Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

The whole towing Capacity thing confuses the hell out of me. I am thinking of buying a 2013 Ram 2500 4x4 Hemi. The The GCVW is 18,000 lbs, The max towing is 11,300 and the curb weight is 6500lbs. The max payload is 2309 with 3.73 axle weight. I am trying to figure out what weight I can SAFELY tow with this vehicle before I buy it. I'm so lost I don't know where to begin. I'm guessing most of the time I will have my family in the cab who weight about 450 lbs total plus normal things in the bed (unless I buy a 5th wheel) So with the trailer loaded down with let's say 1200 pounds of stuff and 500 lbs in the bed How much camper can I buy? I like to air on the side of caution.

Curb weight: Also called wet weight, curb weight is the weight of a fully fueled vehicle, with all fluids, and no passengers or cargo on board.

Gross combined vehicle weight rating (GCVWR): Total combined weight of truck and trailer, as specified by the vehicle manufacturer, including all passengers, fuel, fluids and cargo.

Gross trailer weight rating (GTWR): The manufacturer-specified recommended maximum weight of a trailer when fully loaded.

Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR): The manufacturer-specified recommended maximum weight of a vehicle when fully loaded.

Payload: The weight of passengers and cargo carried. Does not include vehicle or trailer weight, but it does include the tongue weight of the trailer. Equal to the difference between GVWR and curb weight.

Tongue weight: The downward weight applied by the towable equipment on the hitch ball. In general tongue weight should be around 7 to 8 percent of GTW and should not be more than 10 percent of the GTW.

I think it's easier to find the trailer you want, then check the specs of the vehicle you need to pull it. An experienced sales rep should be able to tell you what will work.

What size trailer are you looking for? Keep in mind that when buying a trailer you will be adding alot of extra stuff to make life comfy so buy more truck than you need so it is not straining when towing.

I am buying the truck because of the trailer, before I go and spend $30,000 again on another vehicle I'd like to know it's going to do what I need it to. I'd hate to buy this and quickly realize it's still not enough. I mean surely it is its a 3/4 ton truck.

Get the weight info off the trailer you want and check the specs online for the truck. Your other choice would be to talk to a RV sales rep or a Dodge sales rep. We were confused just like you when looking at trailers. We tow a 29' Coachman TT with our F-250.

How heavy is your trailer?

If it's heavier with the weight of the pickup than the GCVW of 18,000, then you're over weight.

Going to a One Ton Pickup, a Ford F-350 for example adds at least 1000 pounds towing capacity.

Also keep in mind that 4wd raises your towing height. Be sure to use a properly sized tow receiver and ball for the trailer.

The numbers you're using though, means that you're figuring on about 2,200 lbs of people and stuff with a curb weight of 6500.

So "Cargo & People" 2,200 + 6500 Curb Weight (included driver given your numbers) = 8,700 lbs of truck Gross Weight.

That leaves you a "Balance" of 9,300 lbs of trailer empty.

Pay attention to Axles & Tires when buying the trailer. Two 5,000 pound axles on a Camper Trailer means you're over capacity if the trailer weighs 9,300 and you put 1,200 lbs of "Stuff" in it. Tire Capacity is also important to pay attention to that as well. Multiply the number of tires by the Weight Capacity of each tire.

Don't 'Over think" it, just do the math.

Use a pocket calculator, and no I'm not being a smart-aleck. A calculator along with a simple note pad helps as putting the numbers on paper helps avoid "Guesstimating" and missing the mark.

Brandon wrote:2013 Ram 2500 4x4 Hemi.
I am trying to figure out what weight I can SAFELY tow with this vehicle

Couplea sixpacks, a fifth of beam and two 23-year-olds. Well, you should check with your doctor first on the last part of that.

What the hell are you towing the titanic

If you can hook to it you can pull it with a 2500 Ram, I use to pull a 18 foot enclosed trailer with a full work shop with saws, 8000 pounds of material for window sills, and with my Cummins I was getting 14 mpg at 70 mph and didn't even know it was there.

You won't even feel the toon back there and you will have all kinds of stopping power.

RAM Tough, isn't just a saying, my 2500 CTD has 199000 and I had the first alinement done on it, didn't need any parts, you can't go wrong with a 2500

Me too, I use to pull 14,000lbs of landscaping stuff with a dodge 2500. over the limit but never any problems.