Towing 337RLS HELP

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I really like the 337RLS and I am close to pulling the trigger on one. My only concern is my tow vehicle. I have a 2019 Chevrolet 2500HD High Country with 6.6 Turbo Diesel. I am willing to go over GVWR but worried about exceeding the rear GAWR. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. And any rear world pin weights, not guesses would be greatly appreciated

I have a 2018 337. When I purchased it I knew I was going to be overweight with my 2014 RAM 2500, so I sold it and purchased a 2018 Ram 3500 SRW. Now with that said, my 2500 towed it and stopped it fine....but I was 750 pounds overweight, which I felt put me at risk should I be in an accident and resulting liability of knowing I was overweight and ignoring it. It is also a good way to break an axle, so as another responder said, "it is not a problem until it is". The 3500 tows it better and is more stable. I feel I am pretty maxed out with the SRW, but I was not going to purchase a dully.

The weight and towing capacity of trucks is poorly understood in the RV industry. My cargo capacity of my RAM 2500 was around 2200 pounds, and dry the 337 is 2050. Loaded with a 337 you will be close to 3000 pound pin or "cargo weight".

Don't let anyone tell you that airbags will help. They will help in proving leveling, but they do not change the vehicles capacity to haul weight.

My RAM 2500 had coil springs and the GMC has leaf. I only difference between a 3/4 ton and 1 Ton GMC is the 1 ton has one more leaf. You might check to see if the axles, etc are the same. I suspect they are, so if you are against a 1 ton upgrade you might check the possibility of adding a leaf.

[fez111]

Don't let anyone tell you that airbags will help. They will help in proving leveling, but they do not change the vehicles capacity to haul weight.

I totally agree. We pulled a lighter 5er for a few years that caused the back of our 2006 F250 Super-Duty drop only about 1-2 inches at most. When we first hooked onto our "new to us" full-size Solitude with a pin weight a few hundred pounds less than the maximum truck bed weight the back of the truck just kept going down and down until the front jacks were only 3-4 inches above the pavement. It was very scary driving the 150 miles back to our campsite worrying about bad roads! I researched and then purchased the best air-bags I could find (rated 5000 Lbs) and installed them before I pulled the Solitude again. About 45 Psi on each side makes the truck and trailer level with each other and gives a smooth ride. There are no more worries about the jacks hitting the ground....

Air Bags have absolutely NOTHING to do with truck capacity.

[Lampton]

All this leaf spring talk got me thinking. Are all 3/4 ton trucks the same. Here is a pic of my F250 with the over load spring. Do all f250's have the extra spring or did I just luck out.

[JeffD68]

All this leaf spring talk got me thinking. Are all 3/4 ton trucks the same. Here is a pic of my F250 with the over load spring. Do all f250's have the extra spring or did I just luck out.

Your truck has the camper package which adds the overload springs.

[Rapid1]

Rapid1. ? When towing, do you run with 80 psi in the rear truck tires? I've been running at the door label recommendation of 72 psi. Thanks

sorry for the delay...yes, I run the rears at max, 80psi. I believe it keeps the tire temps as low as they can be with the load. I also run max 80psi in my trailer tires for the same reason, as well as the scrub issue that comes along with 2 axle trailers.

My experience with towing, loads up to 92k, tire failures were attributed to heat or road hazard. I'm not saying there wasn't some kind of defect in the tire but it was impossible to distinguish between that, and the above causes.

I, we, chose the 303 because I felt is was perfect for my truck (and she liked it best, thank goodness). The last GD rally we attended in southern Oregon, our neighbor next door was pulling his 337 with the twin to my truck. Our trucks were equipped identically for towing and he had been at it for 2 years with his combination.


mine


his

I care not for the yellow sticker and start with the white one. I am 80% of RAWR and GCWR and he was a little over 90%, IIRC, but still under the gross combined and tire ratings. He said it pulled well, but then I might add, he was a firefighter driving ladder and tanker trucks. Experience does make a difference...especially when it comes to interpreting the numbers game and making yourself a nice tow.

[Nate805]

Your GAWR is limited by your tire load ratings. You should look at them first. If, for example, they are 123 rated, that would be 3417lbs a tire at 80psi. That would give a little over 6800lbs.

I won't give any advice on pull it or not but since you asked about GAWR, tires are usually the limiting factor on single axle trucks. This can be seen by looking at the white sticker that is on the driver's door. It gives the factory installed tire sizes and the axle ratings. The rear rating reflects the factory installed tire load rating. The axles themselves are rated much higher and on your particular truck, the same axle as a 1 ton, springs being the difference.

