# Towing with a dodge 1500



## Freda

I have pulled a 2 horse slant with one horse in it with a Dodge 1500, what size is your engine, mine had a 318, also what is your transmission, mine had an automatic, pulled it just fine, only thing I didn't like was it made the front of the truck floaty. And it would not haul in overdrive. Hope it helps.


----------



## Stan

I use an automatic Isuzu Bighorne diesel. It does tow a two horse float but that is all and would be half the horse power of the Dodge. However I am in New Zealand and don't have those long open highways you have in the States and Canada. (I love those highways)
I would love to tow with such a vehicle. I had an old chev impala some years ago and that thing could tow. Stick a float on the back and a couple of horses, the car did not know they were there. But thats in the days when they built cars out of steel and engines when rated in horse power they were talking about real HORSE power.

If you are going to use the truck as a tow vehicle have an extra oil cooler for the transmission installed as the standard cooling system will not handle the increased tempeture generated by the transmission, resulting with the engine and transmission most likely over heating. (assuming it is an auto)

If the truck drops its butt when the float is attached you may have to install spring over riders which will stiffen the rear suspension.

Now you don't have the time to do all of that so hook on the float and go for a ride for an hour up hills put the vehicle under load. If it does not heat up after a couple of hours you may be O/K to do the trip. I would try it out first as you seem to be uneasy on the vehicles ability. 
Enjoy the trip.


----------



## maura

It does all depend on how the 1500 is equipped. 

I wouldn't do that long of a haul with a 1500 unless it had the larger engine, transmission oil cooler, the beefed up suspension and beefed up radiator. 

Also remember, it's never a question of how much the truck can haul, it's a question of how much the truck can *stop.* Nothing's worse than the feeling of a trailer pushing you down hill or pushing you through an intersection while you're trying to brake. The pushing rather than the pulling is what creates the strain on the transmission.


----------



## iridehorses

Two things that I would install just for peace of mind and to aid in the longevity of the truck are a transmission oil cooler and an equalizing hitch.

The equalizing hitch should eliminate the floaty feeling you are having. It will lessen the tongue weight of the trailer and level out the truck.

As far as stopping, that is a function of a properly adjusted brake controller.


----------



## Joe4d

Thats really an impossible question to answer, Those trucks come with a huge range of different engines, trannyies and rearends, Just off the top of my head I know they have on the small side dinky 3,8 liter V-6's and 400 plus horsepower V-8's, 
The trailer you mentioned could also weigh anything, 

You need to get the empty weight of the trailer, plus the weight of items you are loading, then look in the owners manual of the truck you have and look up the recommended tow weight for YOUR truck.


----------



## Mingiz

I had a ram 97 1500 4x4 with tow package and a 5.2 318 and 373 rear. I pulled my 16ft steel bp with 4horses without issues and a 2h sl steel gn. Hills were the only issue took a tad longer to climb them but other wise as long as you have a brake controller for the trailer You shouldn't have any problem.Also you don't want to tow in overdrive mode. :wink:


----------



## Saddlebag

Our Dodge 1500 pulled a 23' travel trailer 15,000mi with a 318. When we weighed on the way home from the southern US it was 2000 lb over. Truck kept pulling it fine except it sure sucked up the gas on the long haul from sea level to Oklahoma.


----------



## RitzieAnn

my last truck was a 95 Ram, 1500 with a 318. It was an automatic, and 2wd.

The trailer was a 97 Logan Coach Ranger II (extra tall & wide) It weighed about 2600lbs, empty. It hauled great with my truck. I had even put 3 horses in it (weighing approx 850-950lbs each) I could tell that it was near max for my truck. It was very slow, even though technically I was below the tow limit.

So, to properly answer your question, we need to know what enging you have in your truck, what it's tow capacity is (I was told rule of thumb is half of the trucks weight, example, 1/2 ton truck (1,000lbs) = 500) Its really about 6,000 lbs if I remember correctly. But it's always a good idea to be below capacity.

Also how much the trailer weighs, how much your horse weighs, and how much water are you packing? (8.34lbs per gallon)

EDIT: does your truck have a brake assist? That will help a lot! Especially if you are nearing capacity! I remember when I hauled 3 in the trailer mentioned above, I bumped up my brake assist. I was definately glad I had it!


----------



## equiniphile

I have an '07 Dodge Ram 1500 with a Hemi engine, and I've been told I could easily pull a 4H slant with LQ on the gooseneck attachment. However, right now I'm using a BP hitch and can only pull so much because the hitch itself can't haul as much.


----------



## RitzieAnn

equiniphile said:


> I have an '07 Dodge Ram 1500 with a Hemi engine, and I've been told I could easily pull a 4H slant with LQ on the gooseneck attachment. However, right now I'm using a BP hitch and can only pull so much because the hitch itself can't haul as much.


 
You make a good point. Newer trucks can generally tow more, due to growth with technology & eficiency.

If you ever have any doubts, having a general inspection at the local mechanic isn't usually to pricey and they could tell you a lot!


----------



## Bearkiller

Your truck will be fine. Some people make things more difficult than they need to be. I can't speak for how mechanically sound your truck is but assuming everything is in working order, you'll be fine. The only thing I'd bother with is a brake controller. Less than 200 dollars installed and easy to do yourself if it's a newer truck. Basically plug and play. It's not like you have mtn passes with in 300 miles of college station texas.......


----------

