TOWING with Ram 1500

[mernst]

I have not tried any "high mountains" and I am not sure if I ever will. But I have gone up some pretty steep hills and I have passed semis on the way up. The Ecodiesel has a higher torque rating than the 5.7L Hemi (420 vs. 410), and my fuel consumption has never dropped below 12.6 mpg.

[VernDiesel]

Both stock More torque will do more work but the slightly less torque Hemi more than makes up for that my being able to do slightly less work much faster due to significantly more horsepower. The exception would be at really high elevation where the naturally aspirated Hemi loses significantly more power to the thin air compared to compressed air turbo diesel. The other monkey wrench is you can over tax the ED cooling system quicker than you can with the Hemi.

But I have towed a 9,100 pound Box TT down the 5 from Oregon to LA over Mount Shasta pass and over the grapevine to LA with an ED. The key with something that stupid big (better matched to an HD) was to limit throttle to 3k so that it did not over tax the cooling system. In that way with a tune 3.92s & 31.9” tires it still managed to hold speed to 52 over the top. But if you floor it you will over tax the cooling system till the computer pulls fuel and you will slow to a crawl.

OP is good with his TH to it’s gvwr of 7K. But you will need a WDH with proper sized spring bars to replace your unloaded TV steer weight proven on the scale. As well as get your TW into the 10 to 15 percent range. Bags would be a good compliment to the hitch.

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by goduc

Guess most that complain about high rpms have never ridden motorcycles or ATVs. Funny that our 2015 Camry 4cy likes to rev up to 2500-3000 when climbing some normal hills. What is different is you can't hardly hear the 4 banger revving. If V8's were that quiet then no one would be complaining.
I've done the gasser-diesel and now back to a gasser thing. I'll take the higher revs vs the higher complexity and cost of a diesel.
When you think about it out in the real world how often are you really rapped out in a 6-8 hr tow day? Not hardly that much.
No DEF, no expensive oil changes, no fuel filters $$ to change. Does a diesel tow better. Sure. Is a diesel more susceptible to $$$$ repairs? Absolutely.

X3

[dustman_stx]

Originally Posted by My17Ram

“Almost didn’t stop in time?” Sounds like defective trailer brakes and not the fault of the Dodge......
No truck is going to stop a heavy trailer fast if the trailer brakes aren’t working.

Exactly. How often do people not stop in time with NOTHING being towed? When it happens with a trailer in tow, it's always blamed on the truck not being big enough to stop the rig.

[tomkatb]

If you are curious about payload numbers there is a way to find the answer.

Day trip. Load the truck up with the normal towing stuff and fuel. And folks.

Find the nearest highway big truck stop. They have a scale. For $13, last time we did it, you will have your weight. Subtract that from the trucks max gross. Simple.

Discussing printed numbers is inaccurate at best.

In the past all the numbers on the stickers were written by the advertising department! Some of what they did was funny. Did you know the bed, tailgate and spare tires were optional and not included?

Most new trucks are rated by the SAE on towing only. Not payload.

Ram payload numbers likely make the most sense today.

[dustman_stx]

One interesting thing about payload is that the empirical evidence suggests 1/2 tons are much less anemic than the numbers on the door jamb would indicate. When I see a Ram 1500 with a payload less than a Honda Odyssey, I have to just go hmmmmmmm.......

[JumpinJack]

Similar in size , how do you like the Coachmen product. I know all the TT have there own issues, but I have been looking at there toy haulers ( trailblazers ) they look decent just looking at them.

[Blackrock]

I've had my 2016 Ram 1500 8spd and 5th wheel trailer two years now and go up and down the road just fine. The buttheads beat me up all the time on here and other forums but I just keep going on down the road. Did the Alaska journey in 16' no problems and up and down all over the western states.

[Rsgtivr6]

I towed a 28' 7200lb GVWR(never maxed out to that) TT with an '06 hemi 1500, 5spd, 3.92's and Curt drop bar/chain WDH for over 4k miles from MN to NB, Can/ME via Trans-Canada HWY. No issues, towed like a dream, but heavy winds in Ontario did make me pay a bit heavier attention. You did know it was back there, but never worried about it.

Then I towed another 4k miles(same routes) with a similar trailer on a '15 hemi 1500, 8spd, 3.21's, in-coil AirLift bags at 65PSIG, and Equalizer 1k WDH. I actually think it towed better as far as power and sway, but it did bobble a bit more on the hitch, even with bags. Coils are just softer.

