Buy new tow rig or increase towing capacity of 1/2 ton

chris

chris

cltdba
Moderator
Joined
Sep 28, 2009
Location
Concord, NC
I have a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 4wd quad-cab with the offroad package and the 5.7L hemi engine. I have no issues with pulling my XJ as far as power goes. However, I have to load the XJ further back on my 16' trailer to keep the tongue weight down. Otherwise my handling and ride quality suffer drastically.

Now the way I see it I have two options. One is sell the 1/2 ton and buy a better tow rig. Two is to increase the towing capacity. Option one is something I would LOVE to do, but considering I still owe 12k on the truck that might prove to be difficult to pull off. Option two may solve my problem, but I lack knowledge so I'm asking the pros.

Option one is pretty straight forward. Is my current truck worth the $12k I owe? Trade-in value is around $10k so I'm already at least $2k upside down. If I were to buy a new tow rig I would want a 3500 and diesel. Also want to stay with 4wd. Need to stay under $10k. What are some good trucks (year, make, etc) to look at?

Option two is one I know very little about. I've been looking at 4 Wheel Parts at the Firestone Ride-Rite air bag kits, but I'm not sure what exactly I need. When I plug in my truck they say that none of these fit my truck. Does anyone know if there are kits that do? Will these even work to allow me to load the XJ further forward while still maintaining ride comfortable and handling? If not, are there any other options?
 
chris you could trade your truck for mine. if your interested let me know what kinda mpg u gettin loaded and unloaded
 
Gooseneck might be an option, but my trailer isn't worth much. I'd have to buy a new trailer or find one used really cheap.

JonnyB, mine gets about 14 unloaded on the highway, 12 around the city. Loaded it gets 8-10. Not real good. What about yours? Problem with trading is I still have to pay off the loan.
 
You wont find anything as nice as yours for the money you will get out of it..10k isnt buying all that much in the diesel world right now.

How much do you really tow? to justify a 3500 (which im guessing would be your DD) would require a TON of towing.. Repair bills are higher..Service bills are higher..parts are higher and you will go through tires more and they will cost more..

I towed with a 02 gmc 5.3 z71 for a long time..It did all i wanted and etc..It was a little hard on the truck after a few years so then i got a 99 F250 7.3 with some mods..Its the tits and i love it for towing..Its 10x better..BUT its a pita in the service/parts/tires/upkeep and Fuel for a DD. Plus the ride was 10x better on the GMC.

If i were in your shoes i would Either go with a sway contorl hitch and airbags OR i would look for a 6.0 or 8.1 suburban or even a 8.1 avalanche.. Maybe even a V10 excursion For a dual purpose rig. I looked and drove a 03 sub 2500 8.1 4x4 with barn doors..i think it was in the 12k range at a dealership. ...If stuck on a diesel i would get a cummins 98-03 or stroke 7.3 97-02 but its going to be hard to find a Clean decently low mileage for 8-10k but look there out there.
 
cltdba said:
Gooseneck might be an option, but my trailer isn't worth much. I'd have to buy a new trailer or find one used really cheap.

JonnyB, mine gets about 14 unloaded on the highway, 12 around the city. Loaded it gets 8-10. Not real good. What about yours? Problem with trading is I still have to pay off the loan.
Click to expand...

Goose on a 1500 is not a option that would be sketchy and scary to look at.
 
my brother pulls a camper with an 02 1500 ram. he's got brakes on the camper and some type of torsion hitch that helps level it back out.

if you want i can get up w/ him and get more info on it. w/ brakes on the axles it stops decent in my opinion and the torsion bar hitch thing keeps the load leveled out somehow.
 
First determine what the GVWR is for your truck. The door sticker should say.
Scaled your whole setup, swing by the local CAT scales at a truck stop or similar and pay the $10
What size are your brakes?
Make sure both trailer axles have good/working brakes. Possibly consider stepping up to a larger trailer axle for bigger trailer brakes. Could be cheaper in the long run and not wasted money.

Next.. Determine EXACTLY what tongue weight your running. (I have a Sureline tongue scale ~$120 worth every penny for proper setup).
Either your truck is just spring soft and squats a lot with little weight or your trailer/rig setup just requires you load it that far back.
A simple Add-A-Leaf might firm it up just right or possible a spring pack swap from a 2500 could help.

