Single Rear Wheel Ram Truck that Can Tow 15,500 lb Trailer

Question:

Hello, Im a new, aspiring RV owner and have an RV lined up, but waffling between overkill of a 3500 dually and trying to get by with a 2500 Ram Diesel. The RV is 14,200 Dry and 2900 pin weight. The Rams towing capacity is 15,200. Ive searched the internet and cant seem to find the axle weight or the GAWR for that truck and wondering if you might know where those figures might be on line or how to calculate what is/isnt safe? For example if the Rear GAWR is 6500 I think it is based on some others who asked you a similar Q and the Ram Axle weighs about 3000 same I think it is would we be totally fine with a pin weight of 2900 of the remaining 3500? Is being so close to the Rear GAWR or so close the Towing capacity a problem? Is it like operating your engine at Redline RPMs and you want to have lots of margin or some percentage under the max towing or max pin weight to be safe? Since the truck will be my daily driver, it seems a dually would not be practical for use in and around town. So Im trying to see if a 2500 could safely meet the pin parameters and the towing parameters. Thanks so much! If I can call you to discuss, I sure would appreciate the chance to do so to make sure Im communicating properly and understanding the complexities and pitfalls with this weight and purchase determination. Part 2 ... pardon my lame Qs ... I just found the specifics on my Truck and RV so no need to help with that. Really, its just helping with the decision of whether a 2500 Ram Diesel is going to have the specs to haul such a heavy trailer. I called the RV maker and talked to the RAM dealer in person and none of them have been very helpful. They say its not an easy math problem and it seems subjective and Im not comfortable with their answers so I am going to the experts ... you guys : RV dry 14,248 ... Gross 15,500 ... Pin or Hitch 2900 2500 Ram Diesel 4x4 Mega Cab short box ... Axle 3.42, GVWR 10,000, Payload 2,020, GAWR Front 6,000, GAWR Rear 6,500, Max Trailer Weight Rating. Thanks,

asked by: Jon H

Helpful Expert Reply:

I just answered a similar question for a guy asking about a SRW truck that could tow up to a 20,000 lb trailer. The solution I found using Ram's online towing guide was that the only way to get a decent towing capacity out of a single rear wheel truck was to go with a 3500, diesel, with the 4.10 gear ratio. For your application I would recommend the same thing since the gross trailer weight is going to be 15,500 lbs.

The Companion Ram Hitch part # BWRVK3670 that you referenced would then be the hitch to go with if the truck will have a short bed and the factory rail kit. If you have a long bed instead you'd want the part # BWRVK3600 as this is the fixed hitch version.

expert reply by: Jameson C