With both, I was about right at max cap, +/- 200lbs depending on occupants and load-out. I didn't notice the extra or ever worry about being at capacity. I always try to stay below 70mph on freeways and never felt "white-knuckled" under normal driving conditions (heavy winds on the plains should white knuckle most any TT/5'er tower, I've watched videos of plenty of RV's blown off the road even behind 1 tons).

Always check/test your trailer brake settings before travel to ensure they lock up correctly.

YMMV. In the end, it's how comfortable you are towing and confidence in your setup.

[wyo700]

I pull a 7200lb loaded toy hauler with a 2013 Tundra crewmax 5.7. I have a 1200/12000 equalizer hitch. I have absolutely no issues. I am at GVWR of my truck but am still 200lbs under the rear axle rating. Which is what I choose to go off of. Get the right set up and you’ll be just fine. Don’t listen to the weight police.

[Bmc1]

Originally Posted by JumpinJack

Considering new toy hauler , possible Catalina Trail Blazer as they are fairly light and my truck is half ton. I know and I hear all the reports about towing with half tons. The Catalina GVWR is 7000 lbs. Dodge says my GCWR is 15,950
Max Trailer weight rating 10,360. GVWR is 6900 , payload 1780.

The Catalina UVWR is 4400 lbs. Does this seem doable or am I wishful thinking and pushing the limits ?

Ram is crew cab 3.92 gears 8 speed tranny.

posted this previous in wrong forum.

I pull a Vibe 278rls at 7650 dry pretty well

[DieselDrax]

Originally Posted by Bmc1

I pull a Vibe 278rls at 7650 dry pretty well
Attachment 171903

Wow. I just don’t see you being happy with that for very long, trailer is so long. Good luck!

[WolfWhistle]

I've read that it is good to reduce towing capacity by 2% for each 1000' of elevation. So, a 10K foot pass reduces towing by 20%. Makes perfectly good sense. I guess you just start tossing this on the side of the road the higher the road. I know the first 140# I am chucking (keep this between us).
WW

[jbrobson]

You should be fine, but the option is always upgrading the truck down the road. My 1500 Silverado towed my old trailer fine (35' 7500lbs) but I could tell it didn't like the 34' 8500 Rockwood as much. 1000 lbs made a difference. Bit the bullet and upgraded to a gas 2500 HD this year. Mileage went down a bit towing, but towing is so much nicer.

[steelhorsecowboy]

The hemi will have no trouble. But like others have said you will have to figure out the weights. I had a 09 crew cab 4x4 and with cargo, trailer tounge weight an passengers I was over. I had air lift air bags and lt tires. It sat ok. But...... I upgraded to a 3/4 ram and it pulls much better. I always had the thought in the back of my mind about a car accident or being pulled over. What would the police or my insurance company do?

[goduc]

Originally Posted by Bmc1

I pull a Vibe 278rls at 7650 dry pretty well
Attachment 171903

OMG!!!!!.
Dude you really need to reset your WDH. Rear end is dragging and with a 3/4 ton TT behind you it only a matter of time before it's the tail wagging the dog situation.

[VernDiesel]

Steelcowboy, With at most a 7,000 wet weight all he has to do is take the time to adjust his weight distribution TV, TT, & WDH to set it within specs at the scales then keep his slip. The cops & insurance company is now on his side.

Very well might be safer and more stable than the average bub that simply drops the trailer on the ball of his HD with no WD & rolls out.

Goduc Agreed he likely needs to adjust his WDH & perhaps supplement with some bags (after setting WDH per scales) But once his steer & drive axle weights have been adjusted and his TW percentage is right it should tow it confidently.

[JohnD10]

These days it seems that is is far too easy for people to talk themselves into doing something that they know should be done differently.

And it is also much easier to blame it on the salesperson...

[whaines]

fifthwheelst.com

[toys4dad]

I towed with a 2015 dodge 1500 outdoorsman and never had an issue. Last trailer was a 8,000 5th wheel. The outdoorsman had 3:92 gearing, 5.7 hemi, 8speed trans and 10 ply tires as some of the standard features. I did add some inexpensive airbags last year to bring it up an inch or two. Otherwise i loved the truck and worked great for hauling the camper on weekends