Can I Tow 8100lb/35 ft trailer with Dodge Ram 1/2 Ton

[bedblue]

we are set to buy a 311Bh Sprinter but we have a half ton truck...think it's safe?

My truck has a 5.7 Litre engine with a mz trailer towing weight of 10 000 lbs, my truck weighs 5300 lb. my GVWR is 15 500lb. Should I look for something a little lighter. Can I tow this safely with my wife, and 2 children? Thanks

[f6bits]

Maybe not. That’s the empty weight of the trailer. Add another thousand and then check the specs of your truck. Without knowing the year, engine, 4x or 2x, cab style, and axle ratio, nobody is going to say you’ll be safe.

[chris199]

Agreed. Not enough info. One thing is for sure you will want/need and excellent weight distrib hitch.

Does your truck have the tow pkg? Does it have a tow/haul mode?

[Bob Landry]

Actually, the listed dry weight of your trailer is 8244lbs and in reality is probably more. It also lists carrying cpacity at around 2700lbs. Even with careful loading, you will probably exceed the towing capacity of the truck. By the time you add passengers, cargo, and hitch weight to the truck, you'll be over there also. You will probably go ahead and tow overloaded, since most people who ask this question on Forums have already decided to do so, but you will be doing a lot of maintainence on your truck, and your trips are not likely to be a lot of fun.

[Bob Landry]

Originally Posted by chris199

Agreed. Not enough info. One thing is for sure you will want/need and excellent weight distrib hitch.

Does your truck have the tow pkg? Does it have a tow/haul mode?

Looking at your signature, I hope you are also planning a truck upgrade. The rig you ordered is going to far exceed the limits of the Tundra all the way around. Don't get me wrong. The Tundra is a great truck and I tow with one, but the hitch weight alone on your new trailer is going to put you over the payload capacity.

[2011 keystone]

I got my popcorn ready

[EcoboostKev]

Originally Posted by bedblue

we are set to buy a 311Bh Sprinter but we have a half ton truck...think it's safe?

Unfortunately you are going to be well over your payload with that trailer and being over 35' long is going to make traveling anywhere a major white knuckle experience. They say to average 13% of the trailers GVWR(10995lbs) for tongue weight so that's over 1400lbs plus you have to add the weight of the hitch, Plus the weight of your passengers, Plus the weight of fuel, Plus the weight of what ever you plan to put in the bed of the truck.I'm guessing your payload capacity is in the neighborhood of 1500lbs? This is the same trailer a friend of mine bought and his tow vehicle is a 2008 F350 short bed diesel and still has a small problem with sway from time to time.
Take it from me, I tow a 2012 Outback 292BH with a F150 Ecoboost with Max tow pkg, 157" wheelbase. My trailer is 32' 9" long, 6500lbs dry and has a GVWR of 8200lbs. I actually loaded up the trailer and truck ready to camp and took it to my local truck stop to have it weighed on the certified Cat scale. The only thing i had in my truck was the family(wife, 2 kids) full fuel tank, and the kids bikes and fishing gear in bed of truck. My GVWR on my truck is 7700lbs and the truck weighed in at 7520lbs with the trailer hooked up. Not much wiggle room and the trailer weighed in at just over 7300lbs loaded. that puts my trailer tongue weight at about 940lbs at 13% of 7300lbs. So i am close to my trucks limit but not anywhere near my tow capacity. My truck is rated for 11,300lbs towing. Keep in mind that these trailers are big WIND sails and with that much weight behind you on a windy day will be giving you the as a call it " The PUCKER Factor" !! We have a couple long trips planned this summer and if im not comfortable towing our trailer than i will be in the market for a new tow vehicle. My personal opinion is i could not see adding 2000lbs more to my trailer along with 3 more feet of length and feel safe towing.. Just my 2 cents.. Good luck, Kevin

[therink]

Yep, you are way over the ability of any 1/2 ton truck. You will need 3/4 ton or better for that trailer. Also, if you go with gas truck, make sure it has 4:10 axle. This all is based on my own experience. Good luck.
Steve

