Going nuts worried - Dodge ram 1500 25' flying clound

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

I didn't say anything about the specifics of your position or Jim's position except that Jim was OBVIOUSLY not talking about semi wheels, AND that you brought up the semi wheels in attempt to mock him for no good reason, and it is true.

He in no way deserved to be ripped like you did. That was simply unjustified.

Further, if you want to talk about logic, how is it that semi wheels even entered the conversation about light duty trucks and trailers?

Apples and oranges.

In addition I never claimed that you or anyone posting here was not intelligent enough to grasp context, in fact, I am certain that you are plenty intelligent to grasp this but you posted rudely anyway.


1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow

Is this directed at me? Where did I bring up semi wheels? Did you read this whole thread? Answer: NO. Please highlight my comment. I have made 3 posts before my above and final view point, which I stand by, as justified after the above statements made in this thread. I rest my case.

[bonginator]

Originally Posted by Jukeboxfun

Well, after thinking about it, and your comments, I have just about made up my mind. My truck is an '09 but is in good condition and only has 46,000 miles on it. I can't really afford to get a bigger truck anyway. So I'm going to get smaller wheels and tires to increase my GCWR from 12,000 lb to 13,000 and max trailer from 6,400 to 7,450 lbs.

Any additional comments are of course welcome and appreciated.

Make sure you also know the payload limit of your truck. The tongue weight of the trailer will consume part of it.

[Jukeboxfun]

Originally Posted by bonginator

Make sure you also know the payload limit of your truck. The tongue weight of the trailer will consume part of it.

The payload is 1,380 lb with 20" wheels and 1,420 lb with 17" wheels & tires. True

[bonginator]

Originally Posted by Jukeboxfun

The payload is 1,380 lb with 20" wheels and 1,420 lb with 17" wheels & tires. True

Don't forget to subtract tongue weight of loaded trailer, passengers, gear in truck, accessories, and fuel from that number.

[txdxrider]

It's several fold... The 20" tires have less payload since there is less sidewall on the tire - also 20" runs and tires weigh more than 17" wheels and tires - thus decreasing your payload. In addition to having the correct hitch setup... Many manufactures offer a towing package - HD teams cooler, stiffer suspension, different rear end ratio - so swapping gears is not always affordable - but you can add in an aftermarket or OEM transcooler and change to HD adjustable shocks for a better towing experience. I would still consider moving to 17 or 18 inch rims for ride control as well.

[Jukeboxfun]

You know after checking the towing specifications for the 2010, which is the exact same truck as 2009. I am not worried at all. They just revised all the numbers upward, same truck.

[Hans627]

Sounds like you are good to go. When do you pick up your new AS? Keep us posted on how it tows?

Also, just curious which WD hitch you are planning to use?

[Jukeboxfun]

Originally Posted by Hans627

Sounds like you are good to go. When do you pick up your new AS? Keep us posted on how it tows?

Also, just curious which WD hitch you are planning to use?

The dealer is supplying it, I don't know.

[andreasduess]

Originally Posted by Jukeboxfun

The dealer is supplying it, I don't know.

Knowing what hitch you'll be using is as important, if not more important, than getting your weight right. A badly set up hitch, or a poor hitch, can cause you a lot more issues than being over the weight limit by a few pounds.

I would ask.

[Silver.Sanctuary]

The moment arm from the center of the driving axle to the point where the rubber meets the road could be greater on a 20 inch wheel/tire than a 17 or 18 inch. The rear end ratio and the number and type of gears can also impact your situation. Most vehicles wth at least a 3.54 rear end are going to be pretty capable. In my case with a Toyota Tundra with a 4.10 rear end, a six speed automatic transmission and 5.7 liter engine it can (has slowly) pulled the space shuttle. I think you are going to be just fine. You might go slower up the mountains, but not traveling at an unsafe speed. Although I would not recommend busting the recommended specs, remember they are established with a safety factor that is usually pretty conservative. The fact that the follow-on year truck with the same rear end, etc. has a higher rating appears to be testimony to the thought that Dodge decided they were too conservative on your year ratings. Of course this assumes the rest of the setup is the same.

