I have a 2005 1500 4x2 Ram 4.7, fram boost air intake, exhaust flowmaster, mobil1 full synthetic motor oil, with 78k miles, and with 3.55 gears. I will pull a 16ft trailer 2400 miles with only house hold goods. ie (pots, pans, cloths, pic frames, etc.) I will sell all big items, so NO furniture or bedroom dressers, appliances, etc.

Its a standard flat bed 16ft trailer (not sure of the weight, I will check and update). I'm guessing the items on the trailer should not exceed 1500 lbs.
Almost forgot, I added a cap/topper and will transport 3 large dogs and crates in the bed of my truck, so there are a few hundred lbs extra on the rear axle.

* Also, far as maintenance, I will replace ALL fluids, including rear end w/ royal purple and check belts, tires, and brakes, etc.

Now, w/ the criteria given... which towing components do you find necessary?

WDH? which size?
Brake controller? which brand?
Air bags?

 

Is it a single or dual axle trailer? Does it have a braking system? If so, you will probably like having a brake controller to operate those brakes. (unless it a surge brake system). The trailer is flat bed, so other than what you stack its unlikely your wind profile will be much taller or wider than the truck. Your pull should be relatively painless with that setup. (drivability-wise)

If you were to be pulling a lot more weight, I'd recommend a weight distributing hitch. But 1500lbs, plus trailer (1000lbs? depends on trailer) you should be ok.

Make sure your tires (truck and trailer) are in good shape. No weather checking, bulges cracking etc. Air pressure should be checked before the big move. Run max pressure in the trailer tires, and max on the truck as well (you probably have P-rated tires so somewhere between 35-40 depending on tire).

Is this a buddy's trailer, rental or your's? If your's or buddy's when was the wheel bearings last serviced/greased? That can be a often missed service item on utility type trailers. You don't want a bearing going out in the middle of your trip. A quick grease up and check could save a lot of hassle with a load on in the middle of nowhere later.

Watch you temp while pulling hills or against the wind. I doubt it'll move, its not summer and there won't be tons of drag and weight making your truck work hard. You'll notice the load a bit on hills, but a few revs will keep you rolling without too much issue. Its good to see how it move normally though in case something changes.

 

Thanks so much for the quick response!

It has a tandem axle. It has some kind of electric braking system. Here is a picture.
I’m not sure of the weight of the trailer. I was hoping the title had the weight on it, but no luck. I also took a picture of the trailer tongue, if that helps.?
It appears to have grease. I will add some more before the trip.
What’s your thoughts about relieving the truck from squatting in the rear?

 

Not pertinent to the towing needs but something you will find important to address. What type of tarping/wrappig are you going to use. Standard plastic tarps often don't do well as the wind/air flow will whip and destroy them. You will need something solid or at least cloth based to cover your things with to protect them.
Good Luck

 

Good point. I have tons of shrink wrap... and probably will over wrap the boxes and tupperware container. Now, I think about it... I will ask for a tarp from my grandfather that he used when he was in the trucking business. I remember seeing it and it was heavy duty.

This will be added to the list. Thanks

 

With the pic I posted earlier about the brakes, can someone identify which brake system I have? Thanks

 

I say rent a U-Haul 6x12 enclosed trailer. You won't have to worry about tarps, brakes, tires, a brake controller, grease, or anything else but the drive itself. Sure, it's not free, but the time & hassle it will save is worth it for most people. You can price it online to see if it will work for you.

 

Looks like brakes.... grease those bearings good. Nice clean new grease is the ticket to keeping the bearings cool, and those trailer wheels rolling. no way to ID brake system from there. I don't see surge gear on the trailer tongue, but would need to see more of the front of the trailer to say for sure. I suspect its not surge, and requires a controller.

If your trailer lighting connector is a standard 7 pin RV style plug on the trailer, then all you need is a simple controller and harness (most likely scenario). Most of these Dodges have a plug under the dash by the steering column to plug the controller into. there is likely a small battery on the front of the trailer somewhere as well, with a breakaway switch/cable attached. that would activate the brakes if the trailer gets unhooked during motion. you can probably pick up a cheapy one for $100 (or find 1 used or on special). The cable for the plug either came with your truck, or pick one up online at dealer or any place that installs hitches (has a plug on 1 end, squarish plastic, to bare wires). It's nice to have the extra brakes with a trailer, and should it start to sway then you can hit the controller only to bring the trailer back in line. If you don't tow lots, then the cheap one should do. I use a cheap one ($40 special from a discount place) for my RV. You have to adjust it more. the proportional controllers (big $) are nice as they self adjust, but my cheapo one is good enough for me.

The tongue is only rated for 5000lbs on that trailer, so trailer and gear will max out around that. Probably a fairly light trailer I'd imagine. If you have a weight distributing hitch setup, then the truck rear squat will be minimal, especially with your anticipated load. Even without, it will likely be fairly small (dodge suspension takes a fair bit of weight I find). Mind you, you say 3 big dogs... we talking how much weight? 300lbs? 600lbs? If its closer to 600lbs, then airbags would be helpful. The trailer will put up to 500lbs approx onto the truck (tongue weight+hitch weight), plus the truck based cargo. For heavy cargo loads, the airbags are better. WD hitch is really only for the trailer load, though it will pull the back up a bit regardless.

If you balance the load on the trailer right, it will handle nicely. You want about 60/40 split with the 60 towards front of the axles.
If you have a WD hitch already, great. If not, no big deal. The added expense may not be worth it for 1 tow. If the trailer was at max load, then I would think it a must, as it helps keep the trailer controlled, distribute weight better on the truck and makes it a nicer tow.

If you have to purchase all the weight stuff (hitch and or airbags) then consider what may be more useful to you in the future. If you want to tow lots, then the hitch could be useful. If you plan on loads in the truck, then airbags. You are likely looking at $400 each item to buy new. Your trailer load is light enough I think to not need the WD hitch... but that is just my opinion. If you are hauling 3 St Bernards, the airbags are the better bet. If they are lighter dogs (100lbs each) then you could be fine without airbags. I'd probably not bother with the WD hitch for the trailer weight you are running.

 

Those are electric brakes. If your truck was built with the towing package it will have the 7-pin harness but you will need a brake controller if you don't already have one. If you balance the load over the axles you should not need a weight distributing hitch. The trailer's gvwr is 5000lb looking at the tongue so I would think the empty trailer is 1500-2000lbs.

 

Thank you for all your feedback. I have a good game plan moving forward.

Here is my parts list.
* Brake Controller 7&4 way installation kit - 10 gauge (truck was factory 4 pole)
* 7-way Molded Trailer Wire connector 8' (for trailer)
* prodigy P2 Brake controller


Still debating on the WD system. Found a 10,000 lb WD w/ Sway control for under $200 bucks on ebay.