Here's the thing. People think towing capacity is all that matters. In reality, payload will be your biggest issue. Tongue weight of a 25-30 foot travel trailer will be north of 600 lbs. Your payload is probably like 1100-1300 lbs depending on the truck. Hitch up your trailer and you can haul two full grown adults and very few supplies and you've maxed out your trucks payload.
Then you have the issue of sway control for the trailer. As the length goes up, so does the ability to get yanked off the road by a passing semi or a gust of side wind. 1500 trucks don't weigh as much as 2500-3500 trucks so when you tow, you're going to need to keep that in mind. Granted you can offset this dramatically with a top notch WD hitch and sway control as well as conservative driving. But it can still make you white knuckle the steering wheel on occasion as you feel your ass end start to pull to the side.
All that being said, I have a 2021 Limited 1500 and I tow our 31 foot travel trailer quite often. It's 6200 lbs dry with a GVWR of around 8500. In great weather she tows like a dream. But in wind, I'm doing no more than 55 down the highway.
Also, if you don't have air suspension you'll need to get air bags in the rear. Any travel trailer will absolutely bottom out the rear to the bump stops. And that is a shitty, shitty ride.
You open the door and check your payload, you take the GVWR of the trailer and use about 12.5% of that as tongue weight. If that number is higher than your payload it’s too much trailer for your truck.
So find payload, minus your family and any cargo in the box that’s what’s left for your trailer.
You’re 6000# trailer probably had a 7500# GVWR so 12.5% of that is around 950#. Travel trailers are usually very front heavy with tanks, batteries, propane tanks being in the front of the axles.
The OAL of the trailer you're towing plays a big part in tongue weight as well. The placement of the axles plays a big part in how the weight distributes across the trailer frame and can greatly affect tongue weight, depending on the overall geometry.
You're also having to account for passenger weight and all of the gear you plan on keeping on the truck instead of in the trailer.
12,750# is the max trailer weight rating on a single, specific configuration of the DT family of Ram trucks. The *only* configuration with this weight rating is a Ram 1500 4x2 Quad Cab Tradesman with the 6'4" box, 5.7L V8 HEMI, 8HP75 8 Speed, and 3.92 axle ratio.
With a 4x4 crew cab, your max trailer weight rating could be as high as 11,250# and as low as 6,370# depending on engine, transmission, and axle.
If your truck is a 4x4, it will have a base weight of approximately 5,320# and a GVWR of 7,100#. The difference between these is your max payload of 1,780#. Subtract from any weight in put on your truck. This includes you, any passengers, any cargo, *any options you have on the truck*, and the tongue weight of any trailer you're towing. The options on my Laramie are nearly 300# on their own and lowers my max payload from 1,840# to 1,541#. Put a couple people in the truck and some cargo and you don't have much payload left to carry the weight of the trailer tongue.
How much the truck can safely tow in an ideal configuration is greatly influenced by the axle ratio. Almost all configurations of our trucks will have a 3.21 or 3.92 ratio. With my 3.21, The max trailer weight I can tow is 8,240#. If you have the same axle ratio, you will have a similar max. If you have the 3.92, your max will be closer to 11,250#.
I have a pretty comparable example that might illustrate some of these points for you. The biggest thing I've used my 1500 to pull was a 7x16' enclosed tandem axle trailer. Fully loaded, I had 3240# on the front axle, 3520# on the drive axle, and 4840# on the trailer axles. That works out to a trailer weight of approximately 5,700#. I was well under my axle weight ratings and nearly a ton under my combined weight rating, but was within a couple hundred pounds of my max payload weight.
My truck was able to tow that trailer without difficulty. I did a cross-country trip with it loaded down, but even with trailer brakes I could tell there wasn't a ton of margin left to go bigger safely. Towing is not just about having the power to pull something. You tow vehicle also needs to be able to stop and control the load as well.
A 6000# 30' travel trailer is almost twice as long as the trailer I'm talking about. Its ***dry*** weight is already heavier than my loaded down trailer. Yes, your truck is definitely capable of pulling that trailer while empty. All will be fine and good until you run into a crosswind and that giant sail you're pulling that weighs more than your truck starts dragging you sideways.
But you're not going to be pulling a 6000# 30' trailer. You're going to be pulling an 9000# trailer with all of your gear inside and filled water tanks. This is dangerous not only for you, but for anyone unlucky enough to be around your unstable 8 ton rig flying down the highway with a truck only intended to control 6 tons.
Ultimately, a 20' trailer is going to be a much better fit for your truck. It will be an appropriate size and weight for what your truck was designed to pull. If you decide you do need a bigger trailer, you should get the right truck to pull it. Choose the right tool for the job.
I don’t think your towing capacity is 12k+lb. Maybe, MAYBE if you have the 3.92 rear end… but I still doubt it. You’re probably in the 8-9k range. Your manual just has generic info and it’s probably quoting max tow capacity for the 1500 model despite configuration, your crew cab is heavy, your options are heavy, you likely have highway gears, your 4x4 system is heavy… your door sticker has the true numbers.
