Am I the only one out there towing a 5th wheel with a Hemi? I have the 5.7 with a 373 Rear end. It pulled my 8500 Cougar lite with no issues on a cross country trip to Calif and back to Pa. I like this truck so much, I plan to match it with a similar configuration when it comes time to trade it in. I'm curious if anyone towing this much weight is also satisfied? I've had four Dodge diesels and one Ford diesel in the past and they were great tow vehicles. As an everyday drive, they were overkill. This Hemi is a great all around family car as well as a tow hauler.
We had a 2010 Ram with a 5.7 Hemi & 373 gears---pulled a TT that weighed (at times) close to 10,000 lbs. It worked pretty well. However, we knew a fifth wheel was in our future, so bought a 2016 Ram with a 6.4 & 373 gears. Our 5er tops out over 10,000 lbs. and the Hemi pulls it very well. We've put on about 10,000 miles (a few 10% grades) and get just under 10 mpg. Would I buy another 6.4??? YEP! It sounds pretty good too.
Ok, going to throw this out there. 6.4 for a 10,000 34' TT. Currantly have a Chev 6.0 struggling. We travel in the 60 ish range. 2WD. Wanting to stay away from diesels. Maintence and Upkeep. Also is our daily driver. Full timing. No S&B.
I haul an 11K 5th with my 6.4 Hemi w/3.73 gears. I wish I had taller gears and I wish the tranny ratios were better matched for a gas engine but I get by. Nothing bugs me enough to go get a new truck or to even re-gear.
If purchasing a new 2500 truck I would absolutely go with the 6.4 over the 5.7. I don't have a clue why ram still offers the 5.7 in the HD trucks. Having said that it's good to hear when someone is pleased with their gas powered truck.
'12 Ford Super Duty FX4 ELD CC 6.7 PSD 400HP 800ft/lbs "270k Miles" '16 Sprinter 319MKS "Wide Body"
A Ram 6.4 owner recently posted on utube about how much he liked the 6.4, but wished he had gotten the 4.10 gears. The complaint was about a power void when doing around 60 mph on the highway. He felt the 4.10 would give him the added torque at that speed. I'm considering the 6.4 for the durability, since we tow around 10,000 mi a year and some of it is in the Rockies.
I tow my 5th wheel at about 12,500 lbs with my 2016 Ram 2500 with 6.4 hemi and 4.10 rear axle. It tows great in the eastern US and has tow rating at almost 16K lbs. Does it pull as well as the 2015 Ram with 6.7 CTD that it replaced? No, but it does well and tows about 1 gear lower overall than the CTD. I get about 8 mpg towing (about 65mph) and about 13-14 mpg in mixed driving and 17+ or so on highway. Since I only make a western trip to high elevations about once every 2 years, I am happy with my purchase. Fits my needs perfect for 95+ percent of time. At your weight, I would get the 6.4 hemi with 3.73 rear end. You would still be about 3K under tow ratings.