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Tophermiller · 01-14-2020, 11:50 AM

Considering buying this rig: 1-ton SRW RAM 3500 with max payload of 3940#. 40-foot toy hauler FW with dry tongue weight 3000#. So I have 940# to spare. Truck passengers and cargo will be about 700#. My thought is that being a toy hauler, most of our cargo will be behind the trailer axles and therefore not increase the tongue weight (Maybe even decrease it?). Thoughts on this? Am I missing anything or pushing my limits dangerously?

V3600 · 01-14-2020, 12:14 PM

Take the trailer to the scales and see how much weight you got on the hitch. My triple axle 41' Voltage was scaled at 3,500# on the hitch. Empty weight was 16,500#, which was a few hundred pounds more than what the brochure said.

I prefer a dually with 5,000# payload as my trailer has a GVWR of 19,000#.

One other thing about the dually is safety. My wife was helping drive on a trip when the inner dually had a blow out. It was a non-event but I wonder the consequences if we had the SRW set up.

TXiceman · 01-14-2020, 02:10 PM

A 40 ft TH 5er should have a DRW towing it. You cannot go by the dry pin weight. A typical 5er will have 20% plus of its GVWR on the pin when loaded.

Ken

Tophermiller · 01-14-2020, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXiceman

A 40 ft TH 5er should have a DRW towing it. You cannot go by the dry pin weight. A typical 5er will have 20% plus of its GVWR on the pin when loaded.

Ken

But that's exactly my point. With a TH all my gear will be in the back, so I don't think the 20% rule applies, right? There's hardly even a storage basement up front. So as long as my tongue weight plus truck cargo is under the truck's max payload, I'm good right?

And I really don't want to buy a DRW truck because it won't fit in my garage.

I know this plan is tight, and enough people advising against it could scare me away, but I'm really hoping I can make it work.

Itchytoe · 01-14-2020, 06:18 PM

You are maxed out on weight, but that's not the only concern. There's a big difference between 15,000 pounds of bolts and 15,000 pounds of hay. Though it's the same weight, the hay will be much harder to tow than the bolts. RVs are like hay, not bolts.
I'm towing an 8,000 pound 37 foot long travel trailer. It's technically a "half ton towable" trailer, but I wouldn't dream of trying it. I could tow it with a 3/4 ton and be okay, but it's way more than a half ton can handle. The problem (for both of us) is the size of the RV. It's tall, and long, and in your case, you're trying to keep the pin as light as possible. That's a recipe for disaster. It's going to catch the wind very easily.

With a 3,000 pound advertised pin weight, you're looking at a 15,000 pound or more toy hauler right? You can tow that with a SRW, but it's going to be a rough experience. A DRW will control it far better than a SRW. For that trailer, you need a DRW. If you were talking about a 35 foot, 12,500 pound RV with 2,500 pound tongue weight, I'd be fine with a SRW, but not one as long and heavy as you're asking about.

alank · 01-14-2020, 06:49 PM

What is the trailer towing capacity of the Dodge? How much does the 40' trailer weigh? I would guess the trailer to be 2 1/2 to 3 times the Dodge weight.
A tractor trailer can weigh about 80'000 lbs., with 1/2 the weight on the tractor and the other half on the trailer tires, resulting in much better balance and control.
In your case, you may have the tail (40' trailer) wagging the dog (Dodge) every mile you drive down the road. A situation you need to avoid.

I watched a wreck recovery on Utube where the pickup was rolled over on it's side under the goose neck of the 5th wheel RV. It was a SRW pu. and I suspect the trailer got to wagging the pu. until it was so bad it pushed the pu. over on it's side and then just continued sliding down the highway until it all stopped.

rblanch · 01-15-2020, 12:24 PM

I tow a 2018 Raptor toy hauler 355 39.5' advertised 17,000 gvw with a 2017 gmc 3500 srw I have never weighed the trailer however judging from the way my wife loads the trailer I'm sure its overloaded most of the time. I can honestly say I have never felt unsafe or excessive bouncing in about 15,000 miles of towing including in the Rocky mountains. My last trip to the Smokey mountains my adult son and his wife rode in the back seat and commented how smooth the truck rode towing the trailer. Only difference I notice with two 4- wheelers in the back an extra 1,300 pounds is towing up steep grades at high altitudes. Make sure your tires are not overloaded and have good tires. It looks like your in specs I too do not wish to drive a dually and don't think I need too. I'm on my 3rd 3500srw third camper and 2nd large 5th wheel.