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Old 09-10-2019, 07:05 PM   #1
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Ram Ecodiesel

Downsizing. Sold '17 Cedar Creek 40 foot 5th and Dodge 1 ton. Just purchased a 2016 Ram Ecodiesel 1/2 ton 4x4. Now looking for a smaller travel trailer. Is anybody towing travel trailers with the Ecodiesel?
I think I'm maxed out at 9,000 lbs on a trailer, but haven't hooked up to any thing yet to try it out.
Any suggestions?

Thanks.
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Old 09-10-2019, 07:21 PM   #2
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Check your payload first. That's the limiting factor with a Ram 1/2T and especially the Ecodiesel. Show us your payload sticker. How many people traveling with you? What do you think will be the weight of the people and gear in the truck?
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Old 09-10-2019, 07:28 PM   #3
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Has the eco diesel had the service recall for the emissions? From what I am reading on line everyone that has had it done says the engine performance is significantly decreased along with fuel mileage.
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Old 09-10-2019, 08:36 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by babock View Post
Check your payload first. That's the limiting factor with a Ram 1/2T and especially the Ecodiesel. Show us your payload sticker. How many people traveling with you? What do you think will be the weight of the people and gear in the truck?
Thanks. Truck weight with passengers will be under the payload. Found towing capacity on the Ram web to be 7,700. Trailer I'm looking at is 6,300. With gear it will be close, but I might make an offer on it.
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Old 09-10-2019, 08:49 PM   #5
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Has the eco diesel had the service recall for the emissions? From what I am reading on line everyone that has had it done says the engine performance is significantly decreased along with fuel mileage.
Had the recall done two weeks after I bought the truck. So I can't compare any mileage figures or performance issues.
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Old 09-10-2019, 08:55 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by RVSmitty View Post
Thanks. Truck weight with passengers will be under the payload. Found towing capacity on the Ram web to be 7,700. Trailer I'm looking at is 6,300. With gear it will be close, but I might make an offer on it.
Face in palm. I don't know where to start. I guess I'll just agree. As long as your passenger weights don't put you over your payload, you're good to go. Focus on the tow rating -- it's the most important figure for a 1/2 ton. Also, make sure to use trailer dry weights.

That was easy.

Cheers.
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Old 09-10-2019, 09:02 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by RVSmitty View Post
Downsizing. Sold '17 Cedar Creek 40 foot 5th and Dodge 1 ton. Just purchased a 2016 Ram Ecodiesel 1/2 ton 4x4. Now looking for a smaller travel trailer. Is anybody towing travel trailers with the Ecodiesel?

I think I'm maxed out at 9,000 lbs on a trailer, but haven't hooked up to any thing yet to try it out.

Any suggestions?



Thanks.
I'm a ecodiesel commander pulling a Rockwood Ultra Light 2612WS, pulls easy, motor lives to work. The achilles heal is the cooling system it's under sized. Yes weight is an issue also.
As for the emission update, see ram1500diesel.com, seen quite few didnt go well and quite few went really well. As for me haven't done it yet, waiting for the mass stampede to get though. Being in IT, learned to wait for the bugs to get worked out.
Question for you, where you buy it from, 3rd party, independent dealer or Ram used lot? Curious if the update has been done.
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Old 09-10-2019, 09:03 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by RVSmitty View Post
Thanks. Truck weight with passengers will be under the payload. Found towing capacity on the Ram web to be 7,700. Trailer I'm looking at is 6,300. With gear it will be close, but I might make an offer on it.
The payload number you found on the web means nothing. Every vehicle has a payload sticker and the number on it is usually way lower than the advertised number on the web since it doesn't account for any options on the truck.
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Old 09-10-2019, 10:45 PM   #9
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I'm a ecodiesel commander pulling a Rockwood Ultra Light 2612WS, pulls easy, motor lives to work. The achilles heal is the cooling system it's under sized. Yes weight is an issue also.
As for the emission update, see ram1500diesel.com, seen quite few didnt go well and quite few went really well. As for me haven't done it yet, waiting for the mass stampede to get though. Being in IT, learned to wait for the bugs to get worked out.
Question for you, where you buy it from, 3rd party, independent dealer or Ram used lot? Curious if the update has been done.
Certified Used vehicle from Original selling Ram dealer. They rolled on the extended warranty.
Update has been done.
I was also an IT guy and I had to fix the bugs!
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Old 09-10-2019, 10:48 PM   #10
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The payload number you found on the web means nothing. Every vehicle has a payload sticker and the number on it is usually way lower than the advertised number on the web since it doesn't account for any options on the truck.
I got the payload from the door sticker, not the web. From the Ram web, for my VIN, it stated 7,700.
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Old 09-10-2019, 11:11 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by RVSmitty View Post
I got the payload from the door sticker, not the web. From the Ram web, for my VIN, it stated 7,700.
So, what is the available payload then?

What does the door sticker say regarding occupants and cargo? It's probably around 1400 pounds.

