New to pulling question

[rjones]

My truck is a 3/4 ton 4x4 auto 4:10 axle 8800gvw. Will I be able to pull a 42' toy hauler 3 axle 13,740 lbs dry weight, max weight may be around 16,000 lbs is it too much for my truck?

 

[Crunch]

My truck is a 3/4 ton 4x4 auto 4:10 axle 8800gvw. Will I be able to pull a 42' toy hauler 3 axle 13,740 lbs dry weight, max weight may be around 16,000 lbs is it too much for my truck?

Unless there was a big change between the `03 and `04 you will be about 1,740lbs over with the trailer itself, before it's loaded. Look at the sticker on the inside of your drivers side door (where the latch mechanism is) and it should tell you what your weight ratings are.

 

[rjones]

sticker only has axle GAVW and 9000 lb GVW

 

[Crunch]

sticker only has axle GAVW and 9000 lb GVW

Sorry. I thought it had all the weights, but it's been so long since I looked at it I forgot. My `03 has a GVW of 9,000lbs. too, so your towing capacity is most likely 12,000lbs. with a Class IV hitch. If it's not on the sticker in the door it will be in your owners manual.

 

[rjones]

its a fifth wheel trailer...

 

[Crunch]

its a fifth wheel trailer...

Fifth wheel will affect the weight on the front and rear axles, but the towing capacity as set by law doesn't change. I think on the 1 tons the weight ratings are determined by the type of tires you have, but not for the 3/4 tons. I'd bet money that your towing capacity is limited to 12,000lbs, with the trailer loaded or unloaded--bumper pull, gooseneck or fifth wheel.

 

[Dick Langendorff]

I also have an '04. Mine is not 4x4 but a 2wd. The ratings were the same. I had a hard time finding the tow rating for the '04 when I purchased. The TrailerLife guide showed a different rating than I had seen at the dealer.



I went online at Dodgetowingguide.com. I think that was the site. If not, try dodge.com and find a link to towing guide or ratings.



At any rate I have a print out of the ratings for the '04 directly from Dodge.

The '04 with 3. 73 gears is rated at tow rating of 10,400lbs and combined of 17,000.

The '04 with 4. 10 gears is rated at tow rating of 12,400lbs and combined of 19,000.



These numbers are straight from Dodge.

 

[Dick Langendorff]

I might add, that the TrailerLife guide was showing aroung 1000lbs more towing, but from what I remember, not the Combined total Weight.

If I see anything different, I'll post.

 

[HBarlow]

The weight numbers you provided for the trailer are of no value. What you must know is the GVWR of that trailer. An RV trailer loaded for it's intended purpose always weighs very close to GVWR. I would guess that a triple axle trailer that large has at least a GVWR of 16,000 lbs. It may be as high as 21,000 lbs.

The kingpin weight of a large fifth wheel is nominally 15 to 20% of GVWR, perhaps as high as 25% of GVWR if the trailer has a generator and fuel tanks forward.

A large toy hauler is built with its axles set farther back than a typical fifth wheel with living quarters only in order to carry heavy four wheelers or motorcycles behind the axles and almost all of them have generators and fuel tanks forward so I would estimate kingpin weight between 20% to 25% of GVWR.

Basic arithmetic tells us that 20% of 16,000 lbs is 3,200 lbs. 25% of 16,000 lbs. is obviously 4,000 lbs.

Your Ram 2500 has a pair of 17" rear wheels/tires rated to carry approximately 3,400 lbs. each and a total of 6,800 lbs. on the rear axle. It probably has a weight decal in the door frame that states the RA GVWR is 6,500 lbs.

Without even knowing the GVWR of the trailer you are inquiring about I will confidently state that you should not tow that trailer with a Ram 2500 and probably not with any SRW pickup. It will be much too heavy on the rear axle of your truck.

It might be heavy enough to blow a rear tire and loss of control. It will most likely get you in trouble with DOT law enforcement officers if they notice you and weigh your truck.

I pulled a few of those Weekend Warrier toy boxes that size from the factory in Moreno Valley, CA to dealers. Even empty and dry they were a huge load for the '06 Ram dually I owned at the time. I would not have pulled one around a city block with a Ram 2500.

 

[rjones]

Keystone Fuzion | Specs heres the link to the specs on the trailer I was looking at the 398

 

[Jim W]

This trailer when fully load will put you into a C&C truck, in my opinion. The way I figured this is the trailer shipping weight is 13,820 LBS. The load carrying ability is 4180 LBS. Please add these weight together and you get a total weight of 18,000 LBS. Then figure 20% for pin weight and you have a weight of 3,600 LBS.