[bedblue]

Thanks to all who replied. my truck is the 2011 ram outdoorsman 4wd quad cab with the 3.92 gear ratio, 5.7 hemi, 390 hp, with 407 pds of torque. it has tow package with the tow/haul system, heavy duty cooling system. max towing rate is 10,050, payload is 1544 pds, gvwr is 6700pds with the gcwr of 15,500 pds. the sprinter weights 8075 pds (it does not have the new cap front which weights 200 pds) the curb weight of the truck is 5246 pds. total those and i have 13321pds leaving 2179 pds to play with. the hitch weight of the trailer is 835 pds. this then leaves me with 1344. am i adding these figures correctly? any help would be appreciated.

[f6bits]

You’re adding them correctly. The payload would be hitch, passengers, luggage, and most likely fuel. Whatever weight they say or print for the trailer is a lie. As soon as you weigh it you’ll wonder how they came up with that number. Your truck weight may also have the same issue.

If you’re within 1,000 of towing capacity, you won’t enjoy towing your trailer. 2,000 under capacity is a comfortable margin. I don’t know what the wheelbase of your truck is, but a 35’ trailer is only for longer wheelbase trucks. Rule of thumb (20’ for 110” wheelbase + 1’ for each additional 4” of wheelbase) suggests that a 170” wheelbase is a comfortable fit. A GM 2500 crew cab long bed is a good vehicle for this. If you have a 160” inch wheelbase, a good sway control hitch is a must.

[rhagfo]

Originally Posted by bedblue

we are set to buy a 311Bh Sprinter but we have a half ton truck...think it's safe?

My truck has a 5.7 Litre engine with a mz trailer towing weight of 10 000 lbs, my truck weighs 5300 lb. my GVWR is 15 500lb. Should I look for something a little lighter. Can I tow this safely with my wife, and 2 children? Thanks

Well the specs on the Sprinter 311BH is that dry weight is 8,244#, with a carrying capacity of 2,741, that is 15# shy of 11,000# you need to add to that what you are loading into your TV, passengers and fuel. You will be pushing the limits of your truck. They issues with pushing the limits of a 1/2 ton PU is that the suspension, tires and frame are built more for ride than hauling, if you want that big of trailer, it is time to step up to a 3/4 or 1 ton PU.

My TV is a 3/4 ton and my 05 293 Copper Canyon is close to it's limits, but it has tow and camper PKG so very heavy springs and E rated tires, and the same rear axle as a 1 ton.

[bedblue]

so the hitch of the trailer is not included in the overall weight oif the trailer, correct? i have been told that it is part of the overall trailer weight and i have been that it is not...man what a jumble...

[f6bits]

Overall weight of the trailer includes the hitch. If you park the trailer on the scale and drive your truck off, what’s left is the trailer weight: the wheels on the scale as well as the tongue jack stand. That’s what they mean for towing capacity: how much weight your truck has to pull along the road.

You only need to know the tongue/hitch weight to know if your truck can carry that payload, just like filling the bed with lumber. Tongue weight also helps let you know if you’ve properly loaded your trailer front vs. back.

[EcoboostKev]

Originally Posted by bedblue

Thanks to all who replied. my truck is the 2011 ram outdoorsman 4wd quad cab with the 3.92 gear ratio, 5.7 hemi, 390 hp, with 407 pds of torque. it has tow package with the tow/haul system, heavy duty cooling system. max towing rate is 10,050, payload is 1544 pds, gvwr is 6700pds with the gcwr of 15,500 pds. the sprinter weights 8075 pds (it does not have the new cap front which weights 200 pds) the curb weight of the truck is 5246 pds. total those and i have 13321pds leaving 2179 pds to play with. the hitch weight of the trailer is 835 pds. this then leaves me with 1344. am i adding these figures correctly? any help would be appreciated.

