Have you been thinking about getting a Dodge Ram 1500, or did you just buy one? If that’s the case, you may be wondering if you can pull a fifth wheel. Here, we look closely at the towing capacity to find out.
From the factory, the Dodge Ram 1500 can pull between 6,200 and 7,700 pounds. But if you add a tow package or upgrade your engine, you can actually pull up to 12,750 pounds, which is enough to pull a fifth wheel.
If you want to learn more about how to get your Dodge Ram 1500 to pull more weight, keep reading to find out what you can do to pull a fifth wheel.
What Size Camper Can a Dodge Ram 1500 Pull?
The total weight of the camper or fifth wheel you want to pull will depend on how big it is. The towing capacity of your Dodge Ram 1500 may be able to handle only so much weight.
The total weight of the camper will be greater the bigger it is.
If you have an upgraded Ram 1500 with a tow package, you will be able to pull much more weight and a bigger camper. This will allow you to buy and pull a fifth wheel that is bigger.
But if you have the base model of the Ram 1500, you can still pull a fifth wheel, but it will have to be a much smaller one. You will be able to tow more weight if you add an aftermarket tow package, which could be useful.
So, check the towing capacity of your Ram 1500 model to see what size camper you can pull.
How Much Weight Can I Pull with My Dodge Ram 1500?
A fifth wheel’s size and weight go hand in hand, so the weight of the camper you want to pull will tell you if your truck can handle it.
If your towing capacity is high, you’ll be able to pull a much bigger camper, but if it’s low, you’ll have to settle for something smaller and lighter.
A camper can weigh anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 pounds. This is a wide range, but most campers weigh between 12,000 and 15,000 pounds.
Because of this, it might be hard for a basic Dodge Ram 1500 to pull a camper, so you’ll have to look for something small and light. It might be harder to find this because most of them are heavier, but it is possible.
But you’ll want to choose a Dodge Ram 1500 that comes with a tow package or some upgraded parts that increase the vehicle’s towing capacity. Or, if you already have a Ram truck, you can add aftermarket parts that can help you tow more weight.
Total Weight Considerations
It’s important to think about the total weight of the camper and the truck, which needs to be added up. This means that you should also count all the things you will bring with you in the camper.
This is another reason why you should add up the weight of everything you plan to bring on your trip. You will need to add the weight of each bag of clothes, food, and gear to get the total weight.
This will make sure that you can pull not only the camper, but also everything else you plan to bring.
This is also why you should make sure the towing capacity is much higher than the weight of the fifth wheel. This will give you enough room to put all your things in the camper without going over the vehicle’s total weight limit.
What is Included in a Dodge Ram Tow Package?
I’ve talked about how you can add aftermarket parts to a tow package, but I haven’t talked about what you can get when you first buy a Dodge Ram 1500.
When you buy a vehicle, you can choose to get one of these tow packages. The cost of the package is added to the total price of the vehicle.
This makes it easier to add the price to the total amount for the car and lets you include the cost in your truck’s monthly payments. Most trucks have some kind of tow package that can be added as an option, but each brand and model is different.
The tow package for the Dodge Ram 1500 comes with a hitch receiver, a trailer brake controller, a trailer brake wiring harness, and a seven-pin wiring harness. There is also an improved engine cooling system that keeps your truck from overheating when towing a big fifth wheel and extra weight.
Getting a tow package makes your truck better prepared for bigger items and makes it safer to pull things like fifth wheels that come close to the towing capacity. Most of these upgrades make it easier to control the brakes so that the extra weight doesn’t cause an accident by making your truck stop too late.
You can also hook up a taillight system that lets the camper’s taillights work as your truck’s. This will make it easier for cars behind you to see your turn signals, which can make everyone safer.
Aftermarket Packages
If you want to buy a Dodge Ram 1500, you can add things to the package after you’ve bought the truck, but this usually costs more all at once.
When you buy a truck with a tow package, the cost is added to the total price of the car and is paid each month along with the car payment.
But with aftermarket parts, you’ll probably have to pay more up front and have a bigger monthly payment on top of what you’re already paying for your car.
This will cost more all at once and may be harder to pay for, so getting a tow package when you buy the car is a good idea.
What is a Fifth Wheel
Today, the term “fifth wheel” can be confusing because these types of campers only have four wheels. However, the name refers to a camper that can be pulled behind a truck and originally had five wheels.
The name comes from the fact that the first campers were made for carriages and had a fifth wheel on the front to help them turn on their own.
Even though this isn’t needed anymore, the term is still used a lot. The weight of a fifth wheel can range from 2,400 to 20,000 pounds.
If you don’t know the exact weight of the camper, it’s hard to tell if your Dodge Ram 1500 will be able to pull the fifth wheel you want. But this could be easier if you are looking for a new camper with your Ram 1500’s towing capacity in mind.
But if you don’t, you will need to find out how much your camper weighs. You can get this information from a salesperson at a camper lot or from an online owner’s manual that you can read.
The weight should be much less than what your car can pull. For example, if your fifth wheel weighs 8,000 pounds and your car can pull 12,000 pounds, you will be fine.
But if you only have the basic model with no extras, you can only tow up to 7,700 pounds, which means you can’t pull that camper model.
Final Thoughts
You can pull a fifth wheel with your Dodge Ram 1500, but the size of the camper will depend on whether or not your model has a tow package. Also, it will depend on the year the model came out.
Depending on the size and weight of the camper, you might decide to buy a smaller, lighter one instead. However, if you have a Dodge Ram 1500 with a tow package, you will be able to pull many different types of fifth wheels.
Just remember that you should leave plenty of weight leftover for other items that you will need to take with you on your trip, and the items that you will keep inside your truck as well.
However, if you take all this into account and ensure that your camper is not too heavy for your truck, you will be able to safely tow a fifth wheel without any issues.
