Question? How if the trucks stayed pretty much the same between 2009 and 2010 can they increase the towing capacity by 1400 lbs between the two years? I was looking on Dodges site and it says an 09 Crew Bighorn, which is what I have, will tow a max of 8850. Now the 2010 with the Crew Bighorn says 10250 lbs. I knew there were some computer changes and colors but did not know anything mechanical changed. Can anyone shed light on this for me please.

 

OC

I noticed that to. I think for my configuration it was 2,000 lbs. difference. My guess it's because the '09 has a lifetime warranty and the '10 does not. Perhaps someone on here can shed some more light on the situation.

 

They mentioned vehicles and towing capacity on one them Saturday morning shows on Spike a while back and pretty much said that unlike gas ratings, which has to be within a % that is verified by the EPA, there is no such "standard" for towing ratings and is left pretty much up to the manufacturer.
They said that insurance companies use the tow capacity ratings provided by the American Camper Association as opposed to the manufacturers ratings when deciding on paying claims (every major insurance company has a provision to void any and all claims if you are not within vehicle spec).
So my guess is that the vehicle did not change. Most reviews I've ever read considers Ford trucks to be the gold standard as far as towing is concerned and the folks at Chrysler increased the manufacturer rating simply to compare more favorably on paper to a comparable Ford...

 

This may answer your question:

http://www.dodge.com/bodybuilder/201...ammlup1500.pdf

The way I read it, it has to do with gear ratios.

Crew Cab w/Hemi

3.55 Ratio = 8650

3.92 Ratio = 10150

 

I read into this, sounds like everything is the same buy Dodge rethought the weight. Makes sense it has to do with the lifetime warranty...

exec 1:OK guys we got rid of the lifetime liability so lets up the pulling power.

exec 2:Good idea now if anything in the drivetrain wears out in 10 years it aint our responsibility anyway.

 

it doesn't have to do with the gears. I have the crew with the 3.55 rear end and for 09 it was only rated to tow around 7300. the 2010 truck equipped exactly the same can now tow 8400. I think it has been narrowed down to the fact that the 09 trucks have the lifetime warranty and the 2010 trucks do not.

 

There are several articles on this. As HammerZ71 mentioned, there are no real set standards on how to measure tow capacities. Dodge was taking a beating from the competition about the truck being weak with the coil springs when in fact it was just as capable as the rest. So they went back and retested using the new proposed SAE standards. They got higher numbers with no changes at all to the truck. Ford did the same thing in 2008 and Toyota in 2007.

They did add a new optional set of gears but that actually hurts towing but increases MPG.

 

That is an awesome link. PS I like your signature!

 

From news.pickuptrucks.com:

Interestingly, Dodge achieved the towing increase without any hardware changes, such as the introduction of heavier-duty springs and shocks, or an upgraded transmission cooler. So, how did the rating change occur?

“When developing the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram, the goal was to match the previous-generation Dodge Ram tow capabilities. These goals were achieved and delivered on the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500,” Dodge truck spokesman Roger Benvenuti told PickupTrucks.com. “For 2010, engineers determined the Dodge Ram was capable of towing much more than previously tested. Subsequently, the tow ratings were reassessed and the 2010 Dodge Ram increased its gross combined weight rating by 1,500 pounds without any component or calibration changes to the vehicle.”

So, pure magic. Too bad they didn't make it retro-active.