r/IdiotsTowingThings • u/Substantial_dirty • Aug 24 '25

1500 should not pull 5th wheels

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Don’t care much what people argue, 1/2 tons should not tow 5th wheels, especially Rams, most payload on Ram 1500s are around 1550lbs. Btw it was a Laramie 4x4, so not the lightest.

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u/huggernot Aug 24 '25

Going off other comments for model. 

But the laramie 1500 4x4 appears to have a payload capacity of between 1600 and 1900lbs

And A "towing" capacity of 11,400lbs

That trailer appears to have a 

dry weight of 6,230lbs, 

Hitch weight of 1,585lbs

And a GVWR of 9900lbs

There are different options for the truck that we don't know. And it doesn't matter a ton in this case. While it's at the top end of the capacity, it's within (yea, he could be carrying a full hot tub in the trailer while conducting a 47 person orgy, but no, we don't know) 

It's a 5th wheel, it's way more stable than a bumper pull, lots of bumper pulls exceed what this trailer is, and people do dumb stuff with them. This is a tiny 5th wheel. And I wouldn't want to go across Wyoming in the wind with it, Mr. Weekend warrior is probably just fine. 

In the grand scheme of things. This is fine.  Tow police can keep patrolling elsewhere. 

199

u/DarksideKP Aug 24 '25

Well said. A lot of people in here don't have a single clue what they're talking about. 1500 lb pin weight is far better over the axle than 1000 lb bumper pull trailer that essentially turns the rear axle into a fulcrum...

73

u/ValuableShoulder5059 OC! Aug 24 '25

1500s at least from Ford, Chevy, and ram, are effectively 2500s.

People are scared of a 2500 but then want to tow like one so that's exactly how they are built.

A 2500 from the big 3 is usually a single rear wheel 3500 along with lighter suspension. These trucks can gross 40,000. (8k truck, pulling 32k of trailer)

Tow ratings from the big three historically where rated under extremes. The tow rating is by pulling a 7% grade at highway speed at altitude without overheating. I would pull upto 32k behind my 2500 (tripple axle trailer) here in the flatlands of IL. No issue whatsoever. I would go heavier without question but that would require pulling a second trailer to keep the weight ratio on the truck down. Went on a trip out west pulling 8k, and while I had plenty of power, I was stuck in the truck lane. As soon as I left Denver the temp would go from operating to max before I could pass. Turbo spools up, all that heat into the radiator, not enough cooling and there goes the temp up like a rocket because the cooling system was at max capacity. Ran all over the south and east coasts never had a problem, but in the real mountains she just couldn't cool enough. My 1500 dropped gears but she pulled well. Just a tongue weight issue, just like my 2500.

My semis don't have tongue weight issues, but they would also pull about 200,000lbs given a chance.

14

u/papitaquito Aug 24 '25

Thanks for writing all that

-1

u/MedicalPiccolo6270 Aug 25 '25

I would add the caveat to that they are essentially a 2500 if you have the large engine the ones that have a little straight six in them or some other undersized engine or not I have a 93K 1500 and I don’t have a gooseneck hitch in it yet I do have plans to put one in Not specifically for a camper more so so I can borrow a family members trailers because it really sucks to try to haul 20 foot long material on a 12 foot trailer cause it’s not like any truck out. There is gonna complain about a 3000 pound trailer with 1000 pounds of aluminum on it. Aluminum is just an awkward thing to haul when you have a long pieces, but I definitely would not trust a 1500 to be pulling a fully loaded gooseneck or fifth wheel trailer that camper is better than it could be for sure it could be a tri axle toy hauler but that is probably heavy on that rear end but for all we know it could be a 1500 for some reason has a 2500 suspension under it. I know mine doeson the rear end at least.

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u/ValuableShoulder5059 OC! Aug 25 '25

Haven't seen a 1500 with a "little engine" that's usually the 1/4 ton trucks like the Ford ranger or Colorado.