Assuming your not over the max towing capacity of your truck, I would strongly consider a Weight Distributing Hitch. I run one and love it. It allows you to load the trailer with lots of tongue weight (TW) then the hitch redistribute the weight (via the hitch) to the front suspension. With added swap control both can make a huge difference in towing with a smaller/lighter tow rig.

Get a good brake controller.

Do you have any pics of your tow setup as loaded?
 
chromerunner said:
You wont find anything as nice as yours for the money you will get out of it..10k isnt buying all that much in the diesel world right now.
How much do you really tow? to justify a 3500 (which im guessing would be your DD) would require a TON of towing.. Repair bills are higher..Service bills are higher..parts are higher and you will go through tires more and they will cost more..
I towed with a 02 gmc 5.3 z71 for a long time..It did all i wanted and etc..It was a little hard on the truck after a few years so then i got a 99 F250 7.3 with some mods..Its the tits and i love it for towing..Its 10x better..BUT its a pita in the service/parts/tires/upkeep and Fuel for a DD. Plus the ride was 10x better on the GMC.
If i were in your shoes i would Either go with a sway contorl hitch and airbags OR i would look for a 6.0 or 8.1 suburban or even a 8.1 avalanche.. Maybe even a V10 excursion For a dual purpose rig. I looked and drove a 03 sub 2500 8.1 4x4 with barn doors..i think it was in the 12k range at a dealership. ...If stuck on a diesel i would get a cummins 98-03 or stroke 7.3 97-02 but its going to be hard to find a Clean decently low mileage for 8-10k but look there out there.
Click to expand...
I think I've decided I'm going to keep the truck and work on the suspension. Got any recommendations on where to buy the sway control hitch? I don't tow more than the XJ and only it about 10 times a year.

JBsTrooper said:
my brother pulls a camper with an 02 1500 ram. he's got brakes on the camper and some type of torsion hitch that helps level it back out.
if you want i can get up w/ him and get more info on it. w/ brakes on the axles it stops decent in my opinion and the torsion bar hitch thing keeps the load leveled out somehow.
Click to expand...
Yes, please let me know what he's running.

yager said:
First determine what the GVWR is for your truck. The door sticker should say.
Scaled your whole setup, swing by the local CAT scales at a truck stop or similar and pay the $10
What size are your brakes?
Make sure both trailer axles have good/working brakes. Possibly consider stepping up to a larger trailer axle for bigger trailer brakes. Could be cheaper in the long run and not wasted money.
Click to expand...
I'll check the GVWR on the vehicle, but found this on the internet:
Weights: gross vehicle weight rating (kg) 3,016, curb weight (kg) 2,362, gross trailer weight braked (kg) 2,790 and max legal load (kg) 653
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs) - TBD -
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs) 500
Wt Distributing Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs) - TBD -
Dead Weight Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs) 5000
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Trailer Wt. (lbs) NA
Fifth Wheel Hitch - Max Tongue Wt. (lbs) NA

Found brake info online. I have 4 wheel ABS as well.
Rear Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness (in) 13.8 x .87
Front Brake Rotor Diam x Thickness (in) 13.2 x 1.1

Trailer does not currently have brakes. I've been eyeballing a trailer on here brakes and I'm considering purchasing it or a new trailer with brakes. At that time I'll install the brake controller.

yager said:
Next.. Determine EXACTLY what tongue weight your running. (I have a Sureline tongue scale ~$120 worth every penny for proper setup).
Either your truck is just spring soft and squats a lot with little weight or your trailer/rig setup just requires you load it that far back.
A simple Add-A-Leaf might firm it up just right or possible a spring pack swap from a 2500 could help.
Click to expand...
I'm betting it's spring soft, but the trailer axles are pretty far back on the trailer.

yager said:
Assuming your not over the max towing capacity of your truck, I would strongly consider a Weight Distributing Hitch. I run one and love it. It allows you to load the trailer with lots of tongue weight (TW) then the hitch redistribute the weight (via the hitch) to the front suspension. With added swap control both can make a huge difference in towing with a smaller/lighter tow rig.

Get a good brake controller.

Do you have any pics of your tow setup as loaded?
Click to expand...

Looking at the specs I found online I'm positive I'm exceeding the towing capacity. Definitely doesn't feel like it. It stops well without trailer brakes, but I wouldn't trust it if I had to stop in a hurry in the rain.

