How much Trailer can I Tow?
11/15/2022
One of the most important things to remember when towing is how much your truck can tow. Some might assume that if it’s a pickup truck, it can tow anything, but that can be dangerous to believe.
When exceeding a vehicle’s towing limit, brakes begin to fail and your engine works extra hard, causing overheating, which can damage the engine or transmission. Try to stay 20-25% below your towing capacity for a safer ride.
The trailer’s Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) should be under your truck’s towing capacity. The tongue weight of a trailer, or hitch weight, will be about 10-15% of the trailer’s GVWR.
How big of a trailer can I tow?
The answer really depends on what truck you are looking to tow. Here are a few of the most common trucks we see on the road today, along with the towables they can accommodate.
Ram 1500
The Ram 1500 offers a range of trims, configurations and engines, giving it excellent payload and towing capacities. Depending on the year and engine of your Ram 1500, the towing capacity can vary from 4,000 to 12,750 lbs. The Ram 1500 can handle towing:
- Pop-up campers
- Camper trailer
- Fishing boats
- Vehicle tow dolly
- ATVs
- Jet skis
- Snowmobile / Snow machines
- Medium heavy-weight trailers
Air Lift Company has specific Ram air suspension helper kits to maximize your towing pleasure for the 2009-2022 Ram 1500 two-wheel and four-wheel drive. There is a kit that fits the new body style, 2019-2022 Ram 1500, two-wheel drive, and the new body style for the 2019-2023 Ram 1500, four-wheel drive.
Silverado 1500
Like many trucks, the towing capacity varies depending on the year and engine, but the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 has a towing capacity between 5,500-13,300 lbs. The Silverado 1500 can handle towing:
- Small campers
- ATV
- Travel trailer
- Pop-up camper
- Toy hauler
- Stand-up campers
- Medium heavy-weight trailers
Air Lift offers air bag suspension kits for the 2007-2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 and 2007-2018 Chevy Silverado 1500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and kits for the 2019-2023 Chevy Silverado 1500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and the 2019-2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 Trail Boss, four-wheel drive. There are also kits for the 2019 Chevy Silverado 1500 Legacy, two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
Ford F-150
Depending on your F-150’s year and engine, they have a max towing capacity of 5,000-14,000 lbs. The Ford F-150 can handle travel trailers weighing around 5,000-8,000 lbs., depending on weight ratings. The F-150 can tow and haul worksite tools, along with other trailers. The Ford F-150 can handle towing:
- Hand tools
- Commercial lawn mowers
- Cable runners
- Dozers
- Mini excavators
- Camper trailers
- Medium heavy-weight trailers
Air Lift Company offers load support kits for the 2010-2014 Ford F-150, two-wheel and four-wheel drive. Kits are available for the 2015-2020 Ford F-150, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and kits for the 2021-2022 Ford F-150, two-wheel and four-wheel drive. There are kits available for the 2021-2022 Ford F-150 PowerBoost, two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
F-250 and F-350
The 2022 Ford F-250 can tow up to 20,000 lbs. when properly equipped, and the 2022 F-350 can tow up to 32,000 lbs. when properly equipped. Depending on the year and engine, the F-250 and F-350 towing capacity of 15,000-32,000 lbs. These trucks can tow your largest trailers, boats, animal trailers and campers. The Ford F-250 and F-350 can handle towing:
- Heavyweight trailers
- Livestock trailers
- RVs
- Fifth-wheel trailers
- Construction equipment
- Heavy-commercial loads
Air Lift Company has air suspension kits for the 2011-2016 Ford F-250, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and kits for the 2017-2021 Ford F-250, two-wheel drive, and 2017-2019 Ford F-250, four-wheel drive, and Ford F-250 2020-2022, four-wheel drive.
Air suspension helper kits are available for the 2011-2016 Ford F-350, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and the 2017-2021 Ford F-350, two-wheel drive, and the 2017-2019 Ford F-350, four-wheel, four-wheel drive. Kits are also available for the 2020-2022 Ford F-350 DRW, four-wheel drive, and the 2020-2022 Ford F-350 SRW, four-wheel drive.
Ram 2500 & 3500
The 2022 Ram 2500 has a towing capacity of 20,000 lbs. The maximum towing capacity for the 2022 Ram 3500 is 37,090 lbs. Depending on the year, the Ram 2500 has a towing capacity of 10,000-20,000 lbs. and the Ram 3500’s towing capacity ranges from 15,000-37,090 lbs. The Dodge Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 can handle towing:
- RVs
- Heavier vehicles
- Travel trailer
- Livestock trailers
- Large, heavy-weight campers
- Fifth-wheel trailers
Air suspension helper kits are available for the 2003-2013 Ram 2500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and the 2014-2022 Ram 2500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
Air Lift Company has air suspension helper kits for the 2003-2018 Ram 3500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and air bag kits for the 2019-2022 Ram 3500, two-wheel and four-wheel drive.
