2014 Dodge Ram 5.7 with 3.21 axle

[Paul pg]

Hey, I'm very new to the rv world and I am looking at buying a 2015 hideout 28bhs we. Its slated as being 6500 lb dry.

The rv sales guy said my truck would pull it no problem, but I'm not so sure.

When I spoke to dodge about it they seemed to be a bit clueless and instantly said yes without really looking into it. When I said the sticker on the door only says 6900lb he said that dodge don't put the towing capacity on the door and that I woudnt even know it was there when towing.

Am I being over cautious or are the experts right, surely they can't be wrong?

Thanks in advance.

Paul

Ram 1500 4x4 5.7 v8 crew cab 6'4 box Laramie 3.21 axle

[audio1der]

You will over weight as soon as you as propane, batteries and only the bare essentials.
The engine has tons of power but you neutered it with the 3.21 rear end. And you haven't even touched on payload, the RAM achilles, yet.

[Pmedic4]

One of the nice things about the RAM trucks, is they have a good webpage which runs a calculator for providing your trucks towing capacity.

http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/towing_guide/

You can select your specific model and features, so it gives you the exact capacities of your truck. What is especially nice, is you can adjust the payload up or down, within the limits of your truck, to adjust your towing capacity. Note, that doesn't change the capacity of your truck, just where you put all that 'stuff'.

Personally, I don't think the other truck manufacturers have as good calculators, just a table showing the vehicle and some partial weight limits. Those charts still valid, just not as simple to see how your payload affects towing capacity.

Audio1der is correct, the 3.21 rear end impacts your towing capacity. Many years ago, I had a work pickup which came with a 2.85 rearend, and when not towing it was fine. Unfortunately, when we hooked up our work trailer, we had a hard time getting moving, and just took minutes to get up to speed - not seconds!

[Paul pg]

Cool tool on the ram webpage.

According the the slider I can tow 7500lb. With 2 passengers

Is that good enough?

[Desert185]

Interesting.

2015 heavy duty, crew cab, manual, 4x4:

2500's only have 3.42 (standard)

3500's have 3.42 (option) and 3.73 (standard), which considerably changes the payload/towing weight.

The 3500 is only ~$2000 MSRP more the than the 2500. Why buy the 2500, especially after looking at the payload difference?

[SAABDOCTOR]

PAUL you are looking at 1000lbs of cargo that includes any water propane the batteries dishes cloths and grill toys etc. you'll eat that up real quick. light camper or bigger truck. that eco rear end is a killer! If it was me i would look for a different trailer but if you think you will move up to bigger camper trust me the DW has a way of making that happen the go for broke and upgrade the truck! I am glad I did

[GaryWT]

I towed for 3 years with a 150 that had a 3.15 rear end. It towed fine and pick up was good. Had a 5.4 liter engine. That said and not knowing your payload, you are tight at only 7,500 when the trailer starts out at 6,500. As others have said, everything adds up and although some things don't add much like towels, it is part of the equation. Clothes, food, drinks, chairs to be by the fire, grill, dishes or paper goods, bedding, pots and pans and so on. I am sure the truck can do it but you want to be sure it is safe and that the truck does not quit on you.

[Paul pg]

So, I called Chrysler Ram headquarters and spoke to the customer rep who pulled up the trucks details via the VIN number she stated it can tow up to 1050lbs.....

Confusing.... not at all!!!

[Voyager]

I have a 2014 ram 1500 crewcab 4x4 5.7 hemi and 8 speed transmission with 3.92 gears, mine is rated at 10,050, I don't think I would want to tow the trailer your describing with 3.21

[x96mnn]

Towed a Sprinter 266, 6500 pds dry but was 8000 pds loaded up with propane and a full tank of fresh at the scales.

I knew the camper was there, it did not tow awful, BUT, for my driving compfort I did not like to travel in winds over 30mph and expect to keep the speed limit. For my ability I got very tired after about 3hrs of towing.

My truck was a 2011 with 3.55 rear, rated at 9200pds and had close to 1500pds payload, (slt with 17" rims and only options were starter and leather wrapped steering wheel). I had a reese dual cam anti sway system, airlift 1000 airbags and E rated tires. My freind has a similar truck and tows a 30ft trailer with a dry weight of 5500pds and you do not know the trailer is behind you. Was towed with my truck and now his 2014 ram.

Again this is my experiance, he drove my setup and said it was fine, each person is different when it comes to what the like and do not like. I was not a fan but it did the job for 3yrs. When I got a bigger truck we travel a lot more now, but still camo about the same ammount of nights.

