Thinking of buying 2017 Dodge 1500 Longhorn

[Slow and Steady]

Hello to everyone, and hope you are having great times traveling in our wonderful country this summer.

My wife and I are thinking of buying a 2017 Dodge 1500 Longhorn with the Hemi, and towing package. We have a 2017 Jayco 29 RKS and dry weight about 6500 lbs.

We are looking for input good or bad. The dealer claims that we should get between 10-12 miles to the gallon depending on the roads.

We will also be getting four wheel drive too.

So please add any ideas or suggestions and opinons.

Thanks
Tom and Kathy
North Ga.

[TommyAjax]

Check the payload - my 2014 Ram 1500 Sport has a sticker payload of 1,254 lbs. With full gas and me at 235, aftermarket tonneau cover and sidesteps, I had about 950 lbs of payload left to handle the tongue weight, wife, and two growing boys (ages 7 and 9).

I now have a 2017 F150 with the Heavy Duty Payload package and my payload is 2,241 lbs.

The Ram does have a much nicer ride...

[Sundancer330]

Just watch your payload as Tommy mentioned. It varies by model, 4x2, 4x4, bed size, axle ratio, transmission, two door, four door. Just do your homework you don't want to find out later that the new truck won't do what you purchased it for.

[oldmanAZ]

As TommyAjax said, CHECK THE PAYLOAD.

The PAYLOAD is everything in the truck cab and truck bed plus the trailer tongue weight of ~1400lbs (GVW 9500 * .15). With virtually every tow vehicle, you'll hit the PAYLOAD limit before 'towing capacity'.

IIRC, based on what folks have posted on this site, fuel mileage would be closer to being 8-10 mpg.

[ALJO]

As said the payload get eaten up pretty fast with accessories in a truck. I installed the airbags in the springs which keeps the truck level but doesn't increase the payload of the truck. How basic the truck is how higher the payload. Yeah luxury has its price. I pull about 6500 lbs. and the TW is 875 lbs. with the Hemi and sometimes I'm over my payload a bit and it is just the two of us.

[bluegill1]

Tom and Kathy, as mentioned earlier, capacities add up fast. usually more than the average person thought.
May I offer a suggestion, consider looking at a Ram 2500, 6.4 Hemi, with the 4.10 gears. I don't think it's that much more dollar wise, but the towing capacity is way more.
Your tow capacity goes from 10,080 to 15,630.
Your payload goes from 1,510 to 3,300
Take um both for a test ride. With a 2500 you'll have plenty of capacity for this trailer and perhaps even a larger one down the road.
As others have said, do your homework with capacities.

[Sundancer330]

I think I would look at a different truck after looking at oldmanAZs numbers. The highest Payload I saw on the charts for the 1500 series truck was 1600#, and if your trailer GVWR is 9500# per Jaycos specs just having 1400# tongue weight doesn't leave you much at all.

[rgardjr]

I have a 2014 Limited with the 5.7 Hemi and the 3.93 rear end. Payload isn't great. Mileage is around 8-10 mpg towing our 24MBH depending on how fast I'm going. I have the factory air suspension which is great hooking up to trailers. Really like my truck and have around 63K miles so far.


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[ttavasc]

As others have already stated payload is almost certainly going to come up short on a Longhorn 1500. That's one of the higher trim levels which means more options and less payload. You didn't state what cab configuration/bed size you have in mind, or whether it would be 4x2 or 4x4. You might get 1500-1600 out of a 4x2 crew but a 4x4 crew is going to drop down to around 1200-1250. Your best bet for maximum payload in the RAM 1500 is an Express or Tradesman model - 4x2. That could get you 1700.

I would agree with bluegill1 - check out the 2500 with the 6.4L Hemi. I know there are a number of folks on here with those that really like them.

[dee]

FYI, I just traded a 2016 ecodiesel 1500 for a 2500 cummins after purchasing a Jayco Jayflight 28bhbe. I was over on gvwr before loading anything in the TT. My ecodiesel pulled great power wise, but just didn't feel confident. The cummins handles the job with ease.

[bap]

We have a a 2013 Ram 1500 Tradesman Quad Cab with 5.7L Hemi, 6spd auto, and 3.55 rears. We are towing a 2009 Jayco 29BHS trailer. The truck does well power wise, although doing it again I would get 3.73 or better yet 4.10 rears. I changed out the rear springs to some heavier ones, better shocks and upgraded sway bar. It handles it OK but a 2500 would be better because we have to be careful how we loaded the truck and camper. When we bought the truck, we had a smaller camper and our budget was tight. If I was buying new to tow your new camper I would definitely go with a 2500 in either the 5.7L or the 6.4L with 3.73 or 4.10 rears. That way you will have enough cargo weight capacity with the truck so you don't have to worry about overloading.

