar 32RBK : 7450/1550/750/34.5' (9000 gross)
2. Cougar 31SQB : 7169/1831/925/36' (9000 gross)
3. 2013 Springdale 303BHSSR : 7725/1900/825/35' (9625 gross)
4. 2013 Springdale 294bh : 6950/2565/715/32.5' (9515 gross)

[hankpage]

Like you seem to already be aware of, your payload/hitch weight is your weak point. Check to see if tire ratings are the limiting factor here. Keep in mind that the hitch weights listed do not include propane, battery and the weight of the hitch itself. (also loading of trailer) Your Ram will "PULL" all four just fine, but you will be maxed out on all. JM2¢, Hank

[bedblue]

so what do you think about towing the enterra lightweight by cruiser? 7000lbs and hitch weight 770?

[Jim W]

Hi, I have been camping for the last few days and did not have access to the internet, but I hope I can still answer your question for you.
Dodge (Ram) has worked out some of this information for you. I use the Ram Body Builders Guide. Com for this type of information. See link attached.
http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2011/docs/ram/rammlup1500.pdf

You may need to page through the information and click under the technical column and find payload/towing. You will than need to specify cab configuration/4wd wheelbase. Once you do that you will find out what the max load you can tow with each type/style of truck. But you must also subtract the weight of any passengers and gear weight that is added to the truck, see notes at bottom of the page.
Jim W.

[handye9]

We have 2011 dodge ram outdoorsman 1500 (4wd quad cab with the 3.92 gear ratio, 5.7 hemi) with towing package with the tow/haul system . My truck has a 5.7 Litre engine with a mz trailer towing weight of 10 000 lbs, payload of 1544, my truck weighs 5300 lb. my GVWR is 15 500lb , 390 hp, with 407 pds of torque. It also has a heavy duty cooling system. We bought this truck because we thought it would be able to tow a large travel trailer and I keep finding out that it cannot tow a whole lot of what I want safely. What if any of the following can we tow (keeping in mind the hitch weight and all that jazz).

1. cougar 32RBK
2. Cougar 31SQB
3. 2013 Springdale 303BHSSR
4. 2013 Springdale 294bh



Summarizing trailers: Dry/Cargo/Hitch/Length
1. cougar 32RBK : 7450/1550/750/34.5' (9000 gross)
2. Cougar 31SQB : 7169/1831/925/36' (9000 gross)
3. 2013 Springdale 303BHSSR : 7725/1900/825/35' (9625 gross)
4. 2013 Springdale 294bh : 6950/2565/715/32.5' (9515 gross)

I think any one of those trailers will be a stretch. Biggest problem will be 1544 payload. Right off the top, you need to subtract about 100 lbs for the weight distributing hitch, more if you have added truck accessories (such as a cap or tonneau cover). Your'e now working with 1444 max payload.

The adtvertised hitch weight does not include propane, battery, or any added weight from trailer cargo. When loaded up for camping, actual hitch weight will be about 3 - 400 lbs higher.

You will need to weigh every thing and every body going into or onto both truck and trailer.

Examples:

If you have fiberglass cap on the truck, that's about 150 - 200 lbs.
Propane and battery will weigh about 150 lbs.
Camping gear, water, groceries, dishes, etc, will add about 1000 lbs to trailer cargo, and, 10 -15 percent of that weight will go onto the hitch weight.

So far, that's somewhere between 350 and 550 lbs, plus the advertised hitch weight, that is subtracted from your 1544 payload. Now you need to subtract weight of passengers and any cargo in the truck.

Normal hitch (tongue) weight, when loaded for camping, is going to be 12 - 15 percent of the gross weight. On the low end, loaded tongue weight of the listed trailers will range between 1080 and 1155 lbs. That leaves somewhere between 364 and 289 lbs for passengers and truck cargo.

[f6bits]

This is bedblue’s third time posting this question. The summary he included was mine, which I spend a bit of time researching and he cut and pasted without attribution from the other thread here:
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6222

He already posted here and I suggested he not cross post so as to not create parallel discussions on the same issue. He deleted that post, and my reminder, and reposted *again*.

[handye9]

This is bedblue’s third time posting this question. The summary he included was mine, which I spend a bit of time researching and he cut and pasted without attribution from the other thread here:
http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=6222

He already posted here and I suggested he not cross post so as to not create parallel discussions on the same issue. He deleted that post, and my reminder, and reposted *again*.

It's difficult to wrap your head around all the numbers when truck manufacturers, who use flatbed trailers to test tow capacity, say their truck will tow 11000 lbs (that's with a driver and no passengers or cargo), then trailer manufacturers post misleading weights on their big box trailers (completely diffent animal when compared to towing a flatbed), and sales people telling customers that they can tow as long as they are within tow capacity.

I started towing a travel trailer, fifteen years ago, and I'll admit there were a couple truck / trailer combo's that pushed the envelope. I was still within tow capacity, but, it was "Hang ON' when an 18 wheeler went by at 80 MPH.

While looking at those misleading numbers, newbies talk to a salesperson, who tells them yes, then they come here, and we all tell them no. They don't know what to do.