jalichty wrote:
I had a 2011 Ram diesel with a six-speed manual, long-bed, crew-cab and a 3.42 rear end. I used it for nine months and then got rid of it. My mileage was never great, it had frequent regens at most inopportune times and was not strong enough in my opinion. I pulled our Jayco HT 26.5 RLS to Zion for a week down there. Got about 11.9, on the computer, on the way down there, drove to St. George and Bryce Canyon without the FW, and came back home. After the whole trip, the total mileage, on the computer, was down to 10.9. Filled up, took three fishing trips out of town, about 80 miles each time and the mileage, on the computer, was down to 10.2. Apparently, I am not a big enough fan of the manual transmission as I didn't like it, especially when backing the FW or the boat, when I put it in the garage. Just too hard to keep both feet on the pedals and look over my shoulder to back up, especially with the boat. Also found out why they had the granny first gear when we hooked the boat up to the FW and tried a little towing test for about 25 miles. After being able to take off in second with the FW, I almost killed it trying to do so with the boat also attached. So dropped down to 1st. I think they derated the engine due to having the manual transmission so I was not getting the full power of the Cummins, I believe. After nine months, I traded for a 2012 GMC D/A combo crew-cab with a short bed and was very happy with the results. I have no trouble towing my "train" up into the mountains and, at least on the computer, I consistently get 12 mpg or more overall, and once got 13.6. The rides are very comparable and the interiors seemed to be about the same. I will say that the trade-in was pretty good, they gave me $2,000 less in trade than I paid for the truck, $38,000+, nine months before. If you have a stronger transmission, with a 3.73 rear end, I think you will like the truck, I just didn't get the package that I would have liked.
I'm not sure if there was something wrong with your Ram or something else at play but I can say without hesitation that my 2013 with the G56 manual and 3.73 gears has PLENTY of power pulling my 12,000 lb fifth wheel. As a matter of fact I have encountered few mountain climbs where I cannot gain speed climbing them. Also, if I put my foot into it in lower gears the rear tires start to break loose even while pulling. So no complaints from me on that topic.
As for mileage, my towing mileage seems to be about 11.4 mpg which I am happy with but my solo mileage could be better than it is at around 14-15 mpg. I am hoping this gets better with time, but it is a Megacab dually 4x4 so it is a large, heavy truck.
There is definitely an art to properly using a manual transmission/clutch while backing in a trailer and it is something that I have no issue with after owning manual transmission trucks for almost 20 years. I find the clutch in the Ram very easy to push and use and the transmission shifts very easily and smoothly. The other thing is driving it in the city is very easy; the exhaust brake is very strong and the truck can stay in fifth gear easily down to about 15 mph and pull out of it so if I look ahead at lights I rarely need to shift.
Just my take on the Cummins/G56 combo.
