Noob but not so new

[Lordac]

Greetings:

Noob to this forum, but not new to camping. 

Intro: I'm 57 and been camping pretty much all my life, but only in a tent!  However I grew up in a campground because my parents owned and operated one in MA for 30 years.  So I've moved trailers and such around the campground, but always with our tractor, I've never towed anything other than a motorcycle trailer over the open road. 

Now: So the Mrs and I want to go "Glam-ping" and she wants a travel trailer.  We've done a lot of looking and have narrowed it down to 2 models.  Both are in the 33-36 foot range and about 7400 pounds dry.  So I have 2 questions, that I hope can be answered as simply as possible.  Hopefully this will not be like the camera forum I belong to where the endless debate about which brand Nikon or Cannon is the best (I'm Nikon) because it's truly counterproductive.

Question 1.  This is probably the biggest one.  I have a 2014 Ram 1500 5.7 HEMI with the Big Horn package which has the braking module built in.  It has a max tow capacity of 10,150 pounds with the current suspension and rear axel ratio of 3:92.  Will this Truck be ok for towing in the size range I'm looking at? Should I add some helper springs?  I know with cargo I'm guessing another 2000 pounds that would put us to just under the MFG's limits.  Tongue weights of the 2 units I'm looking at are 950 and 1091 pounds respectively.    Thoughts?  And please if you can, keep it simple.

Question 2. Weight distribution hitch.  Ok so I've looked at several setups. Hensley looks pretty good and there's a fairly new one on eBay I could get relatively cheap(for a hensley)  I was also looking at some reese setups, mainly because they are probably the most recognizable manufacturer n the country so any parts or problems should be easily handled.  However I was reading on this particular forum about a couple other weight distribution/anti sway systems.  I'm a good mechanic and have plenty of tools, however I have no experience towing a large trailer so I will gladly defer to my new friends here that have experience.  Go.........


Thanks in advance.

 

[longhaul]

  1.  Your 1500 Ram has a small 3800 rawr that will be carrying just about all the load. The Ram is a heavy truck and may have a empty 2400-2500 lb rear axle weight which leaves around 1300-1400 lbs  for a payload before exceeding a P tire/wheel or rear spring pack rating.
Now the trailers...a 7400 lb dry weight may mean a 9500-10000 lb gvwr. We know you won't pull a empty trailer so add at least 1500 lbs and maybe 1800 counting a hitch = and a possible 9000 + lbs when loaded.
With these size TT's your going to be max loaded. I can see LT tire/higher rated wheels and rear suspension upgrades ahead to help carry the load.

The Hemi with the 3.92 gear is one strong towing machine and won't have any problems pulling its tow rating.

2. I don't pull TT's so can't help you there.

 

[Wldor]

Camping ain't camping without A/C and satellite TV!

1) I'll let others get into the science behind weights, but I will advise: Just 'cos you *can* tow a certain weight, doesn't necessarily mean that you *should* (OR: would want too).

I towed my current 36' Keystone Sprinter 311BHS trailer (8250lbs "Dry" ***) with a 13' F150 Ecoboost. On paper, I was comfortably & safely within weight tolerances. In the real world however, stuff was very different. Side-winds, passing/being passed by tractor trailers can be a REAL unpleasant experience with a long, heavy trailer on the back of a "light duty" ~6500lb 1/2 ton truck. Likewise, descending hills can be very unnerving too - that long, heavy trailer has momentum, and wants to push through the truck (if you're perfectly straight), or worse, it wants to push the rear of the truck out of the way (sideways!) if you're on even a slight curved descent. If I were to do it again, I'd either:

(a) Buy a shorter and/or lighter TT
(b) buy a bigger truck (I opted for this route last year, and moved-up to a SRW diesel 3/4 ton truck to tow the same trailer)

*** Dry weights are meaningless. Add at least another thousand lbs to that figure when the trailer's packed with food, clothes, beverages, chairs, bedding, clothes, propane, water, etc. ready for even just a weekend away with your bride

2) I tow the above with the Andersen 'Anti Sway' WD hitch? I really like it for towing not only my RV but also my 21ft car hauler trailer too (Not at the same time!!) - WD AND Anti-Sway all in the one unit, and it's considerably lighter than competitive offerings, and really easy to set-up and then operate: http://www.andersenhitches.com/catalog/andersen-nosway-weight-distribution-hitch.aspx

 

[Lordac]

Thanks.

 

[Lordac]

Anderson hitch.

Nice hitch at a good price point.  How has it performed for you?

FYI we will be purchasing our unit sometime within the next month. Our plan is to go local the first couple times with a friend of mine who has been towing many years. We do have one trip planned that will take us about 700 miles from home.  One concern area I have is tires. The truck I have has stock 20" low profile street tires. I may need to look into upgrading to a more heavy duty truck tire in the 285 height and rim.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Forget the trailer dry weight and use the trailer GVWR as the estimated weight. You may not load it to the max, but don't count on it. "Stuff" has a way of weighing a lot more than you would ever believe!

Since it's a travel trailer and not a 5W, the truck payload may not be a constraint. The truck will carry about 10% of the trailer weight on the hitch, so probably about 1000 lbs. Add in the hitch and maybe another 300# for passenger and gear and you hit around 1400# total. Most half tons can handle that much, but check the Payload (cargo capacity) rating to be sure.

Hensley and ProPride are the premier WD hitches, but you will do well with any that include anti-sway feature right in the hitch design. The Equal-i-zer and Reese Dual Cam models are excellent and much less expensive than the other two.  I do NOT recommend hitches that utilize an external friction-type sway control. The friction adjustment is critical on those and few people consistently get it right.

 

[grashley]

Welcome to the Forum!

Longhaul and I rarely agree on weight questions, but this time we do.

There are several questions to answer.  What is the max load as on the Yellow label on the driver door B pillar?  It must be sufficient to carry 10% of the TT  GROSS Vehicle Weight Rating, not dry wt or published dry hitch wt., PLUS 80# for WD hitch PLUS weight of all passengers, tools, firewood and cargo carried in the truck.

What is the Load Limit imprinted into your tires?  Will they carry the full truck GVWR?  Will the rear tires carry the weight of the loaded rear axle?

Per Longhaul, will the rear axle GAWR carry the load?

Ignore the published towing specs, as they are worthless except for bare bones work trucks with only the driver and no cargo.

You might be okay, but you will be close!  Do your homework, like asking here, and be safe!