# 310Tb Pulled With A Ram 1500?



## Troy M

I am looking at a Outback 310TB and have a 2010 Ram 4X4, 5.7 Hemi, 3.92 rear. I am also planning on putting my HD Ultra Classic in the cargo area (900# and I know about the needed ramp mods). I am looking for anyone that has experience with a similar set-up and their opinions. I know I should get a bigger truck or a smaller trailer but it is hard to justify a 3/4 ton daily driver and my wife really likes the 310TB.


----------



## Northern Ninja

I tow a 280RS with a 3/4 ton, and I wouldn't try towing a bigger trailer with a smaller truck. JMHO.


----------



## Tourdfox

I also tow a 280 RS with a 3/4 ton, But a diesel.I put my 900lb quad in the garage.Seems ok so far.The 310 is a beautiful trailor but the Carry Capacity is just not there which is unfortunate because we really like the 310TB also.Not enough CC is a deal breaker.You would honestly be better off with a 280 if you can still find one and your wife ageeing to that.The 310 TB is the replacement model of the discontinued 280.Much better CC with the 280.Hope that helps.Northern Ninja has a great setup and puts 2 bikes in his garage.Pics on here somewhere.Or send him a PM.You can never have 2 much truck.3/4 ton HD minimum in MHO.Pulling a 310 with a 1500 wouldnt even be legal i dont believe.


----------



## Troy M

We looked at those but the expando rear master bed with no privacy was a non-starter. With the towing capacity we should be legal although not ideal, but as long as we watch our loading it should be suitable for the time being. Would love to get a 3/4 ton but that is not in the cards at this time. Thank you both for the comments and any others that have experience pulling 9000# with a half ton and what modifications or techniques they did that helped I would love to hear from you.

On the cargo capacity that is also a compromise but my HD Ultra should fit after mods on the ramp but that will be all.


----------



## Metal Dad

I pull a 28BHS with a 2004 Ram 1500 Hemi. It does the trick, but I have as much trailer as I could handle, and honestly I won't pull it any more than a few hours away. Coming from years of pulling a popup, I'm still trying to gain my confidence with a camper this size. I personally wouldn't go any bigger than what I have now. I won't be going to a bigger truck any time soon either, as I have a 20 mile round trip daily commute.


----------



## Rog

I have the 310TB and Haul a Harley with it also. My tow vehicle is a 2012 Ram 2500 Hemi. It tows well but I don't think I would want to do it with a 1500. I had a Ram1500 and upgraded my truck when I got this camper. From what I remember the 1500 didn't meet the meet the towing capacity for this trailer.


----------



## Rog

Troy M said:


> We looked at those but the expando rear master bed with no privacy was a non-starter. With the towing capacity we should be legal although not ideal, but as long as we watch our loading it should be suitable for the time being. Would love to get a 3/4 ton but that is not in the cards at this time. Thank you both for the comments and any others that have experience pulling 9000# with a half ton and what modifications or techniques they did that helped I would love to hear from you.
> 
> On the cargo capacity that is also a compromise but my HD Ultra should fit after mods on the ramp but that will be all.


A friend of mine tows 9000+ with a 1500. He bought a Hensley hitch and says it made a huge difference. They're not cheap but cheaper than a new truck.


----------



## deepgfishing

Rog said:


> We looked at those but the expando rear master bed with no privacy was a non-starter. With the towing capacity we should be legal although not ideal, but as long as we watch our loading it should be suitable for the time being. Would love to get a 3/4 ton but that is not in the cards at this time. Thank you both for the comments and any others that have experience pulling 9000# with a half ton and what modifications or techniques they did that helped I would love to hear from you.
> 
> On the cargo capacity that is also a compromise but my HD Ultra should fit after mods on the ramp but that will be all.


