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Old 05-25-2020, 06:42 AM   #1
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2011 Ram 1500 Quad tow setup

Hi all, I am new here and have some questions. I am looking to get a 28 bunkhouse from either Winnebago or Grand Design. Both have similar weights. The Winnie 5320 dry, GVWR 7000, with a hitch of 660. I have a 2011 Ram 1500 Sport quad cab with the hemi. I have a 3.55 rear with the standard hitch package (no HD tow package) It has 120k miles on it and I am looking to tow with it for a couple of years until I can up to the 2500. Is there anything I should do to set this truck up for better towing and to preserve some life? Other than changing all fluids. it has a max trailer tow rating of 8450. Do I need to do anything to the suspension? I might change the stock mirrors to tow mirrors. Any help would be great. I'm in NJ and don't plan to go over 200-300 miles at my furthest trip.
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Old 05-25-2020, 03:06 PM   #2
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I tow a tt close to urs in therms of weight and size, I tow it with a 2005 Silverado crew cab short bed with a 5.3 and 3.42 rears, here is a list of what I did

E2 Weigh distribution hitch with sway control
Electronic brake controller
LT tires
HD shocks all around
Add a leaf in the rear (I don’t think it helped much, should of went with airbags)
Tow mirrors
Trans cooler

The trailer is still a bit too much for my truck, it definitely pushes my back end around. Also, my truck has almost 200k on it but I do all the work myself and try to take good care of it.

I’m in Delaware and also tow about 200-300 miles max, so I just take my time and watch my speed. That’s until I can upgrade into a 3/4 ton
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Old 05-25-2020, 05:44 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ardvark16 View Post
Hi all, I am new here and have some questions. I am looking to get a 28 bunkhouse from either Winnebago or Grand Design. Both have similar weights. The Winnie 5320 dry, GVWR 7000, with a hitch of 660. I have a 2011 Ram 1500 Sport quad cab with the hemi. I have a 3.55 rear with the standard hitch package (no HD tow package) It has 120k miles on it and I am looking to tow with it for a couple of years until I can up to the 2500. Is there anything I should do to set this truck up for better towing and to preserve some life? Other than changing all fluids. it has a max trailer tow rating of 8450. Do I need to do anything to the suspension? I might change the stock mirrors to tow mirrors. Any help would be great. I'm in NJ and don't plan to go over 200-300 miles at my furthest trip.
Welcome to the forums. That is a lot of trailer for your rig. I'd 1st of all make sure it's safe to tow with your truck. You could post a pic of your door sticker that should indicate your axle weights, GVWR etc. as well as tire size.

2nd thing is check if your engine/drivetrain setup is actually equipped with a transmission oil cooler. I have seen that year RAM with no additional trans cooler and a very small rad, even on the 5.7 engine. I was really surprised, but it was obviously a poor rig to tow with.
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Old 05-25-2020, 06:59 PM   #4
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It doesn’t have a trans cooler. 3900lb front and rear. 275 60 20 tires. 6700 gvwr
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Old 05-25-2020, 07:06 PM   #5
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It doesn’t have a trans cooler. 3900lb front and rear. 275 60 20 tires. 6700 gvwr
Ugh, sounds like you have the same soccer mom setup my customer did, sorry. That is more of car than a truck. I'm betting payload is probably very low, maybe even below 1500 lbs.
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Old 05-25-2020, 07:20 PM   #6
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All you need to do is get a weight distribution hitch. Your Ram can probably handle the tongue weight but your manual says to use a WD hitch for anything over 500 lbs. You have to go by the manual.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ardvark16 View Post
Hi all, I am new here and have some questions. I am looking to get a 28 bunkhouse from either Winnebago or Grand Design. Both have similar weights. The Winnie 5320 dry, GVWR 7000, with a hitch of 660. I have a 2011 Ram 1500 Sport quad cab with the hemi. I have a 3.55 rear with the standard hitch package (no HD tow package) It has 120k miles on it and I am looking to tow with it for a couple of years until I can up to the 2500. Is there anything I should do to set this truck up for better towing and to preserve some life? Other than changing all fluids. it has a max trailer tow rating of 8450. Do I need to do anything to the suspension? I might change the stock mirrors to tow mirrors. Any help would be great. I'm in NJ and don't plan to go over 200-300 miles at my furthest trip.
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Old 05-25-2020, 08:36 PM   #7
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Ugh is right. If it’s a soccer mom setup. She will pull a house. I’m gonna go with a 32.
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Old 05-25-2020, 08:42 PM   #8
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KDAuto knows a lot about vehicles and I am surprised at what he knows about the 2011 Ram small radiator. If your truck is not set up to tow I would recommend you find a 2011 or 2012 that is set up better. I had a 2011 F-150 and it came ready to tow with aux radiator cooler and factory brake controller.