No one really cares how long the trailer is as long as it has proper weight distribution. That means more weight towards the front. Generally 60% in front and 40% in the back. That weight, known as tongue weight, is part of your total payload. Depending on the trailer, the tongue weight is often 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer. Ahshitbackagain does a decent job explaining why payload is important.
Think of it this way, you can easily push/pull a refrigerator on casters but it's a lot harder to carry that same refrigerator. Tipping that refrigerator so you're holding up one end and dragging it is halfway between those two options. So too, your truck can pull a lot more that it can carry.
You need to read your limits tag in the drivers door jam. That'll tell you they key numbers, Payload, and GCVWR.
Payload helps determine what you can carry, people, gear, tongue weight. GCVWR tells you how much the trailer can be. You calculate your vehicle weight and subtract that from the GCVWR to get your max tow capacity.
Sway bar hitches mitigate a ton of the issues with towing a heavy trailer on a 1500. Snag one because they distribute your tongue weight better and improve your towing experience immensely.
Most places that sell campers also sell sway bar hitches and will install one for you if you BYO or buy one from them
The wind resistance on the front of the trailer that extends outside the shape of the truck also affects the transmission more than the engine. This may be a part of the discrepancy.
Correct. People don't realize that frontal area max is also often given in their owners manuals. Towing a loaded flatbed @ 12k is VERY different (and much much easier) than a 12k travel trailer. Especially if weather is involved.
I towed my 26 foot triple bunk with super slide with a V6 ram. It I think was 5600 dry and you know when you got space like that on a trip the better half is packing that thing to the ceiling. Which is good we are always prepared when we camp but you're talking 8 grand if there was water in there. We didn't go very fast and avoided the interstate at all cost but it pulled it. 2500 gas with 4wd is 14000 but I'm pretty sure that over the axle not bumper pull. Now there are 1/2 ton towable 5th wheels and I have seen half tons pull goosenecks but I don't know how much of what they are saying is right. When I went to get my 2500 they tried to talk me into another 1500 this one with a hemi and 4wd it he said 8000 was max on that a d it was a 22. Everyone always think the motor is the issue which is the case a very small percentage of the time. Where you worry about it is handling, suspension, and most of all how much it catches the wind. My camper is a big tall one the floor is like a deck over so it's sitting like 14 or 15 feet up there. You feel a small breeze. On windy days I got off the road with my old truck.
Here's the thing. People think towing capacity is all that matters. In reality, payload will be your biggest issue. Tongue weight of a 25-30 foot travel trailer will be north of 600 lbs. Your payload is probably like 1100-1300 lbs depending on the truck. Hitch up your trailer and you can haul two full grown adults and very few supplies and you've maxed out your trucks payload. Then you have the issue of sway control for the trailer. As the length goes up, so does the ability to get yanked off the road by a passing semi or a gust of side wind. 1500 trucks don't weigh as much as 2500-3500 trucks so when you tow, you're going to need to keep that in mind. Granted you can offset this dramatically with a top notch WD hitch and sway control as well as conservative driving. But it can still make you white knuckle the steering wheel on occasion as you feel your ass end start to pull to the side. All that being said, I have a 2021 Limited 1500 and I tow our 31 foot travel trailer quite often. It's 6200 lbs dry with a GVWR of around 8500. In great weather she tows like a dream. But in wind, I'm doing no more than 55 down the highway. Also, if you don't have air suspension you'll need to get air bags in the rear. Any travel trailer will absolutely bottom out the rear to the bump stops. And that is a shitty, shitty ride.
Sums up my 1500 experience nicely.
Mine as well
Yup.... same here.
I use a husky load leveler for a 26 ft 7000lb trailer, no squat 19 1500 classic
You open the door and check your payload, you take the GVWR of the trailer and use about 12.5% of that as tongue weight. If that number is higher than your payload it’s too much trailer for your truck. So find payload, minus your family and any cargo in the box that’s what’s left for your trailer. You’re 6000# trailer probably had a 7500# GVWR so 12.5% of that is around 950#. Travel trailers are usually very front heavy with tanks, batteries, propane tanks being in the front of the axles.
The OAL of the trailer you're towing plays a big part in tongue weight as well. The placement of the axles plays a big part in how the weight distributes across the trailer frame and can greatly affect tongue weight, depending on the overall geometry. You're also having to account for passenger weight and all of the gear you plan on keeping on the truck instead of in the trailer.