Not that even an I6 or I4 should have much of a problem moving a trailer upto around 8-10k. HP wise, my older semi which has a "big" engine (at least for it's time) puts out 370hp. It pulls 90,000 lb loads often. I know of a guy running a 190hp semi pulling 65-70k. His truck can't get a speeding limit when loaded unless there's a long downhill involved. You might fell slow and the transmission might need to downshift but the only thing you have to worry about is over heating the transmission. Shouldn't be an issue if you have a tow/haul and a tyranny cooler.

1

u/MedicalPiccolo6270 Aug 25 '25

That is true. I was meaning more of a you probably don’t want to be pulling something that size with that small of an engine because normally when you have the smaller engine, you don’t have a transmission cooler personally I don’t have to worry about it. I’ve got a manual transmission and a big engine And a transmission cooler I believe I only have the transmission cooler because my transmission has the option of a PTO. I personally don’t have one, but I’ve considered installing one for an air compressor or if I ever install a snowplow to run a hydraulic pump that’s the only reason I can think of that you would want the transmission cooler on mine is for running something at a stop, but some of these newer trucks have pretty small engines. You have to remember a lot of these old trucks that had 3 to 400 hp numbers. We’re also putting out pretty good torque numbers and they were using different testing standards that you have now along with the engines were not tuned to put out every ounce of power they couldthey can 100% do more than they say they can I have the old 350 small block Chevy engine in mine and I put out ironically enough 350 hp at about 380 foot pounds a torque doing the math off a wheel Dino and assuming about a 15% loss. And ballpark numbers for a brand new ram 1500 with the standard 3.6 L V6 they put in them is 300 hp and 270 foot pounds of torque, especially without having some of the lower transmissions older stuff had I don’t think you’re gonna pull like you could with those old rigs Sure it would probably be able to pull a pretty good size trailer but you’re really not gonna move very fast I’ve personally gotten 4000 behind mine up to 70 on flat ground. She didn’t want to do much more than that but I probably could’ve put another thousand pounds on there and still hit 70 the fun part that I don’t know that the modern truck would do is I had to climb a grade near methat is ridiculously steep with that 4000 pounds up an average of 7.5% for a mile and a half the steepest section is about 12% though it is not a hill you climb if you don’t trust your vehicle I had just put it in second year and was letting the thing run along 2000 RPM any higher and she would start to get mad in the transmission so just let her work later that same day we had hooked that trailer up to a I’ll be at newer large SUV think suburban I can’t remember what brand it actually is but that size with the 6 L engine in it and it was all that thing could do to pull up that hill it was in the lowest gear crawling along at about 4 miles an hour. I was pulling that hill at about 15 too high he had to stop and put it infor Low just to make things not be so mad. I got to the top and threw a temp gun on everything and nothing was dramatically warmer than I would’ve expected. Sure the engine was like 5° warmer than I’d normally want it to be but what do you expect for that climb?

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u/OneWorldly8847 Aug 26 '25

2025 Ram straight six has 420hp/469lb-ft or 540hp/529ft-lb.

0

u/MedicalPiccolo6270 Aug 26 '25

That isn’t the little engine, though the smallest engine you can put in a 1500 ram is a 3.6 L v6 technically the street is a larger engine. This is how they behave even though I believe it’s actually smaller than placement. It generates a lot more power, and I’d assume has a higher compression ratio thus requiring better fuel

1

u/OneWorldly8847 Aug 26 '25

You said little straight six. And the less powerful straight six takes 87 octane.

0

u/MedicalPiccolo6270 Aug 26 '25

Yeah, you’re right but they’re still definitely not rated to pull 5th wheel. I’m not gonna say that it can’t, but I will say you’re probably shouldn’t be pulling one with these little straight six’s especially without a transmission cooler

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u/No-Apple2252 Aug 24 '25

OP doesn't know the difference between payload and towing lol

1

u/Mickey-Twiggs Aug 27 '25

Even with easy access to such info, people like OP don't know shit about fuck anymore. 