This weight plus the weight of the truck, try using a 60/40 split and hitch weight is more then a 2500 HD truck could handle. This is even more that what a 3500 DRW Quad Cab LB truck can handle. Per Dodge's site for a 2008 3500 HD truck the max GCVW is 23,000 LBS. The trailer weight of 18,000 LBS plus the base weight of the truck 7,067 LBS (no fuel or operator) is 25,076 LBS which is more then the above GCVW limit.

I know other may disagree but this is what is recommend not what every one else is doing. Being a retired hydraulic/structural engineer, I follow the recommendation by the manufacture not what other say is what they are doing.

Jim

 

[HBarlow]

That's an 18,000 lb. trailer. You'd have to be nuts to try to pull that with a Ram 2500. The trailer weight alone probably meets or exceeds the Dodge maximum gross combined weight rating for your truck without the weight of the truck.

Lots of brave or foolish folks pull similar trailers with Ram 3500s. I would not. I think exceeding the capacity of the truck like that is very high risk. The 14,000 lb. fifth wheel I pull with my cab and chassis dually actually slightly exceeds the Dodge GCWR for my truck and although it pulls and stops very safely with large brakes and a BrakeSmart controller I would not pull a larger of heavier fifth wheel.

Let me guess. The RV salesman told you, "no problem, your 3/4 ton truck will pull that trailer real easy. "

 

[jelag]

We pulled successfully a 20K lb trailer behind our 04 3500 dually for 250K miles... . 19. 5" tires, air bags to level the load, exhaust brake for hills and got 150K miles on a set of brakes... the scary part was being in town traffic with that load and having some jerk pull in front of us and take out our safety margin... even with disc brakes on the trailer it just didn't stop fast... Work truck and trailer, DOT #'s and CDL driver... .

I now pull a 15K lb trailer with my 05 dually, again 19. 5" tires, air bags to level it and exhaust brake... this is my personal 5er... .

I can't begin to imagine pulling either trailer with a SRW truck and the sway you'd have with SRW tires... .

Harvey you deserve a pat on the back to say it really like it is... .

 

[Crunch]

Lots of brave or foolish folks pull similar trailers with Ram 3500s. I would not. I think exceeding the capacity of the truck like that is very high risk.

A few years ago I was driving from Fort Worth to Shreveport for a day of gambling and passed a Ford Sportrac (basically a small Explorer with a tiny bed instead of a back area) pulling a fifth wheel trailer. The hitch alone took up most of the bed, and they had gear all around the hitch. The trailer itself was on the small side, but it was definitely a tail wagging the dog kind of disaster waiting to happen.

 

[Barry]

Less trailer or more truck.



Your choice.

 

[HBarlow]

Harvey you deserve a pat on the back to say it really like it is... .

Thanks, Jim.

Most of the time it's an angry reply. Many don't like to hear the truth.

The original poster may not appreciate my opinion but I do tell the truth as I know it.

 

[Matt400]

Kinda scary when you think about the trailer weighing over double what the truck weighs, I am sure it would pull it just fine power wise but how well will the trucks weight control the trailers weight on curvy roads?
I have to agree with the others.

 

[Crunch]

Kinda scary when you think about the trailer weighing over double what the truck weighs, I am sure it would pull it just fine power wise but how well will the trucks weight control the trailers weight on curvy roads?

I've always wondered why people buy the 3500 without the dually wheels. Whether you get it for the heavier towing capacity or greater load capacity, it makes so much more sense to go with the extra balance and support. What's the point of an SRW 1 ton truck if you're not getting the extra benefits?

 

[RonD]

Mine is a single wheel one ton, and I tow a 5th wheel that is 14000 pounds, it has a total combined weight of 22,500 pounds. It tows it OK, not the best setup, I bought the truck as a work truck, but now its a trailer hauler, my replacement will be a 2011 3500 2WD with 4:10 rear axle, and it will be kept 100% stock, my 05 has air bags, PacBrake, and a Smarty adding about 15% in power, the DRW has to be the only way for towing, mine is fine, but in the wind you work a little harder, as for towing that heavy Toy Hauler, I pass, 3/4 ton is not the right truck, not even close.

 

[MChrist]

Is the truck in question also the truck in your sig? If so, and it still has 315 tires, that would get messy very quickly, since they would also be 17" wheels, you will end up with a very tall, wobbly tire under load. I know, I had 315s once... once! They do look cool, just not the best for towing.