My 2012 RAM 1500 says on the Door GVWR 6700 bls , My sales guy told me this truck is rated to tow 11000 bls is this true are all of 1500 the same?

 

I am not sure where 11000lbs came from. The last I checked the trailer weight rating is 10000lbs on the Ram 1500. However, if you read the fine print the manufacturer does not recommend exceeding 75% of the max load rating (7500lbs) not exactly sure why they do this other than an advertising gimmick (maybe).

 

There are two important numbers to consider for towing.
1. GVWR = 6,700 =>the max load your truck can haul, this mean the weight of your truck as equiped, your passengers and cargo. Also you have to add to this the tongue weight of the trailer plus the hitch weight.

2. GCWR = 15,500 max => this is the weight of #1 above plus the weight of the trailer, minus the tongue weight of the trailer which is already included in the #1 figure.

So let's say your truck weights in at 5,500lbs (truck) + 200 (you) + (200) your wife and kids + 100 (gear) + 50 (weight distribution hitch) = 6050 lbs total. This leaves you with 650 lbs (6,700 - 6050) for the trailer tongue weight.

Now look at the trailer you want to tow, GCWR is 15,500, subtract the 6050 and you have 9,450 lbs left for the trailer weight. Now you have to be careful here because the tongue weight has to be no more than the 650 lbs available from the GVWR calculations. Tongue weigh of trailers are usually 10 to 15% of the trailer weight, so even though you can fit withing the GCWR limits with a 9,450 lb trailer, you will be over the limit for the GVWR. Assuming that you use the lower 10% tongue weight for the trailer (unlikely), then the max trailer you can tow is around 6000 lbs.