2017 Ram Crew cab 5.7L 4x4 As a tow vehicle

[Scotty2]

I have a 2017 ram crew cab 4 x 4 5.7 L gasoline truck with ram boxes and factory airbags a.k.a. the ram rebel
My truck has the 5‘7“ bed..

I have a 2020 escape 5.0 TA on order I need to find a fifth wheel set up.

The payload is 926 pounds and the max towing is 10,076 pounds.

Every time I shop for a fifth wheel everything starts off with a three-quarter ton truck none of the web sites list half ton 5th wheel tow vehicles

[garyfaulkner00]

I tow with 1/2 ton Denali w/6.2.
I use Anderson goose neck adaptor. Very, very happy with tow. Easy to connect up also.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Scotty2

I have a 2017 ram crew cab 4 x 4 5.7 L gasoline truck with ram boxes and factory airbags a.k.a. the ram rebel
My truck has the 5‘7“ bed..

I have a 2020 escape 5.0 TA on order I need to find a fifth wheel set up.

The payload is 926 pounds and the max towing is 10,076 pounds.

Every time I shop for a fifth wheel everything starts off with a three-quarter ton truck none of the web sites list half ton 5th wheel tow vehicles

Hi: Scotty2... I'd leave it up to or contact Trademasters in Chilliwack BC. for a hitch. The Ramboxes will impact on your turning radius due to having a narrower box width. The air suspension compressor will impact the location of the rails in the box floor. The only people I'd trust are the ones that have a lot of experience with small fiberglass 5th. wheels like the Escape 5.0TA. You don't need a 3/4 or 2500 pickup. Here's a pic of my 2016 Ram 1500 3L. V6 EcoDiesel 4X4 Laramie Longhorn w/ 5'7" box but no Ram boxes or air suspension!!!
Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[steve dunham]

I’ve owned three Ram 1500 Quad Cabs with the 5.7 liter V8 (2011-2014-2019)
While they’ve all been good trucks , they would not be my first choice for towing an Escape 5.0 TA , My 2019 Ram has the best payload capacity of the three ( 1600 lbs) , but I decided the Escape 21 was the best match for my vehicle
Add up the loaded pin weight of an Escape 5.0 , the 5th wheel hitch weight , the weight of a driver and a passenger and your close to / over 1200 lbs of payload
Others have done it but I would not feel comfortable.

[davidmurphy02]

Definitely contact Trademasters in Chilliwack and ask about the Ram boxes, others have been advised against trying to tow a fifth wheel with Ram boxes because they make the bed with too narrow and the kingpin arm can hit the sides when the trailer swings wide on tight turns. Trademasters is very familiar with the 5.0TA and most trucks and is better able to advise you on that, most places in the U.S. are not familiar with the Escape.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Scotty2

Every time I shop for a fifth wheel everything starts off with a three-quarter ton truck none of the web sites list half ton 5th wheel tow vehicles

Because most fifth-wheel RV trailers are much heavier than an Escape, the general assumption is that light-duty pickups (such as the Ram 1500, Chev/GMC 1500, Ford F-150, Toyota Tundra, Nissan Titan) cannot handle fifth-wheel trailers. As a result, there are not many bolt-in brackets designed for these trucks, and it is routinely necessary to use generic brackets. The same hitches work, anchored on the "industry standard" rails (with the rails mounted using those generic brackets) or to a ball in the bed (such as a B&W Turnover Ball).

[Chotch]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Definitely contact Trademasters in Chilliwack and ask about the Ram boxes, others have been advised against trying to tow a fifth wheel with Ram boxes because they make the bed with too narrow and the kingpin arm can hit the sides when the trailer swings wide on tight turns. Trademasters is very familiar with the 5.0TA and most trucks and is better able to advise you on that, most places in the U.S. are not familiar with the Escape.

Good advice, pretty sure those side boxes won’t work.

[Scotty2]

Thanks for the suggestion I’ll be sure to give them a call.
Wasn’t planning on buying a new truck ��
I like my truck

[Scotty2]

In fact thanks to everybody for your input... I’ll let everyone know where I land.

[Doug2000]

The problem with most quad cab pickups is they'll tow plenty but carry little, pay attention to payload numbers.

[cpaharley2008]

You can always get a pull behind Escape Trailer.....I have had 2 Rams, they will pull a lot but carry little. Check you spare, it is probably a temporary which will need a full size for towing, both of mine were temp's.

[Scotty2]

As Steve D. mentioned “Add up the loaded pin weight of an Escape 5.0 , the 5th wheel hitch weight , the weight of a driver and a passenger and your close to / over 1200 lbs of payload”
I’ll have to add up the weight of the hitch assy if in fact the bed is wide enough to handle the pin box. I’m OK taking it to the limit, Just not beyond. Factory said that limit I’m sure they have their fudge factor is already calculated in.

I have a call into Chilliwack trade masters.

Worst case scenario I will regroup and grab the 21 Conventional trailer. It may even result in better fuel mileage since it’s not as tall maybe less wind drag.

