Finding the Correct towing capacity for your truck

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ksnipes

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Jan 25, 2016
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We are looking at a travel trailer. My thing is what is the towing capacity for my truck. I have a ram 1500 2014 big horn 4x4 crew cab with a 5'7 box. The ram site has 8,210 called dealership they email me 10,210. That's big difference. How do you know for sure? Then you have tongue weight and payload, how do you know what trailer you can buy?
 
try this site

http://www.towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingPayloadEstimate/?ccc=4125&dw=235&pw=165&hw=250&bd=125&ct=FW

its been up and down on/off the last few days so kep trying it also look on the door jam on the drivers side between front and rear doors for a yellow decal that says "Your total capacity must not exceed xxxx" that number is passengers hitch weight etc
 
Some of the difference may be whether it has a 6 speed transmission or an 8 speed. The gearinv in the rear(s) play a part also. Be aware of payload capacity with the he Ram 1500. That's usually the sticking point.
 
check this Towing guide for you truck and configuration.  About page 21-22.

http://prodcontent.s3.amazonaws.com/trailerlife.com/digital_editions/TrailerLifeTowGuide2014.pdf
 
I suspect the discrepancy resulted from a mistake about the specific truck configuration. There can easy be a large difference with even a minor parameter change. You gave most of the info details except for engine size and rear axle.

For example, even with the 5.7L hemi engine, the difference between the 3.21 and 3.92 rear axles on your truck is a whopping 2150 lbs (per the Trailer Life Tow Guide). So make sure you have all the details right and check some of the sources here.
http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-towing-guides/

If the dealer gave you a figure based on your VIN, his number is probably right. If he did it based on a description of the truck, who knows?

Payload is not usually a limiting factor for a travel trailer, but verify to be sure. Again, you need to specific truck configuration to be sure of payload.
 
They are all going to change in the near future.  Expect a several thousand pound reduction between one model year and the next when the new standards kick in.

http://www.edmunds.com/car-reviews/features/no-go-for-standardized-tow-ratings.html
 
That report is from 2013. I think all 2015 trucks are sae rated and some 2014 if I recall correctly.
 
There is lots of useful information above.  I will try not to repeat.  I want to define some terms for you.

The published max trailer weights for older trucks, before the new standards took effect, assumed an empty truck and a 150 # driver,  This is simply not the real world.  The new specs are better, but...

PAYLOAD, or the maximum weight you can carry should be obvious.  This will include all passengers, pets, cargo, purses  ;) towing hitch and TT tongue weight (TW)

GVWR, by definition is truck curb weight + payload, and is the maximum the loaded truck can weigh.

For Travel Trailers (TT), the Dry Weight is what it weighed when it left the factory.  IT IS MEANINGLESS.  You need to use the actual weight packed and ready to go camping.  Since this is not easily obtained, use the TT GVWR.

To tow properly, the TW should be between 10 - 15% of the TT weight.

Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating (GCVWR or GCWR)  is the most your loaded truck + loaded trailer can weigh.  If estimating, do not include TW twice.

A simple rule of thumb:  Determine your PAYLOAD.  Subtract all weight to be carried by the truck, as above EXCEPT no TW.  The remainder is the maximum TW you may carry.  Take this number X  8.  This is the max TT GVWR you should consider.

WHY?  Assume an 8,000# TT.  12.5% TW = 1,000#      If the vehicle can handle 1,000# TW, then 1,000 X 8 = 8,000# TT wt.
 
bottom line is what that DECAL says reason being is like Gary says different trans or rear end ON YOUR SPECIFIC truck can make a world of difference. on the web site you can get confussed because the weight rateing on say a 6SB or a 6SBA can be 2000 lbs just with one letter. Also as Gary says if they emailed you from the vin thats probably correct - verify it with that Yellow door decal - drivers side piller between drivers and passenger door . And please post back your results

cheers
 
Found it! I was hoping for the 10,000 range but only 7,900. There went most of the campers we liked. How much of this max towing do I use? What percent or put up to that weight but not over? The campers we like are between 6,000 and 8,500 GVWR. We can not go up to a 2500 due to cost any ideas? The axle ratio was what I was missing I have an 3:21 the 3:92 has the 10,200 max. Thanks
 
ksnipes said:
Found it! I was hoping for the 10,000 range but only 7,900. There went most of the campers we liked. How much of this max towing do I use? What percent or put up to that weight but not over? The campers we like are between 6,000 and 8,500 GVWR. We can not go up to a 2500 due to cost any ideas? The axle ratio was what I was missing I have an 3:21 the 3:92 has the 10,200 max. Thanks
Click to expand...

how did you verify?
 
