2016 Ram 1500 5.7 towing 2019 Kodiak 299BHSL

[jdrumsr]

Hello,

Looking for thoughts on a 2016 RAM 1500 VIN - 3C6RR7LT0GG195459

Towing a 2019 Kodiak 299BHSL dry weight according to brochure is 6624 with a dry hitch weight of 796.

Thoughts? Would this be too much trailer?

Thanks!
-John

[agilabs]

Short answer is yes, it is too much.


Although it may be within the "tow rating" of the truck, think about the size and weight of the trailer in relation to the size and weight of the tow vehicle. Just because it CAN tow it, doesn't mean that you SHOULD tow it. Think about a strong cross wind that pushes the trailer and pulls the truck along with it. The longer the trailer, the more the wind will have an effect on the tow vehicle/trailer combo.



I had a 27' trailer - dry weight 5200lbs. - that I started out towing with a Chevy 1500, 5.7L. Although it towed the trailer okay, that's it - okay, I figured out very quickly that I needed a bigger truck that was designed for pulling that kind load. Although I didn't push the truck when towing, I still burned up an engine and transmission. Eventually just wore the truck out.



I then bought a 2013 RAM 2500 Cummins. Night and Day difference. I would never go back to towing that size trailer with a 1/2 ton truck. Between the power, exhaust brake, and stability of the truck, there is no comparison between a 1500 and the 2500/3500 platform. The truck was substantially heavier than the old truck, which helped with the stability.



I always tell people with a 1500 truck to stay in the 18'-21' range. Longer than that, the weight increases, the demand during towing increases, and the need for a larger truck comes into play.



ALSO, more important, is the safety equipment for towing. Be sure you have a GOOD weight distributing hitch, GOOD brake controller, and an GOOD sway controller. All of these will help you to maintain control of the truck/trailer on the road and will relieve some of the stress on the driver and tow vehicle.

[SmokeyWren]

Hi, jdrumsr, and and to our campfire.

Originally Posted by jdrumsr

Hello,

Looking for thoughts on a 2016 RAM 1500 VIN - 3C6RR7LT0GG195459

Towing a 2019 Kodiak 299BHSL dry weight according to brochure is 6624 with a dry hitch weight of 796.

Thoughts? Would this be too much trailer?

Most half-ton pickups would be overloaded with that trailer, but it depends on how much weight you haul in the pickup.

Never use dry weights. That will just assure that you'll be overloaded when wet and loaded on the road.

The average camping family will add 1000 pounds of camping stuff to the dry weight of the TT, so that would result in a total TT weight of 7,624. But waitaminute, the GVWR of that trailer is only 7,600. So assuming you have enough brain cells to not overload the trailer, then assume a wet and loaded trailer weight of 7,600.

TT tongue weight averages 13% of wet and loaded trailer, so assume tongue weight of 988 pounds. Add 100 pounds for a good weight-distributing/sway control hitch and hitch weight will be 1,088 pounds. That's a lot more than the dry hitch weight per the brochure.

Your limiter for max trailer weight is probably the payload capacity of the half-ton pickup. So to determine the max weight of any TT you an tow without being overloaded, you need to weigh the wet and loaded pickup, then subtract that weight from the GVWR of the pickup. "Wet" means full of gas, and "loaded' means everybody and everything that will be in the pickup when towing. People, pets, tools, jack(s), campfire wood, grill and fuel for the grill, toys such as bicycles, everything. GVWR minus the weight of the wet and loaded pickup gives you payload capacity available for hitch weight.

If your payload capacity available for hitch weight is not at least 1,088 pounds, then that's too much trailer for your half-ton tow vehicle.

[ttavasc]

I would agree with the previous replies. I suspect payload is going to fall short. I looked at the equipment listing for that VIN and it's almost identical to my 2014 with the exception of the 5'7" bed - mine is the 6'4" bed. Just check the cargo loading sticker on the drivers door jamb where it says "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX lbs" and post that number. Assuming you haven't added anything aftermarket such as bed cover/topper, etc. that should be accurate enough to make a determination. Taking SmokeyWren's figures - subtract 1,088 for the payload number from the door sticker and I'm guessing you may be lucky to have 350lbs left for everything else you want/need to carry in the truck.

