3/4 Ton

I "tow" a 36' Grand Design solitude which is just shy of 12K pounds with a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500! Now I had to add helper springs and go with tires that will support the loads. As mentioned with 5th wheels you have between 20 and 25% of their weight in the bed of the pick up, add another 500 pounds for the hitch, plus all the things people and pets, you have to be able to SAFELY carry that weight, as well as being able to stop! Yes it can be done, check your weights, tires, etc. but it can be done.

rbos57 wrote:
Oh yeah, not expecting any mpg that's for sure. Mostly interested in how it pulls in the Hills to larger Hills and just as important how it stops going down those Hills to larger Hills. Not so sure I'll be traveling in the upper mountainous areas until I get a Cummins.

No matter what engine you have, gas or diesel, you simply pull at what it will handle. My older D'max pretty much stays with the semis on our long grades; I just don't have the poop to tow it much faster without approaching redline. I'm not in =that= much of a hurry. :-) Biggest issue with a gasser is you simply don't have the engine braking that a diesel has, so you really have to be sure your brakes are in top shape. That being said, I've towed enough with gassers to know that you simply have to watch your speed as you hit a downgrade and stay on top of it.

Lyle

rbos57 wrote:
Oh yeah, not expecting any mpg that's for sure. Mostly interested in how it pulls in the Hills to larger Hills and just as important how it stops going down those Hills to larger Hills. Not so sure I'll be traveling in the upper mountainous areas until I get a Cummins.

You =will= get better mileage if you allow your engine to rev and not try and run in a lower gear. My old 3/4 ton, with a GearVendor OD, picked up 1.5 mpg on a run from Phoenix to Porterville CA when we ran the grades in 1 lower gear (OD vs direct), about a 600 rpm difference. Surprised me, for sure.

Lyle

IdaD wrote:
I may take a little flack for saying it, but the other thing I'd point out is your truck is identical to a same year SRW 3500 aside from the rear suspension setup, which is probably a little softer. Throw some Timbrens or airbags on it to address that and you've got a SRW 3500 in all but name only. Whether you're comfortable doing that is up to you, of course.

I thought this was for the diesels only in which the rear suspension had an additional overload spring. I did not realize it held true for the gassers too.

It will pull the mountains on this side of the Mississippi, you will spend time in 2nd to maintain speed on some of the steeper grades (like in WV). I think tow/haul does a decent job of helping slow you down too. Its no exhaust brake, but better than nothing.

I can't speak to how it would perform with the higher elevation and steep grades.

To be honest, if I had been able to drive it through the mountains with a load before I bought it, I would have gone Cummins right off the bat. This is my first non-Cummins HD truck. I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but I was used to the low RPM driving of the diesel, so if you can deal with that and the mpg, I think you'll be ok.

Thank you