Tow Vehicle for 22,000 Pounds Plus
Is anyone towing 22,000 lbs. plus? If so, what are you towing with? Which rear end, what kind of mileage do you get? Do you have any tips? Have you pulled in the mountains, any problems? Thanks s...
Forum Discussion
RustyJC wrote:
What does your 5th wheel weigh? You're apparently talking about 23,000 lb GCW since you're towing with a SRW truck. The OP is probably going to be in the 32,000 lb GCW range once he's loaded with everything.
If it were me and (like the OP) I were going to tow a 22,000 lb 5th wheel, I think I might listen to those of us who are pulling the late model DRVs and other 5th wheels in the OP's weight range. But, that's just my opinion....
Can you do it with 3.42s? Yes - Cummins12v98 did, but notice when he changed trucks, he went to 4.10s. I've towed with 3.54s in a 2nd generation Ram - biggest mistake I ever made! That's why I ran 4.10s in the 2002 Ram as well as in the 2011.
With the 4.10s and the double overdrive 68RFE or Aisin (both have almost identical 6th gear ratios), 65 MPH in 6th gear is ~1750 RPM, so 6th gear is useful for towing, downshifting on grades is minimized, driveline stresses are lessened for a given wheel torque, you have the advantage of 6 versus 5 useful gears for towing and a lower overall 1st gear ratio which eases torque and heat loading on the torque converter, etc.
Rusty
No sir, I tow at 28,000 combined. I completely understand all the pluses and minuses of the gears. With my set-up I lock it in 5th and have vary few downshifts @ interstate speeds. I'm not telling the OP to get 3.42's I'm saying 3.73's would be fine.