A friend of mine tows 9000+ with a 1500. He bought a Hensley hitch and says it made a huge difference. They're not cheap but cheaper than a new truck.
[/quote]

I pull the 310tb with my 1500 suburbon. It pulls ok with the hitch which is very similar to the hensley hitch (sway bar control) . I have yet to tow with my road king because it bottoms out at the point i put it into the cargo bay. I have to lower the trailer tongue to the ground to even get it in there. I called Keystone today and was told to call a local dealer for options. They have not called me back. I am new to the game of the rv world and would recommend a bigger truck but i do not have the $ to dump on a new truck.

Do you know of the ramp extension they offer so i do not bottom out with my 800 lb bagger?

I will let you know how my 1500 pulls with the bagger once i rig it with a ramp extension.

Last time i trailered the rv was about a two hour commute over bridges and it went well. My truck can handle 8400 lbs and the trailer is about 7300 lbs but after you put the wife's stuff in the trailer i am close, i cannot imagine when i throw another 800 lbs. The dealer said i am fine as long as i use the sway bar hitch. It takes the load off the truck where your front and rear tires on the truck are level. Without that hitch my trucks rear end was near on the ground and i lost all front brake control.

Geoff


----------



## Troy M

I took an idea from a previous post where they use jack stands to raise the end of the ramp 15" then I bought a 6' folding ramp to bridge the end of the ramp to the ground. I pick my 310tb up on Monday and will try it out then. I saw pictures of this set-up on another thread and he had a bagger as well. I picked this one because I did not want to start drilling holes into my new trailer so soon and I already had the car jacks.

I agree with you, the WD hitch is absolutely essential and even more so with the weight we will be pulling. I got the dealer to throw in a new WD hitch and set it up as well. Its a Fastback E2. I will post again on the handling once I get it loaded with all of the gear and bike in the next couple of weeks. Good luck.


----------



## Troy M

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35762

The link to the ramp extension question I mentioned. 310tb ramp extension in Problems, Solutions forum.


----------



## deepgfishing

Troy M said:


> http://www.outbackers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=35762
> 
> The link to the ramp extension question I mentioned. 310tb ramp extension in Problems, Solutions forum.


thanks troy.

I went to Northern Tool yesterday to buy that setup. I have not tried it yet with what i bought but when i do i will let you know..

Let me know how your Ram pulls the rv.

geoff


----------



## Troy M

Picked it up Monday in 25-30kt gusting winds. The route had me driving on the highway both with and perdendicular to the wind. Full of fresh water, propane, battery. Spent the extra money and purchased the equilizer 4 point, 10,000# hitch which the service techs set up for me. The power was great and the ride was not as bad as I thought it was going to be in the wind. Never felt out of control but kept the speed at 60mph. Will get her loaded up with gear an the HD Ultra to test the hitch set up before we take our first trip.

Also, with the ramp extension the bike went into the garage fine. Once in I used my bike jack to swing the back end around a few inches to clear the door. I will have to put a piece of old engineered wood flooring own under the jack tires as the psi is too much on the floor.

and

The twin Ryobi's with the DIY extended tank seems to be working fine.

Will update as things progress


----------



## deepgfishing

Troy M said:


> Picked it up Monday in 25-30kt gusting winds. The route had me driving on the highway both with and perdendicular to the wind. Full of fresh water, propane, battery. Spent the extra money and purchased the equilizer 4 point, 10,000# hitch which the service techs set up for me. The power was great and the ride was not as bad as I thought it was going to be in the wind. Never felt out of control but kept the speed at 60mph. Will get her loaded up with gear an the HD Ultra to test the hitch set up before we take our first trip.
> 
> Also, with the ramp extension the bike went into the garage fine. Once in I used my bike jack to swing the back end around a few inches to clear the door. I will have to put a piece of old engineered wood flooring own under the jack tires as the psi is too much on the floor.
> 
> and
> 
> The twin Ryobi's with the DIY extended tank seems to be working fine.
> 
> Will update as things progress


Great and thanks for the update Troy.

