I'm looking at getting a 22'-24' travel trailer (~5500-6000 lbs loaded). I have a 1500 4X4 with a AT and 360 and 3.55 gears. I know I could tow this, but I want to know if I could tow 6000 well. I'm mostly worried about going up hills. What do you guys haul and how do your trucks do.

 

Just the other day I towed a 18ft Big Tex car hauler trailer loaded with a tractor with a bucket and box blade. I have the exact same truck as you and it towed it okay. Lock O/D out and went easy on the gas and it revs high before shifts but still feels as if it could tow more. On the hills it was just the same, revved up high eventhoughI was being light ongas but never seemed to be over-taxing it.

 

I haul about 3,000 pounds of drywall mud every week, on the highway up hills. Does fine. No lack of power. Just the tranny that worries me, i have an after market cooler, but still in the back of my mind. Mines a 99 1500 5.2L RWD

 

I normally tow a 3500 lb trailer... I cant feel its there from acceleration... Mostly the lack of the "lurch" if its unloaded... but it still does allright.
If its in overdrive it will loose lots of speed up hills, but if I keep it out of overdrive it doesnt take much more throttle to get up hills... most hills it wont even need to kick down.

I dident get the chance to do this, but my dad used my truck to tow a ~9500 lbs horse trailer about 15 miles and he said it did alright... he said there wasent an abundance of power at all, and he said it felt like a sports car when the trailer was off... but what do you expect.
I woudlent worry about it.
My truck was used to tow for most of its miles, and its got 85,000 now and my trans is perfect. When I got it, it was origional trans fluid (68,000 miles) and it was still good and red... I changed the fluid (full flush) at like 70,000 and now its still perfectly red...

 

Your truck shouldn't have a problem pulling 6000 lbs. Take care of your tranny though with regular maintenance and as large of a transmission fluid cooler as you can locate. Adding a tran temp gauge is also a good thing.

I'd also recommend not pulling that heavy a camper with OD. Turn it off and leave it off. I regularly pull a 9000 lb fifth wheel with no issues, but my engine and tranny were built to pull and are not stock.

I'd also llok for a camper with electric brakes and add a good brake module to your truck.

 

Besides the boat in and out of the water twice a year, I mostly haul ***.

 

My usual/recent loads include:
-20' (when open) pop-up camper that weighs 1785 unloaded.
-Polaris 800 RMK Sled
-lumber/rock/dirt/etc...

 

I've got a 318 in my Ram, and I've towed my Duster across the country using one of those oh-so-heavy UHAUL trailers. No problems at all.

JUST MAKE SURE YOU TURN OVERDRIVE OFF.

 

I haul Ford trucks..................backwards while they struggle to hold their position..............lol.

 

I haul a 5000lb (loaded) Jayco 20' in Florida (flat). 318 engine 3.9 rear, factory tow package. Does ok 'cept off the line, naturally. No OD and depending on the on ramp, might have to manually hold the tranny off from shifting to get good rpm. Service the tranny annually (very cheap insurance) and should have no problem there.
WC