5th wheel tow ratings for 2011 Ram 2500

[Javabean]

I have a 2011 Ram 2500 Crew Cab 4x4 with six speed auto and 3:73 rear gear ratio.



We have been looking for a fifth wheel it seems that all the ones that meet our wish list have a GVWR of 14000 and empty weights of 10000 to 12000 pounds According to the books the max tow rating is around 13000 which seems low. Is there a different rating when considering a 5th wheel?

There was a review of one of the trailers we were looking at and the reviewer was using a truck exactly like mine so that was some what confusing. Any insight from members pulling 5th wheels would be appreciated.

 

[GordonBoling]

I have a 2010 Ram 2500 crew cab 4x4 with six speed auto and 3. 73 gears and 8' bed. My gross trailer weight rating is 12,700 lb. My 27' fifth wheel weighs in loaded at 10,400. There are few 5th wheels out there that are light enough to be safely towed with a 2500.



I towed this trailer with a '98 2500 club cab 4x4 with 3. 52 gears rated a 10,400. The truck pulled it fine but I gutted the torque converter in 75,000 miles.

 

[AH64ID]

Your truck has a GCWR or 20K lbs, so the legal tow rating is 20Klbs minus your truck's weight. If your wanting to stick to what your Dodge "legal" limits are that is all you can go by. .



But if you want to extrapolate and don't mind exceeding 20K GCWR then consider this. The only thing different between your truck and 3500 SRW is the rear leafs on the 3500 SRW are about 7% stiffer. You can see what the trailer does to the truck or add airbags. The GCWR of the 3500 SRW with the auto and 3. 73's is 21K, so there is an extra 1K lbs of trailer tow capacity.



The biggest thing is don't exceed RAWR and FAWR and you should be fine with a good trailer brake setup. If that's something your comfortable with.



If you want a pickup with an "actual" tow rating over 13K you need 4. 10's.

 

[HBarlow]

Your truck has a GCWR or 20K lbs, so the legal tow rating is 20Klbs minus your truck's weight. If your wanting to stick to what your Dodge "legal" limits are that is all you can go by. .

But if you want to extrapolate and don't mind exceeding 20K GCWR then consider this. The only thing different between your truck and 3500 SRW is the rear leafs on the 3500 SRW are about 7% stiffer. You can see what the trailer does to the truck or add airbags. The GCWR of the 3500 SRW with the auto and 3. 73's is 21K, so there is an extra 1K lbs of trailer tow capacity.

The biggest thing is don't exceed RAWR and FAWR and you should be fine with a good trailer brake setup. If that's something your comfortable with.

If you want a pickup with an "actual" tow rating over 13K you need 4. 10's.

Aren't the tires on a 3500 larger with higher carrying capacity than a 2500?

 

[DHuffman]

Aren't the tires on a 3500 larger with higher carrying capacity than a 2500?

Same tires...

 

[RVTRKN]

Javabean, here is some math for you, when this 5ver is towed with my old 04. 5. (see sig)





Truck curb weight = 7314

5ver pin weight @20% of 14000 GVWR = 2800

Actual truck GVW = 10,114 lbs.

Actual CGVW = 21,314

The truck is over the Dodge GVWR by 1114 & GCVWR by 1314 lbs.



Legal weights, GAWR rear 6000, truck 5570 lbs. (curb weight + pin weight)

Legal weights, GAWR front 5200, truck 4825 lbs. (curb weight + 280 lbs. @ 10% of pin transferred forward through frame. )

trailer axles GVW 11,200 lbs.



I would tow this with my old 2500, and my reason. These numbers are calculated for the the 5ver at max GVWR and probably would never get that high, but in the event that it did, the truck and trailer axles are legal per DOT. Because the truck is at curb weight you still need to add fuel, Cargo & passengers, and you should have it weighed at a certified scale to get the actual numbers for towing. Do not fill your 5ver tanks, except for the propane tanks and enough water in the fresh water tank for toilet use. Once it is weighed and you know what your left over cargo weight can be for the 5ver, you should be within your Axle ratings. These are calculated numbers so there is a lot of room for errors and I would have to take into account the unpredictables, for example, Generator (most likely added to pin weight), location of the tanks over the axles.



One solution before purchase is to have the rig weighed, (truck and 5ver) which means you will have the actual dry weight and then can calculate what the wet weight would be as I described. Look at my actual weights for a 34' Arctic fox with around 14K GVWR.

 

[RVTRKN]

Aren't the tires on a 3500 larger with higher carrying capacity than a 2500?

Same tire times two, for the regular pickup. The C&C has a different tire. (general)

 

[Jim W]

I like some of the other poster are pulling a 5er with a 3/4 ton truck. When we wanted to upgrade to a new 5er from our original 5er. I made sure that I researched the trailer weights. My criteria was that I need to be able to pull the 5er with a 3/4 ton Mega Cab truck.