[Jay Dreamer]

I'd move to the 2500 without a 2nd thought....you'd be much happier with the tow.

[cekkk]

I think Bluegill's right. You have a chance to start right, with a real tow vehicle, one with plenty of margin that will haul your camper and not require that you go on a diet if you want to fill your truck bed with toys. In my mind load margin is to tow vehicles as location is to real estate.

[spoon059]

Not sure if anyone has mentioned payload... has anyone mentioned payload yet? =)

OP, this is not a good pairing of truck and trailer. I'll explain in detail why...

#1 you quote the DRY weight of the trailer, it will never be that light. After you add a battery, propane tanks, food, clothes, bedding, chairs, etc that weight is going to quickly add up. You want to pay attention to the GVWR of that trailer, which is 9500 lbs. That's pretty heavy for a half ton. Consider you want tongue weight to be 12-15%. That means your tongue weight is between 1140 and 1400 lbs when your trailer is fully loaded. Your trailer is very similar to my 29QBS, same rough weight, same max weight. I estimate my trailer to weight 7800-8000 lbs for a weekend trip, around 9000 lbs for a week long trip with kids toys and food in tow. Even at 8000 lbs, which will be light for that trailer, you are looking at about 1200 lbs of tongue weight.

You are likely over your payload right then and there. That's before you add any weight to your truck (wife, kids, dogs, bikes, firewood, etc). My guess is that you will likely be several hundred pounds over your payload, which won't be comfortable to drive.

We haven't even added the weight of the weight distribution hitch, another 70-100 lbs right there. You WILL be far over the payload of that Ram. Ram 1500's are great trucks, but they have a very low payload rating. Ram designed them to be comfortable, not necessarily capable. Soft coil springs will not handle those heavy weights very well at all.

#2 there isn't a chance in the world that you will get 10 to 12 mpgs towing. That is DIESEL fuel economy when towing. I towed my 29QBS one time with my 5.7 Tundra. I got 8 mpg. You can expect similar results with your Ram, especially if you have the 5.7 Hemi. There isn't anything wrong with that, but don't go in there expecting better... it ain't gonna happen.

The fact of the matter is that you are looking at a heavier trailer. Most half tons are technically rated to tow up to around 10K... but that doesn't mean a 10K lbs travel trailer. They have high sidewalls and a large frontal area that drags your vehicle and can pull your vehicle around.

For a trailer that big I think you are in 3/4 ton territory. That will give you a heavier truck that won't get pushed around by a bigger and heavier trailer. That will give you a stronger drivetrain that will be able to handle the strain of that heavier trailer. That will give you bigger brakes and standard E rated tires (as opposed to car tires on the 1500). Your overall experience will be significantly better in a 3/4 ton.

If you haven't purchased the half ton yet, do your homework, heed the advice here and buy the right tool for the job. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but everyone has given you good advice. I bought the 29QBS thinking that I had enough truck with my Tundra. I did the math, figured my weights and was right at the edge of my trucks ratings. Turns out that I didn't leave enough wiggle room to add more toys for the kids as they grew. Ended up selling the Tundra and buying a 3/4 ton Cummins Ram. Plenty of power, plenty of payload, plenty of brakes, plenty of truck. You will likely regret a half ton. If money is an issue, drop down a trim line or two, get the 5.7 instead of the 6.4 or get the 6.4 instead of the Cummins. Get the right tool for the job.

Good luck, good job doing the research BEFORE buying. You will save a lot of money this way!

[BigT]

Originally Posted by spoon059

Not sure if anyone has mentioned payload... has anyone mentioned payload yet? =)

OP, this is not a good pairing of truck and trailer. I'll explain in detail why...

#1 you quote the DRY weight of the trailer, it will never be that light. After you add a battery, propane tanks, food, clothes, bedding, chairs, etc that weight is going to quickly add up. You want to pay attention to the GVWR of that trailer, which is 9500 lbs. That's pretty heavy for a half ton. Consider you want tongue weight to be 12-15%. That means your tongue weight is between 1140 and 1400 lbs when your trailer is fully loaded. Your trailer is very similar to my 29QBS, same rough weight, same max weight. I estimate my trailer to weight 7800-8000 lbs for a weekend trip, around 9000 lbs for a week long trip with kids toys and food in tow. Even at 8000 lbs, which will be light for that trailer, you are looking at about 1200 lbs of tongue weight.