[Jukeboxfun]

Originally Posted by Dan Rossbach

The moment arm from the center of the driving axle to the point where the rubber meets the road could be greater on a 20 inch wheel/tire than a 17 or 18 inch. The rear end ratio and the number and type of gears can also impact your situation. Most vehicles wth at least a 3.54 rear end are going to be pretty capable. In my case with a Toyota Tundra with a 4.10 rear end, a six speed automatic transmission and 5.7 liter engine it can (has slowly) pulled the space shuttle. I think you are going to be just fine. You might go slower up the mountains, but not traveling at an unsafe speed. Although I would not recommend busting the recommended specs, remember they are established with a safety factor that is usually pretty conservative. The fact that the follow-on year truck with the same rear end, etc. has a higher rating appears to be testimony to the thought that Dodge decided they were too conservative on your year ratings. Of course this assumes the rest of the setup is the same.

Airstreams seem to have very much in common with the space shuttle as in regards to the price being nearly the same.

[NavyCorpsman]

Its not the wheel size that matters. It is the overall DIAMETER of the tire that will change things.
You have plenty of truck. Have fun with it.

[m.hony]

Don't worry about it. Smaller wheels would be better, but...
I tow a Classic 30 with a Tundra with 20" P-rated tires. You cannot get Load Range E tires in the specific size 20's I have. You can get Load Range E 17's or 18's. I am starting my 6th season towing with the 20's. I have covered from Texas to Ohio to Florida to Mississippi with no trouble.

[DC Bruce]

Also, remember that the cargo capacity on the door jamb sticker assumes a full tank of fuel and a175 lb. driver. So don't count that against your cargo limit when figuring out whether your load is within limits (unless, of course, you have added a larger, aftermarket fuel tank.)

[tjdonahoe]

Quit wirring you have a good set up, go enjoy it.....

[amtruckn1]

Tire size will effect towing ability just like gearing ratio of the ring and pinion.

[mefly2]

Originally Posted by Top

Where did you get these numbers? I don't recall ever seeing the tire size changing the tow rating of a RAM. The rear end ratio is usually what makes the difference. Does the truck with 17" wheels have a 3.92 rear end?
Your question brings more questions-

GM also specs differently (with regard to tow rating) for the larger wheel size / relatively the same tire outside diameter / circumference with the vehicles otherwise equipped the same.

OP ... you should be good to go! Enjoy.

[Lance M]

Originally Posted by mefly2

GM also specs differently (with regard to tow rating) for the larger wheel size / relatively the same tire outside diameter / circumference with the vehicles otherwise equipped the same.

OP ... you should be good to go! Enjoy.

This is what I reference- Ram Trucks - Towing Capacity Chart

There is no mention of tire or wheel size.

[Silver.Sanctuary]

Originally Posted by Top

This is what I reference- Ram Trucks - Towing Capacity Chart

There is no mention of tire or wheel size.

I bought a 2014 Toyota Tundra to tow my 22 foot Safari. The truck doesn't even know the trailer is there. One thing I thought of was that the 20 inch wheels on the vehicle would probably not be as good as the 18 inch wheels offered as an option since it seemed that 20 inch wheels would have a longer moment arm and require more to move the payload. An option that takes 20 inch wheels to 18 inch wheels just didn't seem like a good deal.

Then I noticed the spare was a 17 inch spare and started to investigate. The rolling radius on the 17 inch was almost identical to the 20 inch... and therefore the moment arm (distance from the wheel hub center to the ground) is the same. If that is the same, then there would be no difference in the amount of torque needed. I think this explains why the charts don't change. There may be a weight difference between the tires/wheels of different sizes so the vehicle loads may have to be a little lighter depending on wheel design, but the pulling capacity of the vehicle shouldn't change.

Oops. I just realized that Top said the same thing... I emailed this morning but apparently that email reply went to the help desk instead of the forum. I was just re-posting without reading only the email updates and not the added pages on the forum. Sorry for saying essentially the same thing .

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by Jukeboxfun

We bought a 25 flying cloud twin which has a published base weight of 5,600 lbs. with loaded weight max of 7,300 lbs.

TV is
2009 Dodge Ram crew cab slt hemi.
3.55 axle
20 inch wheels
GCWR 12,000
GVWR 6,800
max trailer 6,400

Same truck with 17 inch wheels is rated
GCWR 13,000
max trailer 7,450

Do I get smaller wheels or a bigger truck? I bought the trailer, can't change that.

Hi, according to your listed specs, your trailer is too much for your truck. I personally would not do it. But if you do tow with this combination, you will most likely have less problems doing it than some of the posters on this thread have with each other.