3/4 Ton

[rbos57]

Hi and thanks for your imput. We have a 2015 Ram 2500 6.4 Hemi Gasser. Does anybody pull a fifth wheel with this truck and if you would give me some feedback I would appreciate it.
410 h/p 4.1 gear ratio. Says it should pull 15,600 lbs. .It Pulls a 30' TT at 9000lb with no problem.
3/4 TON

[rbos57]

Thank you

[nirion]

It will pull the mountains on this side of the Mississippi, you will spend time in 2nd to maintain speed on some of the steeper grades (like in WV). I think tow/haul does a decent job of helping slow you down too. Its no exhaust brake, but better than nothing.

I can't speak to how it would perform with the higher elevation and steep grades.

To be honest, if I had been able to drive it through the mountains with a load before I bought it, I would have gone Cummins right off the bat. This is my first non-Cummins HD truck. I wouldn't say I'm disappointed, but I was used to the low RPM driving of the diesel, so if you can deal with that and the mpg, I think you'll be ok.

[clotus]

IdaD wrote:
I may take a little flack for saying it, but the other thing I'd point out is your truck is identical to a same year SRW 3500 aside from the rear suspension setup, which is probably a little softer. Throw some Timbrens or airbags on it to address that and you've got a SRW 3500 in all but name only. Whether you're comfortable doing that is up to you, of course.

I thought this was for the diesels only in which the rear suspension had an additional overload spring. I did not realize it held true for the gassers too.

[laknox]

rbos57 wrote:
Oh yeah, not expecting any mpg that's for sure. Mostly interested in how it pulls in the Hills to larger Hills and just as important how it stops going down those Hills to larger Hills. Not so sure I'll be traveling in the upper mountainous areas until I get a Cummins.

You =will= get better mileage if you allow your engine to rev and not try and run in a lower gear. My old 3/4 ton, with a GearVendor OD, picked up 1.5 mpg on a run from Phoenix to Porterville CA when we ran the grades in 1 lower gear (OD vs direct), about a 600 rpm difference. Surprised me, for sure.

Lyle

[laknox]

rbos57 wrote:
Oh yeah, not expecting any mpg that's for sure. Mostly interested in how it pulls in the Hills to larger Hills and just as important how it stops going down those Hills to larger Hills. Not so sure I'll be traveling in the upper mountainous areas until I get a Cummins.

No matter what engine you have, gas or diesel, you simply pull at what it will handle. My older D'max pretty much stays with the semis on our long grades; I just don't have the poop to tow it much faster without approaching redline. I'm not in =that= much of a hurry. 🙂 Biggest issue with a gasser is you simply don't have the engine braking that a diesel has, so you really have to be sure your brakes are in top shape. That being said, I've towed enough with gassers to know that you simply have to watch your speed as you hit a downgrade and stay on top of it.

Lyle

[Coach-man]

I "tow" a 36' Grand Design solitude which is just shy of 12K pounds with a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500! Now I had to add helper springs and go with tires that will support the loads. As mentioned with 5th wheels you have between 20 and 25% of their weight in the bed of the pick up, add another 500 pounds for the hitch, plus all the things people and pets, you have to be able to SAFELY carry that weight, as well as being able to stop! Yes it can be done, check your weights, tires, etc. but it can be done.

[rbos57]

Good to know mtofell1.
Real time experience with basically the same truck. Thanks, I appreciate it and appreciate all the replies.

[mtofell1]

I pull at 9k dry 10.5K loaded 5th wheel with my 2014 Hemi 6.4 with the 3.73 gears. That dry weight + a heavy slider hitch + myself, wife and 3 small kids puts me right at my 3000# payload.

The truck does very well with that weight. My only complaint is the dreaded country mile gap between 1st and 2nd gear. When on a low speed steep grade it's a PITA as I can either rev it out in 1st gear up to about 40MPH (probably 35 with your 4.10 gears) or lug in 2nd.

If I were truck shopping today I'd go with a diesel for sure. But, this truck works just fine and I can't justify the $$ to change trucks only 2 years in. Again, aside from that one specific annoyance it's a great truck. I can easily pull steep mountain pass grades at the speed limit.

[rbos57]

Oh yeah, not expecting any mpg that's for sure. Mostly interested in how it pulls in the Hills to larger Hills and just as important how it stops going down those Hills to larger Hills. Not so sure I'll be traveling in the upper mountainous areas until I get a Cummins.

[nirion]

12k is about the limit of what I would pull in any sort of grade. Mine has 4.10 gears and did OK from OH to FL, but did spend time in 2nd gear and averaged about 7mpg with my 5th wheel.

I will add that I now have a Cummins on order. The Hemi is nice, but it's no diesel. I had a 03 standard output (250hp/460 tq) Cummins that pulled similarly to the Hemi around central OH, maybe a small edge to the Hemi. I never took it on a long trip with the camper.

[rhagfo]

OP stated he has a Hemi 6.4, so not the payload robbing weight of a CTD.

Yes, needs to check the Yellow sticker as a guide, but also has a strong rear axle, most likely can carry a 12,000# GVWR 5er and still be within all ratings.

[IdaD]

What size trailer are you looking to tow? The gas 3/4 ton CC Rams typically have more than 3k of payload rating, and assuming you have 18" or 20" wheels you've got a 6500 lb RAWR so you can carry quite a bit with that truck within your ratings.

I may take a little flack for saying it, but the other thing I'd point out is your truck is identical to a same year SRW 3500 aside from the rear suspension setup, which is probably a little softer. Throw some Timbrens or airbags on it to address that and you've got a SRW 3500 in all but name only. Whether you're comfortable doing that is up to you, of course.

Edit - you should be fine with that size trailer.

[rbos57]

Love the info, thanks. Truck payload is 3280. Not looking to go anywhere near my Max weight . Was thinking of a more lightweight 5er.less than 1200lb.

[spud1957]

As others have said, check your yellow Tire and Load Information label on the driver's door post. I'm going to guess it's somewhere around +/-3000lbs.

You are not going to be able to tow a 15k fifth wheel without exceeding the trucks GVWR. You won't exceed the axle ratings.

I would stick to something up to 12k loaded. Wouldn't see going over that to stay within payload and power/performance.