I have a 2004 Ram 1500 5.7L hemi quad-cab Laramie with 172K on it. It has the AWD, 4HI, 4LO electronic shift, 3.92 gears, LSD, and all new suspension parts. Currently I have some 18" custom wheels with Hercules Terra Trac II LT 275/70R18 tires on it (load rating E). It's a fun truck for fossil hunting here in the northern arizona desert. But I really want to tow my 3 horse trailer with it.

I've been told by every other horse puller that my truck is inadequate for towing a 3 horse trailer, because the mountains will leave me at 35mph. My trailer has a GVWR of 8000 lbs, but that's with much bigger horses than I have. Empty it's 3250 lbs, and with ALL of my horses it tops out just over 6,000 lbs including tack, water, and feed.

Fixing all the suspension including the new leaf springs really helped the control. What I'd like to do now is increase the torque. I have a superchips tuner on the way.

I would appreciate advice on the following mods to really max out my tow capability.

1) get a set of smaller tires ideal for towing (recommendations would be useful), even if I need to get different rims. In fact, I will anyway, so I can put my fun tires on when I want to go off road.

2) change the gearing from 3:92 to 4:56. I am not sure of the exact parts, or if I want to do it myself, but I found a shop in phoenix that would do it for $1200. Seems like a deal to me.

3) use the superchips tuner and tune the transmission shift points and engine for optimal towing and "plus" gasoline.

Any other ideas appreciated! Thanks!

3) towing exhaust??? I have read that increased back pressure improves low end torque

 

Quick pic:

 

While the weight you're towing is well within your spec, you will find that mountains are a pain. The Superchips you're ordering has a towing tune, but it's designed to work with premium fuel. 4.56 gears will definitely help with the towing, however will destroy your fuel economy, especially if you spend any appreciable time at highway speeds. Don't mess with your exhaust, unless you're putting an improved system (not a more restrictive one). If you had the time (and more importantly) money stroking your engine to a 6.4/392 would up it's torque tremendously.

 

You're towing horses (I've been there). I'd rather go it slow and they be safe. Getting there in one piece is more important than setting speed records.

 

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What he said.

 

I tow a 7000lb trailer loaded with power toys regularly. My info may help somehow.

2 of the 4 things you have in mind are on the right track, smaller tires and gearing. Wrt to the tuner and the exhaust, you can put those on the "maybe if you ever get to them items list". Those will not do much at all for you so really you should save that money for putting gas in the tank.

My truck has 3.92 gears, is 4wd quad cab, on 285/70R17 tires in the winter and 275/65R20 in the summer. (LT). Relevant mods would be the Rancho 5000 shocks all round and replaced the super soft rear leaf springs with HD springs. I also put in Timbrens. I have a Magnaflow muffler on it and do have a DiabloTune that I use occasionally. I have to say that the tuner does a little, but really not much, and the exhaust just makes it louder so it feels more powerful.

I pull through flats, rolling hills, mountain ranges. Put the truck in tow/haul mode and go. The setup is generally happy in the 50-55 mph range through all terrain. I never use speed cruise control while towing. Towing is a completely different type of driving. It is more of a "throttle position lock" type driving. Push the pedal do 3/4 and hold/lock it there. The power train puts out constant torque and the unit speed goes up and down with the terrain. At around 65 mph the transmission can start hunting between half gears. At that point either speed up by 5 or slow down by 5. On longer steeper hills, I just push throttle to about 3/4 and hold it there, never full. Let the truck and speed do what it wants to. When the speed drops to 45 mph I manually shift the transmission into 2nd gear to prevent any hunting and surging and leave it there. Then just throttle up/down a little to hold that speed all the way up and over the crest. (35 mph, no way - there is plenty of power in 2nd gear to keep the speed up on even the longest steepest highway grade hills). This operating method keeps the strain and temperatures on the engine and transmission sensible in all conditions. Wind can be a major factor as my trailer is flat fronted, not aerodynamic at all. A strong head wind will frequently blow the fill cap open on the gas tank.

I have often thought of going with smaller tires and lower gearing to improve the torque. However, I really like the way the truck is setup and the way it performs when not towing. I am also cheap and would rather have cash for gas than put more money into modifying an old truck. I have compromised and instead found it simpler and more frugal to adjust my driving style and expectations when I am towing. I make sure my towing is never time bound. It is not a get there by such time or speed mode ... it is a get it all there without burning up or wrecking anything mode.

All that said, this is for a truck that tows that loaded 7000lb trailer around 40 to 70 percent of the time it is on the road depending on the season. If I was towing more often or over long distances (1000+ mile trips one way) regularly, it would have to be swapped out for a diesel unit.

hope that helps somehow.

 

Great advice all around thanks!

It sounds like I should first try some bigger rims with smaller tires? What's the ideal size for towing? An actual tire recommendation would be appreciated.

I've considered also replacing the transfer case, to get 2wd/4hi/4lo. The Laramie AWD/4hi/4lo doesn't seem ideal for towing.

 

I found this gem of a reference site to be quite useful when thinking over tinkerings for our trucks.
http://dodgeram.info/2004/load-tow/1500.html

On the transfer case; there is realistically no discernible difference between them in terms of drivability or performance. The only difference is one you have to manually switch it into 4wd, the other automatically engages 4wd when it senses slippage. Recommend not changing, as there is no perceivable benefit and you may encounter fit and control (TCM) issues with a swap.

On the tires, you cannot go smaller than 17" rims therefore I suppose the smallest you could put on and the smallest LT tire would be the LT245/70R17. I prefer a more rubber on the road, at 275/60R17 or 275/70R17 if you can find them in an LT rated tire. The standard common size that will be easiest to find and accordingly well priced would be the LT265/70R17. My recommendations would be the Michelin LTX MS-AT2 or the Cooper HT3-AT3 pending on what type of roads you'll be spending the most time on with the trailer. If you would be looking for a tire to leave on the truck all the time, a superhero tire, an all season go anywhere in any condition do everything anyhow anytime then you'll want the Hankook atm RF10.