Even if you go by the"DRY" weight of 8075lbs you would still have a tongue weight of around 1050lbs(13%) add about another 200lbs for fuel and about 125lbs for the WDHitch and that leaves you only 169 pounds left for any passengers and whatever else you were expecting to put in the truck! This is also based on the camper being empty at 8075lbs!! Not at all possible with that truck.. I think you need to start looking at a lighter trailer or upgrade your tow vehicle.. Like i said about my trailer, it's almost 2000lbs lighter, 3' shorter and after weighing mine at a Cat scale i only have 180lbs left of a payload cushion. My trucks payload is 1700lbs and my GCWR is 17,100lbs with 157" wheelbase. I'm not trying to put down your truck or insult you in anyway. Your truck is a very capable tow vehicle for a bunch of different trailers out there but the trailer your interested in has 3/4 to 1 ton truck written all over it!!! Kevin

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by bedblue

so the hitch of the trailer is not included in the overall weight oif the trailer, correct? i have been told that it is part of the overall trailer weight and i have been that it is not...man what a jumble...

bedblue:

The tongue/hitch weight IS added on to the tow vehicle's GVW...... along with the weight of the passengers, cargo, fuel, etc.

[Halibutman214]

Originally Posted by bedblue

we are set to buy a 311Bh Sprinter but we have a half ton truck...think it's safe?

My truck has a 5.7 Litre engine with a mz trailer towing weight of 10 000 lbs, my truck weighs 5300 lb. my GVWR is 15 500lb. Should I look for something a little lighter. Can I tow this safely with my wife, and 2 children? Thanks

Yes you should look for something lighter and no you can not tow it safely.

[golfpro]

I like you started out with a 1/2 ton. was always trying to get it to tow better by adding gadgets such as air bags. a girl ran into the side of that 1/2 ton so I used that as an excuse to buy a 3/4 ton and now I can tow any thing I want. more power and just a slight less gas mileage. I did get the crew cab and love this truck. like night and day difference.

[chris199]

Originally Posted by Bob Landry

Looking at your signature, I hope you are also planning a truck upgrade. The rig you ordered is going to far exceed the limits of the Tundra all the way around. Don't get me wrong. The Tundra is a great truck and I tow with one, but the hitch weight alone on your new trailer is going to put you over the payload capacity.

I will not exceed the tow wgt. Am just at 80% when loaded. Am not exceeding payload...asuming a hitch wgt of 1000 lb or so. Hensley hitch should displace 15% to 20% of hitch wgt back to the trailer...but not countinng on that. WHeelbase is short but Hensley sway elimination should assist with that as well.

I am looking into gmc sierra 2500 in the event the scales present a different picture. Debating whether duramax iss worth it....only capacity difference between gas and diesel is with 5er. TT here.

[EcoboostKev]

Originally Posted by chris199

I will not exceed the tow wgt. Am just at 80% when loaded. Am not exceeding payload...asuming a hitch wgt of 1000 lb or so. Hensley hitch should displace 15% to 20% of hitch wgt back to the trailer...but not countinng on that. WHeelbase is short but Hensley sway elimination should assist with that as well.

I am looking into gmc sierra 2500 in the event the scales present a different picture. Debating whether duramax iss worth it....only capacity difference between gas and diesel is with 5er. TT here.

Even if the hitch does transfer 15-20% back to trailer axles i dont think it will even cover the weight of the Hensley. That hitch probably weighs 150-200lbs.. I cant believe that trailer has a dry hitch weight of only 650lbs.. Take it to a Cat scale and see what your real #'s are when you have it loaded to to camp. You might be fine. My big concern would be the length but the Hensley would fix that. My trailers Gvwr is 8200lbs but loaded to camp it weighed in under 7500lbs. Thats packing stuff for me,wife, and 2 kids. Goodluck, Kevin

[chris199]

I cant believe the 650 either. It's just my wife and I. The new 32ssab has a wgt of 745. With propane, 1 battery and stuff I am assuming we will easiy be 1000