Towing with my truck

[Jorgeoliva]

Still shopping for a TT my truck is a 2016 Ram 3.6 3.21 rear end, I don't know how to read this but on my door label, it says GAWR front 3700 lb - rear 3900 lb - GVWR 6800 lb. I have a 2016 Ram 1500 longhorn guad cab with a 3.6 engine no one can tell me yet what my maximum towing capacity is. if anyone can help I can narrow my first-time travel trailer purchase.

 

[darsben]

Somewhere it should give you the payload capacity ( cargo capacity)

 

[Jorgeoliva]

This is the label see attach

 

[steveblonde]

there are 2 labels the other one is yellow and has tire info on it looks like this 

web site says
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2016_ram_1500_towing_charts.pdf

max tow 4610 lbs but you also need to be aware of what the cargo capacity is - ie if you tow 5000lb tailer (loaded) it wil have a pin weight of 500lbs PLUS
you and misses and dog etc 500 lbs  that will give you 1000lbs  yellow decal says 1500lbs - would leave you 500 lbs leeway

however you will not want more than 80% of that 4610 cause you will be bagging that poor truck

you should really start looking at tent trailers (pop ups)

 

[Jorgeoliva]

let me look for that label and I will post it.

 

[Jorgeoliva]

found it here is the label so with this bottom line with the trailer loaded is ?

 

[Alfa38User]

According to that label, the maximum load you can carry, including wife, her purse, the dog, the kids, anything else you wish to carry in the truck and the load the trailer, including the hitch, can put on the truck is 1687 pounds.

We usually recommend you use 10-12% the VGWR of any proposed trailer  to estimate what the trailer load will be. This will give you a small margin of safety since it is the maximum load the trailer itself is designed to carry. The other important number will be the CVGWR of the truck. but I don't see that one on either of the two stickers. That is the maximum combined truck and trailer weights the truck itself is designed to pull. 

 

[darsben]

so you have a 1687 pound cargo capacity.
Now figure out the weight you will carry in the truck when you go camping.  So your weight, companions weight, dog, tools, camping wood etc anything that will be in or on the truck. Include the weight of the hitch
Subtract that from your 1600 pound cargo capacity that gives you the maximum Tongue weight of the trailer when fully loaded. The tongue weight of the trailer can be determined by finding the GROSS WEIGHT of the trailer not net weight but GROSS WEIGHT.  12% of that number will give you the approximate tongue weight.

Add the tongue weight to the weight of what you put in/on the truck and see how close to 1600 lbs you come

Their is a towing chart  here
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2016_ram_1500_towing_charts.pdf

It seems to indicate a trailer of less than 5000 pounds with the 3.21 rear end

 

[SpencerPJ]

Something seems odd.  You have a max payload of 1687 LB. (pretty decent for a 1/2 ton)  That is no-where on the Ram Truck Guide Chart. That engine will be sluggish, by GM 5.3 is not very peppy pulling a 21' TT.  You are definitely in 16-17' TT, possible hybrid territory.  Personally, Id stick under 3500# dry weight, 4500 loaded.  You seem to have the payload.

 

[Jorgeoliva]

Thank you all for that info we are looking into a 16 max 18 ft TT I used to pull my boat 23 ft Bayliner boat and trailer 6,000 lb but I think I was pushing it

 

[grashley]

Very good advise above.

Note the Bayliner is MUCH more aerodynamic than a TT!

Adding to Darsben comments:  Take the MAX tongue wt from his calculations times 8.  This is the MAX TT GVWR you can handle assuming 12.5% tongue wt.  (simpler to calculate than 12.0%)

Something seems odd.  You have a max payload of 1687 LB. (pretty decent for a 1/2 ton)  That is no-where on the Ram Truck Guide Chart.

The 1687 payload is for HIS truck.  Chart numbers are for a specific body and drive train and NO OPTIONS.  It represents the MAX payload possible for that configuration.  The small print footnotes indicate payload must be reduced by the weight of all installed options.

 

[SpencerPJ]

The 1687 payload is for HIS truck.  Chart numbers are for a specific body and drive train and NO OPTIONS.  It represents the MAX payload possible for that configuration.  The small print footnotes indicate payload must be reduced by the weight of all installed options.

You are correct.  And according to the chart, his truck Max Payload is 1560#.  Actually, there is not one truck on the chart with Payload over 1600#, and that is unusual because as you stated, everything added to a basic truck takes away from that number.