That trailer is listed as 35' long so I don't think you'll have enough wheel base to properly handle it either. Based on the rule of thumb chart I keep handy (posted below) for a 35' trailer you'd ideally want 170" wheel base for the tow vehicle - the RAM 1500 crew cab is about 150".

I love my RAM - it's the most comfortable vehicle I've ever had. But the 1500's have been notorious for lower payload figures for quite a while. Most of what I found when looking were in the 1250-1350 payload range. I do think with the 2019's they are improving on that - I saw one on the showroom floor last time I was in that had over 1850 payload in spite of having a lot of the goodies everybody wants.

[runamuck]

my son pulls his app. 5000# TT with a 2016 5.7 ram with 3.92 rear end with no effort pull wise but complained that the coil spring rear was wishy washy so I helped him put air bags on and that made it ride better. he still monitors closely what he packs because the ccsb ram seems to be tight on load capacity.

[Dropthejacks]

You'll be over. I pulled a 30', 6300lb TT dry weight with a 5.7 2014 RAM one time, and that was bringing it home from the dealership. We were in some hilly country and that 3 hour ride home taught me one thing, I had screwed up. Could I pull it? Yes, I got it home safe. And if I never planned to take it out of the flat lands around home or pull it more than 50 miles, I may have stayed with the 1500. But we go long distance and love the mountains, so a 2500 diesel was in the driveway 2 weeks later. Plan on pulling whatever TT you get loaded to the max. Don't fall for the "We'll just pack light" thing. Eventually you will have half your house in the RV, that's just the way it is, so plan ahead. When you are shopping, know what your max is so you don't even bother walking into an RV you can not tow and get your feelings hurt. If you want to have a big RV, you need a big truck. Simple physics.

[Desert Flyer]

From everything I have read on these forums, I would have thought any 1/2 ton truck could tow/pull/haul a 5,000-5,500 lb TT.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by Desert Flyer

From everything I have read on these forums, I would have thought any 1/2 ton truck could tow/pull/haul a 5,000-5,500 lb TT.

Then you must have been reading only the posts by the fans of overloaded towing.

My F-150 with 3.5L EcoBoost engine has more than enough power and torque to PULL my TT up any mountain pass at more than the speed limit. But I'm overload with that TT when it grosses 4,870 pounds gross trailer weight, including 650 pounds hitch weight when wet and loaded for the road. Not severely overloaded, but overloaded. GVWR of my F-150 4x2 is 7,100 pounds but my GVW is 7,200 per the CAT scale. Just me and DW and a couple of dogs. Nicely optioned Lariat trim with camper shell and tool box.

I don't like being overloaded on the road, so this fall I plan to order a new tow vehicle with more payload capacity. Probably another F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 3.5L EcoBoost, but this time with the heavy duty payload package (HDPP) that will increase my payload capacity by several hundred pounds.

[runamuck]

my TT weighs 5029# and I pull with a 2017 gmc 1500 slt 4x4 ccsb. I use a WDH and my truck has no problem towing this rig at highway speeds unless I am in the hills. the back end drops maybe a little over an inch when hooking up trailer. according to yellow tag on truck door my available cargo capacity is only 1485 so we pack light

[Papa_Jim]

Originally Posted by jdrumsr

Hello,

Looking for thoughts on a 2016 RAM 1500 VIN - 3C6RR7LT0GG195459

Towing a 2019 Kodiak 299BHSL dry weight according to brochure is 6624 with a dry hitch weight of 796.

Thoughts? Would this be too much trailer?

Thanks!
-John

Our trailer is about the same weight. Our truck handles it like a dream. We are a couple, so we travel light. I don't think the truck can take on much cargo weight. If we had kids along and all their 'toys', I'm sure we'd be looking for a bigger, heavier truck.



I noticed your trailer is 35' long. Our trailer is 28', and I feel that's about the maximum length I would be comfortable towing with my truck.


Jim

[jdrumsr]

Thank you everyone who took time to respond. I had thought the thing would be a bot too much and I was right. We'll keep looking!

Thanks again all!