4012 and a 2006 Dodge Ram 3500 Diesel

[Tony Beauregard]

Hello all!

I'm not only new to the forum, but new to 5ers as well.

Over the weekend, my companion and I went to the local dealer to look at Toy Haulers and definitely fell in love with Cyclones.

Of course the dealer says we can pull it with a Ram 3500 diesel (dually or not). The guy who would sell me the truck will swear that I can pull anything and everything.

Now, I went through the threads and by my calculations using the loaded truck weight (over 7k lbs) and the dry weight of the Cyclone 4012, that would leave me with approximately 1200 lbs before I was overloaded. That's using the 23000 lb truck capacity. I figure my motorcycle weighs around 850 lbs. So, in theory, that would leave me 350 lbs for everything else. Now, I'm new at pulling this type of rig, so it's possible my math is wrong.

We're looking to full-time, so our tow vehicle has to be our everyday vehicle, also.

We would probably move a max of 3 to 4 times a year...

Is there anyone pulling a Cyclone as big as a 4012 with a Ram 3500 Diesel? Are you full-time? How do you feel about the pull? What truck mods do you believe are "required" to do this safely? Can it be done safely? What do you have loaded in it? What are the drawbacks?

Feel free to answer any other question you can think of! None

Thanks in advance for any help I can get. We love the 4012, but are really concerned about full-timing with that trailer and the 3500 Diesel.

I know we'll buy a heartland product, and I really do love the Toy Haulers with the lofts.

Hopefully, I'll learn quickly

 

[azbound]

Not sure what you mean by 4012? If your 3500 is rated at a GCVR of 23,000# and your truck weights 7,000, that leaves you max. at 16,000#. There is nothing you can do to the truck to improve the rating. These numbers are based on things like brakes, springs, rear end, transmission, wheels and tires, and the list goes on. If the trailer weights over 16K for safety alone you need to look at a bigger truck.

Good luck

 

[davebennington]

Tony,

The dealers that you spoke with are correct you can pull the trailer with the 06 Dodge, the problem comes in stopping as well as keeping the thing operational all of the time. I pull heavy with our Ram 3500 (right at 24,500 lbs). I have been through 3 torque converters and 2 transmissions (replaced under warranty) since September 2005. Yes I would buy another Dodge 3500 in a heartbeat but I would pay the money and have a beefed up transmission and torque converter installed as that seems to be the one weak point in the truck.

Dave

 

[Tony Beauregard]

Sorry about that. It's the Cyclone 4012 that I was talking about. And, you are correct. I'm just new at pulling more than a "straight trailer" and am doing what I can to learn..

Thanks,
Tony

 

[Tony Beauregard]

Thanks for the info!

I've read the posts regarding the stopping issues. If I actually decide to go with the 4012, I'm going to see about installing an exhaust brake and making sure that the trailer brake is up to the task.

When talking to my companion, I explained to her that I was concerned about tearing the truck up in the process of towing, but hadn't actually found anything in this, or other forums where anybody talked about that being an issue.

The 3 torque converters and 2 transmissions definitely give me something to think about. I may talk to a friend of mine and see what he would recommend to beef up the truck...

We're just going to take a little time and make sure that we've got a good combination of truck and trailer.

 

[pmmjarrett]

It'll pull it fine, pulling ain't the problem, it's stopping. 3/4 and 1 ton trucks use the same exact brake, difference is in the suspention. Still don't expect a 20k+ combination to stop faster than a car or pickup with no load, It ain't happening no matter how big of a truck you have. It's all physics and you simply need to leave more room and back off of the idiots that cut in too close.

Trailer brakes are what are supposed to stop the trailer, not the truck but extra doesn't hurt. IMHO Airbags or Timbrens are a must have, I run Air Lift system with compressor and in cab control, cost $630 installed, truck will ride and handle a lot better if you go with a 3500.

