Towing A Travel Trailer 2k Miles With The TRX

So, if you're anything like me, you're wondering how your TRX will tow on long distances but you can't find anything online about it. Well I have some good news for you. I just completed a 2000 mile round trip from Southern AZ to Northern UT towing a 26ft Grey Wolf Travel Trailer that has a UVW of 5795 lbs and a tongue weight of 725 lbs. I used a ReCurve R3 weight distribution hitch (which is AWESOME). Additionally, we carried about 300 lbs of extra weight in the trailer for all of our gear, sheets/blankets/pillows, food, cooler, etc. All in all I would say we were a little over 6k lbs. In the cab, it was me, my wife, and 2 kids. Total body weight was roughly 490 lbs. To keep the payload down, I only put our outdoor folding chairs in the bed of the truck and kept the cab pretty clean w/ the exception of a small cooler for snacks. Here's what I learned:

- You absolutely need a wdh w/ sway control
- I had about 2.25" of rear sag
- The front raised .75"; it was a little light but honestly I forgot about it almost immediately
- The truck pulled amazing through all of the elevation changes w/ basically no sway. And it was really windy almost the entire way home through Utah, NV, and AZ. It was also a headwind... But the wdh/sway control was amazing and the truck handled it like a champ. It never ran hot and towed as you would expect a RAM truck to pull
- Gas mileage: on the way up: 7.8mpg (caught a tail wind in Utah); on the way back: 6.2mpg (lots of headwind). To be clear, I didn't baby it. I ran 70-80mph the whole trip. I'm sure you can do better if you slow down (but where's the fun in that?)

Bottom line is the TRX is exactly what I wanted it to be: extremely fun to drive on the daily, an off-road beast, can tow if/when I need it to, and is a real head turner! Hope this post helps ease some of your tow concerns.

Thanks for taking the time to write this

This is great news! Thank you for the report. I’ll be towing from Georgia to Texas when the project I’m working is over. My only concern was fuel range. Thanks for listing the LDH too. I have one that was used with a wrangler and lighter trailer that I doubt would be up to the task (haven’t tried it out on this rig). I wish there was a way to add addition fuel capacity to these trucks. That’s all it needs in my opinion.

Thats very impressive fuel mileage. Pushing 8mpg with 6000lbs behind you is great. Some peeps on here are having a hard time getting that without the trailer cough cough.....Bambi

For reference I got 8.9 mpg towing my 24ft cargo trailer loaded up (around 6k pounds). 300 mile trip. This was going up a mountain pass too. I was pleasantly surprised.

@JonnyTRX Thanks for the post and this does ease my towing concerns somewhat. The only thing holding me back on ordering a TRX is making sure I won't be stuck with buying a super small travel trailer for the family, luckily kids are still young at 2 and 4yo so they are light lol. What are the specs on your TRX and payload?

JumpSquadAuto said:

Thats very impressive fuel mileage. Pushing 8mpg with 6000lbs behind you is great. Some peeps on here are having a hard time getting that without the trailer cough cough.....Bambi

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Hey. I live in a woodland compound on a mountain. I think the truck has seen the highway for maybe 10 miles since break in. I burn a quarter tank just going to town and back. I also drive like a;

Bambi said:

Hey. I live in a woodland compound on a mountain. I think the truck has seen the highway for maybe 10 miles since break in. I burn a quarter tank just going to town and back. I also drive like a;View attachment 16241

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You are simply here to make us feel good about the mpg we get. Thanks!!

Posted this thread a while back:

Totally agree the TRX tows awesome and you need to respect and stay within the payload using weight distribution hitch when towing.

I also noticed adding the hellwig sway bar added some more stability and helped slightly reducing squat.

tkdr6 said:

I also noticed adding the hellwig sway bar added some more stability and helped slightly reducing squat.

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Yes, they can really improve stability, but how could they affect squat?

Two said:

Yes, they can really improve stability, but how could they affect squat?

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None.

Two said:

Yes, they can really improve stability, but how could they affect squat?

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Could have just been coincidence when I was measuring squat before/after sway bar installation. Looks like got about 1/2 inch less squat, but may not have anything to do with sway bar.

I did notice an improvement in stability when towing though.

Dgreen said:

For reference I got 8.9 mpg towing my 24ft cargo trailer loaded up (around 6k pounds). 300 mile trip. This was going up a mountain pass too. I was pleasantly surprised.

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Do you have a weight distribution hitch on yours? I've got a enclosed 22' that would be about the same weight loaded but can't use one due to the aluminum frame design. Towing is what's holding me back from buying a TRX. Hoping that maybe Ram offers the wide body on a different capacity truck but realistically know that will probably never happen.

I do use a weight distribution hitch on my aluminum framed cargo trailer.

Have you contacted your trailer manufacture and asked them if you can use one? My sales rep and rv dealer told me you can’t use on aluminum but I called the manufacture and they said no problem. So I installed a Fastway E2 trunnion bar kit and it tows great!

Mine has a V so everything is covered up except for a small portion of the center tongue. Not sure how you could attach to the angled rails. They are flush with the body. It's a NEO NMS. Looks a bit different than their brand new ones. Mine is V but straight up and down. The new ones are tilted back. Can't seem to find a picture of mine on the computer.

So I take it the bars are not installed in the above picture? I suppose an option for me would be to cut a hole in the floor for the bracket to go around the angled frame but it would also have to go through the trailer wall.

Love your color and the steps. Torn between the gray and blue. Have Amp steps on my current Ram but would probably do the Mopar version on a TRX.

Thanks for this post. I've been really wondering about the tow capabilities. I pull a 35' ultra light travel trailer and I'm wondering if I'm going to have to downsize. I've given it some thought anyway, because this thing is a pain in the ass to back in anywhere, but I'm still on the fence because my family loves it.

I use an Andersen Hitch on my V-Nose. Fits great in short frame space. This hitch is simple, and provides weight distribution as well as anti-sway. Works great !!!

I do not have access to the V part of the frame to mount the brackets. It is flush with the Nose. Only the tongue is accessible. Seems impossible on this setup. Not my actual trailer but same brand and model.

topgun said:

I do not have access to the V part of the frame to mount the brackets. It is flush with the Nose. Only the tongue is accessible. Seems impossible on this setup. Not my actual trailer but same brand and model.

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I have this same trailer and have towed it a lot with my SRT GC. It pulled it well but the tail wagged the dog a bit over 70 mph. Hoping the TRX pulls and stops it much better but I don’t think it will as far as stopping. The SRT has huge Brembos on there. Has anyone put a weight Distribution hitch on one of these trailers?