Not a camper yet but looking

[Blue Deuce]

I've pulled with a 2011 Ram 1500 with 3.92s and while the truck could pull the load, she was maxed on payload and squated pretty good in the rear. Your truck has more than enough power to do the job but with 3.55s, man that thing is going to struggle. Gas milage will be somewhere around 6 or 7 mpg if I had to guess and she'll be screaming up hills. Watch your tranny temps and oil temps as well.

I'd say honestly, you need a bigger truck or a different truck with better gears (and integrate brake controller since the trailers you are looking at are rather large). That truck will struggle and I'm a huge Ram fan!

I traded mine after pulling rentals the last few years...weight was from 4K to 6K on the rentals and gas milage on the higher ones was 7 or 8 mpg. Best i ever got was on a 19 footer and averaged just a shade over 10 mpg. The truck was full tow package, brake controller, 5.7 Hemi, 3.92 rear and she would squat pretty good. Laramie too with Ram boxes so my payload was roughly 1,036 pounds!

I'd suggest a smaller trailer or a bigger/different truck..more so based on the fact you said FAMILY. If it was just you...sure, you might pull it off but adding gear and food for 4, no way.

[wallacemf]

I'm a Ram fan as well, but I had to go with an F150 XLT crew 4x4 5.0 this time, and I pull a Jay Flight 28BHBE. The Ram 1500 payload figures just are not adequate, I would have had to buy a stripped-down Tradesman model to even come close to the payload of my F150, which is 1650#. Ram needs to step up their game in the payload department.

My truck handles it fine. Of course you will know the trailer is back there, and you will see some RPMs on the hills, but that's fine. You can control the tongue weight to some extent with your loading practices. We load the heavier items over the trailer axles to take that weight off the back of the truck. Once the WD hitch is on, I get about 1.5" drop in the rear, and 1" drop in the front. We have added LT tires and Bilstein 5100 shocks all the way around, it helps a good bit with stability.

The F150 also has an HD option which increases your payload even more, but they are hard to find, usually have to order it and wait.

[ykcamom]

Our F150 has a max towing package, which gives it 1800 lb payload and towing of 11,300 lbs. It's not the super duty package, but it does open up more options if one wants to stay with a 1/2 ton.