[cpaharley2008]

Do not forget Scot, Escape has 2 X E21 versions, a classic and a new edition and is bringing out an even larger E23 this or next year.

[Ian and Sue]

Originally Posted by Scotty2

I have a 2017 ram crew cab 4 x 4 5.7 L gasoline truck with ram boxes and factory airbags a.k.a. the ram rebel
My truck has the 5‘7“ bed..

I have a 2020 escape 5.0 TA on order I need to find a fifth wheel set up.

The payload is 926 pounds and the max towing is 10,076 pounds.

Every time I shop for a fifth wheel everything starts off with a three-quarter ton truck none of the web sites list half ton 5th wheel tow vehicles

I have found etrailer.com is a good source of parts like these.

[Scotty2]

Informed response from Trademaster in Chilliwack, BC

Good Afternoon Scott,
With the Ram's that are equipped with ram boxes, generally an orbital style pin box with a stationary hitch would work best. This is due to the pin box on the 5th wheels would need to be less than 1/2 the width of the inside of the bed of the truck. It's difficult to find a pin box that is 24" long, and would also bring the 5th wheel closer to the rear end of the truck. The only other way to do this would be if the hitch is high enough in the bed of the truck that the pin box will rotate over the top of the truck bed. As a result, we recommend the stationary hitch model #2100(20K) ISR Super 5th, with an orbital style pin box.. We specifically recommend the 20K hitch over our 16K version because, the 2100 Super 5th will handle the rotational torque that is put on the head plate assembly much better than the 16K version of the Super 5th. If there are any additional questions please let us know.

Thank you. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with you.
-Alex
Customer Service
Pulliam Enterprises Inc.
13790 East Jefferson Blvd.
Mishawaka IN 46545
(800) 443-2307 ext. 104
alexl@pullrite.com

This e-mail message is intended for the above named recipient(s) only. It may contain confidential information that is privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this e-mail and any attachment(s) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail by error, please immediately notify the sender by replying to this e-mail and deleting the message including any attachment(s) from your system.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation and assistance.



-----Original Message-----
From: Scott DaSilva [mailto:mrdasilva@aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 6:24 PM
To: Customer Service <CustomerService@pullrite.com>
Subject: Looking for a fifth wheel for my 2017 dodge ram rebel with ram boxes

Greetings,

I’m in the process of purchasing a Canadian built a Escape fifth wheel Trailer. “Escape 5.0 TA”

This is a tandem axle trailer with a dry weight of 3800lbs. , a GVWR a 5500 lbs., and a pin weight of 630 lbs.

I have a 2017 dodge ram rebel crew cab with ram boxes and a 5’7” deep bed. I have 20 and three-quarter inches from the floor of the bed to the top of the side rails. The narrowest consistent with in the bed is 48 inches from floor to top rails.

After looking at the decals on my truck rather than pulling the information from the Dodge/Ram website with my VIN number in which I had two different weights.... I came up with the following numbers.

The truck has a GVW of 6800 pounds and weighs in at 5461.
I’m guessing this leaves me a payload of 1339.

Do you offer a compatible towing solution?

Your reply reply is greatly appreciated.

My sincere thank you in advance!!!

Scott DaSilva
Deerfield beach Florida
954-309-8661
Mrdasilva@aol.com


Sent from my iPhone

[cpaharley2008]

Trademasters is located fairly close to Escape. I stopped in to see them my last pick up last year. Very well stocked showroom and I have not heard any negative comments either. You can not go wrong with them.

[Scotty2]

Apparently this system is over 150 pounds lighter than a conventional fifth wheel plate system , better for me.

He did in fact say that the other option was to get a fifth wheel plate that was equal to the height of my bed walls which can be done with the Curt system as the height is 21 inches when used with a slide. However the weight is approximately 200 pounds for that system. And when that system is removed you still have the two rails.

Apparently the Andersen system weighs about 40 pounds and when removed as much cleaner for the bed.

I’m going for the Anderson hitch I’m comfortable with the weights.

When it’s all done and said maybe I’ll drive across some scales and report back.......

Again thanks everybody ....still open for your comments and concerns ....every day is a school day.!

Scotty2

[cpaharley2008]

Remember your fresh tank in the 5.0 is behind the axle and you can fill that tank up to lighten your pin weight for a margin of safety i your truck.....works for me in the E21 and my t/w squat.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Scotty2

He did in fact say that the other option was to get a fifth wheel plate that was equal to the height of my bed walls which can be done with the Curt system as the height is 21 inches when used with a slide.

That would also push the trailer very high... possibly too high to work even with the pin box raised and the "lift" spacers in the trailer suspension (axles).

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Scotty2

Informed response from Trademaster in Chilliwack, BC

Trademasters apparently went to Pulliam for this answer, and they are recommending their hitch (of course) with a rotating pin box such as the Reese Sidewinder or the MORryde Orbital. It mechanically makes sense (although it reduces trailer stability), but I would want to check with Escape about whether that would be structurally acceptable for the trailer before commiting to that approach.