I just bought a 1500 slt tried hauling my horses in it yesterday, three horses and lightweight trailer around 7000 altogether, it was almost a disaster, couldnt go over 45 mph as the trailer took on a life of its own at that speed. If someone can tell me how to beef up my truck I would love to keep it, but I will NOT be hauling horses in a 1500 slt 2012 anytime soon.!!!!

 

Doesn't sound like a tow vehicle problem, it sounds like a trailer problem. 'Trailer took on a life of its own' implies to me that your tongue weight was wrong. I have no idea how a horse trailer is configured or how to distribute the load and keep it in place, but you need to have 10-15% of your total trailer weight on the tongue. Either more or less than that can be very dangerous and result in excessive trailer sway.

Make sure the trailer is rated for the actual total load weight. Ensure that you have 10-15% of the weight on the tongue. Make sure the trailer has brakes and that they are functioning correctly. With those issues addressed your 7,000# trailer will be no problem on any RAM 1500.

Rob

 

Hi Rob,
I have had this horse trailer for years, I have towed it all over the country, with absolutely NO problem. It is correctly loaded and is a top of the line 'Exiss trailer, specifically built to haul horses, the weight distribution on it is perfect, I have hauled it with an f450 and a 250 with no problem. The 1500 is the only truck that has had issues. I wish it were different, but it's definately not the trailer. I LOVE the truck and believe me if I could keep it I would. One Dodge mechanic said that it is not strong enough to pull the trailer and that I need a 2500 this was yesterday at the dealership.

 

I have to agree with BigBlue. I have pulled many trailers of various configurations and worked for a time for U-Haul and the only times a trailer got squirrelly I was able to trace it back to mechanical issues with the trailer, underinflated tires on either the truck or the trailer, inappropriate hitches or improper loading/weight distribution. If the truck is too light it might get pushed somewhat when cornering or stopping and if it is too weak then it will lag on grades or hills. It is possible if you haven't had it inspected that a mechanical problem has developed with the trailer such as bearings. Even the most conscientious person can have sudden mechanical issues crop up so I would maybe look a little closer at these areas. Good luck either way you decide.

 

Here's a couple ideas...

A 7,000# trailer is definitely not a challenge for a RAM 1500, when properly configured. The only reason I've ever seen a trailer start swaying is due to tongue weight issues. Perhaps you never had problems with the F450 or F250 because they are so much heavier/stiffer than the RAM and the trailer's (possibly) incorrect tongue weight was counteracted by a heavier tow vehicle. If that was the case, it doesn't make the RAM a bad tow vehicle, it just means you're working in a different range of capacity of the 1500 versus the heavier trucks you've used before and proper trailer setup is more important.

Have you actually measured your tongue weight or are you just assuming it was fine because the big trucks pulled it fine? Simple way to test, just load it up and take it to your nearest truck stop to check total weight and tongue weight on a scale. If it does indeed have 10-15% tongue weight then, as RSDodgeLover mentions, perhaps there may be other mechanical things happening.

The person who told you the RAM 1500 'was not strong enough to pull this trailer' was dead wrong. It is nowhere near the limit of capacity for the 1500. I'm certain that if your trailer is mechanically sound and has 10-15% tongue weight the RAM will pull it fantastically. Like I said, I've pulled an enclosed trailer of 8,000+# all over the country in summer and winter weather, through very steep western mountain grades, with strong cross-winds in the Dakotas, and it pulled like a dream.

Rob

 

I would certainly like to resolve this, I went to the Dodge Ram site and put in my vin, it says the max for this truck is 6450. So are you saying I should exceed this limit set by the manufacturer?
I had the vin checked out and it does not have the manufacturer towing package on it. Like I said, I LOVE this truck, it rides like a dream and looks awesome. The place we bought it from said 10,000 towing no problem. I would love it if you would confirm the exact towing capacity for the 2012 1500 SLT
If there is anyway I can make this work I will. The tongue weigh has been checked on the trailer and it is good.

 

What, specifically, are the specs of your truck? The vast majority of RAM 1500 SLTs come with a Hemi V8 and 3.55 or 3.92 gears. I guess I made an assumption that your 1500 SLT fell into that scenario. If you have 3.21 gears or a smaller engine then it is possible your tow rating is lower. But even if it is, trailer sway has nothing to do with tow rating.

When it comes to checking tow ratings, be aware that what you find on-line from Dodge might be referring to 'standard' capacity and that if you use a load distributing hitch your capacity may be higher. For instance, on my 2010 with Hemi, 3.92 gears, 4x4, CC, my towing capacity is 9950 'when properly equipped', but something like 6500 with no load distributing hitch. Perhaps PM DodgeCares and ask for them to confirm your towing capacity of your RAM.

If your tongue weight is in the 10-15% range and it is still swaying then you may need some expert assistance in diagnosing the problem. Something isn't right. And it isn't the tow rating.

Rob

 

Also check what size rims you have on your truck. If you have the 20" rims your towing weight will be significantly lower. Right in the owners manual it shows truck configurations(CC, RC, EC) vs. gear ratios (3.21, 3.55, 3.92, 4.10) vs. rim size (17", 20") vs. drive (2wd, 4wd) and the tow weights rated for each configuration. There are big differences based on configurations.

 

http://www.onlinetowingguide.com/gui...apacities.html

Here's a great link that shows all your tucks possible configurations and its towing ability.

 

Really? There isn't such a chart in the 2010 owner's manual. Also, in the sales brochure for the 2010 it makes no distinctions about towing capacities related to wheel/tire size. I'm not saying it may not have an effect, but I've never seen a Dodge chart of towing capacities with wheel size-specific info listed. Just curious to see it. Perhaps it was specific to the 2009s. I know Dodge changed the way they rate towing capacity after 2009 and the same truck in 2010 was given higher ratings. Maybe the wheel size item was eliminated due to that.

Also, for Ally: If your truck does not have a towing package with a class IV receiver hitch your towing capacity may be under 7,000#. Doesn't mean the truck isn't capable of more, but you need the right hitch setup to achieve it. And, again, that would have no bearing on trailer sway problems.

Rob