My sticker in the door only gave me the payload max. Found an 2014 1500 towing chart on line and matched up the payload. There is a 100lb difference in the two. Then put my vin at the ram site and that's what came up. Still not 100% sure but I'm looking for my window sticker to confirm that. If I use this I should be good. I have another question now. The GVWR of my truck is 6,900 the payload is 1,417 so if I subtract this I should get weight of the truck itself. Then anything put in or on the truck is payload and the TW. Just want to see if I'm thinking about this right. 
 
ksnipes said:
My sticker in the door only gave me the payload max. Found an 2014 1500 towing chart on line and matched up the payload. There is a 100lb difference in the two. Then put my vin at the ram site and that's what came up. Still not 100% sure but I'm looking for my window sticker to confirm that. If I use this I should be good. I have another question now. The GVWR of my truck is 6,900 the payload is 1,417 so if I subtract this I should get weight of the truck itself. Then anything put in or on the truck is payload and the TW. Just want to see if I'm thinking about this right.
Click to expand...

you are correct that 100lb difference in the payload is because of options in the truck (ram boxes power window motors that sort of thing) but that number is critical because while you may be rated to pull 10000lbs the payload assoc with 10000lbs is higher than you what your truck is rated CAPACITY wise

so if you have a cargo capacity of 1417lbs using just a simple example you 100lbs +wife 100lbs +dog 100lbs fire wood 100lbs and tools 100lbs = 500lbs so 1417-500=917lbs which you can use as tongue weight PROVIDED THAT the trailer LOADED does not EXCEED 7900 lbs (your tow capacity) i hope that helps. also use the link below as a guide its awesome in that its simple,

so, with a tow capacity of 7900lbs an average trailer puts 10-15% weight on the hitch so a 7900lbs loaded trailer @12.5% would be 987.5 lbs( which is over that 917lbs of cargo room you had left) with careful packing (ie putting heavy stuff either behind or over the axles ) look for something that loaded is going to be in the 7000lbs range, MAX, also remember clothes, food, dishes, etc can reach 500-600lbs easily and water if you fill the tank on the trailer is 8.35lbs per gallon

i hope this helps and i havent confused you

cheers steve

http://www.towingplanner.com/Calculators/TowingPayloadEstimate/?ccc=4125&dw=235&pw=165&hw=250&bd=125&ct=FW
 
Steve is right on target.

Take the payload number (it should be GVWR - curb wt) then subtract everything you will have in the truck - passengers, dog, cargo, TRAILER HITCH, etc.  That is what you have left for Tongue Weight (TW).

Assuming 12.5% TW, multiply this number by 8.  That is the largest TT GVWR the truck can handle.
If you assume 10% TW, then multiply the remaining weight by 10.
As Steve indicated, you can change the TW by how the camper is loaded. It does not change the weight of the camper, just how much weight is on the tongue.  Be aware that at least 10% tongue wt is needed to have enough weight on the truck for safe towing.

Make sure you stay within GCWR - which is truck loaded weight (GVWR - weight left for TW) + TT GVWR.

Make sure TT GVWR is within the 7900# towing capacity.
 
Thanks for the info. I have a better knowledge of what to buy now. There are a lot of people I see on the road that have no idea. Do you have any suggestions on the hitch system for my truck? I have a tow package on the truck with plug-ins for the trailer. Going to have dealership but the trailer break system in for me or is there a better one out there? 
 
any of the Tekonsha series are good -

http://www.tekonsha.com/

you dont need a dealership to do it as its plug and play any good Truck accessories or RVs /Accessories place should be able to do it cheaper unless you know someone at the dealership - is only a 30 mins job.

Reese or Curt make good inexpensive trailer hitches with weight distribution

http://www.reeseprod.com/

http://www.curtmfg.com/

ive done thousands of each depending on what we had in stock basically they are the same just different brands

cheers
 
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