Yet another towing question.........please bear with me.

I owned a 2004 Dodge 1500 CC, 5.7l which I bought new to tow a camper with. I was disappointed with it. It seemed to run at very high RPMs (4000rpm uphill) and I was white knuckling it most of the time. I traded it in for all things a Ford F-250 v10 which towed the heck out of it. I traded the v10 when gas was approaching $5/gallon with no end in sight.

Currently, I have a deal pending for a 2010 Ram 1500 CC, 5.7l Big Horn (yes, with 20 inch tires and 3.55 rear). I have questioned three people at the dealership regarding "improvements" in the Ram's towing abilities. All assure me its a night and day difference between 2004 and 2010. Am I being worked?

Trailer stats are as follows:

GVWR 7100
GVW 5300
Base/Dry Hitch Weight 700
Base/Dry Axle Weight 4600

Not sure the axle info means anything but it was there so.....

I have the weight distribution hitch and will have the brake controller in my trade moved to the new truck since I don't believe it has one.

Will I have difficulties? There are three of us and all of our associated junk plus a 70 pound border collie. I've seen the chart that says "Max Trailer 8,250" and wonder now if the dealership has seen it???

The dealer says I can take it home and drive it for a couple of hours if I want before purchase. I just wish the camper was home!

Oh, and those "aluminum chrome clad wheels" are plastic covers.......

Thank you in advance for any and all info.

EDIT: It just dawned on me that this truck doesn't even have a receiver??? It's not listed on the Window Sticker or Dodge Invoice they gave me. Tow/Haul mode? Back to the drawing board..........

 

The Hemi likes to rev. It will not make the same kind of low end power that a V10 or diesel will. The 3/4 and 1 ton Hemis are even rated different than the 1/2 tons. You will also see low double digit to high single digit MPGs when towing a load that size. I get between 9.5 - 12 towing my 7x16 V-Nose enclosed trailer rated at 2350lbs empty running 65 - 75. Mine is a 2wd with 3.55 rear.

 

I'll throw this out there since you're going back to the drawing board.

Per the Ram 1500 brochure I downloaded a couple weeks ago, the towing and payload capacities are as follows:

2WD CC 5.7, 3.55 gears: 7600 lb towing, 1550 lb payload
4WD CC 5.7, 3.55 gears: 7350 lb towing, 1330 lb payload

You mention "three of us, associated junk, 70lb border collie." With that in mind, you need to consider your payload capacity as well, not just look at towing capacity. Do a little math to figure out how much your load will be in the truck (people, dog, associated junk), and add in the tongue weight of your trailer. If you're over the max payload, at that point, it's time to consider other options.

This is precisely why I changed my order to a 2500 hemi...well that and the fact that I wanted the combination of the crew cab and 6.4 ft bed, and the gas mileage penalty seems like it should be pretty minor (1-2 mpg). The scenario that did it for me was similar to yours...three people, a dog, a 200lb camper shell on the back, and the tongue weight of a trailer. That combination maxed out the rated payload capacity of the 1500 I was considering, and I hadn't put a single item in the bed of the truck.

Just something to think about. Of course, another option is to load stuff into the trailer rather than the bed of the truck.

 

Thanks. I don't expect good mpg towing but I don't currently tow enough to justify a Cummins.

I don't know but my guess would be that a heavier truck (2500) would scream even louder if a hemi was the power source?

 

I don't think the hemi will be all that bad. The 2500 4X4 CC hemi weighs in around 600-700 lbs more than the 1500 4X4 CC hemi, based on what I've read. So yeah, it'll be working harder. But I've been researching it, and I think for me it'll be fine. And the reviews I've been able to find on current-generation 2500 hemis have commented on good power and a sporty and responsive feel. And that makes sense to me...yeah the 2500 is heavier than the 1500, but the 1500 hemi is seriously quick. I can't justify the $8K option cost of the Cummins, but since I won't be towing all the time, I don't think I really need the Cummins.

Choosing to order the 2500 CC 4X4 hemi came down to a few factors:

- I wanted the combination of the crew cab and 6.4 ft bed.
- I'd pretty easily max out the payload capacity of the 1500, and would end up doing it repeatedly throughout each year of ownership.
- I won't be towing enough to justify the $8K cost of the Cummins.
- I like the firmer ride of the 2500 better than the smooth & comfy ride of the 1500.
- The mileage penalty for the 2500 hemi isn't big at all when compared to either the 2500 Cummins or the 1500 hemi...I've read countless posts, tests, etc that point to about a 1-2 mpg difference at most. Loaded, the Cummins clearly comes out on top though.
- I've got a car for the daily drive to work that gets insanely good mileage.
- The price difference between the 2500 and 1500 worked out to less than $3100 for me and my ordering situation...I'd spend more than that on mods to the 1500 to try to get it to ride firmer and sit higher (i.e. get it closer to what the 2500 is from the factory), and still wouldn't have the CC & 6.4 ft bed combination I want.

I love the 1500, but the 2500 makes more sense for me and how I will use it.

 

The gearing difference is another thing to consider as well. The ratios available for the 1500 are 3.21, 3.55, or 3.92 while with the 2500 you go to 4.10 or 4.56.

 

Attono makes a good point...gear ratios play heavily into tow capacity, but they don't seem to affect the payload capacity.

For the 4X4 2500 gasser (never checked on the 2X4), 3.73 is standard, 4.10 is optional ($50 on the Outdoorsman because the limited slip is already included in the Outdoorsman package, or $375 in the SLT because the 4.10 gear option mandates the limited slip). 4.56 gears come only in the PowerWagon. In the 2500 4X4 gasser, that $50 gear option nets an additional 2000 pounds in towing capacity...well worth it to me!

 

3.92 gears is a big plus,I didn't even bother looking at trucks with anything else.Been there,done that with regrets in the past.

 

Thank you for the responses!

I was correct. No receiver. It has a rear camera which makes no sense to me. They offered to install a receiver for $135.00. Their primary interest seems to be to sell me this particular truck so they must of had it for some time. Why else would they listen to me go on and on about towing and not try to upsell me a 2500 hemi? I've got some thinking to do looks like.

Thanks again!

 

How often do you plan to tow the camper? You list the trailer dry at 5300 lbs. Assuming the three people and dog add another 700 lbs you still have about 1300 lbs to play with. I feel it the 1500 tows just fine. I have towed 8500lbs with my 1500 and it was fine, smooth and uneventful. I went up hills and it held speed and gears well. Most bad experiences with towing are related to improper set up or the trailer, WD and or lack of sway bars. Believe me there is a big difference between the right and wrong set up. Wrong will make for a white knuck ride in a 1500, 2500 or 3500 for sure.