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

[jbres]

I finally had my 26' travel trailer weighed, and loaded down I am at 6,700#s. I am now in the market for a newer tow vehicle.
I am ready to upgrade from my 2003 Tahoe, to something that I can tow more comfortably with.(tired of getting white knuckles towing with my short wheelbase Tahoe)

For financial reasons, I don't want a diesel, or a big block (8.1 or v10 etc)
What is in my price range, is Dodges 2005-2007 Dodge Ram 1500s 5.7 Hemi 4x4 4 doors.
Anyone have experience towing travel trailers around 6,700#s 26' like mine with a Dodge 1500 5.7??
Control? Power?
I mainly camp locally here in Ohio, and Indiana,but few times a year travel down 75 South into southern Kentucky where its moderately hilly.
I would love to get a 2500 but they are out of my price range for now. It seems these 1500 Dodges have pretty high towing capacities.
Thanks for the help!

[jbres]

kells81- what website did you use to use your specific truck vin to look up towing capacities? that sure would make it easy on me while shopping for trucks!

[2012Oudoorsman]

kells81 wrote:
The door list it as something like 6700# but the website VIN Lookup list it as 9600# truck.

Your GVWR, the most your truck can weight according to Ram, is 6700lbs if you have the quad cab or 6800lbs if you have the crew cab.

Your Towing capacity is completely different from gvwr. With 3.92 gears you should have a gcwr of 15,500 which is your truck and the trailer combined. If you have the 3.55 I think its 14000. It looks as if you're a little confused with the numbers. Hopefully this helps you understand them a little better

[kells81]

I purchased a 2011 Ram 2500 that I literally got to drive 7,000 or so miles. It was a turd and dodge bought it back due to transmission failures. It was a solid 10-12mpg diesel truck which is insane in itself.

Forward to now, when they purchased that truck back I took the wifes charger and we went to 1 vehicle. We needed a truck so we went with the 1500 Laramie Longhorn. The door list it as something like 6700# but the website VIN Lookup list it as 9600# truck. Well the first leg of our trip yesterday pulling what should be about 7,000 pound rig with all the stuff in it went VERY well. I was worried I didn't have enough truck but driving through the central TX hill country went off with ease. I do need to get some heavier rated tires but other than that no complaints. Mileage was not stellar ranging from 8.5-10 but not bad considering when its not attached to something it will get 22-25mpg (65 or less MPH) Same trip for my wife in the truck sans trailer a couple weeks ago was a solid 18MPG.

Today we are going to slide down to Houston to watch the Rangers play on the road so well see what the MPG's look like on a little flatter surface.

[bimbert84]

Wxguru wrote:

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. On 5% grades that were long, I would be down to 35-40mph and running way up there on the rpm side.

Can you clarify what you mean? When you say "way up there on the rpm side," how high do you mean? And in what gear?

I had an almost identical setup, although my trailer is about #7500 loaded. Same truck, though, but I had 3.92 gears. Did you have 3.55s?

In 2nd gear at 60 mph, mine would turn about 3900 RPM and could easily accelerate up a 4% grade. Slowing down to 35mph I'd be turning only 2300 RPM or so, which isn't high at all. Or are you talking about 1st gear? In that case, 35mph would turn at around 4600RPM, which is about peak power for the Hemi. I just have a hard time imagining the need for 1st gear to pull 7000# up a 5% grade with that truck.

-- Rob

[2012Oudoorsman]

jbres wrote:
Thanks for everyone responses. Does anyone know how I can tell if the Rams I am shopping for have the 3.92 axle ratio or 3.55? I know this is pretty important. Is it located in the glove box or the door jamb with a clear sticker stating it?
Or are all the ram 1500's with the towing package come with the 3.92?
Thanks

Not all will have the 3.92 axle...infact many will probably not. They should have a white sticker on the axle but if your looking for used they may have fallen off by now. You can ask for a build sheet which will tell you all features like a window sticker would just wont include price or if they have the window sticker it will be located on that.

[jbres]

Thanks for everyone responses. Does anyone know how I can tell if the Rams I am shopping for have the 3.92 axle ratio or 3.55? I know this is pretty important. Is it located in the glove box or the door jamb with a clear sticker stating it?
Or are all the ram 1500's with the towing package come with the 3.92?
Thanks

[2012Oudoorsman]

mileshuff wrote:
I have a Durango with the 5.7L Hemi and tow a 5000lb TT. It pulls it fine but I would not want to pull 6700 lbs with it. I live in a mountainous state and at 5000lb I'm down to 35mph at high RPM's up the steeper grades. If you live where its flat it should do fine.

Quick question, what gears do you have? I know the durango if it has the hemi has the same gvwr as a quad cab truck of 6700 lbs but do they use the same gears as they do in the trucks. The new grand cherokee have a 3.08 rear with the hemi I think which would reduce your available rear end torque and thus make towing worse

[mileshuff]

I have a Durango with the 5.7L Hemi and tow a 5000lb TT. It pulls it fine but I would not want to pull 6700 lbs with it. I live in a mountainous state and at 5000lb I'm down to 35mph at high RPM's up the steeper grades. If you live where its flat it should do fine.

[jbres]

booTT- How heavy is your travel trailer your towing with your ram 1500?

[boosTT]

For that price range the ram 1500 is going to be the best option. The 5.7L beats fords 5.4L hands down.

I tow with a 2011 ram 1500 5.7L and it tows very good. I am right at the max payload too.

[gcloss]

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.

[jbres]

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

[gcloss]

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.

[Wxguru]

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.