Nervous about new truck

[82corvette]

DW bought her Dad's pickup from his estate & I think we are gonna try towing with it. It is a 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 Crew Cab with a Hemi, 6spd automatic, 3:92 positraction rearend, tow package with integral brake controller & Rambox storage system & 20" wheels. When she asked if it would pull our Jayco 308FBS 32' travel trailer with superslide I just laughed. Well she said read the book, look it over & see what I think. He had airlift bags installed, & a B&W Turnover hitch installed when he bought it. Today I put 30# in the airlift bags & checked the p-metric 20" tires slid my hitch in & hooked up without the equalizers & anti sway. We headed down the hwy in tow haul mode with a 30 mph wind & was totally surprised! It pulled better than my HD with 6.0 liter gas,4 spd auto.& 4:10 posi. I am going to try to trade off the tires this week for some 8 or 10 plys & give it a little longer trip fully loaded and anti sway & equalizer bars on. If it feels safe I guess I will sell my GMC. Wish me luck!

[Zad]

Pulling is one thing, dealing with an emergency at highway speeds and stopping fast with control is entirely another. I would be nervous too and would never pull a trailer that big with a 1500. It seems to me that it is easy to get seduced by the ease of pulling...lets hope it stops pulling as easily if/when the time comes.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by 82corvette

snip......If it feels safe I guess I will sell my GMC. Wish me luck!

Before you sell your 2500HD TV for the 1500 TV...., I would confirm the following:

* Compare the payload capacities of both vehicles. Some half tons can have a high tow rating and/or GCWR, but fall short in payload capacity... which is needed for the heavier TT tongue weights, TV passenger weight, and added TV cargo weight.

* Check Dodge's owners manual, in some cases the 20" rims may reduce towing capacity a little.

* The '04' Eagle 308 FBS can be a heavy TT depending on one's loading habits, so a 1,200lb loaded tongue weight is very realistic (my '05' Eagle 278 FBS has an actual 1,250lb loaded tongue weight).

Since you have the Dodge and to reduce the guess work, I would take it to a CAT scale under simulated loaded for camping conditions and weigh it. Subtract the CAT scale weight from the Dodge's GVWR (on drivers door)..., the remaining weight is for the TT's loaded tongue weight and anything not accounted for at the CAT scale.

I only bring this up because I know my '02' 2500HD has a published payload capacity above 3,000lbs, but many half tons are around half as much.

Bob

[canuckowner]

Most of the new half-tons pull like 3/4 tons from a decade ago. But like Rustic Eagle says, you should crunch all the numbers to make sure you are legal.

A good friend has pretty much the identical new Dodge 1/2T you described (including air bags) and he pulls a Keystone living room double slide much like the Eagle. Says it pulls like a dream and no issues. You likely won't come up short on power; you just might be overweight which can be trouble in an emergency.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Wait until the truck is loaded to the hilt and you get a nice little 30 -40 mph gust of wind from the side...you'll wish you had the 3/4 ton when you are pulling your tighty whities from your butt! I would keep the HD for towing and use the Ram for everything else.

[WoodLark]

I have a 2008 Ram 1500 with the Hemi, 20 inch wheels and towing package. While the weight rating might allow me to, I would never attempt to pull anything that long and heavy. I firmly believe that if you start loading near the limits, you are asking for trouble (wear on the TV at a minimum, poor handling in emergencies at the extreme). I just purchased a Jay Feather 226 which I believe to be just about right for that size truck.

[Seann45]

Check the door frame (usually drivers side) for a placard that tells you what THAT truck can tow..
Good luck finding LT tires in 20"

[dmax_83]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Check the door frame (usually drivers side) for a placard that tells you what THAT truck can tow..
Good luck finding LT tires in 20"

You can find them, they are expensive though. My 3/4 ton has 20" wheels.

[TexasA&M]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Good luck finding LT tires in 20"

Almost all tire manufacturers make LT tires for 20" rims. My 2006 had 20" rims and e rated tires from the factory. I've been looking lately at new tires and there are a LOT of options.

[Boubou]

Check out the Michelins in my signature. They are 10 ply. Not cheap tho.