Today I took my new Ram for its longest tow to date, a 350 mile trek through Ky and and the Smokey Mountains ending the day in NC. This was a good test with light to heavy rain all day, low visabilty and lots of elevation and long sweeping turns at grade. Overall the Ram performed amazingly.
The cargo was my 8000 lb travel trailer, my family of four and my 60 lb pit bull. The 6.4L hemi handled the workload with ease. On flats I was able to run 60-65 at around 2000 rpms in 5th gear. On slight grades 4th gear and 2500-3000 rpms did the trick easily. On severe grades 3rd gear at 3000-4200 rpms was the ticket. 99% of the time the truck stayed between 1900 and 2500 rpms. The low rpm torque is evident, especially coming from a Tundra that loved to rev.
The transmission is also great. In tow mode it holds gears perfectly up grade and downsifts to utilize engine braking on the way down. On severe grades I used the manual mode to hold gears up and down the slopes. I rarely had to use the brakes, only when slower vehicles left me pinned in a lane. And this was all the way through I40 and the Smokey Mountains to Ashville. Quite a workout for sure. The Ram handled it with ease.
Temperatures stayed consistent all through the trip. Coolant running 195-210, oil temp 195-215, trans temp stayed at 160-165.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. I love my truck.
A shot at the campground this evening.
The cargo was my 8000 lb travel trailer, my family of four and my 60 lb pit bull. The 6.4L hemi handled the workload with ease. On flats I was able to run 60-65 at around 2000 rpms in 5th gear. On slight grades 4th gear and 2500-3000 rpms did the trick easily. On severe grades 3rd gear at 3000-4200 rpms was the ticket. 99% of the time the truck stayed between 1900 and 2500 rpms. The low rpm torque is evident, especially coming from a Tundra that loved to rev.
The transmission is also great. In tow mode it holds gears perfectly up grade and downsifts to utilize engine braking on the way down. On severe grades I used the manual mode to hold gears up and down the slopes. I rarely had to use the brakes, only when slower vehicles left me pinned in a lane. And this was all the way through I40 and the Smokey Mountains to Ashville. Quite a workout for sure. The Ram handled it with ease.
Temperatures stayed consistent all through the trip. Coolant running 195-210, oil temp 195-215, trans temp stayed at 160-165.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. I love my truck.
A shot at the campground this evening.
Just bought a 2014 3500 DRW with the 6.4 a week ago. This is replacing my 2011 F350 SRW with the 6.2. I needed a dually to haul my bigger truck camper and was going to buy another Ford when I came across my Ram. It had been sitting on the dealers lot for 8 months (for obvious reasons)so I got a great deal on it. Haven't had the TC on it yet but so far driving it to work I really like It. This is my first truck that isn't a Ford.
The RV was a Silverback 37BH.
Dry Hitch Weight 1,940 lbs.
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 12,709 lbs.
GVWR 15,500 lbs.
Cargo Carrying Capacity 2,791 lbs.
Exterior Length 39' 11"
Exterior Height 12' 11"
Exterior Width 96"
When we did the test towing, the owner figured it weighed around 14k.
It was loaded with all of the junk he leaves in the RV, but no water and no perishables.
Dry Hitch Weight 1,940 lbs.
Unloaded Vehicle Weight 12,709 lbs.
GVWR 15,500 lbs.
Cargo Carrying Capacity 2,791 lbs.
Exterior Length 39' 11"
Exterior Height 12' 11"
Exterior Width 96"
When we did the test towing, the owner figured it weighed around 14k.
It was loaded with all of the junk he leaves in the RV, but no water and no perishables.
e-light wrote:
Today I took my new Ram for its longest tow to date, a 350 mile trek through Ky and and the Smokey Mountains ending the day in NC. This was a good test with light to heavy rain all day, low visabilty and lots of elevation and long sweeping turns at grade. Overall the Ram performed amazingly.
The cargo was my 8000 lb travel trailer, my family of four and my 60 lb pit bull. The 6.4L hemi handled the workload with ease. On flats I was able to run 60-65 at around 2000 rpms in 5th gear. On slight grades 4th gear and 2500-3000 rpms did the trick easily. On severe grades 3rd gear at 3000-4200 rpms was the ticket. 99% of the time the truck stayed between 1900 and 2500 rpms. The low rpm torque is evident, especially coming from a Tundra that loved to rev.
The transmission is also great. In tow mode it holds gears perfectly up grade and downsifts to utilize engine braking on the way down. On severe grades I used the manual mode to hold gears up and down the slopes. I rarely had to use the brakes, only when slower vehicles left me pinned in a lane. And this was all the way through I40 and the Smokey Mountains to Ashville. Quite a workout for sure. The Ram handled it with ease.
Temperatures stayed consistent all through the trip. Coolant running 195-210, oil temp 195-215, trans temp stayed at 160-165.
I am extremely happy with my purchase. I love my truck.
A shot at the campground this evening.
What is the steepest grade you have gone up so far? How long was the grade? Last week I was all set to get rid of my 02 F350 7.3 Diesel and get the same truck you have. However, after watching the Ike Towing Test this weekend I was really disappointed to see how badly the 6.4 performed. Seems like 2nd gear is a big weak spot...??