Weight police would have a field day with me for some of the stuff I pull with my dually. Last trailer was a triple axle 19,500 Snow Dragon snowmelting machine (was supposed to be 14k oops), Towed it 2400 miles from Cleveland OH to Tacoma WA. I'm plated for 26k and I was grossing 28,460 with a pintle hitch trailer and the truck was within GVW but not GCVW. No problem getting up to speed but stopping and steep grades were dicey without an exhaust brake.

Fortunatly all I had to do was buy special permits for IFTA fuel tax and registration and didn't get any tickets at the scales.

 

[spankyandbrandysniffer]

We have the 4012 and an F350 dually and an 1100 Yamaha in the back and also fulltiming. We've had to pull it up some pretty steep hills and thought we'd have trouble but it went very smooth. We are a little concerned with traveling in the mountains next year so are planning on upgrading to a F550 or preferably a Dodge 5500. We do have a good braking system installed in the truck (not sure what brand) that works really well for stopping that big overloaded 5er. We love our 4012, by the way. You will too.

 

[beardedone]

I towed a Titanium with my 04.5 2500 Dodge CTD. It had the 48re automatic and 3:73 rear end. GCVW was around 20,000 +. Towed it all the place no problem.
Now have an 08 3500 6.7 CTD with the new 6 spd auto, 3:73 and exhaust brake. Tow an 09 Augusta and we are at our max GCVW and sometimes a little over. It's all my wife's washer and dryer). Anyway, I had air bags on each truck which is very important for braking and steering. Keeping your truck level is also nice for your drive line as it keeps everything working an even keel. When I am pulling the most important things I do are to stay alert, drive slightly slower than everyone else. By going slower you increase your breaking distance and reaction time because the vehicle that passed you is moving away from you faster. I drive with the trans in tow haul all the time with the exhaust brake on. Your 06 Dodge can be fitted with an aftermarket exhaust brake (just read up on it first to get all the details). When you tow in tow/haul the exhaust brake performs much better so leave it there in tow/haul.

 

[Country]

Tony, as you can see from my signature, we also have an "08 4012 and pull with a "06 Dodge 3500 dually CTD. The 4012 is heavy, but the Dodge pulls it fine. As stated before, you just have to take your time and give plenty of braking room. You'd do that pulling any sizable trailer anyway...

As far as mods, you need a good set of air bags at a minimum and an exhaust brake would be nice if you pull in the mountains. You're only pulling 3-4 times a year, but you didn't say how far? This might dictate how much you need to modify your truck. I'm not sure, but I think the "06 trucks come with a heavier 68re auto tranny that would be up to the task better (I think Jim B. had a "06 Dodge with and auto. Maybe he knows if it was a 48 or 68re). I went with G56 manual because I didn't want to take the chance of automatic tranny headaches that come when pulling a lot of weight.

Is your truck rated to pull the 4012? No... Will your truck pull it and stop it fine? Yes.... Your truck is basically what most people use to pull a camper that size with (an automatic 1 ton dually). Some even pull with a SRW (single rear wheel) truck. (I defiantly don't recommend that though.) If you like the 4012 (we sure do), get it and don't look back. That's what we did and it's worked great.

Heartland is a great company. They stand behind their products with an unheard of precedence in the RV market. I feel very confident if anything goes wrong, they'll be there to fix it (and they have). We've had our fair share of problems (you'll have that with any brand of RV) and what's made the difference is Heartland being very concerned and making things right.

So go get that 4012. It's the best and roomiest toy-hauler out there! I am kind of biased though...

Please post back what you decide.

Hope this helps.

 

[lightbutterfly]

Almost there

This is Tony's companion. Thank you all for the helpful comments. We are almost there! The brand new Chevy Silverado 3500 dually is parked in the driveway and the paperwork for the 4012 is with the dealer.
We are ready and excited.

Petra

 

[RV Insider]

4012 Towing

The Cyclone 4012 is a great triple slide toy hauler. Go and visit the website www.trailife.com for the facts on what you can tow. They have one of the best towing guides out there. The way you were figuring your tow weight limits wasn't accurate this guild will help you out. I think you will find your vehicle depending on engine/gear ratio will be just fine. Then take a look on ebay for a great price on the Cyclone.