2004 Ram 1500 Towing Questions..
Wife and I are looking to upgrade out TT.. (See sig).. Fully loaded my ramski pulls it like a champ.. No issues.. The rig we are looking to get (I do have doubts about the size) is the Jayco 27BHS Ja...
Forum Discussion
I have a 2008 1500 5.7 with 3.92 gears. We currently tow a 35'7" trailer with a 9990 GVWR. We don't get anywhere near that GVWR of the trailer. Our normal loaded weight is around 8,000 lbs and we tow a good amount each year. On average we tow about 10-12k and try to get in at least one cross country trip.
The truck holds me, wife, 3 little ones, and the dog in the bed sometimes. We scale the combo before most trips and we are right at GVWR + or - 20 lbs. If you're going to tow heavy with a 1/2 ton then weight management is key. If you put it in the truck or bed then you're carrying 100 percent of the weight. Put it in the trailer and you're only carrying a faction of the weight. We're pretty light packers anyway, but all gear goes into the trailer to save on the trucks payload. I have no complaints and enjoy the way it tows. My wife, who had no previous towing experience before this combo, is comfortable towing it.
We have made some changes to make the truck better suited for towing. I added Firestone Work Rites to the truck which are similar to Timbrens. I replaced the OEM shocks with Bilsteins. I also upgraded the P-Metric tires from standard load to extra load. I could've went with LT, but had a hard time finding the specific size I wanted them in. My extra loads give me plenty of capacity just shy of 3,000 lbs a piece. I also follow the severe duty maintenance schedule in the manual. Fluids and lubricants get changed out more frequently, but that's the cost of towing with a vehicle that just barely adequate. Eventually we'll be forced to upgrade as kids continue to grow, but it works for now and it's paid for.
I can't stress enough the importance of having a good hitch and making sure it's setup correctly. If you want a pleasant experience while towing at your upper limits then you're going to have to make sure your hitch is dialed in correctly. I tow with a Blue Ox; it's simple and works well.
Depending on your GVWR, I would say that it's doable. There wasn't much mechanical differences between the 03'-05' and the 06'-08'. I remember the older trucks had a GVWR that was a couple hundred lbs less than the newer ones. Even with that you may be able to stay within your limits.
The truck holds me, wife, 3 little ones, and the dog in the bed sometimes. We scale the combo before most trips and we are right at GVWR + or - 20 lbs. If you're going to tow heavy with a 1/2 ton then weight management is key. If you put it in the truck or bed then you're carrying 100 percent of the weight. Put it in the trailer and you're only carrying a faction of the weight. We're pretty light packers anyway, but all gear goes into the trailer to save on the trucks payload. I have no complaints and enjoy the way it tows. My wife, who had no previous towing experience before this combo, is comfortable towing it.
We have made some changes to make the truck better suited for towing. I added Firestone Work Rites to the truck which are similar to Timbrens. I replaced the OEM shocks with Bilsteins. I also upgraded the P-Metric tires from standard load to extra load. I could've went with LT, but had a hard time finding the specific size I wanted them in. My extra loads give me plenty of capacity just shy of 3,000 lbs a piece. I also follow the severe duty maintenance schedule in the manual. Fluids and lubricants get changed out more frequently, but that's the cost of towing with a vehicle that just barely adequate. Eventually we'll be forced to upgrade as kids continue to grow, but it works for now and it's paid for.
I can't stress enough the importance of having a good hitch and making sure it's setup correctly. If you want a pleasant experience while towing at your upper limits then you're going to have to make sure your hitch is dialed in correctly. I tow with a Blue Ox; it's simple and works well.
Depending on your GVWR, I would say that it's doable. There wasn't much mechanical differences between the 03'-05' and the 06'-08'. I remember the older trucks had a GVWR that was a couple hundred lbs less than the newer ones. Even with that you may be able to stay within your limits.
