Towing with a 6.4 hemi With 4:10's

ppine wrote:
I have known two people that have towed trailers for a living, moving them as a contractor. Both had Ford 7.3 diesels and did okay with heavy trailers. But they would both tell you there is nothing fun or relaxing about towing 14 k pounds.

If you plan to leave the interstates and better state highways in the West towing that much weight there is going to be a lot of wear and tear on your truck, and a lot of stopping to cool off brakes and trans. I would not tow that much unless it was an emergency.

The newer trucks are a completely different ball game than the Ford 7.3L trucks (and I'm a big 7.3L fan). I tow 16k lbs with the truck in my signature all through the mountain passes in Western Canada and the US with ease and would not at all hesitate to tow much heavier with it. And there are many members on here that tow much heavier than I do! :)

I agree 14k is a lot but I think if you are going with dual rear wheels it will be better. Also don't discount the 2017 super duty 6.2 gas engine you can get with a 48 gallon gas tank and increase torque at 430 lbft.

I have known two people that have towed trailers for a living, moving them as a contractor. Both had Ford 7.3 diesels and did okay with heavy trailers. But they would both tell you there is nothing fun or relaxing about towing 14 k pounds.

If you plan to leave the interstates and better state highways in the West towing that much weight there is going to be a lot of wear and tear on your truck, and a lot of stopping to cool off brakes and trans. I would not tow that much unless it was an emergency.

Devocamper wrote:

ib516 wrote:
I towed 12k with a Ram 6.4L Hemi and 4.10 gears. It did just fine. 37' 5th wheel with 3 slides.

Thanks ib516 that's encouraging, my trailer weighs a little more but the truck I am looking at would 4x2 so it would be lighter and offset the heaver trailer a little bit on the GCVWR. what kid of towing did you do with it , mountains , out west or average east coast grades?
Thanks for the info
Mike

I towed in the mountains, into the wind, and on the flats. It did great. There was only a couple mountain grades that I couldn't accelerate up if I wanted to. Flat to the floor it held speed on the steep grades. Very high RPM mind you, but it did it. NJo overheating or any issues at all. It did like to drink fuel while pulling. 7-9 mpg was the average, 7 when working hard, 9 on the flats with no wind.

I'll never disagree with anyone who says the diesel will tow better. Of course it will. But, for my needs, the 6.4L Hemi worked just fine. There is more to a truck than how it hauls an RV for 5 days a year (in my case).

I had a 2014 Ram 2500 with the 6.4 and 4.10 with a ~12k loaded trailer. It handled it ok, but you're looking at an extra ton of trailer compared to that and you have a diesel now (I went from 03 Ram Cummins to 14 Ram 6.4 and now to 16 Ram Cummins). In my opinion, the diesel is worth it if you plan to drive any distance with the trailer. If just short pulls, the 6.4 will be fine. I prefer daily driving the Cummins over the Hemi as well.

Good luck

Mmaxed wrote:
I tow a 14k toy hauler with a 2015 3500 with 6.4 Hemi and 4.10 gears. Will not go gasser again for towing this heavy. I am in Montana and tow in the mountains and wind. If it was mostly flat with little wind my opinion may be different. Really like the Hemi running solo.

You are used to diesel power, don't go backwards.

I think you will regret getting rid of the diesel. You can't beat it. That is a lot of weight for a gasser. I would keep the truck, save the money and put it toward an upgraded TC, if that's the way you want to go. At some point, you may want to tow behind it. Just my .02 cents.

I tow a 14k toy hauler with a 2015 3500 with 6.4 Hemi and 4.10 gears. Will not go gasser again for towing this heavy. I am in Montana and tow in the mountains and wind. If it was mostly flat with little wind my opinion may be different. Really like the Hemi running solo.

You are used to diesel power, don't go backwards.

ib516 wrote:
I towed 12k with a Ram 6.4L Hemi and 4.10 gears. It did just fine. 37' 5th wheel with 3 slides.

Thanks ib516 that's encouraging, my trailer weighs a little more but the truck I am looking at would 4x2 so it would be lighter and offset the heaver trailer a little bit on the GCVWR. what kid of towing did you do with it , mountains , out west or average east coast grades?
Thanks for the info
Mike

I towed 12k with a Ram 6.4L Hemi and 4.10 gears. It did just fine. 37' 5th wheel with 3 slides.

Grit dog wrote:
Payload consideration for gas vs diesel pickup is very subjective. When talking TCs and most of all of the weight on the rear axle, just like a 5ver, and the engine pretty much all on the front axle, the only payload difference is on paper. Just food for thought.
Otherwise 6.4/4.10 combo will haul any TC smartly and will get you places with your 5ver for a year safely.
Takes a lot of snort to run a 12'x8' box down the highway. I get a little better mileage pulling a 6000lb boat with a tower or a 32' enclosed cargo trailer than I do with the camper on.

Thanks Grit Dog you have been very helpful here and on the TC Forum , I would hate to regret going gas down the road but the $10K plus for the diesel just seems hard to justify to haul 5500 lbs around when it seems that any of the gas motors (6.0, 6.2, or 6.4 )will handle it. The ram is rated to tow 15900 which would cover the fifth wheel when needed. I am not sure how long I would need to tow the 5th wheel. I have never sold an RV privately and as I am sure you know the truck camper dealers want no part of a fifth wheel trade not a 35 footer anyway at least not up here in the north east.
Thanks again
Mike