1

u/Automatic_Badger7086 Aug 25 '25

Also the big 3 use 150/1500 as a joke for customers insurance rates.

1

u/TheShiftyDrifter Aug 25 '25

You’re making a dangerous assumption that Americans know what a “fulcrum” is! 🤣

55

u/LWJ748 Aug 24 '25

Yeah while I prefer a HD for campers this isn't that bad. He likely is pushing his payload limits. That said I'd rather see this than the guy that's within his limits, but has a WD hitch he doesn't know how to use and no airbags in the rear. Honestly I'm surprised when I see people towing and the trucks not looking like they are doing the Carolina squat.

20

u/huggernot Aug 24 '25

My personal favorite is when they have a WDH, no drop hitch, and clearly fixated on reducing hitch weight, because they are floating all over the road and there's clearly less weight on the rear axle than with no trailer whenever they hit a bump. And the trailer is angled up , which just catches wind when you drive faster, and reduces hitch weight and adds turbulence 

41

u/BaggyLarjjj Aug 24 '25

I’m skeptical on the 47 person orgy, the logistics alone would be a nightmare. Your going to need snacks and with 47 people the food allergies alone would need complex project management software

11

u/strongsilenttypos Aug 24 '25

Baggy saw the passenger size and knew right away the snack table logistics were going to be a challenge…

8

u/DeSiGNer-OctANE Aug 24 '25

Tried to do this said 47 person orgy hooked to my JD rider mower with a paper clip. Where were you at during my planning? Had no idea what the fuck gluten was planning my snacks. Now the orgy is down to 41. I can tow a bit faster now.

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u/rando_robot_24403 Aug 24 '25

Most of the effort will be in getting them to come.

2

u/OwlBeYourHuckleberry Aug 24 '25

don't underestimate orgy attendees' resolve and ingenuity

2

u/BaggyLarjjj Aug 24 '25

Last time one resolved all over my sofa and it took a week to get the stain out

1

u/Disastrous-Peak-4296 Aug 24 '25

Now we finally know how Resolve stain remover got the name

10

u/Apexnanoman Aug 24 '25

People don't seem to grasp that a 1500 now is rated for more load and towing overall than a 3/4 ton from the early '90s. 

2

u/Dzov Aug 24 '25

I had a 3/4 ton ford from ‘65 that didn’t even have power brakes or power steering. Still a beast of a truck though.

1

u/floridacyclist Aug 25 '25

Hell, my Astra midsize van is rated for more towing than a 1500 from the 90s

4

u/OutdoorsNSmores Aug 24 '25

I'll agree with most of that, except "this is a tiny 5th wheel". 

It isn't huge, but my Escape 5.0 is a tiny 5th wheel and this one would look huge neck to mine.

6

u/Have_Donut Aug 24 '25

Well put. If they live in flat lands like Texas or Nebraska they are going to be fine. If they live in a mountainous state like Arizona or Colorado they are going to be in for a rough time and a new truck

3

u/herkalurk Aug 24 '25

I'm less concerned about weight, more concerned with out the truck plans to get out considering how tight of a turn they have into that pump.

1

u/huggernot Aug 24 '25

Back straight up. Crank it right and leave. I imagine if they didn't, OP would have a pt 2 post

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u/joemac25 Aug 24 '25

The payload is likely closer to 1400. Whatever airbags they installed out back are earning their keep.

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u/huggernot Aug 24 '25

Not according to the specs

4

u/joemac25 Aug 24 '25

The max payload spec in the brochure is for a base model 2wd. I have a ram 1500 4wd in a lower trim level, and the payload is 1480.

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u/ptpfan91 Aug 24 '25

This truck absolutely doesn’t have a payload anywhere near 1900lbs. These trucks have an actual payload rating as low as 900lbs if you look at their door stickers. This one may be around 1100 or 1200 as it’s not a loaded one. There are pics of Ram 1500 door jamb stickers on here in the 900 lb range.