Maybe even look at trading for a 2011/2012 2500. You might be surprised that you could buy a better towing truck for not a lot of extra money.

A Ram with towing gears of 392 would be a step in the right direction.
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Old 05-25-2020, 10:04 PM   #9
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Ugh is right. If it’s a soccer mom setup. She will pull a house. I’m gonna go with a 32.
I didn't mean any disrespect by the comment. It may be strong and "feel" capable of pulling a lot of weight. The truth is, with the setup you have, and the very low GVWR, even the tire size, it is not a very good tow vehicle. You asked, we suggest and that's as far as we can go.

Some cars and trucks really look good on paper and in specs like HP and torque. What your truck does though is lack in durability if you pull much. I'd be willing to bet you have the smaller brake setup as well as suspension. It all will be strained over time. I thought you wanted the truth?

We don't know what engine and trans it has, not that it matters much. I'm still pretty sure payload is quite low. A pic of the door stickers would help immensely, IF you need or want advice.
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Old 05-26-2020, 06:51 AM   #10
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I didn’t take it as disrespect. I was just joking about soccer moms being tough. The door sticker says payload is 1286. Max tow is 8500. 5.7 5 speed. 275 60r20 tires. Front 3900lbs rear 3900lbs. GVWR6700lb. I can add an electronic brake control. I lucked out there I guess. But it looks like I need to keep hitch weight down to 500 or so. Which stinks. If I come home with a new truck and a camper, I’m pretty sure I will be living in that camper. I don’t want a pop up though. I preferred a full bathroom. Any suggestions on lighter bunkhouse models from decent brands?
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Old 05-26-2020, 09:32 AM   #11
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Take a look a No Boundaries by Forest River.
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Old 05-26-2020, 10:05 AM   #12
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What about the XLS 23BHE by Grand Design. It says 504 hitch and 6995 GVWR. I would add the electronic brake controller to my truck (both plugs are under the dash I just need to buy the controller and pop it in) I posted my door sill pics to my account. I have Falken Wildpeak tires. And the class IV hitch.
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Old 05-26-2020, 12:44 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by ardvark16 View Post
What about the XLS 23BHE by Grand Design. It says 504 hitch and 6995 GVWR. I would add the electronic brake controller to my truck (both plugs are under the dash I just need to buy the controller and pop it in) I posted my door sill pics to my account. I have Falken Wildpeak tires. And the class IV hitch.
That trailer will likely weigh at or very close to the 6995lb GVWR once loaded and ready, all tanks filled. At that weight, actual tongue weight will likely be at least 840lbs, maybe all the way to 1000lbs depending on configuration and loading. Your 504lbs listed tongue weight is surely dry weight, nothing in there, no trailer battery(ies), no propane, nothing. At that, most of the times options are not even factored in, it makes the trailers easier to sell as they "pull so easily".

Your truck might be able to do the job, air tires up to max, drive slow, 55MPH, MAYBE 60 MPH if it feels confortable and stable. An additional external trans cooler should be added. The radiator may or may not be up to the task, you'll find out soon enough.

If the Wildpeaks are a rough looking off road AT tire it'll add to the unsteadiness.
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Old 05-26-2020, 02:39 PM   #14
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So what should I look for weight wise. If I look at dry weight I can assume that I will not drive with water in the holding tank as it adds so much weight. The Winnebago 2306BHS is 4500 dry so maybe 6000 with gear. Is that more realistic?
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