Calicajun wrote:
Hope the OP enjoys his new truck.
I have a 2014 RAM Eco Diesel Laramie Limited, 4x4, 3:92 rear end, 4 point air ride, long bed, crew cab. My truck (3D as we call it) is rated to tow 8,400 pounds and that includes four people in the cab. That tow rating does not include cargo carried in the truck bed (bed weight rating is 895 pounds) which you have to subtract from the max tow rating of 8,400. The only thing I am investigating is does that 8,400 pound rating include wind drag weight added by towing a travel trailer at 60 miles. Have a case open with RAM but so far they won't answer the wind drag question. Wind drag at 60 mph on a travel trailer adds about 3,000 pounds. That would then change the max tow rating to 5,400. They did confirm that the truck's computer can tell when the cargo bed has carried weight over its max rating and when the truck has towed over its max rating. Ram also stated that carrying and towing over max ratings will void your warranty.
I use my EcoDiesel to pull our Heartland Wilderness 2775RB trailer which weighs 6,200 dry and 7,400 wet. I get 14-16 mpg towing, 26.5 highway at 75 mph not towing. So far the truck has no problem towing our trailer up 4 and 5 percent grades at 60 mph. You know the trailer is back there going up hills but on flat roads you sometimes forget the trailer is behind you. Even so, I would suggest a lighter trailer for anyone that has a EcoDiesel just to be sure you stay under the max tow rating of our truck.
Craig
This has been debated to death in a different forum. I don't buy that the truck knows how much weight is being pulled, nor the idea that, paraphrasing, "the wind drag of 3000lbs caused by my trailer reduces my tow capacity by equal measure."
The aero drag argument is like saying "my truck can pull a big 7000lb trailer. As long as I'm careful not to move."
