I think you may be mixing up me and feralhog, and possibly mixing up payload and towing capacity.

First things first though...excellent point about having the right setup, anti-sway devices, etc. That'll make a huge difference in how something tows, not just what it will tow.

Payload: what's in the truck. This must include the tongue weight of any trailer, since the tongue weight is weight that the truck must carry.

Towing capacity: what the truck will tow. you have to subtract whatever is in the truck (people, dogs, etc) from the tow capacity to get a more accurate idea of what the truck's maximum recommended tow capacity is. Generally, manufacturers will take the GCWR (all loads combined), and subtract the weight of the truck to arrive at the tow rating.

If feralhog is looking at a 4X4 crewcab with 3.55 gears, he's got a 1330 pound payload total. Subtract 700 pounds for people and the dog, and he's got 630 pounds to play with. Add in the tongue weight of the trailer (estimate 10-15% of the total weight of 5300 pounds), so roughly 530 pounds at a minimum. That puts him within 100 pounds of maxing out the payload capacity, and he hasn't put a single item in the bed of the truck. If it's a 2WD he's looking at, then he's got 300 pounds to play with. That assumes that his tongue weight sits at 10%...if it were closer to 15%, he'd be over the payload capacity of the truck.

All I'm doing is going off of specs and ratings...not in any way trying to tell anyone that they're wrong or that the truck won't handle it. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to this stuff...I have no desire to knowingly exceed any recommended capacity of a vehicle.

And feralhog...if the dealer wasn't trying to upsell you to something with more capacity, then I'd wager that he didn't have a 2500 hemi on the lot. They are not common at all...maybe 10-15% of production 2500's come out of the factory with a gas engine.

And finally...get what you need. Get what you want. Get what you like. 1500, 2500...just make sure it does what you want it to safely, that it meets your needs, and that it's what you want. You're the one paying for it...the rest of us are just talking on the net, and it costs us little to nothing to do it.

 

Thanks again for the responses.

To restate, my camper's GVWR is 7100. I understand that to mean don't put "stuff" in it to make it weight more than 7100 lbs. Is that accurate?

The GVW is 5300. I understand that to mean what the camper weighed before they installed the fridge, stove, bingles and bangles. Is that correct?

The Base/Dry Hitch Weight is 700. I understand that to mean the tongue weight when the trailer weighed 5300 (GVW) prior to installing "parts" at the factory? I can assume the tongue weight is higher now with these "parts" with no food, clothing, and other items and even more when loaded with "necessities".

When discussing the frequency of towing this rig with "the boss" we realized we haven't "towed" it in two years as we cureently have it parked at a campground year around. When we asked ourselves how often MIGHT we tow it the answer was once, maybe twice a year. Not exactly 2500 towing numbers. Other than that I have a utility trailer which doesn't concern me in the least.

Still, I want to be safe AND legal if/when we tow it again.

The only other "payload" issue is wood pellets. Last I heard a ton of pellets weighed 2000 lbs. That is clearly more than 700 lbs over this Ram's payload. I suppose I can put half the load on the utility trailer (not even sure if its rated for a ton). Or better yet, have them delivered AND stacked!

Thanks again. I'm 95% certain I'm buying this truck. Monday is decision day. In a couple of years I'll re-examine the BIG truck scenerio as I have heard I'm getting a 5th wheel when I retire and hauling "the boss" around the country!

 

look to see if your build sheet says tow package (factory)
if not you do not have the extra trans cooler, heavy duty cooling, and oil cooler.
i would never buy a truck that i will tow something with a 3.55 gear ratio and now factory tow package

 

You have the same issue I had. Our trailer stays put except for twice a year. All in I am at 8000 to 8500 lbs, The 2010 1500 CC 4X4 w/3.55 can pull about 8300 to 8500 depending on how it it equiped so I am right at or over the posted limit. Once I again I was very impressed with the truck and how well it pulled. I just couldn't justify spending the extra money on a 2500 plus as noted if you go 2500 you have to go diesel. That would have added serious coin. The trucks max payload is about 1300, I really don't understand why it is so low. Most likely due to the coils. I added airbags to mine and it help alot. I know the 09 tow capacity numbers are so low due to the life time warranty. The warranty goes away and magically the rates increase upwards of 1400lbs.

Your trailer dry with all the equipment it came with from the factory is 5300. The 7100 notes the max load for the trailer and the stuff you add, propane, water, wood etc... Same goes for the wood pellets, if you only doing it once in a while getting a 2500 would be a waste. The tow package can be added. Have them add a tranny cooler as part of the deal along with the hitch.

 

This is part of what it says on the "sticker"......

..........................
205MM Heavy Duty Front Axle
3.55 Rear Axle Ratio
Heavy Duty Engine Cooling
Heavy Duty Transmission Oil Cooler
..........................
Trailer Tow Wiring with 4-Pin Connector
7-Pin Wiring Harness
..........................
ParkView Rear Back Up Camera

The back up camera really blew my mind when I realized there was no receiver. I guess its always good to know who or what you're getting ready to back over but in my mind I always equated "back up camera" with towing. So much for assumptions. It (sticker or invoice) does NOT say "Tow Package" hence the lack of a receiver and brake controller.

They will be adding the receiver and brake controller.

I drove it for a couple of hours yesterday. Nice truck and doesn't it look good in the driveway! White wouldn't be my first pick but it still looks nice.

As to getting a 2500 with a hemi this particular dealership has eleven 2500s. Two have the Cummins. The other nine are hemi's. They're all pretty basic work trucks in my opinion.

Thanks once again!

 

Hi, I have a 2010 TRX 4 crew cab 3.92 gear ratio. I am presently towing a 29 footer towing gross weight 7600lbs, dry 5200 lbs and took it to a weight scale and weight on the axle is presently 6000 lbs.

On a long distance I've average 11mpg which is excellent considering the amount of hills...

 

So what you're saying is you have 800 lbs of "stuff" in your trailer? I'm looking at a truck with 3.55s. Maybe I'm obsessing over nothing....

 

What gets me is the Dodge 4 x 4s have the same GVWR as the two wheel drives, on crew and quads. I think all other manufactures give the 4x4s atleast 150 or 200 more pounds GVWR to make up for the 225 or so pounds the 4x4 has in extra driveline weight. Mix that with the fact the crews are rated for 100 more pounds, (yeah, they weigh maybe 40-45 pounds more) and it gets even "dumber" for a person with a quad cab. The wheelbases are the same, the axles and wheels, powertrain, bodylength are the same. Oh well, air bags can do it, just might be a little illegal here and there, but I don't need to haul heavy much, and a 6,000 pound (total weight) racecar trailer is most I plan to haul. And I don't run with a big crowd. Tell us how it does compared to the Tundra, and is the Tundra a 4.10 or 4.3 gear?

 

One thing I can say about the Tundra is that when they said 10,000 pounds (since lowered I think) they meant it. No issues at all. Yes, it got 8-9 mpg but I didn't expect more. It has 4.10 as far as I know. I never had the stress to even double check it.

the worse thing about hauling pellets with it was the $50 OEM bedliner they put in those things. I had a ton of pellets slip sliding around in the back of the truck. I've never had 2000 lbs slide around the back of a truck before and I was only moving 35-40mph tops! The ribbing is so thin my 180lb body might crush them flat just walking on it.

 

Buy a truck with 3.92s if your towing much of anything.Sure the 'other' tow allright but not easy and more strain everthing.I get 20mpg with mine at 70/72 mph not towing.Look at what Toyota does,430 gearing.