Towing confusion, please help me not be an idiot :)

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RoadDad

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Sep 11, 2021
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Hi all, I am totally new to this and don’t want to make a stupid mistake. I’ve done the math and I think I am ok, but a couple of experienced hands would give me a lot of confidence.

I have a 2019 Ram 1500 w/ tow package whose door decal says it has a 1300 lb payload and can haul 11300 lbs.

We want to get into rv’ing because it looks awesome, and we have my wife and me, two little kids, and a teenager. We have been looking at roughly 33’ travel trailers because a bunk room and a little space will be good for family dynamics. We have been looking at the grand design 321bh (travel trailer) which has a GVWR of 9295 lbs and a hitch weight of 728 lbs.

Can my truck safely tow a trailer of that size? The truck payload can handle the 728 lbs and the GVWR IS 82% of my tow capacity.

Is this ok or did I make some newbie mistake and I’m crazy to think that my truck could haul this?

thanks!
 
Could it do it, maybe, but remember those kids are going to grow, and as they do they will cut into your payload capacity more and more. Also that hitch weight number sounds awfully light to me. Don't get fooled by model number this beast is nearly 37 ft overall. If it were me I would look for something a LOT smaller to tow with a half ton pickup, particularly if you are planning on taking it on long road trips, vs to the local lake on the weekend.
 
Thank you uchu! I appreciate it.

When I do the math, it seems like I am super close the the overall payload of my truck: 1300 - 728 (hitch) = 572. But two adults and 3 kids can easily hit 572 lbs. It seems crazy to me that these tolerances are that close. My best friend is built like a linebacker; does that mean I basically can’t take him camping with the family because the truck will collapse?
 
When I look at the specs for that trailer I see you are using the unloade tongue weight. A much more accurate measure is 10% of the GVWR, or 930#. Remember that you, your family and everything that you carry in the truck are part of the payload and those weights must be figured into what the hitch will ad.
 
Hitch weight is usually calculated at 10% of loaded weight but my guess is the manufacturer is playing loose with the figures and using unladen weight so your weight will be closer to 900 lbs hitch weight when the trailer is loaded with all your stuff.
That only gives you 400 lbs in the vehicle for payload. so how much do you, spouse, children dog and whatever else you are putting in the truck weigh?
the trailer has a gvwr of about 9300 pounds and an unladen weight of 7700 pounds hence the lower number for hitch weight but you are not going to tow the trailer empty. First you will fill the propane then you will put food, clothing, toys, that will add to the weight. Maybe some water on longer trips for bathroom use, the awning (if dealer installed and not part of the unladen weight), the equalizing hitch components add more weight so 900 lbs is an good estimated hitch weight
Remember the salesman will not tell you the truth usually because he wants to feed his family. He will tell you what you want to hear
 
Thanks all. Seems like I’m too close to the limit with this. :(

but I am super appreciative of the help and experience!!! Thank you!
 
Actually a TT will have closer to 12-15% of loaded weight as tongue weight. But thats not your only problem. Your looking at a mystical 1300 payload. Once you add a full tank of fuel, kids, wife and assundry junk you will be lucky to have 700 pounds of available payload. For a 1500 pickup, and depending on drive train you should be looking at 25 foot or less trailers.
 
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You have to be very careful looking at these modern "towing capacities", on paper your Dodge Ram 1500 has about the same towing capacity of my 21 year old Ford F250 crew cab with 7.3L diesel, though when you get down into the specs it is all in claimed max trailer weight (transmission load), and my old F250 in reality has more than a thousand pounds more payload capacity.
 
Yes, they do cut it that close! I have had a very difficult time keeping my motorhome even close to its weight limit, and I travel alone! Adding a couple of teenagers would make it impossible. I always empty my waste tanks even when making even a short trip, and never carry a full tank of water, even if I would like to. I even worry about carrying too much food, and I recently have gone through everything to reduce weight. And forget that linebacker! (Basically, I have about twice as much storage space as I do weight availability.)

Your truck will not collapse and your trailer will not fall apart, but it could start swaying and get out of control as you drive, which could cause your tow vehicle to lose control. I have several times watched trailers start swinging around on the freeway, causing the tow vehicle to lose control. It is scary to be behind them, let alone be riding in the tow vehicle. So far, all the ones I have seen were able to slow down and move onto the shoulder, but I am sure it was a traumatic experience for everyone.

With your family, you want to travel as safely as possible, so a smaller trailer with a bigger cargo carrying capacity and less tow weight would help that.
 
Hey Road Dad, welcome to the Forum. There are some awesome weight experts here. I'm not one of them but I personally would be concerned about pulling a 33' TT with a 1500 RAM. We tried pulling a 26' TT with a 1500 RAM with just two of us. We quickly decided that we needed to get a bigger truck to do the job. My guess is that you won't be happy with a smaller TT. Please be safe.
 
Yea the truck is too lite for the camper. You have only 1300lbs of capacity in/on the truck. So that means everything little thing from the engine oil to fuel to brake fluid, passengers, other items in the bed of the truck all take away from that 1300lbs. Then you add the tongue weight of the camper and what you get? You be over weight. Don't do it! Not safe and not legal. Also keep in mind say you were in an accident and wasn't your fault but the other person, that person and or cop will find out your over weight and bam! your the one in trouble and have to pay for everything out of your pocket your insurance will not help nor pay.
Also if your over weight which you will be you might even have to stop over in a truck scale on the hwy. Not all states do it but a good handful do. If ya overweight there you get fined, towed or God knows what.

Also truck full capacity of towing no more than 80% is a good rule.of thumb.

I also have a excel sheet that calculates if your truck and camper are in the green or red base on camper weights and truck specs. Ask for it.

I'm a full time rv-er.
 
The hitch weight of 728 is an empty weight typical of a unit as it leaves the factory add 80 lbs of propane and 50 lbs of battery and cases etc your already at 858 on the tongue. Typical tt is 12% of gvwr when loaded which is 1115so you your kids wife gear in the truck hitch
fire wood gear etc must weight less than 285 lbs see where this is going? Sorry
 
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