Quote:
Originally Posted by 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)
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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.