We went through several 5er at RV shows and looked for 5ers that did not exceed a GVW of 12,000 LBS. If the trailer is at it's maximum GCW and you take 20% for pin weight. This would apply a pin load of 2,400 LBS on the rear axle.



I then made it a condition of sale that the truck and trailer had to be scaled to find the actuals weights. This was a dry weight, but they were low enough that I know I could add about 1,200 LBS of weight to the camper. This would allow me to pull the 5er safely and still not exceed the GCVW or axle weights.



I am pulling a Cougar 318SAB, with a 2008, 2500HD Mega Cab. This scales on a certified scale as a GCVW of 18,240 LBS. The front axle is 4940LBS, rear axle is 5160 LBS and the trailer axles are 8,140 LBS. This is after I loaded up the truck and camper with my DW essentials to camp with.



So I am sure that you can find a trailer that will meet your needs and still be able to be pulled with a 3/4 ton truck.

Jim W.

 

[AH64ID]

Aren't the tires on a 3500 larger with higher carrying capacity than a 2500?

Same tire times two, for the regular pickup. The C&C has a different tire. (general)

There are several SRW tire options, for 2500, 3500, and C&C. The 245/70/17 are only a ST option and offer 3,000lbs at 80 psi (pretty sure 2500 ST only), the 265/70/17's are the standard tire on the 3500 and C&C SRW trucks and offer 3195 at 80 psi.



So the only thing that may be different is if the truck has 245's stock, but thats pretty rare and easily fixed.



I have been trying for a couple years to get the wheel weight rating out of Dodge, hasn't happened yet.

 

[RVTRKN]

There are several SRW tire options, for 2500, 3500, and C&C. The 245/70/17 are only a ST option and offer 3,000lbs at 80 psi (pretty sure 2500 ST only), the 265/70/17's are the standard tire on the 3500 and C&C SRW trucks and offer 3195 at 80 psi.



So the only thing that may be different is if the truck has 245's stock, but thats pretty rare and easily fixed.



I have been trying for a couple years to get the wheel weight rating out of Dodge, hasn't happened yet.

I agree with that, but for the most part the popular trim level would be the same. I don't like the General tires that came with my C&C but there was no other option.

 

[Javabean]

Thanks for all the replies. I requested a build sheet from RAM this morning and received it already.

I double checked the weight ratings on the labels in the truck.
GVWR of 96000
GAWR Front 5500
GAWR Rear 6010
Axle Ratio 3:73
Wheels 17x7. 5 Aluminum
BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires
LT265/70R17E
They are listing the Curb Weight as 6,444
Max Trailer weight of 12700

 

[RVTRKN]

Thanks for all the replies. I requested a build sheet from RAM this morning and received it already.



I double checked the weight ratings on the labels in the truck.

GVWR of 96000

GAWR Front 5500

GAWR Rear 6010

Axle Ratio 3:73

Wheels 17x7. 5 Aluminum

BF Goodrich Rugged Trail T/A tires

LT265/70R17E

They are listing the Curb Weight as 6,444

Max Trailer weight of 12700

Wow, the curb weight is a lot lighter than my 04. 5, spec sheet has my old 2500 at 7314 lbs. Also did you notice that if you add the GAWR (front) and the GAWR (rear) it sums up over the GVWR.

 

[AH64ID]

I think they quoted you wrong. .



Not sure if you have a LWB or SWB, but here is both.



LWB: 7,477 lbs 4717/2760

SWB: 7,296 lbs 4530/2776

Wheels are 17x8", the only wheels that are 17x7. 5" are the steel wheels and the spare.



http://www.dodge.com/bodybuilder/2011/intro.pdf

 

[GordonBoling]

It has been a while since I saw a spec sheet but I believe there is a disclaimer that states the curb weight is without options. You could question the dealer or better yet the service manager.

 

[topcat]

JavaBean are you short or long bed? not that you have much either way but between short long 2x4 x4 I seeing 12,700 max,if you are short trailer hitch that puppy. 5th wheel shortbeds just don have the turn radius unless you used a slider that will push the pin back on the slide rack tailgate is history too. I have seen some nasty cab damage in the corners of pickup trucks...

 

[Dick Langendorff]

I received my Tow Rating Guide from Trailer Like a couple of weeks ago. They get their information directly from the manufacter.



Here are the ratings for the 4x4 Crew Cab. 2500



6 speed auto w/3. 73: 12650

6 speed auto w/4. 10: 14650



For the 4x4 Crew Cab. 3500



6 speed auto w/3. 73: 13800

6 speed auto w/4. 10: 16800



Trailer Life in their booklet no longer shows GCWR only the trailer weight.



Good luck on your decision.

 

[AH64ID]

If you concern yourself with ratings GCWR is much more important that trailer tow rating.