This is the best picture I could find and this is when I loaded it backwards to see how it would do. I prefer to load forwards.

ai696.photobucket.com_albums_vv325_cltdba_1991_20XJ_Picture15017.jpg
 
Duramax + Allison = BADASS! You will never look back.
 
my 7.3 gets about 14.5-15.5 loaded or unloaded. alittle less in the mtns. if i was you id really keep yours and beef it up just alittle bit, or pay it off and trade me. id sell mine for 10K

chromerunner is right about a big diesel costing more to keep up.
 
Yeah no doubt man diesels are not cheap right now and those years that cory(chromerunner) named off such as the fords are going for crazy money now being that they have the 7.3's in them and the cummins are never cheaped I looked for awhile!Hey chris I am looking for a trailer though if you wanna go that route good luck man!
 
With trailer brakes and a weight distributing hitch, I wouldn't hesitate to pull a built XJ on a trailer with that truck. But trailer brakes are a huge part of the equation. Your truck's brakes can only employ the friction of the trucks tires, which is a direct function of weight. The truck alone weighs 6k lbs, and all the weight is on the 4 tires, so all of that weight goes into creating friction if all of your weight is on the truck. It all changes when you have a trailer.

If you are pulling 5000lbs, you have 6500lbs on the truck (figure 6k truck and 500lb tongue on trailer), and are creating the frictional force of 6500lbs, but you are trying to stop 11,000lbs. Mathematically speaking, that reduces your braking effectiveness by 60% (6500/11000). On top of that, the will still be pushing forwards as your truck is pushing back, which will make it want to wiggle and waller (technical terms) all over the place, further decreasing braking and control. Kinda like trying to push a rope.
 
Okay I think this is the route I'm taking. It's dictated by funds. :)

1. Buy weight distributing hitch
2. Buy trailer with brakes/sell current trailer
3. Buy trailer brake controller
4. Install helper springs or air bags if #1 didn't work.

Now, what's a good place around Charlotte to get #1 and #3? Where can I get them installed? I've got the winter lazies and don't want to do it myself.
 
the RV stores all ahve the WD hitches and will install them, ditto for brake controllers.

That new of a truck a brake controller will be plug and play and they will charge you 1-200 to install it for you,
 
The truck may be wired for a brake controller already, not sure on the 1/2 tons though. My 03 3500 is, it requires a pigtail that plugs in under the dash then the brake controller gets spliced into that. The weight dist hitch, and controller can be had at redneck in lincolnton. or camping places but they are proud of their stuff.
 
Judging from the photo, you have the rig parked too far forward on the trailer.

Find out how much pin weight you've got and what the loaded trailer weight is. You can't do anything else until you know that, anyway.
 
cltdba said:
Okay I think this is the route I'm taking. It's dictated by funds. :)

1. Buy weight distributing hitch
2. Buy trailer with brakes/sell current trailer
3. Buy trailer brake controller
4. Install helper springs or air bags if #1 didn't work.

Now, what's a good place around Charlotte to get #1 and #3? Where can I get them installed? I've got the winter lazies and don't want to do it myself.
Click to expand...

Move the airbags higher up the list. Make sure you have good brakes.
 
I like you list as it is... I think the WD hitch will help out alot... you can get them online or at any trailer/RV places, like said...

also, depending on your trailer, you can get brakes/braking axles fairly cheap ($1-200 per), and with the right brake controller, should be plug & play (assuming you have factory 7 pin plug & towing package)
 
can't you add brakes to that trailer ? I was able to add brakes to a 3500# non-brake axle on my first trailer. It was a 'utility' trailer and looked similar to yours. Mine didn't even have the flange to bolt the backing plates to. Tractor-Supply (not agri-supply) had the flanges to weld on for $6. Bolted on standard brakes.

The reason I say this might be a good route is. Most car trailers are 2200# or more depending on construction/length etc. That utility trailer I had was only 12' but was light at 1200# If you can add some brakes and keep the weight down every little bit helps. AND you already have the trailer...

Also you can get a weld on 2-5/16" coupler at Agri-supply for like $30. That would be a good upgrade for using the WD hitch.

Find out your TW thats gonna help decide which direction you need to go...
 
Check out Trailers of the East Coast, they are right off of I40 in Mocksville. Before Christmas they were running a special, buy a Weight Dist. Hitch and get a free sway controller.
 
You might want to load up the XJ on the trailer and take the whole deal up to the trailer place. If you have the winter time lazies that would be the best bet. If you've done all that work on your jeep then this shouldn't be a problem. Go to etrailer.com and they have a few videos on installing a weight distribution hitch. Looks pretty straight forward.
 
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