New to Towing How much can I load?

[GhostZero]

Hey there all-

The backstory is this: I lost my job here in Colorado and now I have to move to California. I need to take my truck camper, and a 16' X 8' enclosed trailer that I have purchased full of junk (including a Triumph motorcycle at about 350lbs) to Cali.

I have a 2006 Dodge 3500, Air Ride Air bags on the rear wheels, Ricksons 19. 5" steel wheels with G rated tires, extra-long bumpstops (to engage the extra lief springs early), Rancho shocks, And a Helwig anti-sway bar.

I have never really towed before. I've towed my trailer a couple of times while empty, simply to get the feel for it, but I can't imagine it's going to feel the same loaded...

The truck camper, wet, with myself, the dog, and all our gear in the truck puts me at 12,600 lbs. I weighed myself at a CAT scale. The capacity of my tires is about 20,000 lbs total (Yay Ricksons). I am not sure how much weight I can have over the rear axle- I know this is a concern, but I'm not sure how to measure it, or how much I can have back there.

So I am not quite sure how to calculate how much I can tow, or how much my tongue weight should be. I do know that I am going to be very heavy, and I want to make sure that I don't end up as a statistic, or heaven forbid causing other statistics.

Can I even pull a trailer full of furniture, books, tools, and a motorcycle safely with the truck camper on 'er?

Thanks for your opinions, and any help in calculating how, or even IF I can SAFELY get to Cali in one trip...

I intend to ride south from Denver to Albq. , then West to Phoenix and LA, and up to the Bay Area from there, in order to avoid the inevitable snow in the Rockies and the Sierras. I have rolled through the Rockies in winter with the TC and been fine in a bad snowstorm. I just slow down and keep an eye out behind me, but the key word here is SAFETY, and as a new person to pulling a large, loaded trailer I think it would be a gamble.

Ghost.

 

[jelag]

We have an 04 3500 dually with 19. 5" wheels... .

We often tow a trailer that weighs 22K lbs... . the trailer is rated at 24K...

With this weight, the stopping distance is really longer that I'd like... we had this truck over a lot of 6-7% grades with an exhaust brake but you have to put it in a lower gear and watch the speed... ... we go down the hill at 5 mph slower than we went up it...

When we meet up with bad weather we wait it out... we won't do chains on the truck and trailer... . if they have the chain sign out in most of the states west of the Rockies they will stop you and make you chain... .

 

[GhostZero]

Ah, that's a good point. I have srw, not drw. I also have a Tekonsha P3 break controller.

What is the tongue weight of your trailer?

Mark.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

just get in and pull it, you'll be fine. you've got the truck and the tires to do it, and you're not subject to DOT because you're not commercial.



sorry to hear you have to leave beautiful Colorado to head to Commiefornia



best of luck to you and have a safe trek!! Just be concious of the load you're moving, and you'll be fine. If you can sell anything that will afford you an exhaust brake, it'll make that decline down the divide a less puckering experience. Where are you at in CO, and where are you headed to in CA?

 

[GhostZero]

An Exhaust break is a great idea. I haven't looked into one in a long time.

I am in Denver, I'm headed to the Bay Area. I'm actually not sad- I have a ton of friends in the Bay Area, and there's good opportunities for a man with my skills & background.

 

[Bob V]

I'm actually not sad- I have a ton of friends in the Bay Area, and there's good opportunities for a man with my skills & background.

That COULD be taken the wrong way:-laf

 

[GhostZero]

I suppose it could, but if it was meant the way you were thinkin' I'd be makin' a lot more cash than I most likely will be.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

LOL!!!!!!



good luck man, where in the bay area?

 

[Motorhead]

If you think you might be too heavy on the rear axel, you might look into a weight distributing hitch like used on travel trailers. One other REAL handy option is a trailer sway damper. Good luck on your trip... . Just take your time. Going 5mph slower isn't going to hurt.

 

[GhostZero]

I generally drive slowly to begin with, to conserve fuel. 600 degrees egt and 5 lbs of boost is generally where I try to keep it on the highway. I'll definitely be at least 5mph under the limit. I don't generally do over 65, 55-60 with the TC, depending on the road. It takes me longer to get where I'm going, but with the elephant on my back the faster I go, the less likely I am going to recover from something bad.

Thanks for the sway dampener tip!

 

[GhostZero]

Here's another question- If one's truck has the tow package, does one have a weight distributing hitch already, or does one need to purchase an aftermarket hitch?

 

[mtnram]

You'll need something like: These devices

 

[Scooby]

With my '01 2500, I had a Lance 1030 camper (loaded) and was towing a nice Texas Bragg car hauler with a heavily modified Jeep TJ. I had a 32" double stack hitch extender from SuperLift along with their class 5 double stack hitch. I also had air bags on the truck and adjustable shocks. I towed cross-country from California to North Carolina and the truck had no problems. When I bought the camper, they seriously underestimated the weight of it (with all the accessories - like a LPG generator, etc. . ). My truck had a full Banks powerpack and I had some awesome airhorns!



The truck performed flawlessly, but I was a little ignorant about my total combined weight. I later went to a dually.

 

[HBarlow]

You didn't mention whether your truck camper has a rear overhang that extends beyond the hitch receiver but I'm assuming it does at the weight you mentioned. If it does I guess you already have a hitch receiver extender? I don't know much about hitch extenders and don't know if you can use a weight distributing hitch with one.

A 16' cargo trailer probably has a GVWR of only 5,000#, 7,000# at most. You can estimate the loaded tongue weight of the trailer at 10%-15%. If GVWR is 5,000# tongue weight will be about 750# depending on how you load it. That's not a big problem.

I think the rear axle of a late model Dodge Ram is rated to carry about 9,000# to 9,500#.

My concern with a 10' or 11' truck camper that extends well beyond the rear of the truck bed and behind the rear axle would be balance. A long slide-in puts most of its weight on the rear axle, not much if any on the front axle. Adding a trailer could shift weight to the rear and lighten the load on the steer axle. In extreme situations you can unload the front tires sufficiently to lose steering traction.

A trip to the scales might be wise. A weight distributing hitch, cinched up tight, can shift weight back to the steer axle and trailer axles and lighten the load on the truck's drive axle.

 

[icman95]

A weight distributing hitch is a great idea. A little bit of fear and humility will keep you safe, too. Don't be afraid to drive it, but be afraid of what could happen if you get too comfortable and complacent. Never let your guard down. I have a friend who almost killed his family the first time he drove a big trailer. Slow down on exit ramps.



I would also suggest checking and rechecking that your cargo is tied down tightly. The motorcycle is a no brainer, but the rest of the stuff should be secured, too.



That being said, it sounds like it can be a fun trip. Good luck on the job search.

 

[AABEN]

The 286. 99 will do you a good job.

 

[cojhl2]

While you're on this thread anyhow,,



I've got to pull a fully loaded 14k bumper hitch trailer up Alpowa grade (not too steep but long) with my 1990 W250 w/ AT.



Should I be worried? i've never pulled that kind of load up a long grade like that with this pickup.



What do you think? Am i taking too much of a chance? Should I have this load commercially hauled?



Any advice is appreciated. .