My own opinion is not to exceed 85% of the tire ratings. With my 303RLS, I have a pin weight of 2450lbs and that puts my axle at 5600lbs with tires rated at 6830lbs.

I hope this answered your question about GAWR.

Thanks for the great information. At a pin weight of 2,450, what all are you hauling? Is your fresh tank full? How full are the storage compartments inside and underneath?

I’ve got a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 6.6L Duramax with 3100 lbs of payload. Will have about 500lbs in the truck with the family and stuff they bring for trips (food, snacks, iPads, etc.). That leaves 2,500 pin weight. My wife is pretty notorious for packing the whole house up and bringing it with us. I need to weigh our 2018 Keystone Cougar 29BHS loaded to know how much weight she’s added, but I’m sure she will add much more when given more storage to fill. [emoji23]

I also do runs into the mountains in summer and winter, hit 6-7% grades (just did the Rockies) so don’t want to be over on my truck. Started this by looking at smaller units with 2k loaded pin weight. Should had settled on our new rig before I picked up the new truck in October. Looks like I need a 3500 SRW/DRW to step up to a 303 or 337 and have plenty of room left in my sticker ratings??


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[Rapid1]

Thanks for the great information. At a pin weight of 2,450, what all are you hauling? Is your fresh tank full? How full are the storage compartments inside and underneath?

I’ve got a 2020 GMC Sierra 2500 6.6L Duramax with 3100 lbs of payload. Will have about 500lbs in the truck with the family and stuff they bring for trips (food, snacks, iPads, etc.). That leaves 2,500 pin weight. My wife is pretty notorious for packing the whole house up and bringing it with us. I need to weigh our 2018 Keystone Cougar 29BHS loaded to know how much weight she’s added, but I’m sure she will add much more when given more storage to fill. [emoji23]

I also do runs into the mountains in summer and winter, hit 6-7% grades (just did the Rockies) so don’t want to be over on my truck. Started this by looking at smaller units with 2k loaded pin weight. Should had settled on our new rig before I picked up the new truck in October. Looks like I need a 3500 SRW/DRW to step up to a 303 or 337 and have plenty of room left in my sticker ratings??


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Those numbers are with full fresh water and also hauling a Honda EU2000i and the fuel for it. It is the heaviest I will probably be with my 303rls. My garage was full, mainly chairs and firepit, bbq and a few other items...no heavy tools. I'll say that with a 337, I would be more aware of my weights and what I am packing but I have just recently upgraded my wheels/tires to these...

the wheels are rated at 4500lbs each and the tires are 125 rating so that gives me over 7000lbs on my rear axle. GM says 7935lbs for the hardware so I am getting things dialed in pretty well. It has always been a great pull with just 40psi in the bags which helps with porpoising but I have to be careful not to go over as my trailer doesn't even squat the truck to level. I want it all to be level and balanced, that is the key.

I have no issues climbing 7% grades at the speed limit with the cruise on. I will normally start down the other side about 10mph less and let the turbo brake manage things...just needing a tap or two on the brakes to get the trans to downshift. I have no stability issues at all, windy thru the gorge or up and down the Oregon coast. I don't go where the roads are toast so I can't comment on that kind of thing although if I did run into that kind of stuff, I would just slow down...takes care of a lot of stuff.

If you think you need a 1 ton or dually for a 303 or 337, then you should probably do that. I have many miles experience hauling heavy, much heavier than anything in the RV world and make my own pull what it needs to be. I have the truck I want and am not interested in def or all the gadgets like adaptive cruise control...I am in control of my combination at all times. I am totally comfortable with my setup, and that's all I am going to say about that.

I would think you would be fine with a 303 with the truck you described...a 337? well, that depends on you and your experience and your comfort level. I hope this helped you.

One thing I forgot...and most here don't even think about...my front axle is 200lbs more with the trailer on it. So, my trailer actually adds 2550lbs to the truck when connected. This is part of balancing the load and making a good pull. Front axle weight is usually a bumper pull issue but when you are adding weight to the back, you should also add some weight to the front, to help balance things out. I discussed this with my hitch installer and they mounted the rails a bit ahead of the axle centerline for this as they usually did, he said, with autoslider hitches. The Pull Rite is heavier for sure, but not a problem for me as I don't need to remove it for any reason. I have another truck as well as a trailer.