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Old 05-20-2016, 12:37 PM   #1
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Towing capacity guidelines

I am looking at a 2007 Wildcat F29 5th wheel, which is rated at either 7,700 or 8,400 lbs dry.

To tow it, I'm looking at a 2015 4x4 Dodge 1500 crew cab with a 5.7 Hemi with a towing capacity of 10,400 lbs. Would like some opinions if I'm cutting it too close.
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Old 05-20-2016, 12:51 PM   #2
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IMO, it's not the towing capacity that you'll exceed but more likely the payload or carrying capacity that you'll exceed especially on a Dodge (coming from a Dodge owner).

What does your sticker say for the Tire and Vehicle Loading placard?


The part where it says "The combined weight of occupants and cargo should never exceed XXX lbs."?

IMO, a 7,700-8,400 lbs. fifth wheel is very likely going to have a minimum of 1,540-1,680 lbs. of pin weight. And, it'll only go up as you put stuff into the camper.

If you exceed the truck's GVWR, then next thing you need to look at is the tire loading capacity and rear axle weight rating.
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Old 05-21-2016, 04:23 PM   #3
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Looks to me like the pin weight on that 5th wheel is somewhere around 1,330 lbs. Your Ram 1500 will have a carrying capacity of about 1,400 lbs or so. If you do the math you'll quickly see that you have used up essentially all your carrying capacity with the trailer alone. Nothing left for passengers, anything in the bed, like your hitch, plus anything you carry inside the truck. Also add items being carried in the 5th wheel like water & batteries, clothes, etc. If they (and they most likely will) add to the pin weight of 1,330 lbs you can see that you definitely need a lot more truck than the Ram to handle this unit.
I'm not a member of the dreaded "weight police" either. I have 2015 Ram 1500 towing a 33' Wildcat MAXX with a 900 lbs tongue weight and I've pretty much maxed out my carrying capacity of 1,450 lbs!
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