Why are there such mixed messages with towing? This and other threads say it's ok and pull way more with their truck (1500, f150, etc) but other threads say you're crazy and should move up to the 3/4 or full tonne when towing 6-7000 lbs...

I don't have experience in towing (well nothing hefty, just light stuff, ~2000lbs). Just knowledge from reading lots of articles about size of truck needed. Joined this forum to read up on the goods and bads about ram's as i'm considering getting one (2010 1500 5.7 hemi 4x4 with 3.95 gears).

We have 2 hefty horses (about 1250lbs each) plus a trailer which is about 2500 lbs (with trailer brakes). Tack on some gear, hay, people and we will be around 6k mark. The tow rating is much higher (8500 or 10k now ..forget) and would give us over 2k under the manufacture's max towing capacity (so the weight of a small call under weight max). Hauling them around about half a dozen times a year to shows (mountain areas and flat lands). But not a daily event.

Why would a manufacture allow such a high weight rating if it wasn't really capable of towing that? Wouldn't they get creamed with lawsuits as that is a safety number? Whether it be from accidents or break downs due to towing weight.

I understand the wheel base playing a role for vertical motion (most of what i've read recommend around 120") and if you did not have trailer breaks then weight of the vehicle as well along with truck brakes also playing a roll. But if you have trailer brakes takes some pressure off the truck.

Yes, the engine would be working harder than a truck rated to tow 15000lbs towing that weight but if you aren't hauling that weight every day is it really that hard on the vehicle.

I'm a bit confused how opinions can vary so widely.

 

The reason you see mixed messages is due to the fact that towing is a complex issue. You're not just strapping on a square 4x4 block of concrete that weighs XX pounds and then driving down a flat road in the summer. People pull all kinds of trailers and each is different. And they tow them in vastly different situations.

For instance, my last vehicle, a Grand Cherokee, could tow 6500# max. If I had to tow a large car on a car carrier trailer in the summer on flat terrain I'd push that limit without worry (assuming trailer brakes). However, replace that with a 28' long, 8.5' wide, 8' tall 4-place snowmobile trailer of the same weight being pulled in winter driving conditions and/or on hilly roads and I would never consider it. Frontal area of the trailer, total length compared to tow vehicle, road traction, and grade all play a huge part in being able to carefully tow something.

The tow rating of a vehicle addresses its capability to pull the load without overtaxing the mechanicals and to get it stopped safely. Anything else about the dynamics of the trailer being towed must be factored in and can increase or decrease the real world safe (wise) capacity. Also, the tow rating is what the vehicle CAN tow. It is not necessarily what the vehicle is designed to tow OFTEN. Sometimes you have situations where someone wants to pull something nearing the upper end of towing capacity on a regular basis or in tough conditions (mountains, heat, icy roads) and the fact is they are better off with a more capable tow vehicle in the long run.

Rob

 

What BigBlue sed.

I would like to add that some of the opinions (including, possibly, mine) are based on faulty conclusions from prior towing experience and/or myths and legends perpetuated by others.

For instance, I blew out a differential pinion bearing while towing a 10' tall RV (at 75% of max tow weight) on a 2,000 mile trip and my neighbor insisted that it was due to my '05 Dakota not having a "heavy duty" differential and that I should upgrade to a Ram. Well, the Ram and the Dakota share the exact same differential.

Now, no one knows for certain but the 3 diff. experts that I consulted figured the pinion bearing failed due to a faulty installation of the pinion seal and pinion nut 20,000 miles prior.

I did upgrade to a Hemi Ram and I have to tell you that my towing experience with it is only SLIGHTY BETTER than the 4.7 Dak and primarily due to its ability to dissipate coolant and tranny fluid heat better. (The Dak would flirt with the red line in hot, hilly, headwind conditions.)

Now, the next guy with the exact same Ram and RV rig might accuse me of heresy because he likes to accelerate from 60mph to 90mph in 2 seconds to pass a convoy of semis on a 2 lane blacktop; which admittedly the Dakota 4.7 would not do.

 

What do you think about surge brakes on a trailer. I rented one from an equipment place...a car trailer and it was over 2000lbs and I put a 4600lb truck on it and towed it with a 03 Durango R/T It got the same gas mileage there and back One way just a trailer the other the truck and it towed like I had nothing behind me . I had to turn the rearview mirror away so I could quite scaring myself when I looked behind and a pickup grill was in my mirror. 60 mph plus I felt confident in the stops too. I had to kinda hit the brakes when I came up upon a slowed down section of traffic. It was like just the Durango stopping. If this truck can tow half as good I might buy a travel trailer. Maybe I will rent a car trailer from Uhaul for a few hours like 25 bucks and tow my chevy around for a bit and see how it feels, they have surge brakes on theirs. Now I don't think u can use them on travel trailers but they seem to do the job for car trailers.

 

I've had the exact same experience as you with the surge brakes on various rental trailers with my Dak. I've never seen surge brakes on an RV and the surge apparatus is prolly more expensive than a brake controller.