Hi guys,

I now have an '06 Ram 3500 SRW, QC Long Bed 5.9 Cummins 4x4 with the G56 6 speed manual trans. It is a great truck for towing my 24' enclosed car hauler, but I seldom tow much anymore and am thinking about going with a new Ram 1500 Crew Cab 5.7 for a better ride and less strain on my left (clutch) leg that has had one operation and will perhaps need another.

My concern is that when I do need to tow a 10K trailer, will the 1500 do the job? I have seen the Dodge.com towing specs rated for 10K "when properly equipped". Anyone have any real-world experience towing at that weight? Also, when running solo I can get around 20 MPG @ 70 MPH with the Cummins...will I take a big hit in MPG with the Hemi?

Thanks

 

No one tows with their Ram 1500's ???????

 

If you get one optioned the right way, Dodge claims it can two 10K....


Will it do it? Yes. Will it do it and perform like your one ton did? Hell no!

If you need to tow that much weight, I'd be looking at another 3500 with an auto instead of a clutch.

 

Hi Laramie,

Thanks for the reply. I have thought about a new 3500 Cummins with the auto, but I only tow heavy about 3 or 4 times a year an it seems like that would be overkill for the rest of the time when I only tow a small boat or utility trailer.

I was hoping to get some input from anyone who has occasionally towed around 10K with a gen 4 Ram 1500.

Best regards,

John

 

You might want to do some "towing" searches as there's lots of threads on towing. Can't say that I have seen anyone wanting to tow 10k lbs with a 1500 though. It will probably do it with the right rear end gears and on flat level ground. Don't know if it would if you're going over mountain passes, etc. Certainly would need trailer brakes I would think.

 

With my 09 hemi and 3.55's I (very cautiously) towed an estimated 9,000 lbs for 40 miles @ 55-60mph without trailer brakes (illegal) and no equalizer hitch. It wasn't bad but I would not make a habit of it.

If I had the 2010 Ram with the increased towing limits, 3.92 or 4.10 gears, 17" tires, trailer brakes and equalizer hitch....I'm thinking it would tow the 10,000lbs a couple times a year without a problem.

 

I have a 24' enclosed car hauler and I now tow it with my 09 1500 a few times a year (I came from a 2500 6 speed). I have 3.55 gears and it has all the power you need, just shift down and let it go. I have air bags in the springs but you still cant load the tongue too heavy. The worst part about pulling a large enclosed are cross winds, seems to get the tail wag a lot worse than the 2500. My recommendations are, get air bags, sway bars, and mirror extensions.

 

Thanks for the input guys. Both the 24' enclosed trailer and 18' flatbed have brakes on all 4 wheels, and I do have a weight distributing hitch with equalizer and anti-sway bars. I'll do some research on axle ratios etc. Does anyone have any MPG numbers running a 2010 or 2011 3:92 or 4:10 axle truck solo (not towing)?

Thanks,

 

Well, FYI, I went on a 14 hour road trip with River towing his 09 Challenger with his 09 Ram 1500 sport with 3.55's. The total was just under 7,000 pounds.... Not one second did I feel comfortable with that kind of weight on the back.

At the very least, I'd be looking at a hemi 2500 or something.

 

The biggest problem when towing is the weight difference between the truck doing the towing and whats being towed. It's not just the towing strength of your Ram that matters. The 2500 and 3400 hundred trucks weigh much more and are much firmer in ride and handling. You would be better off with a six banger in a 3500 than you would be with a diesel in a 1500 to tow 10k lbs. However, I towed a good 7000k lbs with my truck to and from a job I was doing. It was a 325 bobcat trencher I used to bust up my driveway and I'm sure it was more than 7000k pounds. When I picked it up it was set too far back on the trailer prolly cause the last guy that rented it had to tow it that way because of a weaker truck. So it never had enough tongue weight and swayed somewhat on the 45 min trip to my house. But when I re loaded on the trailer my self after finishing my job I moved it up and it trailered just fine...perfect. You can see the pics in my profile to get an idea of what it looks like loaded. Keep in mind that I don't know what the bobcat weighed but I'm sure some of you out there would most likely know or have an idea. I have a six inch drop hitch in the pics but could have used my two inch for a better match but it wasn't worth the time to chance it out. Everything felt good during the tow with my top speed at 60 mph in towhaul and a solid firm ride...not too much squat, no sway and no spongy bouncing. Also keep in mind the the RCSB like mine has a larger payload than other 1500's.