Tow vehicle

[jumprope]

I am planning on purchasing a tt with a dry weight of 5500 lbs. I am also looking for a used half ton truck between years 2004 and 2008. I am considering a 2006 dodge ram 1500 Laramie with a 5.7litre v8 engine. Will that pull potentially 7000lb comfortably or will it be a strain? I'm trying to avoid a 3/4 ton but I'm not sure what I should be looking at in the way of a half-ton. I could use some advice. Thank you

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[Ron3rd]

APT wrote:
In That vintage, I'd get an HD truck. You'll want a lot more power since power and transmission gearing was more limited compared to 2009+ trucks.

x2; One thing that will make a huge difference is the 6 speed trans.

Others can confirm but I believe Ram when to the 6 speed in 2009. Much better gearing for towing.

This applies whether you go 1500 or 2500. My recommendation would be the 2500 because it will give you more options if you want to go bigger in the future. A properly equipped 1500 would be fine though.

[Hemi_Power]

Get the 3/4 ton. I had an 04 1500 Quad Cab with 3:92 rear and the Hemi to pull my 8500lbs Fifth wheel. Power was no problem, carrying capacity was. Found a great deal (in 2010) on an off lease 1500 Mega Cab (really a 2500 with a lighter spring pkg)with the Hemi and 3:73 rear. Night and day difference towing, still have the truck. I don't know why people try to jam all this towing capacity into a half ton when a jump to the 3/4 ton is miles ahead. If you can tow what they say with the new half tons, then the 3/4 to 1 tons are grossly under rated, or the half tons are grossly over rated!

[APT]

In That vintage, I'd get an HD truck. You'll want a lot more power since power and transmission gearing was more limited compared to 2009+ trucks.

[dodge_guy]

A 1/2 ton will comfortably pull a 6500lb trailer. I pulled a 28ft 6500 lb loaded TT with my Dodge conv van, it had the 5.9L and 3.90 gear. It was underpowered by today’s standards but it had no issues towing it on a 3500 mile 2 week trip out west!

If you think you may upgrade after a while then yes get the 3/4 ton. Otherwise the 1/2 ton willl be fine!

[jumprope]

I am leaning toward a 2500 at this point. I prefer to have all my bases covered on the off chance I might upgrade the trailer that I get.

[jumprope]

I am leaning toward a 2500 at this point. I prefer to have all my bases covered on the off chance I might upgrade the trailer that I get.

[KD4UPL]

I don't know why a lot of people try to avoid a 2500 series truck. They are basically the same size, shape, etc. They interior is generally identical. They have all the same controls, etc.
The 2500 will generally get you a stronger frame, stronger axles, heavier duty springs, bigger engine, bigger brakes, stronger u-joints in the drive shafts, higher towing capacity, higher payload capacity, and often a stronger transmission. That's a lot of additional capability for not very much additional investment, particularly when looking for used trucks.

[jumprope]

Thank you.Would it be more practical of me to just look for a three-quarter ton truck just to be on the safe side? Can it make that much difference? Thank you

[Grit_dog]

Provided the truck is in good condition, that combo actually had the most power and most gears for that era I believe, compared to the 5.4 ford and 5.3 GM.
However with any 10-15 year old vehicle, within reason, the miles, condition, and maintenance are likely more important than the brand, 20hp or an extra gear.
Have 06 and 07 Dodges currently with a combined 300k and climbing and I don't feel either of them are "used up" or on their last legs. Both have been relatively trouble free, IMO.
Fwiw, I'm sure I could say the same about a Ford or Chevy from that era as well. All were pretty decent.

[jumprope]

Thank you all. Valuable informatiom!!

[TurnThePage]

That sticker in the door jam will help a lot. Back in '06 I think the Ram 1500s had gone to the 5 speed transmission, which was stout enough, but had a wide spread between 1st and 2nd, or 2nd and 3rd. Don't remember which. Hopefully it has at least 3.55 gears and preferably 3.92. That's the stuff I'd be looking at first.

[handye9]

When you look at a prospective tow vehicle, open the drivers door, and find the tire / loading sticker (usually on the door post). It will show a number for max occupant / cargo weight (AKA payload). That is the max weight the vehicle is rated to carry. Depending on installed options, engines, gear ratio, suspension, cab size, etc, every vehicle has it's own payload rating. F150's for example, have versions with as little as 750 lbs of payload, and as much as 3200 lbs.

When you see posts like" My brand XXXX tows my 10,000 lb trailer just fine", what your not seeing is what their loading sticker says, or, how much other stuff they are carrying. Take two trucks, both with 1500 lbs of payload, and two families, one with two people and no cargo, and the other with six people and 200 lbs of stuff. The truck with fewer people could tow a bigger trailer.

When towing a trailer, the weight of any hitch equipment and the trailer's tongue weight, count as cargo weight on the tow vehicle.

Figuring average camping load of 900 lbs and average tongue weight of 12.5 percent, your trailer will eat 850 - 950 lbs of payload.

There are numerous 1/2 ton's capable of towing that trailer. Without knowing how much other weight you will be carrying, it's difficult to say which one.

[bikendan]

Ram 1500's have the lowest average payload capacities, in the 1/2 ton market.
Dodge supposedly has addressed this in their 2019 Ram 1500s.

focus on payload capacity, THEN towing capacity. tow vehicles will almost always run out of payload capacity before reaching towing capacity.

[camp-n-family]

You’ll have plenty of power to pull it. You may run out of payload though, depending on the tongue weight and how much people and gear weight you plan on carrying in the truck. That goes for just about any 1/2 ton.

What body style are you looking at? A quad cab can have as little as 1200lbs of payload. A 7k loaded tt will eat up close to 1k of that in tongue weight alone. You’d fare better with a mega cab which is built like an HD truck and can have 2500lbs of payload.