I have a 01 1500 with a 5.2L and I need to get my 83 Ramcharger down to Utah from WA. My truck has a 122500 miles on it.
I would be towing with a dolly or trailer not sure yet. The distance is about 900 miles. Ya'll think it will make it without killing my Ram?

 

you will need a trailer. I recently towed an 86 Caprice, and my RC and caprice about the same weight. You will need the trailer.

You'll also probably need an electronic brake controller. Or at least it would be recommended.

And yeah, your truck should be able to tow it no problem.

Thats all I know about towing. Someone else can help more i'm sure.

 

i've never used a dolly, and i'm sure it would be fine for a short, not too-fast trip, but i'd think a double axle trailer with brakes might be a safer and more stable tow. with your larger tires and probably stock gears, assuming interstate highway, i'd recommend keeping OD off and your target rpm about 2000-2200 which'll likely put you at about 55-60mph. don't be surprised if it drinks gas. 900 miles is a long trip to me.

 

What do you think would be better for hauling my wife's car about 1,600 miles? It is a Mazda 626, about 3K lbs. I was planning on using a dolly for the trip.

 

Just take the precautions prior to the trip. Tranny flush and filter. Coolant flush. Some Lucas oil additive too, that stuff smoothed out my tranny before I moved 2300 miles towing/hauling 2600 lbs. Keep in mind you won't be driving in OD and probably won't be going over 60 MPH. Do not put the truck in OD...yes you will drink gas, but you won't be stuck on the side of the road without a tranny.

 

Yeah, I plan on doing all of that. Plus, more than half of the trip is through Nebraska, which is flat as a pancake, so the strain on the engine and tranny shouldn't be too bad. I know I won't be able to drive nearly as fast or efficiently as I could without towing, but with the tow weight being about half of the capacity, I would think it wouldn't be too bad. I guess I could have my wife drive some of the way if need be.

 

Definitely use a trailer with that much weight. I towed an S-10 4x4 from Morgantown, WV to Tallahassee, FL on a dolly and it was a moderately scary ride. Semi's can really blow a dolly around, plus there's the no brakes issue. I have towed in OD in FL where it is flat-once you get to highway speed(55-60 max). Just use common sense, be alert, and you won't have any trouble.

 

I must admit, I did use OD, but not where there was hills. Like Jcin said, use common sense. Just don't use OD on hills. Coast down the hills to let your rad cool the engine too. That will drop the temp 10 degrees in 30 seconds as well.

You'll be fine. Unless your truck is running REALLY rough, you will be fine. BTW, I threw a belt during mytrip,had it fixed and I still made it. It wouldn't hurt to carry an extra serp belt with you. I will make sure to do that the next time I move in July.

 

Well, the trailer is probably out of the question. I quoted Uhaul...$592+tax one-way from UT to TN. F that. Even a dolly is $298+tax. I guess I'll be taking my chances with the dolly and hoping for the best, cause I ain't paying $600 for a trailer, that's for dang sure.[:@]

 

I have your same setup (5.2L, 285's) with an auto and 3.55 gears. My summer fishing trip takes me through the hills of PA on a 400 mile journey each way with a 4,000 pound trailer. With the O/D off she climbs without problems (105k mileage). With 3.55's you'll pull about 2,800-3,000 RPM's at 50-60 MPH. Expect 8MPG. Oh, I was pulling it before I added any of the mods.