Will a half ton, (1500) dodge be able to pull 20 ft. Cargo trailer.

[brandywinemylove]

I have a 98 half ton dodge  pickup. Will it pull a 20 ft. Double axle cargo trailer. I have not done anything to it yet. But is half full stuff. Empty weight 3k. Hopeing to join you all soon. Thanks.

 

[ckelly78z]

This was the first result when I googled it;

"Towing capacity varied by model, engine and drive configuration (rear wheel vs. four-wheel). A Dodge 1500 with the 5.2-liter Magnum V8 and four-wheel drive could pull 7,200 lbs with a total gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 12,500 lbs."

 

[Amboman]

Yes it will pull it OK empty, make sure to take the OD off. I had the same truck only a 2000 before & got into Cummins diesels in Doddges. Mine gas 150 had a V6 & never got over 15-16 mph. My heavy 3/4 12 valvw Cummings got 24-25 mph & 20.6 hauling 20,000+ poubds of machinery out of Dayton. I owned several VZ Rabbit diesels all got 55 mph.

 

[Weldman]

It will pull it and then some the question should be, would it be able to stop it and that depends on do you have trailer brake controller? See it a lot people pulling more than they can stop in emergency.

 

[highdesertranger]

no one can give you a honest answer because we don't have all the info. we need the GCVWR(Gross Combined Vehicle Weight Rating) for the truck. then the weight of the truck fully loaded and the weight of the trailer fully loaded. I will say this, it will be real easy to overload this combination. highdesertranger

 

[Van-Tramp]

Kerri's half ton Chevy pulled her 28 foot trailer (8000+ pounds) for nine years, all over the country. Over the Sierras and Rockies numerous times. A good brake controller is ideal of course.

 

[brandywinemylove]

I thank all of you for your reply and help. To answer some, it is only 2 wheel drive. I think it's a 5.4 regular gas, bad on gas mileage.  Yes I have a brake controller. And the trailer has electric brakes. I am 75 years old, female. I drove 18 wheel with my husband. So I know a little. He passed over 2 years ago. But he took care of all that stuff. Wish I had listened more when he told me things. I will look and see if I can find more information. The trailer is a 20 ft, toy hauler. 2017 Lark. 
I was going to try to bring some things, bed, etc. But I'm sure I will have to get rid of lot more. I have been following Bob for several years now. Trying my best to get it done right. But I have a lot to learn. I love to travel, so I have no problems there. Hope I can get it all together and come your way.  Thanks so very much.

 

[1shemp]

This would be very dangerous to do.Half ton trucks are more for suburban moms to use taking their kids to soccer.

 

[brandywinemylove]

If that is the case, I will not be able to come join. I have a 2004 Lincoln Navigator, it has over 200k miles on it. It also needs timing chain, etc. Which will cost about 2k, I was told.

 

[Amboman]

This would be very dangerous to do.Half ton trucks are more for suburban moms to use taking their kids to soccer.

The trailer only weighs 3000# so what are you basing your statment on?

 

[StarliteRambler]

Weight-wise you could probably make it work if you were very careful not to overload it and didn't put too much weight on the back. Trading the toy hauler for something smaller and more manageable would be another option.

 

[ckelly78z]

This would be very dangerous to do.Half ton trucks are more for suburban moms to use taking their kids to soccer.

A #3000 camper with another #1000 of belongings wouldn't be dangerous, you would just have to pay attention to traffic ahead of you, and find bigger gaps to pull out into. Many people use 1/2 tons for light duty pulling, but be wary of overloading them.

3/4 ton trucks have better gearing, more suspension capability, larger brakes, bigger/stiffer tires, and other heavy duty components, for hauling/stopping heavy loads

 

[JD GUMBEE]

This would be very dangerous to do.Half ton trucks are more for suburban moms to use taking their kids to soccer.

I think you are handing out advice beyond your abilities.

brandywine, your truck is FINE to pull the trailer.

Especially if you drove big trucks, you know how to manage brakes...so even more so YES!

 

[StarliteRambler]

I've towed 4-6k lb trailers with half ton trucks for the last 25 years without a problem. I don't push it and keep my focus on the road- especially in town.

 

[brandywinemylove]

Thank you for your feedback. I am trying to get rid of more stuff, where I don't over do it. I do try to very careful. After my husband got real bad, I didn't want to drive myself, all 48 states. and have to have someone else take of him. So I started doing short runs as a pilot car. I know there r some crazy drivers out there. Big rigs also, not just cars, etc.
I hope to see you all soon. Thanks again.
Next is to decide which caravan to join.

 

[highdesertranger]

until we have some solid numbers to go on this is all speculation as to if her truck can handle it or not. highdesertranger

 

[Pleasant Travels]

I drove for a construction company for a number of years as their go-fer. I usually only had a 1/2 ton pickup with just a 6cyl, sometimes a small v8. I was often tasked with taking out heavy trailers to job sites or retrieving them back to the yard. I often thought some of these loads were ill-advized and too much for the vehicle I was issued, but the boss said get it done, and I carefully learned just how much a simple half-ton truck can actually do.

However, with that said, I had an entire company's assets backing me up. If something broke or failed, I just passed it off to the mechanics we had on staff. They also maintained the vehicles religiously. I also was usually towing on flat ground. And to the company, these vehicles were a consumable expected to be completely amortized (worthless) after 5 years and simply replaced with a brand new model off the dealer lot.

I would seek to and would prefer to use a 3/4 or 1 ton truck if I was doing what you describe. Preferably with a diesel motor. Especially if you plan on living in the mountainous west. I recently acquired a 2006 Chevy 2500 Express van with a Duramax diesel engine for exactly this reason. I monitored Craigslist for months until I found a used locksmithing van for only $4200. Examples like this usually sell for over $6500. Currently, diesel fuel is LESS than gasoline,...although that's unusual, historically.

 

[brandywinemylove]

If I had the money to get a larger truck, I would. After my husband died, It took all our saving to take care of all the cost that comes with it. As it is now, I only have 2k saved, and if I had a big expense, there that would go. But I want to come out. While I still can go and try to do all myself. I thought down the road, I would find a real nice friend that would like to come along with me and we could share the cost. It would help me and also them. I don't know if I can say that or not. If I can't, I'm sorry. When u r new at something, one has to learn all the rules. Thanks again for all the replies.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

She said 3K empty.

Add 1200 to that and she is still very much inside the towing range of that truck.
With room to spare and then some...

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

^^ agree.

Since you have the truck and trailer load it up and take it to a Cat Scale.
If you are under GCWR, GVWR, and GRWR you will be fine.

For those of you that don't know:
 - GCWR = the total weight of loaded truck and trailer.
 - GVWR = the weight of the loaded truck including the tongue weight of trailer.
 - GRWR = the weight on the rear axle including trailer tongue weight.
(I needed to go to the manual for GCWR. All others on on the drivers door sticker.)