I have a SRW CCLB 2016 Ram 3500 w/factory air and my wife and I have been diligently searching for a retirement RV. You have to understand your truck's numbers to understand where your limits are as far as a trailer. Your truck is capable of pulling much more than it is rated for but it dosent mean you should. I have a SRW truck so that definitely limits the size of the 5th I can drag around, but my particular truck has some good numbers on it for towing the size of trailers we are looking at:
-Max tow: 17,010 lbs (per Ram towing guide
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
-GCWR: 25,300 lbs (per Ram towing guide
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
-Base truck weight: 7,825 lbs (per Ram towing guide
https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/tow...ing_charts.pdf)
-Cargo Carrying: 4,110 lbs (Max cargo from door sticker)
-GVWR: 12,300 lbs (Gross vehicle weight rating from door sticker)
-GAWR (Rear): 7,000 lbs (Gross axle weight rating from door sticker)
Another factor to consider is how Ram gets to their numbers. They note the following from my tow guide:
7. Trailer Weight Rating and Tow Vehicle Trailering Weight are calculated as specified in SAE J2807.
Passenger Weight = 300 lb
Options Weight = 100 lb
Trailering Equipment Weight: 75 lb for Conventional Hitch, 70 lb for Gooseneck and 250 lb for 5th Wheel.
All of that means I cannot exceed four numbers: (Max tow, GCWR, Cargo, and GAWR). I will weigh my truck so I know exactly what my base weight is so I can accurately determine safe towing limits. With all of those things in mind I established a few things (with self-imposed limits). I need to stay under 3,200 pounds of pin weight going down the road, I dont want to pull more than 16,000 pounds of GVWR on a trailer (to make me sleep better), and I want to stay under 40 feet because I am SRW. My wife loves space and makes me think we should have bought a dually, but frankly I dont want the hassle of driving one around. I have done it before and I dont like it.
I am still a year or two from purchase and as long as the Marine Corps keeps me around, a few more past that until I hit 30 years. So far I have done a lot of digging on trailers and scoured the internet (The above linked website, manufacturer specific forums, etc) and we have subscribed to several YouTube full timers to gain more information. We have also walked through about five or six different manufactures and narrowed our desires down to one for sure brand and a few potentials.
While we really liked a floor plan for the Montana 3780/3781RL, but their owners forum paints a bleak picture of after-the-sale assistance and long-term maintenance. We also liked a floor plan of the Cardinal Luxury 345RLX but it was too long. Both of those are possibilities. If we had to buy today, it would be a Grand Design 344GK-R which is near the limits of where I want to be but still has a floor plan and quality/customer service that is great. The only problem with them is price. You pay about a 5-6 thousand dollar premium to move into their floor plans for less space (compared to the other two manufacturers). They are heavier which signals better construction and the insulation rating is among the best in the industry.
I recommend you look at manufacture floor plans on the internet, get an idea of features you want, find some walk-thru videos on YouTube, and then go walk the lots and touch everything in one.
Once you have a few in mind, go to the manufacturer specific forums and read and ask questions.
Hopefully that helped someone out.
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