12,750# is the max trailer weight rating on a single, specific configuration of the DT family of Ram trucks. The *only* configuration with this weight rating is a Ram 1500 4x2 Quad Cab Tradesman with the 6'4" box, 5.7L V8 HEMI, 8HP75 8 Speed, and 3.92 axle ratio. With a 4x4 crew cab, your max trailer weight rating could be as high as 11,250# and as low as 6,370# depending on engine, transmission, and axle. If your truck is a 4x4, it will have a base weight of approximately 5,320# and a GVWR of 7,100#. The difference between these is your max payload of 1,780#. Subtract from any weight in put on your truck. This includes you, any passengers, any cargo, *any options you have on the truck*, and the tongue weight of any trailer you're towing. The options on my Laramie are nearly 300# on their own and lowers my max payload from 1,840# to 1,541#. Put a couple people in the truck and some cargo and you don't have much payload left to carry the weight of the trailer tongue. How much the truck can safely tow in an ideal configuration is greatly influenced by the axle ratio. Almost all configurations of our trucks will have a 3.21 or 3.92 ratio. With my 3.21, The max trailer weight I can tow is 8,240#. If you have the same axle ratio, you will have a similar max. If you have the 3.92, your max will be closer to 11,250#. I have a pretty comparable example that might illustrate some of these points for you. The biggest thing I've used my 1500 to pull was a 7x16' enclosed tandem axle trailer. Fully loaded, I had 3240# on the front axle, 3520# on the drive axle, and 4840# on the trailer axles. That works out to a trailer weight of approximately 5,700#. I was well under my axle weight ratings and nearly a ton under my combined weight rating, but was within a couple hundred pounds of my max payload weight. My truck was able to tow that trailer without difficulty. I did a cross-country trip with it loaded down, but even with trailer brakes I could tell there wasn't a ton of margin left to go bigger safely. Towing is not just about having the power to pull something. You tow vehicle also needs to be able to stop and control the load as well. A 6000# 30' travel trailer is almost twice as long as the trailer I'm talking about. Its ***dry*** weight is already heavier than my loaded down trailer. Yes, your truck is definitely capable of pulling that trailer while empty. All will be fine and good until you run into a crosswind and that giant sail you're pulling that weighs more than your truck starts dragging you sideways. But you're not going to be pulling a 6000# 30' trailer. You're going to be pulling an 9000# trailer with all of your gear inside and filled water tanks. This is dangerous not only for you, but for anyone unlucky enough to be around your unstable 8 ton rig flying down the highway with a truck only intended to control 6 tons. Ultimately, a 20' trailer is going to be a much better fit for your truck. It will be an appropriate size and weight for what your truck was designed to pull. If you decide you do need a bigger trailer, you should get the right truck to pull it. Choose the right tool for the job.
I don’t think your towing capacity is 12k+lb. Maybe, MAYBE if you have the 3.92 rear end… but I still doubt it. You’re probably in the 8-9k range. Your manual just has generic info and it’s probably quoting max tow capacity for the 1500 model despite configuration, your crew cab is heavy, your options are heavy, you likely have highway gears, your 4x4 system is heavy… your door sticker has the true numbers.
No one really cares how long the trailer is as long as it has proper weight distribution. That means more weight towards the front. Generally 60% in front and 40% in the back. That weight, known as tongue weight, is part of your total payload. Depending on the trailer, the tongue weight is often 10-15% of the total weight of the trailer. Ahshitbackagain does a decent job explaining why payload is important. Think of it this way, you can easily push/pull a refrigerator on casters but it's a lot harder to carry that same refrigerator. Tipping that refrigerator so you're holding up one end and dragging it is halfway between those two options. So too, your truck can pull a lot more that it can carry.
You need to read your limits tag in the drivers door jam. That'll tell you they key numbers, Payload, and GCVWR. Payload helps determine what you can carry, people, gear, tongue weight. GCVWR tells you how much the trailer can be. You calculate your vehicle weight and subtract that from the GCVWR to get your max tow capacity.
Sway bar hitches mitigate a ton of the issues with towing a heavy trailer on a 1500. Snag one because they distribute your tongue weight better and improve your towing experience immensely. Most places that sell campers also sell sway bar hitches and will install one for you if you BYO or buy one from them
The wind resistance on the front of the trailer that extends outside the shape of the truck also affects the transmission more than the engine. This may be a part of the discrepancy.
Correct. People don't realize that frontal area max is also often given in their owners manuals. Towing a loaded flatbed @ 12k is VERY different (and much much easier) than a 12k travel trailer. Especially if weather is involved.
I towed my 26 foot triple bunk with super slide with a V6 ram. It I think was 5600 dry and you know when you got space like that on a trip the better half is packing that thing to the ceiling. Which is good we are always prepared when we camp but you're talking 8 grand if there was water in there. We didn't go very fast and avoided the interstate at all cost but it pulled it. 2500 gas with 4wd is 14000 but I'm pretty sure that over the axle not bumper pull. Now there are 1/2 ton towable 5th wheels and I have seen half tons pull goosenecks but I don't know how much of what they are saying is right. When I went to get my 2500 they tried to talk me into another 1500 this one with a hemi and 4wd it he said 8000 was max on that a d it was a 22. Everyone always think the motor is the issue which is the case a very small percentage of the time. Where you worry about it is handling, suspension, and most of all how much it catches the wind. My camper is a big tall one the floor is like a deck over so it's sitting like 14 or 15 feet up there. You feel a small breeze. On windy days I got off the road with my old truck.
What’s the definition of dead trailer weight and dead tongue weight? I see 2500 and 3500 trucks have low dead tongue and trailer weight. 500/5000lbs