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Old 12-13-2017, 06:07 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by runamuck View Post
sounds like you guys may not be giving the ram hemi 1/2 ton much credit. my son uses a '16 ram 1500 4x4 CCSB with the 5.7 to pull his 5000# 25' TT and he can literally hold 70+ with the cruise on unless the route has some decent hills. I have a '17 gmc 1500 4x4 CCSB and pull my 5000# 26' TT and cant keep up with him unless I want to really work my truck harder than I like. early on after I bought my trailer, the wife and I would caravan with him and the grandkids, but my 5.3 with 3:42 gears is just a strain to keep up so we slowly fall behind and eventually end up in the same place. we both pack light and have the same wd hitches etc. I am considering trading in my gmc for either a 2500 or a ram hemi after the first of the year so trailering will be less stressful next season.
Pulling a 5000 lb RV with a RAM 1500 isn't a big issue, I don't think anyone here has suggested that. However, when you start approaching 6000+, you are getting on the borderline of "safe, enjoyable" towing vs "white knuckle, hope we get there this time" towing. I hooked a brand new, 6300lb RV to my '14 RAM at the RV dealership to take it home, and by the time the 1 1/2 hour ride was over, I knew that I had messed up. Could I tow it? Yes, I got it home without issue. Would I want to tow it again for an extended trip. Heck no, hence the 2500 RAM CTD in the driveway (since then we went even bigger on the RV so it all worked out) That 6300 lb RV shoved that 1500 out into intersections trying to stop it, shoved me all over the road when passed by semis, and that happened a lot because I was coming out of the foothills and they would blow by me without mercy going uphill because the RV drug me back down below the speed limit. And that Hemi sounded great screaming into the higher RPMs, but I could already see that the life expectancy of that truck was being severely shortened.
Also, might want to point out to your son to make sure his tires are rated high enough for 70+ speeds. I assume if his RV is 5000 lbs, he is running 14" tires and the only ST tires I am aware of that are rated over 65mph is the Endurance. If that's what he has, great. But if he has Trailer Kings or some other Chinapopper ST tire, you may want to point out the restrictions on those before he has a bad experience.
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Old 12-14-2017, 06:30 AM   #30
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well the gist of my reply was that the hemi pulls the 5000# trailer plus gear pretty effortlessly. the tires on both our trailers are rated for 75 as I think most new st ones are now and both our vehicles have built in brake controllers. braking has been a non-issue. my son did put airbags for a little more stiffness and I added 1 helper leaf each side to my gmc just for a little more stiffness when trailer attached. while I see 3000 rpms a lot, he is able to leave his in cruise on the same roads. I think his ram truck has the 8 speed and my gmc only has the 6 speed so he has the advantage on me there. but you are right, it is better to go bigger on the tow vehicle if you can.
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Old 12-14-2017, 09:20 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by runamuck View Post
the tires on both our trailers are rated for 75 as I think most new st ones are now
"Special Trailer (ST) Tire Speed Ratings

Industry standards dictate tires with the ST designation are speed rated to 65 MPH (104 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions."


Tirerack.com


Most are rated for 65 mph. The new Goodyear Endurance has an "N" speed rating for 87 mph. I believe the Power King Towmax is rated at up to 75 mph if the air pressure was increased by 10 psi above max. No other ST tire on the market I am aware of is rated at higher than the industry standard of 65 mph, including Maxxis. If you fall into one of these categories, you're good. Just wanted to make sure a salesman didn't feed you a line, as they are apt to do and put you in a dangerous situation. But its yours, so have at. Wouldn't ever begin to tell a man what to do with his own stuff. If I'm wrong on the tire ratings, someone please correct me.
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Old 12-14-2017, 09:44 PM   #32
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This information regarding your TT has not been mentioned either. Most all TT's in the lighter weight capacities or those designed to be a choice if one has a 1/2 ton pickup truck usually have tires that can barely carry the weight that they were designed to carry.

Case in point. We had a 28' TT designed for 7,000 lbs capacity. We had a 2010 F-150 to pull it. The max capacity for the truck was just over 8,000 lbs. There were two 3,000 lb axles to carry that weight. Do the VERY simple math. Fully loaded we were only 1,000 lbs over the axles capacity. Yes I do realize that some weight was carried by the truck as the tongue weight.

The 14" tires were just barely able to carry the 7,000 lb weight. There was very, very little room or margin for any weight error. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

The bottom line was the TT axles and tires were barely able to carry the maximum designed weight. That is an accident waiting to happen.

We took the TT to FL and back (2,000) miles. The leaf spring shackle bushings were completely worn out.
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Old 12-15-2017, 07:42 AM   #33
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well I dont remember what brand are on mine because I keep it in storage but the speed rating of 75 mph is stamped right on the sidewall. I think they are castle rock tires..
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Old 12-15-2017, 08:52 AM   #34
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On our Alaska trip this summer I replaced all four tires on our TT in Whitehorse on the return trip. The shop put Hercules tires on and they are speed rated to 75 mph max. I normally pull at 60-64 mph, so a bit of a cushion.
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Old 12-15-2017, 09:00 AM   #35
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There's something concerning these TT's that can be pulled with a 1/2 Ton truck. Most, maybe not all, use the 14" rim. We had 3 and I tried to have the factory install 15" rims so we could buy higher weight rated tires. I was told that they wouldn't fit.

What do we know about the 14" rims and tires??? They just don't make tires rated high enough to give much margin for error. I think ours were "C" rated and they only made a "D". To get a higher weight rated tire you have to go to the 15" rims and they don't come with them.
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Old 12-15-2017, 10:09 AM   #36
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I have read of folks changing to 15's for more capacity. to me the tires are the weak link in the whole trailer experience and so I have considered changing from the maypops that came on my trailer to some that I wont stress out about while towing. the upgrade to 15's would be a good step and my trailer has the spread axle setup and a lot of fender space around the tires so might be a possibility. I tow dry and pack light but I would feel better with a larger margin.
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Old 12-15-2017, 10:22 AM   #37
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runamuck,

Yes!!! I agree but that is a fairly big expense. I remember reading on some other forums about guys spending 6,8,and up to $10,000 on axles, rims and tire upgrades for that exact same reason.

On our last TT we did get the factory to eventually send the dealer two 3,500 lb axles which made me feel a bit better. They still had the 14" rims.

Shortly after the DW mentioned going back to a motor home for better piece of mind.

Nothing like having a real heavy duty truck chassis which gave us better safety margins on axles, springs, tires and disc brakes.
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Old 12-15-2017, 03:58 PM   #38
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runamuck,

Yes!!! I agree but that is a fairly big expense. I remember reading on some other forums about guys spending 6,8,and up to $10,000 on axles, rims and tire upgrades for that exact same reason.

On our last TT we did get the factory to eventually send the dealer two 3,500 lb axles which made me feel a bit better. They still had the 14" rims.

Shortly after the DW mentioned going back to a motor home for better piece of mind.

Nothing like having a real heavy duty truck chassis which gave us better safety margins on axles, springs, tires and disc brakes.


Better piece of mind with a Class A?

Don’t know if you’ve ever seen a head on crash in a Class A. But let’s just say there is not much there to protect you.

Blowouts on a front axle in a Class A have taken many lives, due to the inability to maintain control.

I’ll take my TT and my Truck with all of its safety features.
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Old 12-16-2017, 07:03 AM   #39
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I have not thought this out in great detail but it seems that if you have room for them, you would just buy 4 wheels that match the bolt pattern of the hubs and 4 tires to go with them..
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