Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

[DougP]

Hi my name is Doug & I live & cause trouble in Jacksonville, FL. My Toyota truck
was stolen so I will be buying a new one. Looking at the Dodge Ram, because they are running very low prices on them (like $12K). I RV by myself, so any thoughts or suggestions on the truck/TT combo to get and can I tow a 3000 LBS TT, with that Dodge Ram 1500 V6?

Thx

Doug

 

[s.harrington]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

I think you would be happy with the Dodge but should get the V-8. Will get better milage while towing. As far as trailers, Bigfoot makes a nice aluminum and fiberglass lightweight trailer. There are several stick built trailers available in lightweight configurations. The problem with most lightweight trailers though is that the floors are weak. Not enough structure in them.

 

[ARCHER]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

I bought a Ram 1500 several years ago and wish I had bought the 2500. I cannot pull a lot with the 1500 but the 2500 is a lot more flexible regarding what you can pull (like 5th wheels, etc). You might want to get a diesel with price of gas and also an alarm system.....

 

[hertig]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

If you only want to tow 3000 pounds, the 1500 will probably do ok. But if you want to pull more, it won't, so make sure you know what your plans are, and will be to avoid the very likely situation where your truck won't pull the trailer you want. In any case, make sure you get a tow package, including a transmission cooler and transmission temperature guage (to reduce/spot automatic transmission problems, respectively).

Buying a diesel now is iffy. Everyone was forced to redesign their engines as of Jan 1 2007, and the odds of their being problems with the new engines for a few years is higher than usual. And even if you can find an older engine, the effects of the new fuel on it are unknown. But sure is nicer for towing, and at the moment the fuel price is cheaper, finally.

 

[ARCHER]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

My 1500 is rated to pull 8,000 GVW, but I use around 4,700-5,000 dry weight to determine the size trailer I might be able to pull. I have the tow package and would use the sway bar, etc., on the truck.

 

[hertig]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

Archer, that is likely 8000 with nothing in the truck except 150 pounds of driver and a bit of fuel. And it is a flat bed trailer with 'no' wind resistance. So by my 'real tow weight guess' formula, it should be able to tow 5600 no problem. So your 'dry weight' range is fairly realistic if you don't carry bunches of stuff.

The problem with 'dry' weight is that it is not reliable. It does not account for any changes made to the trailer after it left the factory (can always be verified by weighing it though), and it does not account for the things which you need in order to enjoy the trailer. Like a hitch, hook up and dump supplies, food, clothing and 'toys'. It is safer to use 'GVWR' when matching a truck and trailer, although at the end, the only way to be sure they are an acceptable match is to weigh the whole outfit ready to travel. Then you know exactly if you exceed the GVWR of the truck or trailer, or the GCWR or the rear axel GAWR.

 

[ARCHER]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

John, tks for the info. I don't have a trailer (yet), but have been looking at a few (especially an AeroLite that weighs around 4,500 lbs dry weight. I have a Class A right now, but really want to switch to a travel trailer with a slide out. I found a Sunnybrook that a dealer wanted to sell me and I would love it, however, based on your and my own figuring, I could not pull it safely with the Ram 1500, even with a tow package, 5.9L V8 etc.

 

[hertig]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

Archer, if you have a class A, why change to a (particularly ultralight) trailer? If you stay in one place for long periods of time or only use it occasionally, the trailer has significant advantages, but when travelling, I like the class A much better.

The ultralight trailers get that way by being ultra flimsey. Mine was beginning to fall apart after a few years of occasional use.

 

[ARCHER]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

The only time we really use our Class A is to drive to Florida for winter and home in the spring. It does not have any slides and is getting older (89) and needing some repairs done which I can't really do myself or pay to get fixed, so thought travel trailer would be good route to go for another 2-3 years (then we will prob rent condo after that). Our class a is a class act....Winn chieftain, with tons of storage, lots of cabinets, oak wood, etc. I know the ultra light trailers don't last, but I really only need a good one for two-three year, as stated.

 

[hertig]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

Well then, sounds like a trailer would be perfect for you. I had a Terry lite fifth wheel with one (manual) slide which did pretty good for us and the cats. Dry weight was around 5500, GVWR about 7200. Slides are great, but they really add on the weight.

But even as light as the trailer was, it was too much for my 1/2 ton chevy (which after all, had 220,000 miles on it The GMC 2500HD towed it like a dream, except going up hills (apparently either my engine or perhaps all 2001 6.0 liter gas engines were a bit weak).

 

[Rumbob2003]

Re: Truck & trailer combo for man & dog

I have an 06 Dodge 1500 Quad cab SB with the 5.9L and tow package. I tow a 28' Jayco JTX, 4700 lb dry weight and a load level hitch. Both are new this april. After years in a popup behind a Jeep, I finally went full size. Tail wind or no wind it gets 10 MPG, head wind 6 - 7 MPG. I added an anti sway after the first time out and just returned from a 1200 mile trip to Iowa. I would not recommend the V6. I have a heavier trailer than you are looking at, but that hemi really works to keep my rig going. I was planning to buy a Durango, but after reading here I followed advice and went for the longer wheelbase for more stability and TV weight. Best decision I've made. I would not recommend anyone to tow a larger heavier rig with the 1/2 ton. The 1500 is suffecient for that size rig, but it is at the higher end on the capability scale. In my search, I found the larger trailer at a better price and saved $5000 over the 18ft models. That left money for a lot more truck to use the other 200 days a year. Besides, the dog needed a fancy ride to hang his head out of. With the bigger unit you always have a bed ready without moving things or folding something. Couldn't be happier.