Also, if the dry weight of the trailer is 6300 and the tow rating 7700, the trucks gonna struggle.
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Old 09-11-2019, 06:27 AM   #12
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I got the payload from the door sticker, not the web. From the Ram web, for my VIN, it stated 7,700.
That is NOT payload. I would almost flat out guarantee that your going to be GROSSLY over your payload if you only have the 7,700 towing capacity. I have 10,160 towing capacity on my 2017 RAM 1500, and my actual truck specific payload (as shown in your drivers door on a yellow sticker) is 1,050. Now, you may have more based on how your optioned up (or not), but that yellow sticker is going to show your specific trucks payload. Your trailer weight is 6,300... assume 7,000-7,500 with your stuff in it... and you'll see a native tongue weight (before weight distribution) of around 20%-30%. So lets assume 7,500 trailer and assume 25% native tongue weight.... that places you around 1,875 lbs tongue weight.

LOOK AT THAT YELLOW STICKER.

So now you can go grab up your weight distribution hitch (WDH) and pull that number back by 500 or 600 lbs. Lets assume 600 lbs can be removed from tongue and moved to trailer axles and truck axles. That leaves you 1,275 tongue weight. Tongue weight is payload, along with everything and anything you sit in or on your truck. This includes people.

So you used WDH to get down to 1,275, or 17% tongue weight. I'll be shocked if your payload rating is much if any higher than that. You can not legally sit in the truck to drive it now.

Payload is any and all items added to the truck beyond how it left the factory floor with no humans in it.

Towing capacity is not payload. It is how many pounds can be pulled by the vehicle and this number is completely independent of payload. And oddly enough, the towing capacity on a half ton will often be fictitious since the payload can not actually support the applied tongue loads at the maximum rated towing weight. Your limit is payload, almost never tow rating.

So now that I have explained it clearly, go open the drivers door and take a photo of that actual yellow sticker and post that. Then we can tell you how good or bad it actually is.

My gut says that you bought far to little truck for the trailer. Most of us do this the first time since most of us do not fully understand the payload requirements and the dealership typically has absolutely no clue about it as well. It's a huge error trap.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:17 AM   #13
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on my 2017 RAM 1500, and my actual truck specific payload (as shown in your drivers door on a yellow sticker) is 1,050.
Wow, our Tiguan has like 1300 lbs payload.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:29 AM   #14
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Payload on the Ram 1500 tends to be a bit less than industry average due to the rear coil springs. Leafs carry load better but ride rougher. The Ram 1500 sure rides good though.
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Old 09-11-2019, 09:52 AM   #15
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Payload on the Ram 1500 tends to be a bit less than industry average due to the rear coil springs. Leafs carry load better but ride rougher. The Ram 1500 sure rides good though.
Coils have nothing to do with it, it's the spring rate Ram chooses. Our Tiguan has coils as well.

Edit: Also has to do with the GVW ceiling that trucks run into depending on the class their in. ie, 10k typical limit for a 3/4 ton.
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Old 09-11-2019, 10:23 AM   #16
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Coils have nothing to do with it, it's the spring rate Ram chooses. Our Tiguan has coils as well.

Edit: Also has to do with the GVW ceiling that trucks run into depending on the class their in. ie, 10k typical limit for a 3/4 ton.
I guess you didn't read my post, I said Ram 1500's tend to have less payload than their competition due to the coils. Coils do not seem to be the spring of choice for heavy loads but I digress.
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Old 09-11-2019, 10:27 AM   #17
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I guess you didn't read my post, I said Ram 1500's tend to have less payload than their competition due to the coils. Coils do not seem to be the spring of choice for heavy loads but I digress.
I read it just fine. I'm pretty sure trains and heavy equipment have coils with no issue.
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Old 09-11-2019, 10:34 AM   #18
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You both forgot something... LOL. Ram does the higher end trucks with no metal springs at all. I have 4 corner air suspension, no coil or leaf springs. For some reason the air suspension was designed WEEAAAKKKKK! If you get the coil sprung version you can option up to slightly over 1,800 lbs payload.


I have had around 15,000 lbs behind mine and the air suspension knows that the payload is way over, so it lights up the dash and disables the air suspension system. I also know the failure point of the half ton Ram when towing heavy.... it is the control arms. While pulling the New Holland C232 on a 24' equipment trailer, I pulled it just fine as far as power. I stopped just fine. But I bent the rear axle control arms because the torque transferred to the frame through the arms was more than the arms could stand. The bushings smashed out the sides and the arms bent into an arc. I had to replace all 4 arms. I try to not pull that heavy in a control arm equipped half ton now! They gave it too much power and gearing for the arms to handle. A leaf spring setup like Ford/GM use would have been just fine.
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Old 09-11-2019, 10:36 AM   #19
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You both forgot something... LOL. Ram does the higher end trucks with no metal springs at all. I have 4 corner air suspension, no coil or leaf springs. For some reason the air suspension was designed WEEAAAKKKKK! If you get the coil sprung version you can option up to slightly over 1,800 lbs payload.
Apples to oranges since mine is a 2500, but I have the rear air on mine, haven't seen a warning yet, other people have seen it, but they were around the axle weight limit which is about a 1000lbs over the payload rating, give or take.
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Old 09-11-2019, 08:16 PM   #20
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I got the payload from the door sticker, not the web. From the Ram web, for my VIN, it stated 7,700.
Show us a picture of your payload sticker.
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