New Tow Vehicle

[TRAVLINOHIO]

Just upgraded the tow vehicle from a 2010 F-150 with a 4.6l to a Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab long bed with a 5.7 HEMI. My fifth Wheel is a Salem Hemishpere Lite (7400lbs) 1030 pin weight. I am hoping this pulls better than the F-150! Any thoughts on the HEMI? I wanted the Cummins, but wa a little out of my price range.

thanks for the input!

[thebrakeman]

Ummmm....yeah!
A 5.7L V8 should pull better than a 4.6L V8?
A 5.4L V8 in your F150 would have pulled better than the 4.6L V8, too.

[whj77372]

Down here in SE Texas we all drive pickups and the Ram 2500 with the gas will pull a small 5er, but the men that I know with Rams/Dodges with gas are always complaining about MPG. Not just when pulling trailers but all of the time. They are somewhat cheaper then Fords and less then Cheys. Most of the men with Rams/Dodges with 3/4 tons have the Cummings diesels and they seem to love them. They still don't use the exhast fluid yet, 2013 I am told, but they are made in Mexico.

[EdJunior]

Hey whj...I'm just a stone's throw from you here in Roman Forest. Heh...small world.

Anyway, Steve, I think whj has it about right. As well as thebrakeman. The new truck will pull better than the old one, and that fairly small/light 5er will probably do okay. As long as you don't get into the mountains much. It still may do okay, but it will start to struggle when you hit the big boys. And your gas mileage will probably suffer, but maybe not so much. The wind resistance on the front of the 5er will be the telling factor more than the weight.

Anyway, enjoy it, and keep us posted on how it's going.

[BradinOhio]

Congrats on your new TV! Be sure to let us know how it does after your first tow. Always good to see a fellow Ohio-an on the forums.

[Len & Cheri]

Originally Posted by TRAVLINOHIO

Just upgraded the tow vehicle from a 2010 F-150 with a 4.6l to a Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab long bed with a 5.7 HEMI. My fifth Wheel is a Salem Hemishpere Lite (7400lbs) 1030 pin weight. I am hoping this pulls better than the F-150! Any thoughts on the HEMI? I wanted the Cummins, but wa a little out of my price range.

thanks for the input!

Congrats! Any pics? In the Dodge configuration what is the difference between the Crew Cab and Quad Cab?

[Rsgtivr6]

Originally Posted by Len & Cheri

Congrats! Any pics? In the Dodge configuration what is the difference between the Crew Cab and Quad Cab?

About 6 or so inches in the cab. The rear legroom in the Crew is much more than the Quad.

[Len & Cheri]

So do the quad cabs doors open from the rear or suicide style like a Ford Supercab?

[transamz9]

The quad cab is just like it's always been. The crew is just a little bigger in the back seat area. The Mega cab is just plain HUGE. The Ram don't come in an extended cab anymore.

[TRAVLINOHIO]

I am amazed at the amount of room in the back seat! I couldnt imaging what a mega cab would be like!

[B47]

Originally Posted by whj77372

Down here in SE Texas we all drive pickups and the Ram 2500 with the gas will pull a small 5er, but the men that I know with Rams/Dodges with gas are always complaining about MPG. Not just when pulling trailers but all of the time. They are somewhat cheaper then Fords and less then Cheys. Most of the men with Rams/Dodges with 3/4 tons have the Cummings diesels and they seem to love them. They still don't use the exhast fluid yet, 2013 I am told, but they are made in Mexico.

whj -

We have a Ram Longhorm 2500 3/4 ton with the Cummons 6.7L and we love it. I didn't know that the DEF would be manatory in 2013 - glad we didn't wait. Right now it is only required in the chassis cab version.
You are right about being made in Mexico.

[Glenn5995]

Originally Posted by TRAVLINOHIO

Just upgraded the tow vehicle from a 2010 F-150 with a 4.6l to a Dodge Ram 2500 Crew Cab long bed with a 5.7 HEMI. My fifth Wheel is a Salem Hemishpere Lite (7400lbs) 1030 pin weight. I am hoping this pulls better than the F-150! Any thoughts on the HEMI? I wanted the Cummins, but wa a little out of my price range.

thanks for the input!

Congratulations!!! Be sure and post pics.

May I assume this is a 2012 Ram? If so, the new 66RFE six-speed should make that a very nice tow vehicle. The 5.7L Hemi is a great engine, but its towing performance has always been hindered by the poor gear spacing of the 545RFE 5-speed. Did you get it with a 3.73 or 4.10 axle ratio? 4X2 or 4X4?

[Rsgtivr6]

Originally Posted by whj77372

Down here in SE Texas we all drive pickups and the Ram 2500 with the gas will pull a small 5er, but the men that I know with Rams/Dodges with gas are always complaining about MPG. Not just when pulling trailers but all of the time. They are somewhat cheaper then Fords and less then Cheys. Most of the men with Rams/Dodges with 3/4 tons have the Cummings diesels and they seem to love them. They still don't use the exhast fluid yet, 2013 I am told, but they are made in Mexico.

You might be interested to know that the chassis is what limits the 2500, not the engine. Since the Hemi is 900lbs lighter option than the Cummins, it has 140lbs more payload capacity and the 4.10's on the hemi match the max trailer cap of the 3.73 geared Cummins (the 4.10 Cummins eeks out another 1100 max trailer, but with less payload that won't matter much for a 5'er since you are at the Hemi's 2460 payload with a max tow capacity 13.5k FW at even 18% pin).

Actual towing experience is still better with the double-the-torque oil burner, and fuel mileage will probably be better, but the Hemi 2500 ultimately has the advantage for the payload for a 5'er.

Edit: the numbers were based on a 4WD QCSB SLT

[JFM-jr]

The Hemi engine weighs about half the 6.7 CUMMINS engine (side note for some there is no "G" in Cummins). It is about 500lbs lighter than the Cummins maybe the transmissions add to that 900lb total figure posted above. I have also read the lone difference between a 3500 and 2500 CTD Ram is the addition of helper springs in the 3500 and nothing more. The 2500 gas motor comes with the smaller 10.5" rear (vs the 11.5" in the CTD's).

[whj77372]

EdJunior, I was trying to sent you a private message, but forgot how! I read you post regarding you trip to Canyon Lake some time back and got a Ford like yours
because of your post. Thanks I live five miles west of Hwy 59 off Huff Road. I have 20A and a few cows. nice to meet you so to speak.