03 1500 4x4 towing capacity

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Hawkeye65 - 12 Jun 2005 05:13 GMT

I have an '03 Dodge Ram 1500, Quad-cab, 4x4, with the 4.7L engine. I was
wanting to know if someone could point me to a web page that would provide
towing capacities for this truck, especially as it relates to 5th wheel
towing.

TIA,
Hawkeye65

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Nathan W. Collier - 12 Jun 2005 05:21 GMT

>I have an '03 Dodge Ram 1500

<SNIP>

> especially as it relates to 5th wheel towing.

while i dont have a direct answer to your question, i do hope you realize
that if towing (particularly the weights commonly associated with 5th wheel
towing) is a consideration, you bought the wrong truck.

that said, see http://www.panpacificrv.com/towspec2003.html looks like 7,700
pounds. expect piss poor mileage.

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Nathan W. Collier
http://7SlotGrille.com
http://UtilityOffRoad.com

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SnoMan - 12 Jun 2005 19:36 GMT

>>I have an ’03 Dodge Ram 1500
>
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>that said, see http://www.panpacificrv.com/towspec2003.html looks like
>7,700 pounds. expect piss poor mileage.

Yes, I would agree, I would not even attempt a 5th wheel with that
truck because of the weight over the light weight rear axle with a 5th
wheel and the lack of engine size to deliever enough torque to
overcome weight and wind drag of the average 5th wheel trailer and the
heavy quad cab it is dragging around too. You might attempt it but it
could be a bad experiance especailly if it does not have atleast a
4.10 rear axle too and even then it will lack as you need displacement
to make good torque for that kind of load.

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Thats Me - 12 Jun 2005 16:57 GMT

>I have an '03 Dodge Ram 1500, Quad-cab, 4x4, with the 4.7L engine. I was
>wanting to know if someone could point me to a web page that would provide
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>TIA,
>Hawkeye65

Though My Truck is 2x4 the towing capacites are close to the same.
Max Vehicle load 6650
Max GCVW 14000
Weight of Truck (Wet & with gear, passengers) 5880
Max trailer weight (wet and loaded) 8120

That said Max is not a good thing, rule of thumb 75% to 80% of max
GCVW is the range to look for.

That puts me in the 5300 lb (wet) range as the max weight towable

I addition you need to look at pin/tounge weight to ensure you don't
go above the max vehicle load rating.

Happy Camping. ldpoos@NOPANTS.juno.com
Remove NOPANTS To reply by direct E-Mail;

2003 Dodge 1500 QC SB Hemi, A/T, Tow Package, 3.92 gears (11 mpg Towing)
2001 Aerolite 21RDB 21ft TT (Scales 2900 dry)

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SnoMan - 12 Jun 2005 19:37 GMT

>Though My Truck is 2x4 the towing capacites are close to the same.
>Max Vehicle load 6650
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>Towing)
>2001 Aerolite 21RDB 21ft TT (Scales 2900 dry)

2x4 typical weigh less and have higher tow ratings but that is still
to generous for a 4.7 in a quad cab no matter what manual says. (14k
GCVW with a 4.7 would be a joke and a slug towing) Plus when you tow
you have two factors, weight and wind drag and you can tow more on a
low profile flat bed trailer than with a high profile draggy fifth
wheel. You will be fighting weight and winddrag which can be high on a
5th. If you must try to tow around 5k with it do it with a much lower
profile pull type to cut drag for small engine and I would limit it to
4k or so empty too if the towing will be hilly and do add a aux tranny
cooler no matter what you do. If you really have your mind set on a
5th, you really need a different truck because you will not have a
good experiance with the setup pulling one of weighing 5k or more and
no 5th wheel is light and you need to watch rear axle and tire loading
too and that is why a 3/4 ton is like the minimum standard for serious
5th wheel towing. Finail if truck does not have a 3.91 or 4.10 axle
ration with that 4.7, do not even waste you time trying with a pull
type either.

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