Trying to figure out the towing capacity for 2018 Ram 2500 6.4 hemi with 3.73 axle short bed crew cab. We are looking into buying a 14000 lb fifth wheel. Has anyone pull this heavy of a fifth wheel with a Ram 2500? Does anyone know how much Rams 2500 can tow?
all what Grit said plus, a 2018 crew cab short box 2500 will defiantly exceed the payload capacity if the 5th wheel is properly loaded. with a payload of only 3000 lbs, a 14000lb 5th should have a pin weight of approximately 3500lbs. then add 200 lbs for the 5th wheel hitch and we are at 3700lbs and we haven't filled up the gas tank or put people or pets in the truck yet.
now Grit will probably tell you Dodge's run on unicorns and pixi dust and will handle it.. most truck will but it will not be safe with out some modifications to the suspension and then you will still be non compliant with the Law haha
Well, yeah it will handle a 4klb pin weight with just some airbags. Not unlike your Ford. Although the Ram 2500 coils are not my first choice for heavy loads, they doo fine. They also make heavy duty coils for about the same $ as a basic set of bags.
The parts of the truck that care about the pin weight from a structural standpoint are the same on a 2500, 3500 and dually, save for springs.
Yes the OE rims will be at or near their load rating. I won’t digress into the millions of miles that are racked up on slightly overloaded (based on conservative mfg ratings, imo) srw rims without issue.
And there’s not a “law” to break regarding this unless maybe the OP is your neighbor. Not a thing in the US of A.
“Safety” of it is all relative. But to your point, someone who’s got a wholly underpowered truck asking this basic of a question may want or need to err on the side of being extra safe with the equipment to help with their lack of experience.
But regardless, the powertrain is wholly under sized for pulling that kind of weight and wind resistance unless out in the prairies, IMO.
Bud, I’d say you could use a little more experience all around before becoming a junior trucker if you’re asking a question like this.
First, it took 30 seconds to google the chart for your truck and it’s rated to tow 12.6k.
But more importantly, you have not said where/what type of towing you’ll be doing. That matters. It’s a completely different ballgame if you’re towing it to the lake in Iowa….from Iowa vs loading up on the east coast and pulling thru the hills back east and the Rockies out west. Chassis is stout enough for either or both. The drivetrain is lacking for more than the hypothetical flatland short distance occasional trips.
The engine will handle it, barely, in “Iowa”. In Colorado, you’ll want to turn around by a he time you get to Floyd Hill and trade it in on a diesel.
But the real turd in the punch bowl or weak link is the crappy 66rfe trans. You got the last year of the HD gasser with a sub par transmission on all accounts.
I have a 2016 diesel with the 68rfe that I kinda fell into, would never have bought one otherwise or for full price. 14k would make me cringe and I’d baby it up every grade and it’s rated higher than the 66.
In this case ignorance isn’t bliss. You just don’t have the right drivetrain to tow that big and heavy
Some will tell you the 2500 is overloaded. It isn’t. But the drivetrain is under powered and undersized for the job. Considerably.
This coming from a Ram/Dodge/Mopar guy.