I am thinking of another way (besides the ramp extension) to get the bike in the trailer. My father in law and I went over it last night. The ramp extension will work, our concern is that most of the travel trailer sites give limited space to be able to load and unload the Harley bagger once setup at the camp. By this i mean you have to have enough room for the ramp + extension + bike clearance to drive the bike on the trailer which could extend as much as 18 feed (6'2" for door, 6 ' for extension and at least 7' to get bike in position to drive bike up ramp). What we are going to build is a triangle shaped ramp that we will put on the trailer ramp to lift the rear wheel of the bike up 6" before entering the garage. This will be braced on the trailer ramp door locks. I will drive up the ramp and half way up meet this small triangle ramp (6" tall) which will lift the rear wheel high enough to give clearance into the garage. We will make the small triangle ramp wide enough where i will be able to keep my feet on the ramp when backing down the trailer (going up should not be a problem with the power of the engine).

Our thinking is this will eliminate the need for an extension ramp and the extra space required at the site to load and unload the bike. It will also eliminate having to carry extra weight of the extension ramp and jacks.

We have not built it yet, but that should be done soon and i will give feedback on our progress and how effective the ramp is. The ramp will be made of 3/4 inch plywood and if it works I will add no skid tape or paint.

I will also try and take pictures if it works. My main concerns is that gravity will have enough effect so as i take the bike out of the trailer i will have no issue going over the small ramp without the need of someone helping push the bike over the 6" rise.

Keep us up to date on your maidan voyage.

deepgfishing


----------



## Northern Ninja

I just built a ramp extension from 2 x 6's, and covered it with a wire screen for traction. Never had an issue with having enough room to unload; just have to be careful where you park. You can also unload the bike before you get all the way backed into your spot if you have to. As for a Harley having enough power to climb that ramp, well, you might want to look at installing a winch in the trailer....







Sorry, had to.


----------



## Troy M

I was thinking the same concept but putting it in the garage but have not done the geometry yet to set the design. My concern with not having the extension is backing the heavy bike down the short ramp. With the 6' extension it is manageable. Would have to try it with my lighter sporty first.

Or

what about parking the bike on the ramp then jacking the entire ramp 15"? My floor jack has a 15" lift but could the ramp take the stress?

Thanks for the better mouse trap idea's and look forward to your update on this project.


----------



## Rog

deepgfishing said:


> Picked it up Monday in 25-30kt gusting winds. The route had me driving on the highway both with and perdendicular to the wind. Full of fresh water, propane, battery. Spent the extra money and purchased the equilizer 4 point, 10,000# hitch which the service techs set up for me. The power was great and the ride was not as bad as I thought it was going to be in the wind. Never felt out of control but kept the speed at 60mph. Will get her loaded up with gear an the HD Ultra to test the hitch set up before we take our first trip.
> 
> Also, with the ramp extension the bike went into the garage fine. Once in I used my bike jack to swing the back end around a few inches to clear the door. I will have to put a piece of old engineered wood flooring own under the jack tires as the psi is too much on the floor.
> 
> and
> 
> The twin Ryobi's with the DIY extended tank seems to be working fine.
> 
> Will update as things progress


Great and thanks for the update Troy.

I am thinking of another way (besides the ramp extension) to get the bike in the trailer. My father in law and I went over it last night. The ramp extension will work, our concern is that most of the travel trailer sites give limited space to be able to load and unload the Harley bagger once setup at the camp. By this i mean you have to have enough room for the ramp + extension + bike clearance to drive the bike on the trailer which could extend as much as 18 feed (6'2" for door, 6 ' for extension and at least 7' to get bike in position to drive bike up ramp). What we are going to build is a triangle shaped ramp that we will put on the trailer ramp to lift the rear wheel of the bike up 6" before entering the garage. This will be braced on the trailer ramp door locks. I will drive up the ramp and half way up meet this small triangle ramp (6" tall) which will lift the rear wheel high enough to give clearance into the garage. We will make the small triangle ramp wide enough where i will be able to keep my feet on the ramp when backing down the trailer (going up should not be a problem with the power of the engine).

Our thinking is this will eliminate the need for an extension ramp and the extra space required at the site to load and unload the bike. It will also eliminate having to carry extra weight of the extension ramp and jacks.

