Question about axle Ratios

The tow capacity accounts for the driver, but the payload does not. The payload is the GVWR minus the weight the truck as it left the factory. The only thing it accounts for are factory installed options and fluids. Everything else counts against it.

ulvik wrote:

You are comparing apples to oranges. I based my statement strictly off of what the original author wrote and that is what he apparently wanted an answer to. He did not bring up any diesels nor did he bring up any vehicle that was properly outfitted to tow such a load. Going off of the question asked and with the information of his post my opinion was far from being a blanket statement. And by going only on his information I stand by my opinion 100%.

You made the statement, "First things first that is way too heavy to pull with a 1/2 ton truck not to mention stopping it safely." It sure didn't sound like you were restricting that comment to a 2017 Ram 1500 Laramie. It sounded more like you were saying that the load was too heavy to be pulled by a half ton truck. Maybe I'm just reading it wrong.

You also said, "As far as gear ratio goes I personally would never by a tow vehicle with a gear ratio less than 3.73. Any lower and you just bought you a slug." I'm assuming you meant buy and gasoline powered truck. The reason I gave the F-150 example was to show that there's a truck out there that has gears higher than 3.73 that does just fine at the weights the OP is planning on. This is an apples to apples comparison to what the OP is in the market for. Both trucks are gasoline powered, crew cab 1/2 tons. I'll admit the diesel is not apples to apples, but it does show that the rear end ratio doesn't have to be 3.73 or lower to be effective.

PUCampin wrote:
Axle ratio is A LOT less important than it used to be with todays wide ratio 6 8 or 10 speed transmissions. Crawl ratio with a modern 6 speed and a 3.21 is better than the old 4spds with a 4.56. The gears are closer spaced making it easier to keep in the power band. Given a choice, the 3.92 is better and will be more enjoyable, but a 3.21 is not a deal killer like it used to be.

Payload is the biggest issues with half tons, especially Ram. A few years ago Ram changed their general design philosophy to aim more squarely at the demographics. The vast majority of 1500 buyers want a nice car with a big trunk to carry awkward items and maybe to tow the jet skies or the bass boat to the lake. Most people looking to tow a RV were looking at 2500. So they softened the ride and added amenities to the 1500 to aim for the biggest audience. The result is if looking at a Ram and planning to tow anything bigger than a speed boat, you should be looking at a 2500. That is what Ram intends, but unfortunately most salesmen don't know or understand this and just want you to sign on the line.

Hmm. So much what you said is wrong. But I'm just going to do the gears thing. According to the manufacturers. Lower gears tow more weight. Its just a fact. IF you will look at ANY of the ratings, You will see that a F150 with a 5.0, and 3.08 gears, is rated to tow far LESS than the same truck with a 5.0 and 3.73 gears. there are literally thousands of pounds different. So. According to the people that develop, design, test, build, and rate the capacities. Lower gears still mean as much as ever. And yes. I'm going with them.

As for towing a speed boat or TT. My Tt does either equally well. I don't need a 2500 to tow a TT in the less than 7500lb range.

Well by now the OPs head should be swimming with numbers. For sure a bigger truck is better but a person has what they have.

Here are my across the CAT scale numbers.

My 25 ft 5004 lbs dry weight TT is said to have 406 lbs tongue weight in the sales literature. When loaded for the road the scales say the TT weight is 6400 lbs. and the tongue weight is 750 lbs.

The yellow sticker on the door jamb says the max cargo for my truck is 1411 lbs. So that leaves 661 lbs for people, dog, camp gear and toys.

Loaded for the road I am at or a bit over my max cargo. The F-150 is an E-boost with 6 speed transmission. It has towed well for the last 25,000 miles.

There is nothing mysterious in these numbers, they are what the loaded TT weighs and what the TV is rated to haul.

The F-150 tow rating is 9500 lbs. which would put about 1200 lbs. on the tongue. I could tow a 9500 lb. TT, if a wanted to leave my wife, dog and camp gear at home. :)

Galena wrote:
Looking at two, 2017 RAM 1500 Laramie Trucks. One has a axle ratio of 3.21 and has a lot of options I like. The second one has a ratio of 3.92 but with less options, prices on both are very similar. Looking to purchase a TT with a gross weight of 7500 to 8000 pounds. Am I ok with the 3.21, assuming I will not be doing a lot of mountain driving?

If the 3.92 truck has less options it will weigh less, thus it should give a higher payload rating

proxim2020 wrote:
The tow capacity accounts for the driver, but the payload does not. The payload is the GVWR minus the weight the truck as it left the factory. The only thing it accounts for are factory installed options and fluids. Everything else counts against it.

I was about to go to bed and hadn't learned anything today.... now I have :) I had always thought the driver (or 2/3 of one anyway) was included. I've never been so close that it mattered and never gone off the sticker. I weigh the truck with me and my "stuff" in it and go from there. There always seems to be a few a few hundred pounds of invisible stuff. Probably just things like floor mats, bed liner, running boards, bed cover and a bin of tools.

ScottG wrote:
The 3.21 is a great hiway gear but lousy for towing. Stick with the 3.92 and you will be very pleased with the towing performance.

x47

Towing a trailer as heavy as you mention, will not be fun with 3.21 gears

Anyone who really wants to know what their truck's real world payload capacity actually is should ignore that door jamb sticker and go weigh the truck with a full tank of gas and hitch equipment mounted, including throwing the WD spring bars in the back. If you're in the truck when it's on the scale subtract your weight from the scale reading and you'll then have that particular's truck actual weight as it sits there ready to be hitched to a trailer. Subtract that number from it's GVWR and you'll have it's actual real world payload capacity, that which you will use to account for the weight of all people in the truck, all additional cargo, with the remainder available for any tongue weight transferred to the truck. For many 1/2 ton owners that number often turns out to be surprisingly low. :E

Why does most posts on this forum turn in to a pissin contest about everyone's opinions about gvwr, payload, tongue weight, 1 ton trucks, you're nuts for doing anything with a 1/2 ton, better get a military Duce and a half for that pop-up son blah blah blah.....

Dude asked about a gear ratio on a truck that HE wants to buy. How do you know he's over on his payload? How do you know anything other than your opinion??

There's a wealth of knowledge on here but there's a wealth of people that like to argue on a forum and turn nearly everything into an online arguement about payload/1/2 ton trucks/whatever soap box you have.

It really becomes hard to read on here when a lot of posts turn into an arguement that isn't even on topic.

four22 wrote:
Dude asked about a gear ratio on a truck that HE wants to buy. How do you know he's over on his payload? How do you know anything other than your opinion??

It really becomes hard to read on here when a lot of posts turn into an arguement that isn't even on topic.

And "Dude" got exactly what he asked for - opinion on axle ratio. Unfortunately the harsh reality is that most 1/2 ton trucks have very limited payload capacity regardless of axle ratio ... tow too much trailer with most 1/2 ton trucks and you're going to exceed payload capacity. It goes with the territory, whether you agree or not. :R