Thread: Impact 332
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Old 02-28-2020, 11:51 AM   #10
JRTJH
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The trailer GVW is 13,000 pounds with a empty tongue weight of 1560. Add propane/batteries and the tongue weight will approach 1700 pounds for the "empty trailer" (no cargo, camping gear, etc). A Hensley hitch weighs approximately 200 pounds (added to the trailer tongue weight) for an empty trailer tongue load of around 1900-2000 pounds (before any cargo/camping gear).

The charts for the 2017 RAM towing indicate this info:

Max trailer towing with the "base automatic transmission" is 16,140
Max trailer towing with the "Asian transmission" is 17,140
Those weights include 300 pounds for passengers and 100 pounds for "other cargo".
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf

The "max tongue load" for a CAT V XD (2") is 2400/2550
The "max tongue load for a CAT V CD (2.5") is 2700
https://www.curtmfg.com/types-trailer-hitches

Your truck PAYLOAD is probably around 2200 pounds (passengers, cargo, trailer tongue load plus the hitch weight). So with a trailer tongue weighing "close to or over 2000 pounds, when you add passengers, cargo in the truck bed/truck cab and any other additional equipment installed on the truck like a bed cover, tonneau cover, tool box, or other optional things, depending on how your truck is equipped (hitch receiver, transmission, added equipment over 100 pounds) you may already be "in the overloaded category" on tongue load/truck payload.

Adding cargo to the truck reduces "max trailer capacity" so, at truck GVW, you won't be able to tow the full "max trailer capacity" of 16,140 or 17,140 pounds.

GCWR is the "combined weight" of the truck and trailer. As an example,

TRUCK GCWR 25,300
Truck GVW 10,000
Trailer GVW 17,000

With a truck weight of 10,000 the maximum trailer weight is 15,300
With a truck weight of 8500, the maximum trailer weight is 16,800
So, the "17,140 Maximum Trailer weight" is "only under ideal conditions related to passenger/cargo loading"...

In other words, depending on what you have in the truck, every pound added to the truck reduces the maximum trailer capacity by that same pound.

Where I think you need to "pay close attention" is with the hitch receiver rating (CAT V XD vs CAT V CD). There's a potential that with close to 2000 pounds on the truck receiver (with an empty trailer) that you could, in some loading situations, exceed the CAT V XD rating. This could more easily happen when the trailer garage is empty because there is no "off-setting weight" to counter the heavy tongue weight.

Your truck, with either the "base or the Asian transmission" will probably be within limits for towing capacity (max trailer/max GCWR). I think you'd probably be OK with tongue weight with a CAT V CD hitch (2.5" receiver) you may be over the max tongue load with a CAT V XD hitch (2" receiver) in some load configurations AND you may be "over the max payload" of the truck which is probably lower than the tongue weight of the trailer (when a Hensley hitch is added to the weight).
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