We have not built it yet, but that should be done soon and i will give feedback on our progress and how effective the ramp is. The ramp will be made of 3/4 inch plywood and if it works I will add no skid tape or paint.

I will also try and take pictures if it works. My main concerns is that gravity will have enough effect so as i take the bike out of the trailer i will have no issue going over the small ramp without the need of someone helping push the bike over the 6" rise.

Keep us up to date on your maidan voyage.

deepgfishing
[/quote]
I have a Heritage Softail and one of the issues I had besides bottoming out was getting traction with the steepness of the ramp. It was pretty hairy. I ended up raising the ramp with 12 inch blocks and using a folding 6 foot ramp. I may raise it more. I know what your saying about some of the campsites. I try to case it out ahead of time and unload before I unhitch if I think there is no room.


----------



## Ruger

There is no way I would pull that trailer with a 1500, we used to have a 1500 suburban and pulled a 5400lb trailer and it wasnt even that great. Now we have a 2500 diesel Ram and a Outback 301qb seems to fit good together...


----------



## Troy M

Ruger said:


> There is no way I would pull that trailer with a 1500, we used to have a 1500 suburban and pulled a 5400lb trailer and it wasnt even that great. Now we have a 2500 diesel Ram and a Outback 301qb seems to fit good together...


I agree that it is not the best solution but its legal and I have taken 2 trips so far of 600+ miles total. Both of the return trips were in 30+ mph winds (quartering head/head/direct cross/quartering tail)and pulled it at 55-62 mph without issues. I even had an emergency brake with the bike loaded when a suburban in the lane next to me lost control. It is not for the inexperienced but I have been pulling things for 30 years (knock on wood). With that being said I would not pull it across country because my MPH coming back from the coast in that head wind was 6.8 mpg (10ish mpg otherwise)and I really had to concentrate on lane alignment but the equilizer 4 way hitch and air bags help tremendously. I would love a bigger truck but it works for me and what I use it for now. Thanks for the reply.


----------



## deepgfishing

Troy M said:


> There is no way I would pull that trailer with a 1500, we used to have a 1500 suburban and pulled a 5400lb trailer and it wasnt even that great. Now we have a 2500 diesel Ram and a Outback 301qb seems to fit good together...


I agree that it is not the best solution but its legal and I have taken 2 trips so far of 600+ miles total. Both of the return trips were in 30+ mph winds (quartering head/head/direct cross/quartering tail)and pulled it at 55-62 mph without issues. I even had an emergency brake with the bike loaded when a suburban in the lane next to me lost control. It is not for the inexperienced but I have been pulling things for 30 years (knock on wood). With that being said I would not pull it across country because my MPH coming back from the coast in that head wind was 6.8 mpg (10ish mpg otherwise)and I really had to concentrate on lane alignment but the equilizer 4 way hitch and air bags help tremendously. I would love a bigger truck but it works for me and what I use it for now. Thanks for the reply.
[/quote]

tried out our experiment on loading Harley into 310tb without bottoming out. It worked like a champ without having to lower the tongue of the trailer or use ant type of jacks...

We were able to load and unload the bike without any issues bottoming out.

Since this was our first weekend where we had the time to test the ramp we did... We setup our homemade ramps that were made from scrap lumber. I fired up my road king and proceeded to climb the ramp into the garage with no problems... Using clutch and throttle and no bottom out issues it was simple to load the bike.

Next up was to take the bike out... While doing so the only small issue we ran into was the middle ramp slid down the ramp about 1 foot. It was not a Big deal but to make offloading easier we are going to put a 1 x 4 across the ramp where the locks are to prevent any sliding...

We wanted to test out the setup prior to spending the money and adding non skid tape or paint.. Now that it works we are also going to add non skid to both ramps to avoid any potential sliding...

The good thing with this setup is you are only adding 1.5 feet to the length of the garage door. All other options I have researched are adding extensions to the ramp which prohibit the options on where you can put the rv. Most parks around south florida where I live do not offer a big enough space to make the extension work.

anyone interested in pictures feel free to email me. The design is home grown and should be used at your own risk.


