Towing
 

Hey guys, I am a new member and this is my first post. I just sold my 2006 half ton 4x4 5.7 hemi because it was having a hard time pulling my 25ft wildwood trailer wiht an 8ft pop out and it weighs about 7400lbs dry and I'm guessing with it fully loaded and my quad in the back of my truck, I'm probably pulling over 8000lbs. So I am debating between the 2500 5.7 or the 6.4? Will the 3/4 ton 5.7 pull my trailer a lot better then my half ton did? What worries me is it having the same 5.7 engine. Does the 3/4 ton have a bigger transmission or is it the same as the half ton? I understand that the payload is higher then the half ton because of the heavier frame. Will I be fine with the 3/4 ton 5.7 or should I get the 6.4?

What year truck? The newer ones have all sorts of fun stuff you need to keep up on with der diesel..... DEF, etc. I consider it more of a pain than it's worth. The 2500 will certainly have better brakes, may have a bit more power than the older version, assuming you are looking at new... But, I would see having the correct gearing would be most important..... Most of 'em are set up for fuel economy.... which does NOT translate to towing ability. :) Make sure your new truck has the two package, and at least 4.10 gears.... if not 4.56. THAT will make the biggest difference.

Welcome to DF! :D

I'm looking for a newer truck probably no older then a 2010. There are so many opinions out there! The guys I work with are like "Dodges and Fords suck, Get a Chevy". lol Some guys tell me to only get a diesel! Some say I don't need a diesel because I only pull my camping trailer 2-3 time per year. 1 trip to the coast and back, and 1-2 trips to the mountains and back during deer season. So I don't really think that I need a diesel. My 2006 5.7 hemi pulled my current trailer just fine for the first 5 years that I owned it. There was a few areas that I had a problem when climbing hills, couldn't get over 25mph. Always felt like something was going to blow! lol It started to over heat every trip to the mountains. I had the tranny fluid changed hoping that would help, but it didn't. Anyways, so I know now that I want a 3/4 ton. I'm just concerned about the 5.7 having the same pulling power as the half ton. I don't know much about the transmissions. I didn't know about how important the gears were either. The 2500 5.7 trucks are so much easier to find for sale then the 6.4's. I'm leaning toward the 6.4 and I know I just need to be patient to find the right one. Anyways thank you for the advice.

Kyle B.

I borrowed a friends 2010 Ram 2500 with the hemi, to drive about 400 miles to pick up a tractor. I rented an enclosed trailer, and off I went. On the way down, I couldn't even really tell the trailer was there..... (of course, this was driving thru Mi. Oh., and In... so, pretty flat.....) Loaded up the tractor, and headed home. Tractor only weighed in at around 1800 pounds, so, probably doubled the weight I was towing, but the truck still barely noticed it was there. I would have no problems doing it again. :)

That said, I haul about 12,000 pounds worth of trailer, and dirt, with my 96 every now and then, and yeah, it definitely notices its there. :D Handles it reasonable well though.