The 1050 sounds like they may have quoted you your payload. There is a sticker on the driver door frame, it will tell you your payload. I do think your max tow is more like 7500. Key word THINK.

Hope you find my experiance of some value.

[T3/T4 Hybrid]

Paul, here is a chart from Dodge to verify what your truck can tow and haul.

Scroll down the chart until you find the exact model and trim level of your truck.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...tocrNuNCrsTkjA

[audio1der]

Originally Posted by Paul pg

So, I called Chrysler Ram headquarters and spoke to the customer rep who pulled up the trucks details via the VIN number she stated it can tow up to 1050lbs.....

Confusing.... not at all!!!

That uninformed "helper" who should not be manning the phones, gave you your payload capacity, not towing capacity.

[SAABDOCTOR]

i was on the dodge web site no way 10.5k what does the sticker on the door post tell you? any acc you added to the truck? likebrush guards light bars wheels/tires all will chang the payload. I still think you are too close.

[sourdough]

The 3.21 axle isn't for towing. It's for highway economy. Can it tow? Yes. Is it good at it? No.

Your truck (I pulled 2014 - you didn't give a year but it should be close to most recent years) has a max tow of 7850lbs and a payload of 1225. The trailer weighs 6630 dry and has a payload of 2880. Hitch weight is 720.

If you max the trailer weight you have overloaded the truck. Dry hitch weight is 720 plus propane/batteries/loading etc. Figure 900. That leaves you 325 lbs. to put in the truck; ie; passengers, hitch weight (add 100), bikes, tools, etc. etc. You will be overloaded on payload - considerably.

Those are just base, quick look numbers and they say you need a smaller trailer. The hemi will pull it, but not well, with a 3.21. I've pulled a trailer about that same weight (loaded weight) with a 3.55 rear end and it did not like wind or hills. The 3.21 will have a very hard time unless your spinning about 4000rpm in 3rd. Plus, you will be overweight in most areas which isn't safe for you, your family or others. JMHO

Oh, by the way. An RV salesman would tell you you could pull a 45' 5er with a tricycle so don't believe them - look up the numbers.

[Paul pg]

Well thanks for the info much more help than any of the experts who sell the vehicles!

So the 3.92 axles vehicle would be able to tow the trailer sufficientt?

Just out of interest what sort of mpg do you get out the ram with that axle compared to the 3.21, and does that make it slower 0-60?

Many thanks

[Desert185]

Originally Posted by Paul pg

Well thanks for the info much more help than any of the experts who sell the vehicles!

So the 3.92 axles vehicle would be able to tow the trailer sufficientt?

Just out of interest what sort of mpg do you get out the ram with that axle compared to the 3.21, and does that make it slower 0-60?

Many thanks

3.21 = slower acceleration

3.92 = faster acceleration

Edit: Make sure you specify a limited slip differential when the time comes.

[JRTJH]

I did some online "comparison shopping" of window stickers for available 2014 RAM 1500 quad cab 4x4 trucks. Assuming you can believe the EPA/DOT fuel comparison on the window stickers, here's what I found:

AXLE RATIO.....AVERAGE MPG.....CITY.....HIGHWAY
3.21................17......................15.... ...21
3.92................16......................14.... ...20

It has always been my understanding that a lower gear ratio (3.92) is quicker to accelerate than a higher gear ratio (3.21).

I hope that helps some.

[sourdough]

The higher (numerically) the axle ratio the faster the acceleration.

The 3.92 ratio won't make the truck sufficient to tow that particular trailer in every respect. It does give you an increase in the max tow weight from 7850lbs to 9900 so you probably wouldn't exceed that category. Unfortunately it only increases your payload to 1264lbs vs 1225 with the 3.21; an increase of only 39lbs. That is where you will encounter the problem.

The 5.7 hemi with a 3.92 will pull the trailer - many pull things similar. The issue is payload and usually is with the Ram 1500 series. Whatever you choose make sure you get a good WDH with sway control.

Towing an 8500lb trailer with th 5.7/3.92 I got 8-9 mpg overall.

[Desert185]

Not much difference in mileage. Regardless, you get a truck because its a truck. If you're looking for good gas mileage, get a Prius (yuck).

[Paul pg]

Yup. Thanks for the info. I'm really angry at dodge right now as no one seems to know what they are talking about. I feel like dropping the the keys off and telling them to give me a truck that can do what they told me I can do.