tow vehicle

[case24]

I might be reading too much but I am totally confused. Everyone I talked to said I would have not trouble pulling 37'- 311BHTS or a Solitude if I bought one of them. When I go into the Forums and they start talking about GVWR and axle weight and tow weight I'm lost. I don't think I can even pull a tent trailer.
I have bought a 2017 Dodge Ram 3500 6.7L Diesel Crew Cab SRW 4x4. Front axle 7000 lbs, rear axle 6000 lbs GVRW 11,700 lbs. Can I tow either one of these vehicles.
Can someone please put my mind at ease before I go looking for the trailer.
Case24

[D2Reid]

You need more information. Quick google search brought up this towing chart 2017 Ram 3500 Towing Chart.

311BHTS specs sheet says GVWR 13,995

When I looked at the Ram chart I think it said your truck can tow a trailer up to 17,360. Total truck and trailer weight can't exceed 25,300. I was looking at the A6 68RFE transmission line, so it could be a little different.

Your 11,700 GVRW was the actual weight on the truck, that is, the truck, passengers, dogs, cats, gas and the pin weight of the trailer.

It gets grossly confusing.

[Jerryr]

The limiting factor usually is the "Payload" of YOUR truck as equipped when towing a 5th wheel.

Look at the Tire and Loading sticker on you driver door post. Report what the number is listed for the "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed" weight is for your truck.

A typical 311BHTS will have a real life pin weight similar to my 337RLS which was 2,220 lbs as delivered without battery and propane and it actually 2,900 lbs when loaded for travel.

So my F-350 has a payload of 3,523 lbs
2900 lbs pin weight
450 lbs driver, passenger, dog, parrot and cage, cooler and other stuff in the cabin
100 lbs for lightweight (35lb) Andersen hitch, and other stuff in the truck bed
70 lbs for the BakFlip BedCover
-----
3,520 lbs total, JUST 3 lbs short of my payload.

If my 337RLS was a max GVWR of 13,995 total truck and trailer weight would be 25,490 lbs. I only travel with minimal fresh water and when loaded to travel the trailer weight is usually below 13,000 lbs, so my total weight is 24.490 lbs or less.

[case24]

Thank you so much for finding that chart for me it cleared up my confusion completely. All the talk on the forums about payload, gvwr, gcwr, tongue weight was so overwhelming and I didn't understand it. I felt like an idiot. But in one click all is well. Thanks again.
Case24

[Jerryr]

Thank you so much for finding that chart for me it cleared up my confusion completely. All the talk on the forums about payload, gvwr, gcwr, tongue weight was so overwhelming and I didn't understand it. I felt like an idiot. But in one click all is well. Thanks again.
Case24

Before you get too comfortable please know that the chart does not tell you what the max capability is for your truck. It only lists max capability of a base stripped truck.

As I stated, the likely limiting factor when towing a 5th wheel will be payload. The payload for your truck as equipped is listed on your Tire and Loading sticker on the doorpost as “never exceed combined weight of cargo and passengers” weight.

[Jerryr]

Look at the “chart” page attached below. You can see Max Payload in a stripped Diesel Ram Short Box with 11,700 gross is around 4,000 lbs. Your payload will be several hundred pound less due to options that the truck came with. The only way to know is looking at your tire and loading sticker.

[livindrm]

Ram has a great website that will give you your numbers for your specific truck by VIN #. go to this url:
https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-gui...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Click on the words over the driver door of the truck that say Look Up My Vehicle then enter your vin. The same info should be on your truck inside the door. Not sure if it goes back to 2017 models.

Its a great tool if you are shopping because you can see your CCC and max

[RVRunners]

Before you get too comfortable please know that the chart does not tell you what the max capability is for your truck. It only lists max capability of a base stripped truck.

As I stated, the likely limiting factor when towing a 5th wheel will be payload. The payload for your truck as equipped is listed on your Tire and Loading sticker on the doorpost as “never exceed combined weight of cargo and passengers” weight.

I agree. You can use the chart as a general guide on what type of truck to shop for, however, when you look at a truck you need to look at the decals on the driver’s side door post to find out the specific information for each truck. With Ford there are two stickers with the white one having the GVWR, RAWR, FAWR and the yellow one having the payload rating and tire size/load range/inflation information. I assume RAM does it the same way. I did pull our Reflection 367BHS (which is larger than the 311BHS) with a F350 SRW but was very close if not a touch over on payload and RAWR depending on whether we had both kids, dog, etc. so when I got a different truck last summer I went F350 DRW. You can make it work. One tactic that will help alleviate some pin weight is to load as much cargo as possible in the rear of the camper. With the axles on a fifth wheel being more rear middle they will act like a fulcrum with the trailer frame being the lever.

[geotex1]

Ram has a great website that will give you your numbers for your specific truck by VIN #. go to this url:
https://www.ramtrucks.com/towing-gui...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Click on the words over the driver door of the truck that say Look Up My Vehicle then enter your vin. The same info should be on your truck inside the door. Not sure if it goes back to 2017 models.

Its a great tool if you are shopping because you can see your CCC and max

It definitely covers all 4th Gen RAMs. OP, plug your VIN in to the website. If the payload returned matches the payload on your sticker, then the combined reported on the website is what it is for your truck as it left the factory.

[BeerBrewer]

The limiting factor usually is the "Payload" of YOUR truck as equipped when towing a 5th wheel.

Look at the Tire and Loading sticker on you driver door post. Report what the number is listed for the "combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed" weight is for your truck.

A typical 311BHTS will have a real life pin weight similar to my 337RLS which was 2,220 lbs as delivered without battery and propane and it actually 2,900 lbs when loaded for travel.

So my F-350 has a payload of 3,523 lbs
2900 lbs pin weight
450 lbs driver, passenger, dog, parrot and cage, cooler and other stuff in the cabin
100 lbs for lightweight (35lb) Andersen hitch, and other stuff in the truck bed
70 lbs for the BakFlip BedCover
-----
3,520 lbs total, JUST 3 lbs short of my payload.

If my 337RLS was a max GVWR of 13,995 total truck and trailer weight would be 25,490 lbs. I only travel with minimal fresh water and when loaded to travel the trailer weight is usually below 13,000 lbs, so my total weight is 24.490 lbs or less.

Jerryr, if you read the towing spec (J2807) you'll see that the "testers" already made some allowances for some passenger weight, options and hitch weight, so you don't need to add them again. This is also mentioned in note 7 on the 2017 RAM 3500 HEAVY DUTY TOWING CHART that was attached to one of the posts. It reads as follows:
"Trailer Weight Rating and Tow Vehicle Trailering Weight are calculated as specified in SAE J2807.Passenger Weight = 300 lbOptions Weight = 100 lbTrailering Equipment Weight: 75 lb for Conventional Hitch, 70 lb for Gooseneck and 250 lb for 5th Wheel.Tongue weight: 10 percent of the gross trailer weight for Conventional Hitch, 15 percent of the gross trailer weight for a 5th Wheel or Gooseneck hitch."

Adding the weight in again isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just adds a bit more of a safety cushion.