----------



## JimBK17

There is a big difference in the 1500 trucks of today and your older Suburban. I've towed my 280RS fully loaded with my Ultra Classic over 3000 miles with the family, through mountains, etc and the truck tows it like it's not there. 
My Ram 1500 had a tow rating of 10000 pounds and the loaded Outback hit the scale at just over 8800.



Ruger said:


> There is no way I would pull that trailer with a 1500, we used to have a 1500 suburban and pulled a 5400lb trailer and it wasnt even that great. Now we have a 2500 diesel Ram and a Outback 301qb seems to fit good together...


----------



## Corey

I tow a 2011 270BH weighing approx 7500-8000lbs loaded with a 2010 Ram 1500 4x4 Laramie crew cab 3.92 gears and for the most part it tows quite good, no problem with power at all (5.7 hemi) but occasionally in the wind it gets a little more interesting. I have a husky WDH and am thinking of either putting airbags in or timbren blocks this year to help things a bit. All in all when pulling the trailer maybe 8-10 times a year if you can't justify a 3/4 ton or bigger I think a half ton will be just fine and for the rest of the year you have the best riding truck possible. I don't think I would want to pull any more weight than I pull with this half ton though, anymore than 8000 probably justifies a 3/4 ton truck.


----------



## Troy M

After 6 trips I decided that the tires were the weak link. The stock P275/60r20 4 ply tires would not hold up to the TX heat, the wt of the trailer and caused me to work too hard while driving. Just installed Michelin LT275/65r20 AT2s, a 12 ply tire that can be presurized to 80psi when pulling (40psi otherwise). What a smooth riding tire. I will post after my first trip with them at the end of next month.


----------



## sulvester10

Troy M said:


> After 6 trips I decided that the tires were the weak link. The stock P275/60r20 4 ply tires would not hold up to the TX heat, the wt of the trailer and caused me to work too hard while driving. Just installed Michelin LT275/65r20 AT2s, a 12 ply tire that can be presurized to 80psi when pulling (40psi otherwise). What a smooth riding tire. I will post after my first trip with them at the end of next month.


 If you dont have steel rims you mite want to check the pressure rating of them.


----------



## Troy M

sulvester10 said:


> After 6 trips I decided that the tires were the weak link. The stock P275/60r20 4 ply tires would not hold up to the TX heat, the wt of the trailer and caused me to work too hard while driving. Just installed Michelin LT275/65r20 AT2s, a 12 ply tire that can be presurized to 80psi when pulling (40psi otherwise). What a smooth riding tire. I will post after my first trip with them at the end of next month.


 If you dont have steel rims you mite want to check the pressure rating of them.
[/quote]
Good point. How does one do that or where is it located on the rim?


----------



## sulvester10

Troy M said:


> After 6 trips I decided that the tires were the weak link. The stock P275/60r20 4 ply tires would not hold up to the TX heat, the wt of the trailer and caused me to work too hard while driving. Just installed Michelin LT275/65r20 AT2s, a 12 ply tire that can be presurized to 80psi when pulling (40psi otherwise). What a smooth riding tire. I will post after my first trip with them at the end of next month.


 If you dont have steel rims you mite want to check the pressure rating of them.
[/quote]
Good point. How does one do that or where is it located on the rim?
[/quote]
not sure on the aluminum rims. maybe someone else knows


----------



## SLO250RS

Troy M said:


> After 6 trips I decided that the tires were the weak link. The stock P275/60r20 4 ply tires would not hold up to the TX heat, the wt of the trailer and caused me to work too hard while driving. Just installed Michelin LT275/65r20 AT2s, a 12 ply tire that can be presurized to 80psi when pulling (40psi otherwise). What a smooth riding tire. I will post after my first trip with them at the end of next month.


 If you dont have steel rims you mite want to check the pressure rating of them.
[/quote]
Good point. How does one do that or where is it located on the rim?
[/quote]
Check on the backside of the rim it might be cast in the rim,also check the owners manual.Hope this helps.


----------