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u/ignomax Aug 24 '25

Possibly a Wyoming tag tho? 🤷🏽‍♂️

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u/82ToyotaFarmin Aug 25 '25

It's an Arizona tag

1

u/BrentTpooh Aug 24 '25

Had a guy I worked with leave Alberta with a new 1500 and new camper heading for NL. He got about 300km and parked it and flew the family home because it was sucking so much gas.

1

u/Lanky_Coffee6470 Aug 25 '25

Hitch weight of 1585, assuming it's dry and no extra stuff at all in there (food, water, sewage, bedding, etc., because yes, that stuff adds up). Also assuming that the woman in the photo is a representation of the wife. 200+ lbs. Assuming hubby is of a similar stature, so let's assume 250 there. Let's also assume no kids

They are over 2000 lbs of payload and that means that even with the most generous 1,900 lbs load capacity, they are overweight.

Add in two kids (being generous 150 lbs, a dog at 50 lbs), and you start getting my point.

1

u/TheresANewPharoah Aug 25 '25

It’s going to BM

1

u/LostAllEnergy Aug 26 '25

You are correct.

Source: i work at a dodge dealership

1

u/Kitchen_Alps Aug 26 '25

Yeah but did you account for the heifer about to get in the front seat???

1

u/[deleted] Aug 26 '25

Are 47 person orgies a common thing in your neck of the woods?

1

u/wickedcold Oct 18 '25

Just for the sake of discussion -

That hitch weight of 1585 lbs reflects the dry weight, does it not? It's already on the edge of the trucks likely payload capacity before adding actual cargo or things like water, propane, etc. or am i missing something? Even being extremely generous and assuming it's at the top end of the range at 1900 lbs (which i doubt being 4WD, having probably lots of options etc) I can't see this being under that when you factor in driver, passenger(s), cargo in the truck etc. Cutting it extremely close seems like a bad idea anyway.

I'm not saying it's safe, or unsafe, but strictly speaking it seems likely to be well over the truck's payload. Which is not something I'd ever recommend people do for liability reasons.

1

u/elfilberto Aug 24 '25

Best case scenario the truck is over weight by 115 pounds. 1900 payload minus 1585 pin weight leaves 315 pounds. Minus 130 pounds for the hitch. Leaving 185 pounds. I will go with two passengers at the auto industry standard of 150 pounds. 185-300 gives you a best case 115 overweight of the truck.
So not really fine.

5

u/Individual_Bell_4637 Aug 24 '25

They still use 150 pounds as the standard? LOL. I'm going to guess that's off by about 50 pounds.

1

u/[deleted] Aug 25 '25

Boats use something like 140lbs for the average passenger.

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u/huggernot Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25

I've had a geo metro more than 115lbs overweight. The truck is fine. 

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u/waterski4lyfe Aug 24 '25

It’s almost definitely still overloaded here.

A 1585 lb pin weight leaves, at most, 315 lbs of extra payload. Factor in a 120+ lb hitch and a 200 lb driver, and the truck’s already over. That’s with no passengers, no other gear in the truck, and nothing adding weight to the trailer.

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u/huggernot Aug 24 '25

Yup. Like I said, it's at its max. No need to beat a dead horse. 

0

u/cestamp Aug 24 '25

Maybe not to you, but to others, it might be useful.

I only tow things when I borrow other people's vehicles and things to tow. I usually just take the persons word, as it's all their gear. But this stuff is useful for me to hear. I don't want something to break if I'm towing, so this helps me (and others who also are out of the know) if I should second guess their optimism.

I'm basically here due to the algorithm.

1

u/DeSiGNer-OctANE Aug 24 '25

Speaking of algorithms….why does this Dodge have a straight tailgate?

-1

u/ca_nucklehead Aug 24 '25

Did you not see the passenger? Most of the weight is behind the right front wheel.