I have a 2500 Ram. I do not have timbrens or an air bag. Will I be able to tow a 11,000 lbs. bumper pull trailer? 15% of the weight on the receiver hitch would be 1650 lbs. Doing a little math, this would put an additional 2282 lbs. on the rear axle for a total of 5082 lbs. (well within the 6000 lbs. limit). Seems like last time I put 2500 in the bed the suspension sag was alot more than I liked.

Also, I'll be hauling 1100 gallons of waste vegitible oil (WVO). Any restrictions in VA, WV, or MD about hauling this much oil (or the 11K trailer wt.)?

 

you will be over the hitchs max weight. and if your over 10,000 on tralier you need a cdl. but as long as you don't have to stop at a scale you should be ok. the cdl thing may not matter since i'm in az and your not.

 

What is the hitch max weight rating (load bearing) - 10K?

 

yes 10,000 with Weight Distribution. so you will be realy pushing that hitch. that is a stock hitch tho. if you have an aftermarket one you may be ok.

 

Stock hitch is rated 12K with weight distribution bars. I have hauled over 11K with the stock receiver before with no problems.

If it's a one time thing, I'd tow and not worry about it.

Since my Toyhauler has a very heavy tongue weight, I added a putnam xdr class V receiver hitch, hellwig sway bar, and pacbrake air bags. It makes carrying the weight etc. easier on the truck.



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ya your right 12K with weight distribution. i had to look in the manual. i would have bet money it was only 10k.

 

I may be wrong here so do check elsewhere. While I agree that the hitch is rated to pull 10k for some reason I am thinking max tongue weight for the stock hitch is 1000lbs. In which case 1650lbs is 65% above and beyond that. The tongue weight may be the more limiting factor.

 

Barry........on 3rd gens..........it 1200lbs tongue weight with weight distribution.

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I'd run 10% minimum tongue weight, 15% may be a bit excessive if it worries you. Air your tires up to at least maximum sidewall pressure. Keep it under 80 mph

 

You gotta have a weight distribution hitch on the trailer. Something at least like this:
http://www.etrailer.com/p-66131/Heav...0-lbs-GTW.html

With the weight distribution hitch you don't have to worry about the additional weight on the rear axle that is normally transferred from the front axle during rear loading. The weight distribution hitch (in theory) transfers 1/3 of the trailer's hitch weight to the trucks front axle, rear axle, & the last 1/3rd goes back to the trailers (two or three) axles. So in theory a trailer with a hitch weight of 1,500 lbs would only load your trucks rear and front axle by 500 lbs each.

In my experience in the real world you don't get an exact 1/3 split between the axles... It's more like 60% on the trucks back axle, 20 % on the trucks front axle, & 20% spread out between the trailer's axle's. The reason why is because I set mine up to level the truck front to back when hitched. With the rake the rear end has, it needs more weight to level it with the front.

 

I pull 10K+ BP TT and BP 20' car hauler with my 3500 all the time. I am not using the factory receiver, I have a reinforced receiver in my rear bumper. I have towed with and without the weight distribution hitch, but prefer to use the weight distribution hitch.

There is no question whether your truck can tow that amount, the real question would go to how your suspension is set up and the need for weight distribution.

For the weight you are planning to tow I wouldcertainly rec using a weight distribution hitch AND also adding some suspension components. Overload springs or air bags and a rear sway bar wouldgo a long way in helping with the sag and some of the other things like sway that can occur towing weight over 10K.

If you are traveling interstate, make sure your registration weights of both your truck and trailer add up to what you have going down the road, and IF your state offers a RV drivers license, get it. Here in New Mexico the state offers a class E drivers license that is non-commercial BUT allows you to exceed the 10K tow and the combined 26,001 weight. While your combined rig will not exceed the 26001, your tow will exceed the 10K. The standard issue DL allows 3 axles in combination and less than a 10K tow.



CD

 

Mark, I recently loaded my bumper pull trailer down with 13,500 of stuff inside it for a total of 18,000lb. I did not mean to do this but it happened. My Timbrens were even screaming for mercy! The truck actually pulled the load just fine but the trailer tires did not like it! I ended up unloading a bunch of the load to where it was more like 11-12,000lb and the truck did fine then. Your 2500 is going to squat severely without any kind of help in the rear...

 

I had a travel trailer that I used a transfer hitch on, and I could actually pick the rear end of the van I pulled with off the ground. That would be 100 % on the front axle....

 

Over 11K w/ a weight distribution hitch?

 

Seems like I have two options:

- Get a weight distributing hitch & use the stock reciever
- Upgrade the receiver, put in some Timbrens

A third option, I suppose is to put the load on a gooseneck trailer. With a gooseneck the additional load on the rear axle would be about 2700 lbs., so I guess that I still would need Timbrens...