Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi towing 6,700#s?

jbres wrote:
gcloss- with your ram 1500 did you feel safe towing it? was the truck in control while towing?
Currently I feel like my 2003 Tahoe is not in control when towing my 6,700# travel trailer

I did not feel in total control of the trailer when towing with my Ram 1500. I added Bilsteins all around as well as heavier load range tires. Both improvements made a difference, but not enough for my liking. Also after a 200 mile tow I started to get an odor of hot differential fluid from rear differential. I knew the truck was at its limits, hence my desire for a 3/4 ton truck.

Now when I tow, I barely know the trailer is behind me. Heavy duty everything, with plenty of payload and a truck with a tow capacity of 13250 pounds and a trailer that can max out at 7350 pounds. I know going from a 141" to 169" wheelbase made a big difference in towing stability as well.

Like I said in my previous post, if you look hard enough there are plenty of deals on 3/4 ton trucks.

gcloss- with your ram 1500 did you feel safe towing it? was the truck in control while towing?
Currently I feel like my 2003 Tahoe is not in control when towing my 6,700# travel trailer

My trailer loaded comes in close to 7000#. I had a 2007 Ram 1500 4x4 Quad Cab with Hemi, 5-spd auto, 3.92 rear and 20" tires. The power train had no problems with 7000#, but you knew the trailer was back there and there was no payload left after you put 1000#s of tongue weight on the truck.

I was looking for a a used 3/4 ton truck and came upon a leftover 2012 Ram 2500 that was on a dealers lot for nearly 10 months. Up here in the Northeast everyone drives 1/2 ton trucks. Nobody wants a 3/4 ton Crew Cab with an 8' bed and a 4.10 rear unless you want it for towing which I did. The dealer took 34% off the sticker and I got truck for less than used 1/2 tons sitting on his lot. There is a huge difference in towing with a 1/2 ton & a 3/4 ton.

Do yourself a favor and look hard for a 3/4 ton. There are deals outs there new & used if you are patient.

I had a 2003 1500 with the 5.7L Hemi in it. I had the 4X2 and we were towing about 7000lbs loaded up. 31FT long from tip to tail. It towed really well with a equalizer setup, but it struggled up the hills. On 5% grades that were long, I would be down to 35-40mph and running way up there on the rpm side. But overall it towed just fine. You just have to be patient with it and know you aren't out there to beat any land speed records. I upgraded to the 6.7L Cummins and will never look back.

I pull at 7400 lb 29' tt with a 2012 dodge ram 1500. I have the 3.92 rear end and 17" tires. It's hard to get the rams with the 17" tires but you will want them as upgrading to the 20" tires is like me changing my rearend to a 3.73. I am very happy with performance and have never had to go above 3.5k rpms and have stayed around 55mph. If. You encounter some steep hill you may have to shift down to second but it would be rare. The 5 spd tranny and 6 spd tranny are the exact same thing except they changed it to operate in all 6 gears if you use the select a gear function. It was mostly a marketing stunt. If I put my truck in drive and you put an 07 with the 5 spd in drive its the exact same thing.

Payload is where you will suffer. Even though dodge has higher rear axle weight ratings than ford and Chevy the gvwr is lower. If you want to stick within gvwr and payload.

I absolutely love my truck, my father has an 07 and no issues to date. I do know a guy with the same truck as me with the 3.55 rear end towing the exact same trailer and he's happy with the performance but if you have the choice deft go with the 3.92 rears

It will pull that trailer fine. The only question is payload. I just traded my Hemi ram 1500 for a new 2500 Hemi ram for payload purposes.

We towed a 10,400 lb (11,400 GVWR) high profile 5th wheel all over the southeast with our '05 2500HD Hemi powered Ram. "I" was happy with it's performance. It's downshifted a lot and ran 4200rpm 60mph up many hills. At 120k miles when I traded it, it still ran like new. The AAM 10.5 rear end was the only thing that gave up early at 97k miles.

jbres wrote:
joshuajim- was your dodge a 1500? were you able to keep up to speed pulling 8,000 pounds?

Yes on the 1500. If you don't mind keeping it in second at 4500+, it would pull just about any grade less than 7% at 55.

joshuajim- was your dodge a 1500? were you able to keep up to speed pulling 8,000 pounds?

I had a 06 with Hemi and it pulled my 8,000# trailer all over the mountain west without a problem. Let RPM be your friend. I did have 3.92's and 17" tire. Biggest problem is the 3 speed (usable) transmission in the mountains.