You are likely over your payload right then and there. That's before you add any weight to your truck (wife, kids, dogs, bikes, firewood, etc). My guess is that you will likely be several hundred pounds over your payload, which won't be comfortable to drive.

We haven't even added the weight of the weight distribution hitch, another 70-100 lbs right there. You WILL be far over the payload of that Ram. Ram 1500's are great trucks, but they have a very low payload rating. Ram designed them to be comfortable, not necessarily capable. Soft coil springs will not handle those heavy weights very well at all.

#2 there isn't a chance in the world that you will get 10 to 12 mpgs towing. That is DIESEL fuel economy when towing. I towed my 29QBS one time with my 5.7 Tundra. I got 8 mpg. You can expect similar results with your Ram, especially if you have the 5.7 Hemi. There isn't anything wrong with that, but don't go in there expecting better... it ain't gonna happen.

The fact of the matter is that you are looking at a heavier trailer. Most half tons are technically rated to tow up to around 10K... but that doesn't mean a 10K lbs travel trailer. They have high sidewalls and a large frontal area that drags your vehicle and can pull your vehicle around.

For a trailer that big I think you are in 3/4 ton territory. That will give you a heavier truck that won't get pushed around by a bigger and heavier trailer. That will give you a stronger drivetrain that will be able to handle the strain of that heavier trailer. That will give you bigger brakes and standard E rated tires (as opposed to car tires on the 1500). Your overall experience will be significantly better in a 3/4 ton.

If you haven't purchased the half ton yet, do your homework, heed the advice here and buy the right tool for the job. I know this isn't what you wanted to hear, but everyone has given you good advice. I bought the 29QBS thinking that I had enough truck with my Tundra. I did the math, figured my weights and was right at the edge of my trucks ratings. Turns out that I didn't leave enough wiggle room to add more toys for the kids as they grew. Ended up selling the Tundra and buying a 3/4 ton Cummins Ram. Plenty of power, plenty of payload, plenty of brakes, plenty of truck. You will likely regret a half ton. If money is an issue, drop down a trim line or two, get the 5.7 instead of the 6.4 or get the 6.4 instead of the Cummins. Get the right tool for the job.

Good luck, good job doing the research BEFORE buying. You will save a lot of money this way!

I have a 2014 Ram 1500 Limited and get 10-12 mpg towing my Jayco X254 which is a little lighter.

[bondo303]

All of these post are spot on in my opinion. I have a 2017 RAM 1500 express with 5.7 and 3.92 rear. My camper is as big as I would want to go. I went to a CAT Scale and while I am not over in weight, I am closer than I would like to be. I had to go with a lower trim to get the higher payload which is at 1550lbs. To answer your question about mpg, I just got 11.9 mpg on my last weekend's 500 mile trip. You can get a 2500 with the longhorn trim. You will thank yourself in the long run for getting a 2500.

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[Scott_Trailer_Newbe]

I purchased my TT, based off the Truck I currently own which is a 2008 Tundra Crewmax, with a tow rating of 10,300. Toyota doesn't really build a so-called 1/2 ton, but it's defiantly not a 3/4 ton. I purchased a Whitehawk 24RKB because the max weight was around 6,400. Yes I would prefer a bigger truck, but my Tundra only has 52K miles and is payed off.

[54GFL]

I just ordered an F350 after towing a slightly larger TT with an F150 (2016 3.5 Ecoboost). Can't wait to get the larger truck to tow more safely. As others have mentioned, take a look at the Ram 2500...you'll be surprised that it won't be much more, but significantly better towing capability.


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[bluegill1]

2500, 6.4 gas, 4.10 axle. You'll be safer and so will everyone around you.
Step down a trim level if money is an issue. Those higher trims can really get the price up there.
Around here, in stock 2500's are about 23% off window sticker. I can pick up a 2017 Tradesman 6.4, with 4.10 axle, crew cab, with usual packages and options (bucket seats, larger touch screen, plow prep, built in brake controller, bedliner etc.... in the 34k range. Sticker is 43k.

[dee]

I bought my 2106 cummins 2500 laramie with 37K miles for $44K. I think the cummins will hold resale well compared to the gas engines. Just FYI. I am making several 600+ mile trips and some in the mountains, so I traded in the 1500 for the 2500. If I was only going a couple of hours, I would have kept the 1500.