I would be towing a load that size on average 6-7 times a year, going camping. I have not yet bought a toy hauler but I am in the market. The reason for this thread is to help me make a decision on what GVWR of trailer to buy. My father has a trailer that weighs 6800 Ibs that I hope to tow so see how the truck does. I what to stay around 5500 Ibs dry and 8000 ish wet.

 

From all my research you can turn a 1500 into a 2500 with suspension. I honestly don't think you'd have an issue with 8000 GVWR if you are using a high quality load leveling hitch as long as you haven't done other 4x4ish mods. I think if you go to 9k though you need to do something more drastic.

 

The GVWR is slightly higher for the 2500 Mega Cab over the 1500 Mega Cab but for some reason the GCWR is 17000lbs with a 4.10 gear for the 2500 but 15000lbs for the 1500.
If you have the 4.10 gears you still have over 8000lbs with the 1500 Mega Cab with plenty of payload capacity. There doesn't seem to be a real reason while the 2500 has a higher GCWR then the 1500 according to this forum.

 

The only thing I have done to the truck is put 20" rims and 32" tires on it. It did raise it by about 1-2", but the suspension is stock. So what I am hearing is I should be alright if I stay at or below 8k pounds, use a weight distro hitch and go no faster than 65 mph. Correct? I also find that the brakes are not that touchy almost spongy even when I am not towing. Is this a dodge known issue?

 

The issue with towing this weight is not with the Hemi engine, it is with the chassis strength and more importantly laws. As the truck can likely pull 10k lbs. it is only rated to pull a certain amount of weight from the factory. If you were ever in any kind of altercation while towing that weight you would likely be held fully responsible since you have gone over the GVWR of your truck.

Although you may try and upgrade the suspension to a 2500 suspension, the laws still apply to what your truck is registered as. Even though you may beef up the suspension and add a lower gear to the rear end with a load leveling hitch, air bags, and the best trailer braking system on the market, your truck will still only be able to LEGALLY tow what the factory rates it at (ie. 7800lbs.) Now, if your state is not real picky about this, you can likely get away with towing a little over the rating of the truck, but safety is the biggest concern.

Remember, if you will be towing this much weight, you must have a trailer braking system. The Prodigy P3 is a great trailer brake and is made by Tekonsha. If you don't already have a brake controller, that should be #1 on your list as you cannot tow anywhere near 8k without one. Hope this helps some.

And for what it's worth, I tow a 27ft. Tahoe RV with a dry weight of 6400lbs. and fully loaded rating of 8300lbs. I just make sure that I don't fill the water tanks until I get to where I am camping and the truck pulls it without any problems. I have 3.92 gears and it's only 2wd which gives me a little more tow rating than you would have...

 

The tires probably have a slightly different diameters but if you are talking about 265/60R20 vs 265/70R17 then I think they are only 3% bigger.

 

A 3500 HEMI Mega Cab was NOT available in 2008. I know this is for sure because I have a copy of the 2008 Dodge Trucks literature. I do not know about 2006-2007?

 

All of this debate over how much our 2500s can tow and the everyday fleet special F150 is supposed to do 8k to 10k or more right off the lot.

 

When I was shopping for a new truck in 2006, there was a big difference between a 2500 4x4 and 1500 4x4. Brakes were noticeably bigger, entirely different frame, cooling system was bigger, etc... There was a big list of heavier duty parts in the 2500. You can plow snow with a 2500/3500 and not even a option to plow with a 1500 so that should be a clue there is a big difference.

 

Mystro- Megacabs are a completely different beast then the regular 1500s. Megacabs are the HD frame, running gear, cooling system, etc. and rated over 8500 gvwr even on the 1500s. I get a break on my license plate costs even because I can license it as a >8500 gvwr vehicle.

John M.- All I can tell you is that Dodge's rate very conservatively compared to Ford. There is no standard for rating a truck's capacity- well there is, but it's brand new and it's not in place across the industry yet.